Raising Expectations Through Sports

Sports have often led the way to elevating the expectations of persons with disabilities and two recent events continued to validate that leadership:  The Clagett Regatta and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

The Clagett Regatta, the premier regatta for persons with disabilities in North America, was held in Newport, RI, its home base, June 18 to June 23, 2019.   Since its inception, this regatta has provided sailors with disabilities the opportunity to compete on an elite level with other sailors around the U.S. and the world.  Many of the Clagett sailors gain the skills and confidence to compete in national and international events not identified as being adaptive.  Sailing is a great equalizer.  This year, the results were published in a story in Scuttlebutt Sailing News, a daily electronic newsletter about all things sailing in North America.  A great example of inclusivity!

On June 20, 2019, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the U.S. Paralympic Committee confirmed their merger with the name change to U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).  The commitment to this change began nearly a year ago and the merger includes raising the awards for Paralympic medalists to the same level as that for Olympic medalists.  The USOPC is the first organization in the world that includes both Olympic and Paralympic in its name and one of only four national organizations in the world to manage both Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Paralympic sports don’t get the same television and news coverage in the US as other Olympic sports or as Paralympic sports do in other countries.  Their inclusion in the USOPC and their parity in awards should lead to more awareness of this level of sport and this writer hopes that leads to more and better coverage.  If anyone has ever seen Paralympic competition, wheelchair tennis or regattas in adaptive boats, they know that the level of athleticism and intensity of competition is worthy of attention.

If the expectation of persons with disabilities can be raised in sports, that raise should be translatable to employment and accessibility as well.  That would bring parity to persons with disabilities in all areas of life.  What a great idea!

Excuses for Lack of Access

People don’t always recognize how inaccessible their businesses can be and how that discriminates against persons with disabilities. I know they don’t understand when they give excuses that don’t make sense.  Some of these excuses make me laugh until it hurts and others just make me shake my head.   Here are some examples:

During a survey of business owners, the question of accessibility was posed.  One business owner actually said that his business was accessible since the building only had one step to get into it!  Talk about no clue.  For someone in a wheelchair, that one step was as good as a steep cliff.  Access is denied. 

Another business owner said he wasn’t concerned since no one had come in to say he couldn’t get in.  Yes, that’s right.  (Read it again if you don’t get it.)  He somehow felt that if people could not get into the building, they would come in and tell him.  How?  Do people even think about what they say?

Another interesting response from a business owner was that he was not required to be accessible since he never said he was accessible.  How about if we apply that to other laws?  Suppose a policeman stops you for speeding.  Do you think that excuse would fly?  Try telling the officer that you were not required to obey speed limits since you never said you would.  While the officer may have difficulty writing that ticket at first because he would be laughing so hard, you can be sure there would be a ticket with a fine attached.  The same goes for any other law you break.  This is not a response that will benefit you.

When I recently complained to a business owner that I couldn’t attend several events that were held at his facility, he replied that two out of three of their facilities were accessible.  He then invited me to visit the accessible ones.  Somehow the fact that two facilities are accessible does not help when the event is at the inaccessible one got lost on the business owner.  Access to the events I was trying to attend was denied. 

When you fail to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are effectively putting up a “Keep Out” sign.  Actually, a sign can be ignored when the barrier cannot be.  Is keeping people out of your business what you really want to do?  Persons with disabilities make up the third largest market segment in the U.S.  I think that’s a lot of business to turn away.

Annette Bourbonniere

www.accessing-ability.com

Twitter:  @AccessInclude

Federal judge rules in favor of more accessible taxis

Hurray!  Advocates for persons with disabilities have been fighting with the city of New York regarding accessible taxis.  Now, a federal judge has ruled in their favor.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/24/nyregion/taxi-fleet-in-new-york-is-inadequate-for-wheelchair-users-judge-rules.html

The resistance on the part of the city and its Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has been both puzzling and annoying.  With the population of persons with disabilities growing, and a new fleet of taxis being commissioned, the city administration, led by Mayor Bloomberg, fought against making the new taxis accessible.  The new taxis were to have all sorts of amenities, including televisions, but it was deemed that they should not be accessible.

Advocates did not give up the fight and this decision was recently handed down.  Additionally, Governor Cuomo signed a bill that asks for a plan for more taxis to be accessible. 

Persons with disabilities comprise the third largest market segment in the United States.  Additionally, accommodations for persons with disabilities are frequently adopted by the general population as innovations.  So, it’s time to retire the argument regarding costs.  It’s an investment, people!

Annette Bourbonniere

www.accessing-ability.com

Twitter:  @AccessInclude

Are Charter Schools Discriminating Against Persons with Disabilities?

Charter schools in Florida and elsewhere are not admitting students with disabilities.  http://www.npr.org/2011/12/14/143659449/florida-charter-schools-failing-disabled-students.

While they claim they do not turn away students because of their disabilities, they do say they are not equipped to meet their needs.  Of course, then, one has to ask why they are not so equipped.  They are publicly supported.  Of course, not every public school is equipped for every student either, but students are more likely to have their needs met at most public schools. 

Part of the problem is that students with disabilities most often have Individualized Education Plans (IEP’s) and those IEP’s will not send a child to a school that cannot meet their needs. 

Some charter schools specialize in children with disabilities, but that is just another form of segregation and, unless it is really impossible to meet the needs of these students elsewhere, special schools are a giant step backwards. 

How widespread is this problem?  What are the solutions?

Annette Bourbonniere

www.accessing-ability.com

access-ability.verizon.net

Twitter:  @AccessInclude

Placing Blame Doesn't Work

Don’t you just love it when you find out that gaining your own civil rights puts everyone else’s in jeopardy?  The if-we-give-you-this-it-will-ruin-it-for-everyone-else attitude is alive and well.

I cannot count how many times this excuse is given when dealing with access issues.  How many times do we get told that, if accommodations are provided, the costs will be so high that everyone else will suffer?

A recent example is in New York City, where there is a civil suit filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office against the city because of the lack of accessible taxis.   Mayor Bloomberg claims that the suspension of accessible taxis is bad so other riders will be uncomfortable.  Shame on us for making others uncomfortable so that we can be included.

Another claim that the mayor has made is that it will raise costs because of the cost of the modifications and the increased gas costs.  There we go again, making costs higher for everyone else.  He insists that the drivers won’t like them because the larger size makes it more difficult for the driver to communicate with the rider, leading to lower tips.  We really kill the economy with that one. 

Bloomberg also stated that it is too difficult for wheelchair users to hail taxis and that drivers don’t want to pick them up.  Well, it’s good to know that he’s looking out for us.  Right.

If were not enough, Governor Cuomo also got on the bandwagon, stating that having accessible taxis could jeopardize allowing street hails in the burroughs and upper Manhattan. 

So, it’s really clear that we wheelchair users are a royal pain and will cause the collapse of the New York transportation system. 

Their solution is that residents use designated transportation.  Of course, that will not work for tourists visiting New York.  Separate but equal?  Go to the back of the bus?  Does anyone recognize this rhetoric as blatant discrimination? 

It’s time for people to recognize that persons with disabilities are real people, living real lives, contributing to the economy like everyone else.  This is not charity or compassion, but thinking like a smart businessperson.  Include us and you will benefit.  In this case, it would mean that those of us who use wheelchairs, whether as residents and employees or as tourists, add much more than we take.

In the meantime, it’s just great to know that we are to blame for all the troubles of the world. 

Annette Bourbonniere

www.accessing-ability.com

401-846-1960

Fax:  401-846-1944

Twitter:  @AccessInclude

The Roles of Design, Attitude and Quality Control

Comments from Niall 3

This is the third of a series of Comments from Niall. It is designed as part of a series that will hopefully raise awareness of the contribution that people with disabilities can make to the community

Design

This is the starting point to achieve accessibility and therefore inclusivity. Architects, interior designers, construction engineers etc.... These are the people that will create our future environments. Yet, how many of them are fully informed of the needs of people with disabilities?

I am certain that the vast majority of them want to get the best result that they could but lack of awareness about accessibility is the main barrier to their achieving a fully inclusive environment.

Attitude

To physically create a fully inclusive environment means little if the people that work in it, or the people that buy or live in it, are not committed to the belief that everybody is welcome. This need for a positive and indeed, creative attitude also extends to people with disabilities. Their awareness of the possible limitations to achieving a fully inclusive environment is vital if a truly harmonious outcome is to be reached.

Quality Control

This may seem obvious but there are many examples, that I have actually seen, where the best intentions of people trying to achieve inclusivity, have failed. The initial design was good, the building appeared to be broadly accessible but the actual building work was altered (due to perceived construction necessities) so as to render the final result of little use to people with disabilities. When the builders move in they are focussed on the main issues: will it stay up, are all the electrics and plumbing in the right place and will it pass the inspections to allow it to open. The needs of people with disabilities are sometimes not their first priority. And, yet, if the concept of a fully inclusive working, selling or living environment were accepted then accessibility would become automatic. Rather than be treated as an additional worry, the building would meet the needs of as wide a range of people as possible. Inclusivity would be part of the Mainstream.

How to Maintain that Inclusivity

Having achieved an inclusive environment it is then all too easy to lose it. For example, extra desks and display stands for products etc. spread onto clear routes and accessibility is then lost.

The next Comment from Niall will cover the ways to maintain Inclusivity and then promote it to all potential users.

Niall can be contacted at tarrell@btinternet.com

www.accessing-ability.com

401-846-1960

Fax:  401-846-1944

Twitter:  @AccessInclude