Monthly Archives: April 2019

Physical Access to Community Spaces

We asked 17-year-old wheelchair user and advocate, Erin Novakowski to share what she thinks is most important to create accessible, inclusive communities. Click here to read the full post. Here’s an excerpt on how to identify and tackle the issue of physical barriers in a community space. The first things that often come to mind when we hear the word accessibility are things like ramps, automatic doors, and larger bathroom stalls. This is because physical inaccessibility is one of the most obvious forms of exclusion, and it’s something that both disabled and non-disabled individuals can recognize easily. It does not take much to understand that if a building has stairs, individuals who use wheelchairs cannot enter. This goes for all types of disabilities, and even though it may seem simple, it’s also important to realize that a ramp does not automatically mean a building is accessible. Things like insufficient or dim lighting, excessive use of flashing or strobe lighting, or signage without braille can make spaces inaccessible to large groups of people. The reason this is such an important cause to fight for is because if disabled people cannot physically enter a space, they are being entirely left out of...Read More→

Five Fights Worth Fighting

Lack of accessibility is one of the most important issues facing our society today, and it’s necessary for us to look at what we can all do to make our communities inclusive towards everyone. By taking the time to learn about the small things we can do as individuals to help create accessible spaces, it becomes easy to realize that accessibility is not a hindrance or burden, but a life-changing tool that makes communities stronger and more diverse. True accessibility is multi-faceted and deals with not only physical spaces, but social issues, representation, and personal experience. As a disabled individual, I see firsthand both the issues and the progress made in my community regarding inclusion and access. In this post, I’ll be speaking about five of the most important accessibility issues that together, we can solve. 1. Physical Access to Community Spaces The first things that often come to mind when we hear the word accessibility are things like ramps, automatic doors, and larger bathroom stalls. This is because physical inaccessibility is one of the most obvious forms of exclusion, and it’s something that both disabled and non-disabled individuals can recognize easily. It does not take much to understand that...Read More→