Accessibility should not feel like a FIGHT!

It may seem surprising, being 2011, but for people who struggle with accessibility issues we still NEED to fight. Fight for inclusion, fight for access, fight for comforts of everyday living and fight for what we would think is common sense.

There are many out there who feel they know exactly what others need. They think they can tell you what is best, what will work, what "is not" needed to make life easier. The fact is that unless you have walked a day in the shoes of a physically challenged person, you likely have little to no idea what these needs are.

Something as simple as a kindergarten child trying to open a metal door at school becomes a fight. To get a push button istalled because the door is too heavy for this child becomes a year long effort. There are many people who will try to make these decisions without a clue. To have an aide provided even though your child does not have cognitive delays seems like a stone age idea to authority, when that simple task would improve the quality of life and decrease fatigue to provide energy for what is important.

We have had many of these "common sense" fights and expect many, many more.
Some examples of the strange things we have had to fight for are:

• push button doors
• consistant aids
• wheelchair accessible bathroom
• scribes
• propper and safe wheelchair pickups
• adequate space for rampvan
• inclusion in outings
• acessibilty to outings
• physio time during weekday(teachers refusing to let child out of class)
• access to community buildings
• transportation
• use of computer devices to decrease fatigue
• and many more

Sadly I have had these fights over a number of years. Some of them I have succeeded in changing. Many I have fought the good fight and still came out on the losing end. It is incredibly daunting to have to continuously fight to HELP make life a little smoother for others.
Recently I was told about a situation with a friend where they refused to include her child in the school curriculum due to a cognitive delay. They outright told her they would not teach her child. In order for her to get through the year now she had to cease employment to provide her child lunch as they would not provide assistance at the lunch hour. That is absolutly appauling.

I was told to facilitate better independance for my child recently. Although difficult to hear(made me cringe thinking I had to give up "control") it was very good advice. But how does one trust a system that has been so difficult to improve,made so many mistakes, caused incredible amounts of stress. Until things improve I have no intention of quitting the fight to help make things easier. I feel everyone deserves the tools and respect to decrease obstacles that cause hardship. Especially the "common sense" issues that to those who experience the issues can be big problems.

Don't ask me to back down. Don't ask me to stop fighting. Don't ask me to stop caring. That is something I am unwilling and unable to do. I write these blogs not only to let others know they are not alone, but to spread the word that we still live in a very archaic era. We may have improved imensely over the years but there is still much to do!

Accessibilty and shopping

Well as much as I like to shop, it has become very apparent that for those with accessibilty needs, it is not as easy as it should be. Many store owners feel that one step may be alright for the frontage of their store. I am here to say no.
Unfortunately as I took my son shopping in his power chair yesterday, there were many stores he was unable to browse thanks to that one large step. Lucky for us we can still leave the chair outside and lift him up to ambulate around the store. But imagine those that can not. How frustrating it must be.
Store owners should take a look at the entrance to their store and ask themselves if they have done all they can for accessiblilty. If they haven't they have just blocked out a nice percentage of shoppers.
Malls tend to be friendly in this area as there are flat floors and elevators, but it is the small malls and individual shops that seem really difficult to navigate. Even some resaurants.
In my opinion stairs in business entrances should not be permissible as they are exclusive unless there is an alternate entry available.

Funding Fun ( Wheelchair accessibility)

Well I don't know about the readers out there but I have to say, finding funding is not and easy task. We recently tried to get funding for a wheelchair accessible van( an expense most provincial programs will not cover) and what a whoop-dee-do.

First off any charitable organization that would be potential help is a great place to start. Only problem is if you are in the middle income bracket good luck(unfortunately that is where the most people have debt and live paycheck to paycheck). The other problem is is that many of these organizations are "last resort" organizations meaning they would like you to try everyone else. This becomes a bit confusing as it is difficult to determine who to start with.

The next problem is most provincial programs only help with items that can be recylcled to someone else. A converted van is not such an item they say. So the frustration levels tend to go up and up.

After many months of searching and looking we came up empty. Local groups, provincial programs and charitable organizations proved to be quite a confusing task. It is hard enough dealing with the purpose for needing a converted van however add to it the extreme frustration of months of looking for help and what a task.

Don't get me wrong. All of these organizations are absolutely wonderful for everything they do but I really feel governments could do a lot more in helping people figure out where to turn. Especially in the middle income bracket. Follow the link to see a list of resources in Western Canada http://www.muscle.ca/fileadmin/Western/Services/Equipment_Funding_Manual-WC-Aug07-2009.pdf

And that's the take for today :)

Team Work- Oh how I miss you! ( accessibility and accommodation)

Not everything we do in life in regard to accessiblility has to do with the physical aspect of getting there. Caring for the emotional, physical and social aspects for people come from many people who CARE. In everything that I do I am constantly thinking of ways to help others. One commom theme that kept returning to me is TEAM!

Without a team to support an idea, it is very difficult to create change. Without change, we do not evolve. Well you get the idea. In order to help we must all band together for change.
If you think about it, I mean really think about it, how much effect do we have without the support of someone...or everyone.

In all my activities I am constantly creating little "teams" to help out a cause. However this only works in the theory that all team members will follow the plan. Many times we have made a plan to create a state of comfort or ease for my son and it only took one deviant person to derail that plan. Without all the players on board and helping out you end up in chaos.

There are many ways to derail a team plan such as "doing your own thing," deviating from suggestion, fighting for power and of course, creating a seperate plan appart from the team. Communication is the key to all success. Everyone involved in a team MUST be willing to give,accept and offer opinions, constructive criticism, ideas and thoughts. It is very difficult to find a successful team without these key components.

So many times have I ran into the problem of people thinking they were the "professionals" and did not listen to the team. Cooperation is a hard thing to find but like the diamond in the rough, once in a while you find a great team and that is where you get the success stories. Working together in unison for a common cause can bring great things when done respectfully, honestly and from the heart.

The power of one!( wheelchair accessibility)

Today I was told a story that hit me..This is why I blog..See the message below:

I just recently saw something happen in Regina that made me realize how INaccessible things can be. There was a construction site and they had put the big chain link fences up on the edge of the sidewalk. Well this section of fence had 'feet' to help with their stability that were basically big bars that ran across the sidewalk. This boy was in a wheelchair and trying to navigate his way on the sidewalk and got hung up on these feet, lost his balance, and he fell off the sidewalk and out of his chair. I jumped out of my truck to help him, but he was able to get get back into his chair on his own. The saddest part of all of this was the look of embarrassment that he had on his face. Why should HE be embarrassed?? The people that block off a sidewalk are the ones that should feel shame! People don't think..... :(

It  is so true. Some people go through life coasting as fast as humanly possible and do not stop to think of the repercussions it may cause for others. In todays society faster is better. The sooner you can get things done the better off so they say. But who thinks of the consequences down the road...or even right then. accessibility matters to everyone...We all may need to get somewhere and restriction causes frustration.
For example; imagine the last time you were stuck in a traffic jam and had to go around the obstruction...yes it took an extra 10minutes or more out of your day...yes it was extremely frustrating. Now imagine the life of a person with a disability. Everyday they encounter such a road block in plain, everyday life.

The AH HA moment! A traffic jam everyday....we could help change that one roadblock at a time. If one person inspires the next and so on and so forth imagine what the world could look like

THE POWER OF ONE! :)

Miette Hot Springs and Accessibility get a thumbs up!

Today we came upon the best inspiration for this post. Miette Hot Springs in Jasper National Park boasts the beginning of 2 wheelchair accessible trails. They are posted below..

This is the Upper Trail

This is the lower trail

We were able to go about 10 minutes on the upper trail that leads to Sulphur ridge and then becomes quite rocky. On the Lower Trail which takes you to  the old Hot Springs location and along a very nice river we were able to travel 40 minutes one way with the power chair before tha trail became a true hiking trail. It was AWESOME!

My son absolutely loved the smooth lower trail and the access to all the beauty that everyone else can enjoy in the Rockies. Even the hotsprings themselves are accessible.

It was a spectacular adventure. Jasper boasts many accessible trails which makes this area absolutely fantastic when travelling with a wheelchair. However the slopes can prove a bit difficult for any challenges that cause weakness so I would caution you to be sure to have a plan (or a chair) if you have trouble with slops.

Miette Hotsprings gets a thumbs

It is so incredible to see when someone lends a helping hand. A lady struggling to put groceries in the car, a dropped item a passer by picks up and makes the effort to give back, a friendly hello to a sad face. These are all the great things one hopes to expect. But in reality I am betting statistics would show something much more grim.

In the accessible world people take for granted the struggles just to get to the front door of a building, just to park in a space wide enough to lower a ramp. It is amazing to me that there are still people out there that believe a child should not be accommodated.

What do you think when you think of accessiblilty? People in wheelchairs? People with physical and mental challenges? The fact is is that there are several disabilities and disorders that don't involve the use of a wheelchair. To the naked eye you may not realize that walking to a front door can be entirely all to exhausting when having to do it from the far end of a parking lot.

Just is the case when we pulled into a Walmart Parking Lot 2 years back. My son could walk but got exhausted very quickly. An employee with a cane ambled up to us in the parking stall labelled "handicap parking" and began lecturing me on the use of the spot. She simply stated we should not be there because we are taking spots away from more deserving and needing people.

I answered calmly and clloectively with an "excuse me but you can not judge a book by the cover" and we carried on. The lady was disgusted but left us alone. My son was able to get into the mall and out without incident. Again, he has a muscle wasting disease. To many he seems able to do what everyone else does.

Moral of this entry....DO NOT JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S Cover!