#universal accessibility

[structuredsucc]

One thing I learned teaching at University is that accommodations that help one person sometimes negatively affects other people.

Clear, detailed, specific instructions, for example, can massively help autistic and anxious students, but might overwhelm ADHD, PDA, or other anxious students.

Flexible deadlines can be really helpful for some ADHD students or students with anxiety, but they can also trigger executive dysfunction.

Interactive elements, ice breakers, and group work can offer much needed stimulation and hands-on learning for some ADHD'ers, but can overwhelm other students.

All of this means there is no one universal way to make teaching, or workplaces in general, accessible to everyone.

Instead, accessibility needs to be a constant process of being flexible in our approach to meet different people's needs, sometimes in completely opposite ways

[itsflix]

I volunteer on the board of a local community garden.

Recently, requests for wheelchair accessible garden beds was brought to our attention. A simple, quick, cost effective way to meet that need was suggested at our board meeting. And then was immediately shot down because, "if we make one part of the garden wheelchair accessible, then we'll have to make the whole garden ada compliant so ambulance chasers don't sue us."

When pushed, the same board member continued, "we looked into making the garden ada compliant several years ago, and it just wasn't economically feasible."

Well, friends, I'm pretty sure the ADA doesn't require community gardens to be ADA compliant. There are no federal guidelines that I can find.

So that means this board member was *lying* and I can't wait to passive aggressively call him on it at the next board meeting. Imagine, having an option to make a COMMUNITY garden more accessible to THE COMMUNITY and instead choosing to exclude THE COMMUNITY.

Anyway, send me examples of accessible gardens you love. I'm making it my mission to make this garden universally accessible. Before this, I *hoped* to. Now, I am *determined* to. Out of spite.

[bhrarchinerd]

[lipstick-stains-on-lace-veils]

For deaf Catholics, a gesture from Pope Francis meant the world

With a smile on his face and his right arm raised in the air, Francis placed his two middle fingers in his palms and signed “I love you.”

Father Mulcrone, who is part of a community that celebrates Mass with the deaf community in Chicago each week, agrees that it is a matter of justice for the church to provide access to the sacraments for Catholics who are deaf.

He laments that few parishes have interpreters available to sign Mass and there are even fewer priests proficient in American Sign Language to hear confessions or anoint the sick.

“We are a pro-life church,” he said. “As a church, we tell parents to bear and raise children who are deaf and or disabled. At the same time, we fail repeatedly to provide for the spiritual care of these children and adults.”

[helloiamausacresfan]

So I’ve started writing a bill to give everyone the right to work/study/access healthcare/perform civic responsibilities remotely. It’s one of my big projects now. :)

[bhrarchinerd]

Where Do We Go From Here? - 99% Invisible

There have been many waves of panic and resistance to new people moving into the public sphere and needing accommodation. And a focus of that panic has often been… public bathrooms. This debate about trans bathroom access became a big national story a little over five years ago. You had ordinances — or proposed ordinances — in states like North Carolina and Texas, which attempted to restrict which bathrooms trans people could or couldn’t use. Many transgender, non-binary, and intersex people risk stress and sometimes physical danger when entering bathrooms that are segregated by sex. But a group of people have devised a design solution that may make bathrooms better for everyone.

[davidrussellschilling]

What is Grand Universal Design?

What is Grand Universal Design?

C O N T E N T S:

KEY TOPICS

The concept of Universal Design originated in the field of architecture, with the goal of creating places and things that were accessible to as many people as possible.(More…)

POSSIBLY USEFUL

I am happy to announce that Progressive AE is expanding through a merger with ai Design Group, an architecture and interior design firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina.(More…)

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