WHY I DOTHIS WORK
Disability is personal to me.
I've been living with a progressive muscular dystrophy my whole life, and been aware of its affects on me since 1990. It's been slowly stealing my ability to walk and reach.
People in my family have other disabilities:
Parkinson's Disease, deafness, PTSD, macular degeneration, mental health issues ...
Although 1 in 8 people in the US have a mobility disability which causes serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs, disability is much broader than just this. Their diagnosis is not the problem.
“Disability is the result of the interaction between a person and their environment. Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments. Interaction with various barriers, such as inaccessible buildings… may hinder their full and effective participation in society."
definition by the World Health Organization
Why I'm the right person TO remove the barriers and transform your business
My disability and my 16+ years as a power wheelchair user are a good start for supporting my creditability. I also hold two Master's degrees, and four professional certifications; and, I would do anything to help my family function better in the world around them.
My superpower is seeing things that other people don’t.
Common Barriers Experienced by People with Disabilities:
PHYSICAL
including steps, inaccessible bathrooms, and inaccessible pathways
COMMUNICATIONS
including written messages that prevent access by people with vision impairments,
audio messages that prevent access by people with hearing impairment,
and over complicated / technical language that prevent access by people with cognitive impairment.
WHY this is the hill i will die on
The first ADA Standards for Accessible Design were published in 1991 and they were updated in 2010. I have been using accessibility features since the mid- 1990’s, as my legs became weaker. I have been politely vocal about the need for improvements and compliance with ADA Standards for Accessible Design, but know that talking to only one person at a time is not making the changes happen fast enough. I also know that before I got my first wheelchair in 2008, I received a lot of pushback from business owners who questioned my need for accommodations. The reality is there are a lot of hidden physical disabilities, and part-time wheelchair users. Mobility disabilities make up one group within the CDC guidelines, and others also need attention, but I am going to focus where my strengths lands.
Standing on the shoulders of Judy Heumann and hundreds of others in the disability community, I am grateful for their hard work that got us to this place. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
“I’m very tired of being thankful for accessible toilets. If I have to be thankful for an accessible bathroom, when am I ever gonna be equal in the community?” Judy Heumann, in the documentary “Crip Camp”.
I echo the words of Nora Elena Genster, in her guest blog for the NW Center for Disability after Ms. Heumann's passing in March 2023. "I still find myself being 'thankful' for accessible toilets. For access. For basic accommodations. There is so much left to do."
Making Waves for Good: Removing Barriers to Transform Businesses
Become barrier-free and allow your customers to fully engage with everything you have.
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