Out of Sight, Out of Mind...Literally

The Philadelphia Eagles just signed a player who ran into and possibly knocked over a 66-year-old woman in a wheelchair last year after the Super Bowl as he ran to join his brother on the field.  This made the news because he has been indicted on the charge of something like "endangering a senior citizen" or "endangering a disabled person." 

I suspect few of us, even those of us who are disabled know such laws even exist. That is, not if we note how our environment is set up to be only marginally friendly to able-bodied let alone disabled  and elderly people, (unless you have a car). Check it out in your town. 

- When it snows, how easy is it for you to navigate on foot if you're a fully able-bodied person? What percentage of the sidewalks are cleared? How easy is it to get to the street from the possibly shoveled sidewalks?

- If you are walking along a sidewalk, how many obstacles do you encounter or rather, would you encounter if you could not nimbly avoid them? (bushes and tree limbs that hang over the walkway, trash cans and toys left in the path, cars parked on sidewalks, etc.)

- How helpful are traffic lights?  If they have a button to push to cross, how long does it take for the light to change, if it changes at all?  How much time do you have to get across?  Can you make it without running or walking very quickly?  If you couldn't see, could you tell when the light actually changed?

- How easy is it for you, able-bodied to navigate public buildings?  Are directions to where you want to go clear?

If we are honest, we will admit we do not do particularly well preparing for and interacting with disabled and older people.  For the most part, members of these groups are not seen.  There are a few tokens in TV shows, even sometimes in significant roles.  But often these roles are played by able-bodied actors or young performers in make-up.  That was true when I was a kid 50 years ago and it is only a little less true today.

It takes a little while for a bus driver to help a wheelchair user to get on and off a bus, so for many these riders are a nuisance.  An automobile  driver sees a blind person or cane or wheelchair user and will either speed up to get past before the person starts to cross or will stop short so the offender knows full well the driver is being inconvenienced.  

I am not totally defending the action of the new Eagles signee, but I can understand.  In his enthusiasm, he didn't see the woman who was already invisible, the recipient of the largess of special parking, seating, and other benefits people are not sure are deserved or needed.

Maybe this case will help disabled and older persons become more visible, but I don't count on it.  Unemployment rates for disabled persons are high.  Many older workers find work only as greeters or baggers.  I've lived with these challenges all my life.  Those I have sympathy for are those who did not know they could be on the receiving end of thoughtless snow plowers, poorly synchronized traffic signals, hazardous sidewalks.  They will feel the blows.  I just hope they are angry enough to get something done for the rest of us whose efforts are generally dismissed as "just call Uber or Lyft."  

A Dream

by Ruth A. Sheets

I just received an email from a group rebuildthedream.com.  They are working to improve sustainable economic opportunities for all Americans.  One of their current actions is to hold a community event that will activate the concern, creativity, innovation, and power of communities and individuals.  On their website, visitors are asked to describe their dream for America,  Respondents are encouraged to tell their story. 

Some time passed before I could think through what my dream is.  I realized that I actually have a lot of dreams, but have not really formed them into words and sentences I could articulate.

I examined my feelings and beliefs and something that touches me personally surfaced.  The following is the story I sent.

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As a disabled woman, I have seen the marginalization of disabled Americans:  elimination of jobs, limited presence in the media, elimination of services, technology that passes disabled persons by while providing able-bodied persons with a range of features that are unnecessary, you get the picture. 

I worked for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC for four years.  I thrived in the open, accepting atmosphere of Government service.  It is the only place I have ever worked where disabled people were accommodated just as a matter of course.  Ramps and elevators  were ubiquitous.  Large print materials, as well as  Braille were often available.  Most programs and events were interpreted in sign language or through closed captioning.  Disabled persons hustled to good jobs like their able-bodied colleagues.

My dream is that disabled people in large numbers will experience this same level of acceptance in all areas of life. 

It is hard, however, to move invisible people not only into visibility, but acceptance and inclusion. When the economy is bad, disabled workers are the last to be hired.  Through lack of accessibility, disabled people often avoid public gatherings.  Real, natural accommodation can be costly and is often not seen as worthwhile for the few who would take advantage of it.

_____

This month’s para Olympics presented a different picture of disabled people, but few Americans watched.  I bet the para Olympuc village was a terrific place to be, where people didn’t have to worry about how they would get from place to place and could use the various facilities. 

Maybe a way to begin a change is by teaching our children to be more respectful of disabled people they see or meet.  Instead of small print on everything, printers could enlarge materials meant to reach a large audience.  Attractive ramps and other accessibility features could be an automatic part of all new construction.  Disabled students could be actively recruited by colleges and employers.  Workers can be trained to give and receive meaningful support from their disabled colleagues.  Able bodied citizens could step back and let disabled citizens state what changes are needed and help throughout the process.

I bet we could come up with a lot of even better ideas if we had a will and if disabled persons were actively involved in advancing this dream. 

I know, I know, dream on!  I guess I will have to. 

Americans with Disabilities – Progress?

by Ruth A. Sheets

More than 20 years ago the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed.  Many of us thought it promised that “soon” disabled persons would be fully integrated into the American society. 

We knew that integration would take some time, but we who live every day with disabilities could dream.

There is no question that some improvements have been made over the past two decades.  Many communities have curb cuts to allow easier wheel chair mobility.  Many buildings have ramps into facilities that used to be inaccessible to anyone who was mobility impaired.  Some restaurants have Braille menus and some elevators have Braille or large-print numbers to indicate floors.

These changes are great and very helpful to many disabled persons, but did you notice that all of these are legally mandated, public, physical changes?  They barely touch the real challenges to disabled people. 

Those “real” challenges which have hardly changed at all in the twenty plus years since ADA may include alterations to the physical environment, but more frequently involve such intangibles as opportunity, services, and attitudes.

The unemployment rate among disabled persons runs around 70% which is significantly higher than faced by any other group of Americans.  Special Education is mandated in schools, but due to budget concerns, children with all types of disabilities are thrown into the same resource rooms, at least 12 students to one teacher.

Technology advances exponentially, but little or no thought is given to making devices accessible from the start.  They generally have to be retrofitted, which, of course, means all kinds of additions to make the technology work for the disabled user, a significant increase in complexity.

Services of all kinds for disabled people are being cut due to economic concerns.  This is at a time when many Americans are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan in some way physically or mentally impaired.  

Medical technology can keep people alive who have serious physical conditions.  It can provide prostheses and other equipment to help people to get around.  But, what about quality of life, the ability to contribute to the larger society? 

That takes me to the topic of attitude.  Having physical accessibility just isn’t enough.  The attitude barriers are , in my view, nearly as strong as they were when ADA was passed. 

The only wheelchair users on my bus route are on their way to or from the hospital or doctor, not a job.  The only other visually impaired employee in my school district was laid off and has not yet found another position.  My visually impaired sister, who has tremendous computer experience and lives in a major technology area, took many months to find work.

Why would an employer hire a disabled person when a fully able-bodied person might be able to do the job as well and with no need to adjust the work environment?

How do we “see” disabled persons?  Do we say things like “There but for the grace of God go I,” or something like it when we encounter someone who is disabled?  Maybe we should stop and think about what we are really saying.  Is that what we actually mean?  "We got God’s grace and they didn’t, too bad for them."