A Deeper Understanding: Inaccessibility in Public Spaces

People with disabilities have faced challenges in public spaces due to lack of accessibility. However, there have been improvements made in recent years. About 15% of the world's population has a disability, but there is a widespread lack of accessibility in built environments. The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed over 30 years ago, but many cities are still not designed for people with disabilities. Some cities, like Miami, have become ADA compliant. There have been efforts to improve accessibility, such as the creation of tactile maps for visually impaired individuals. Adaptive devices also exist to support people with disabilities like chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradicular neuropathy (CIDP). A special tool called the puck was created to help a young man with CIDP control his TV using his phone. These advancements in accessibility have had a positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities, providing them with independence and capability. However, there i People with disabilities have been struggling in public spaces for a very long time, all because of the lack of accessibility given. Although it is still a current issue, we've seen some major adjustments to try and help fix it. Hi, I'm Alex Norrath, and today I'm going to be talking about the vital advancements that have improved accessibility for people with disabilities over the recent years. Moving around in cities can be especially tough for people with disabilities because it is crowded and some cities still have access problems. This has been a recurring issue as several people with disabilities have given their public word on it. According to the United Nations, about 15% of people in the world live with a disability. Here is what the UN says about accessibility. Available evidence reveals a widespread lack of accessibility to built environments, from roads and housing to public buildings and spaces, and to basic urban services such as sanitation and water health, education, etc. Limitations in cities contribute to complete marginalization around people with disabilities, and it is not fair to keep ignoring the problem instead of facing it and fixing it. One huge issue with this is that the ADA, otherwise known as the Americans with Disabilities Act, was passed over 30 years ago, yet many cities are still terribly designed for people with disabilities. Over the years, there have been several large cities that have become ADA compliant, such as Miami. From the Miami-Dade County ADA office, there are several ways of seeing its ADA compliance, through the different policies and procedures, public accommodations available, and the importance of communication with people with disabilities. Now, let's dive into Jackie's story, a woman with disabilities who faces issues in the city of Dundee. She expresses, Able-bodied people genuinely can't imagine what it's like to use a wheelchair. Some buses and taxis are accessible, some aren't. There is even a disabled toilet in town where the door opens on a heavy spring, making it impossible to maneuver around to get into what is otherwise a good loo. The ADA Act clearly isn't air-proof, because cities keep making only some parts of their environment accessible, which doesn't actually solve any problem, because it still puts a target on people with disabilities. The difficulty in locating accessible locations in a crowded city, like Dundee, is shared among several others around all parts of the world. Since the story of Jackie took place about six years ago, there have been several major adjustments to try and fix this issue. A student at Texas A&M University named Caitlin Kellermeyer faced a grand challenge when she lost her sight during her freshman year. Kellermeyer discussed the struggles she experienced having to move around the large campus, recalling the difficulty of navigating through the vast open spaces without any visual cues. Before the idea of tactile maps, Kellermeyer remembered, My friends created this little network of support. They'd walk me between classes, they'd read me things, they'd go to class with me, and in some cases, help me take notes. That was really awesome. I had memories of where everything was relationally. With all the open space on campus and the lack of auditory cues, I didn't realize how hard it would be to get around. With these feelings of restriction, dealing with the constant fear of getting lost and not finding a way back was vastly relevant. However, when Tyler Wooden, a fellow student, approached her with the idea of creating tactile maps, things began to change. Kellermeyer shared that when she lost her sight, she lost the ability to use a map, so regaining that ability meant the world to her. Tactile maps are maps that are designed to be read by touch. The maps are 3D printed and contain physical objects to portray all parts of the environment or landscape. With the use of raised lines and Braille, navigating a large campus would be much easier. This is why the tactile map was a perfect solution for Kellermeyer. The introduction of these maps was a turning point, granting her newfound freedom and the ability to assist others in finding their way around campus. She highlighted how positively significant the impact of Wooden's project has been on her life at the university. Turning away from advancements with physical and visual aspects, what can support people with other disabilities? Let's focus specifically on an autoimmune disorder called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradicular neuropathy, or CIDP. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, CIDP is a slowly developing autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the myelin that insulates and protects your body's nerves. Or in other words, it attacks your body and can cause weakness or sensation changes in your arms or legs. CIDP makes everyday life very difficult, which is why there are adaptive devices for everyday activities. GBS CIDP Foundation International displays all supportive devices, including home and office supplies, health and bathing aids, mobility-related aids, and more. Now let's talk about the story of a young man named Joshua who had a surgery for his CIDP, which made everyday things like changing the TV channel tough. He couldn't press the remote buttons because he didn't have enough strength in his fingers. When being checked up on, he said he couldn't work the remote for the TV here and he couldn't change the channel. So he had to wait for the nurse to come in and change the channel for him every time. Having to wait for someone else to help him do something as simple as switching TV channels was a major strain on his life. Here is where the special tool called the puck was brought to life. This device let him use his phone to control the TV, which was much easier because it did not require strength in his fingers to push down on a button. Joshua has always been fascinated with technology of all sorts, and this was a huge deal for him because it meant he could feel as if he was doing things on his own that he enjoys. The sense of independence for someone that has suffered with this condition and post-surgery impacts is more important than anyone else could imagine. Joshua's story really showed how a small item of technology can make such a huge difference in someone's life. It also highlights how important it is to have tools that can help people with disabilities feel less constrained and more capable in their daily lives. The consequences of inaccessibility are prominent, but how can we view accessibility as positives outweighing these consequences? In today's world, daily living for people with disabilities is a struggle because of the lack of accessibility, but we're getting there. Alan Hoffman is an acting executive director for the Office of Accessible Systems and Technology in the Department of Homeland Security. He is blind and has shared his experiences with the lack of accessibility in the workplace and in daily life. I've had the most issues accessing educational content, including training and webinars. In nearly every online training in which I've participated, I've found the training to have severe accessibility issues, often to the extent that I cannot complete the course on my own. I had to have a reader sit with me to click a mouse because the keyboard access was missing, read questions and answers because they weren't labeled correctly, or read content which was inaccessible. I feel so much for people that share their stories and experiences about their struggles relating to this topic because of how impactful it has been on their lives. What I've ultimately learned from hearing all of these stories is that the lack of accessibility in public spaces has a lasting impact that others could not understand unless they experienced it. As a society, we need to continue our path of upgrading accessibility in our environment. Thank you for listening in today, and I hope I taught you about this topic's importance.