The behavior of that MRI technician was extremely unprofessional. I hope you noted it with the hospital ... they would wish to know.
4
I do believe that the government should try to help us out though. However, the government begins with individual people. If each disabled person chose one building to sue and write letters to, there would be a lot more ramps out front within a short time. The federal government isnt going to do squat though. Its up to us individuals to make change, even if it is harder for minorities like you and me. We should also combine forces. Us white transgender people have a lot more in common with black disabled people than one might believe at first.
4
as a stroke survivor I am now often in a wheel chair. As a white male, I used to take for granted a level of respect which often evaporates when I'm in my chair. its been extremely eye opening how people instinctivevly treat me when they precieve me as different from themselves. The only bright spot in my wheelchair adventures has been the smile and wave that I often exchange with others who are chair bound. That little touch of comradrie always puts a smile on my face and puts me in mind of my favorite Maya Angolu quote...We are more alike, my friends,/than we are unalike.
18
Ableism? I beg your pardon!
6
I am not heartless when it comes to people in wheelchairs; however....
1. A person in a wheelchair is not being racial targeted.
2. "In brew pubs with high tables and high chairs, trying to have conversations at eye-level with other people’s crotches while nursing my beer leads me to feel less like an adult and more like Oliver Twist." The only solution would be to lower all high tables. High tables is a feature that trendy bars use. They should not be forced to buy all new lower tables. Sorry, but that is just preposterous. Should they also accommodate "little people"? They also are at your same disadvantage.
3. There must be a line in how far a small business should have to go, and how much money they must spend, to accommodate each and every customer.
4. Here in Sacramento, there is a guy who goes around and measures the width of stall doors. If the stall is even 1" less than the law allows, he files a lawsuit against them. One small burger joint in town, constantly rated the best in Sacramento, had to close because their bathroom stalls were literally 1" too wide. This is just not right.
5. If I were blind, I would love to have all libraries carry every one of their books in braille; however, that would not be reasonable.
There are limits to accommodating people with disabilities. It is regretful, but necessary.
1. A person in a wheelchair is not being racial targeted.
2. "In brew pubs with high tables and high chairs, trying to have conversations at eye-level with other people’s crotches while nursing my beer leads me to feel less like an adult and more like Oliver Twist." The only solution would be to lower all high tables. High tables is a feature that trendy bars use. They should not be forced to buy all new lower tables. Sorry, but that is just preposterous. Should they also accommodate "little people"? They also are at your same disadvantage.
3. There must be a line in how far a small business should have to go, and how much money they must spend, to accommodate each and every customer.
4. Here in Sacramento, there is a guy who goes around and measures the width of stall doors. If the stall is even 1" less than the law allows, he files a lawsuit against them. One small burger joint in town, constantly rated the best in Sacramento, had to close because their bathroom stalls were literally 1" too wide. This is just not right.
5. If I were blind, I would love to have all libraries carry every one of their books in braille; however, that would not be reasonable.
There are limits to accommodating people with disabilities. It is regretful, but necessary.
23
Too kind.
1
I always used to tell my friends that Paris has an amazing transportation system that puts America to shame.
But now I'm spending three months in Paris, and I see the other side of this story. Except for a few rare stations, the Paris metro lacks elevators and escalators. People here say the metro system is old and can't be retrofitted. Given the high quality of French engineering, I find that hard to believe. (In the Boston area, where I live, all stations have escalators and/or elevators.)
As a physically impaired person, I can't use the Paris metro. I'm thus stuck with using buses. While the Paris buses are vastly superior to those in American cities. getting around with them is difficult. There are numerous bus lines that cross each other, making it difficult to decipher the Paris bus maps. If it weren't for Google maps' direction feature, I don't think I'd get anywhere. Even so, I often have to take 3 or 4 buses to get to my destination.
I know my dilemma is not serious as far as problems go: there are worse things in life than living in Paris. However, while I'm here, I would like to get around.
But now I'm spending three months in Paris, and I see the other side of this story. Except for a few rare stations, the Paris metro lacks elevators and escalators. People here say the metro system is old and can't be retrofitted. Given the high quality of French engineering, I find that hard to believe. (In the Boston area, where I live, all stations have escalators and/or elevators.)
As a physically impaired person, I can't use the Paris metro. I'm thus stuck with using buses. While the Paris buses are vastly superior to those in American cities. getting around with them is difficult. There are numerous bus lines that cross each other, making it difficult to decipher the Paris bus maps. If it weren't for Google maps' direction feature, I don't think I'd get anywhere. Even so, I often have to take 3 or 4 buses to get to my destination.
I know my dilemma is not serious as far as problems go: there are worse things in life than living in Paris. However, while I'm here, I would like to get around.
16
My wife spends her life in a wheel chair, and these are her biggest complaints:
Federal government employees presumptuously ruling in 2015 that doctors can no longer prescribe well known anti-spasm medicines to spinal cord injured patients if the patient also needs prescription painkiller
Managers of retailers and government agencies taking the handicapped signs off bath room stall doors. Yes the handicapped bathroom stall is theoretically available to her, but invariably it is occupied
Able bodied people using handicapped bathroom stalls
Government agencies and businesses in older buildings failing to have a handicapped bathroom stall which will fit even the smallest common manual wheel chair.
Retail property owners who do not have curb cuts on their sidewalks so a person in a wheel chair can get up on the sidewalk in front of a store or restaurant
Local governments failing to install curb cuts in their sidewalks so a person in a wheel chair can cross the street
Able bodied people outright cutting in front of people in wheel chairs, so the able bodied person can grab merchandise, get a store clerk's attention, or get ahead in a check out line
Hotel owners treating handicapped guests as second class citizens. Invariably the handicapped rooms in hotels have a bed with broken down, sagging mattress which is the antithesis of what an paralyzed person needs to get in and out of bed
Strangers automatically assuming that a disabled person is mentally handicapped
Federal government employees presumptuously ruling in 2015 that doctors can no longer prescribe well known anti-spasm medicines to spinal cord injured patients if the patient also needs prescription painkiller
Managers of retailers and government agencies taking the handicapped signs off bath room stall doors. Yes the handicapped bathroom stall is theoretically available to her, but invariably it is occupied
Able bodied people using handicapped bathroom stalls
Government agencies and businesses in older buildings failing to have a handicapped bathroom stall which will fit even the smallest common manual wheel chair.
Retail property owners who do not have curb cuts on their sidewalks so a person in a wheel chair can get up on the sidewalk in front of a store or restaurant
Local governments failing to install curb cuts in their sidewalks so a person in a wheel chair can cross the street
Able bodied people outright cutting in front of people in wheel chairs, so the able bodied person can grab merchandise, get a store clerk's attention, or get ahead in a check out line
Hotel owners treating handicapped guests as second class citizens. Invariably the handicapped rooms in hotels have a bed with broken down, sagging mattress which is the antithesis of what an paralyzed person needs to get in and out of bed
Strangers automatically assuming that a disabled person is mentally handicapped
13
I fight for handicapped access, my wife is disabled. but you are wrong on the bathroom stall issue. Handicapped stalls are provided for the use of all patrons and are counted that way in building codes.
2
As far as your wife's complaints concerning restrooms is concerned:
There is no reason why able-bodied people shouldn't use handicapped stalls. We disabled people should be able to wait a minute or two for a stall to free just like abled people do. It's not quite like handicapped parking... !
I have never found the "handicapped rooms" in hotels are worse than other romms. Indeed, I have found the opposite to be true. Because many guests don't want to stay in the "handicapped rooms", those rooms are often in much better shape than the others.
There is no reason why able-bodied people shouldn't use handicapped stalls. We disabled people should be able to wait a minute or two for a stall to free just like abled people do. It's not quite like handicapped parking... !
I have never found the "handicapped rooms" in hotels are worse than other romms. Indeed, I have found the opposite to be true. Because many guests don't want to stay in the "handicapped rooms", those rooms are often in much better shape than the others.
8
All so true. However, about "able-bodied people" using handicapped restroom stalls, it is impossible for an observer to know the status of a stranger's health. I have a troublesome knee and occasional back trouble, and find it difficult and painful to use short toilets in stalls that have no grab bars -- so if a handicapped stall is available, I prefer to use that taller toilet and those grab bars.
Also, I would add one peeve: People with handicapped parking permits bypassing a regular permit space and instead thoughtlessly using a space marked van-accessible when they don't need that extra width for a wheelchair lift or to set up and transfer into a wheelchair manually. I have a dear friend with MS who drives a van with a power lift off the side, and this is a continuing challenge for him.
Also, I would add one peeve: People with handicapped parking permits bypassing a regular permit space and instead thoughtlessly using a space marked van-accessible when they don't need that extra width for a wheelchair lift or to set up and transfer into a wheelchair manually. I have a dear friend with MS who drives a van with a power lift off the side, and this is a continuing challenge for him.
7
Someone once said that if wheelchairs could be engineered to climb stairs, (with treads like tanks) we wouldn't need the half-baked accommodations of back entrances, etc.
I believe that if we engineered "wheelchairs" to be standing devices (like Segway), we could eliminate the very rude looking down on people in wheelchairs.
Every disabled person deserves to be as independent as possible. We know that universal design is good design. We need to expand to upgrading mobility solutions.
Imagine people on Segway, rolling up stairs safely! We'd all want them!
I believe that if we engineered "wheelchairs" to be standing devices (like Segway), we could eliminate the very rude looking down on people in wheelchairs.
Every disabled person deserves to be as independent as possible. We know that universal design is good design. We need to expand to upgrading mobility solutions.
Imagine people on Segway, rolling up stairs safely! We'd all want them!
9
Growing up, we had a close family friend who was a quadriplegic. In the late 90s or early 2000s, he got a wheelchair that "stood up", so that the wheels could be stacked vertically, one on top of another, rather than all four wheels being on the ground (it wasn't like this all of the time, it was just an added feature of the chair). This lifted him up to, I'd say, arounf five feet tall. So these things do exist and I think it was really life changing for him, being able to converse with people at pretty much eye level. This man also happened to be very wealthy, and I'm sure, especially at that time, the majority of disabled people would not have been able to afford such a chair. It was definitely a luxury.
I'm sure there have been more advancements in wheelchair design since then, and it would be wonderful if such "luxury" chairs could be made available to more disabled people, regardless of their socio-economic status. Such small advancements in design have large effects on the quality of life of a disabled person.
I'm sure there have been more advancements in wheelchair design since then, and it would be wonderful if such "luxury" chairs could be made available to more disabled people, regardless of their socio-economic status. Such small advancements in design have large effects on the quality of life of a disabled person.
14
Why is looking down literally always equated with looking down metaphorically? I mean, is a WNBA player victimizing me because she didnt squat dowm to address me at eye level of Im only 6 feet tall and shes 7?
Is she being discriminated against because a prius doesnt have 5 feet of headroom?
Is she being discriminated against because a prius doesnt have 5 feet of headroom?
1
I have a mild disability - a slight limp and a contracted right arm - and I always wondered at the mouth-frothing rage of some people who talk about the "special treatment" that disabled people are always getting. Really? Are you that put out by an "unsightly" ramp that you fail to appreciate a ramp means accessing a building or not? How would many of the commenters feel if they couldn't enter a post office, a bank or a library?
Dignity is something in very short supply for most people, especially the disabled, and we should not have to rely on the kindness of strangers to do the day to day activities that the non-disabled take for granted. We just want to live our lives without pity or rage directed at us, just like you do.
Dignity is something in very short supply for most people, especially the disabled, and we should not have to rely on the kindness of strangers to do the day to day activities that the non-disabled take for granted. We just want to live our lives without pity or rage directed at us, just like you do.
2
"In brew pubs with high tables and high chairs, trying to have conversations at eye-level with other people’s crotches while nursing my beer leads me to feel less like an adult and more like Oliver Twist."
Well, we have a Presidential candidate who made fun of disabled people as a way of jollying up his crowd of supporters. And boy did they guffaw. How could anyone vote for such a creep? Yet here we are. He "won."
That said, the quotation above is, to me, really off. If you're in a wheelchair, you will not be on eye level with those who are standing up in a bar -- unless someone takes the time to bend down or grab a low chair and join you.
Wheelchair-accessible buses? Absolutely. Elevators at most subway stations? Of course. That places like the Metropolitan Opera must use only certain aisles for wheelchair-bound guests, well that's the way the hall is constructed. You can't sit dead center, fourth row from the stage. Neither can I; I can't afford to.
My piano tuner is blind. When he comes to my home, he says, "Let's take a look and see how we're doing." He's an excellent tuner and a lovely man.
If I sound unsympathetic, it's not that I think not having the use of one's legs is an easy thing -- far from it. But at some point, we can only do what we can do.
If you go to a bar, you'll have to find a table where you can speak reasonably with those who are sitting down. If you can hear anything above the usual din of such places.
Well, we have a Presidential candidate who made fun of disabled people as a way of jollying up his crowd of supporters. And boy did they guffaw. How could anyone vote for such a creep? Yet here we are. He "won."
That said, the quotation above is, to me, really off. If you're in a wheelchair, you will not be on eye level with those who are standing up in a bar -- unless someone takes the time to bend down or grab a low chair and join you.
Wheelchair-accessible buses? Absolutely. Elevators at most subway stations? Of course. That places like the Metropolitan Opera must use only certain aisles for wheelchair-bound guests, well that's the way the hall is constructed. You can't sit dead center, fourth row from the stage. Neither can I; I can't afford to.
My piano tuner is blind. When he comes to my home, he says, "Let's take a look and see how we're doing." He's an excellent tuner and a lovely man.
If I sound unsympathetic, it's not that I think not having the use of one's legs is an easy thing -- far from it. But at some point, we can only do what we can do.
If you go to a bar, you'll have to find a table where you can speak reasonably with those who are sitting down. If you can hear anything above the usual din of such places.
4
Well I like that you brought up the physical disability issue, as it is overlooked though actually important, as opposed to unimportant, like the recent google concern for gender bias for rich Hollywood actresses in films. Google has the power to change the world but it is the top priority for them to make sure that wealthy actresses in Hollywood make a few more million. What does that tell you about the moral state of America these days?
Anyway, you have my support in your effort to get the respect and involvement in the public realm that you deserve as a matter of common decency. I don't like all the postmodern gobbledygook rhetoric you use to convey your thoughts as it is an offense to the ears and is unlikely to be appreciated in any population except gender studies departments and the staff at the NYT, but you did make a good point about disability inclusion. That is surely more important from a moral point of view than fretting over how many women are in each scene in a major motion picture. How many disabled people are in each scene?
Anyway, you have my support in your effort to get the respect and involvement in the public realm that you deserve as a matter of common decency. I don't like all the postmodern gobbledygook rhetoric you use to convey your thoughts as it is an offense to the ears and is unlikely to be appreciated in any population except gender studies departments and the staff at the NYT, but you did make a good point about disability inclusion. That is surely more important from a moral point of view than fretting over how many women are in each scene in a major motion picture. How many disabled people are in each scene?
3
What is wrong with some of you commenters? There is a severe empathy deficit in this country, it seems. Personally, I don't see how this situation is that hard to feel for--I am physically able-bodied, but I have multiple friends who use wheelchairs, and let me tell you, life is not easy for them. Telling someone to just suck it up and put a grin on their face all the time is awful. How would you like it if because of something you couldn't help, you were barred from entering many establishments that your friends and colleagues could easily walk into? How would you feel if you missed out on networking opportunities because you couldn't go to that happy hour, or you literally couldn't take a certain job or visit your friend's apartment because the bathrooms in the building couldn't fit a wheelchair through the door? Of course you're going to be a little bitter if you don't have a full range of opportunities available to you--and it feels even worse for her because it smacks of the treatment that has been and is being experienced by minorities today--segregation, even if it's not intentional, is terrible. Even if you can't comprehend all of this now, you will, God willing, get old one day. You may experience disability first-hand with age. You might get hit by a car. You might develop MS or cancer or some other issue. Who knows! But count your blessings, please. And try to be a little more understanding.
81
Right on!
8
I don't think the comments are excessively negative. I think you are just seeing a variety of perspectives on what it is or is not reasonable to regulate regarding accommodations for the wheeled population, which is about 1%.
There is broad support for ramp and elevator accessibility in public buildings, an area where there's already been a lot of progress. I think you'll find less support for paying the cost of requiring (significantly more expensive) disability-rated construction for private houses or regulating away bar height tables in all restaurants (with corresponding monitoring and enforcement costs, not to mention the impact on people who prefer this type of seating).
These are topics that deserve public discussion – – as do all matters that implicate raising and allocating public funds to meet a particular policy goal. The pie is not unlimited, and there are many needs to balance against each other. You don't have to be a heartless libertarian jerk to realize that.
There is broad support for ramp and elevator accessibility in public buildings, an area where there's already been a lot of progress. I think you'll find less support for paying the cost of requiring (significantly more expensive) disability-rated construction for private houses or regulating away bar height tables in all restaurants (with corresponding monitoring and enforcement costs, not to mention the impact on people who prefer this type of seating).
These are topics that deserve public discussion – – as do all matters that implicate raising and allocating public funds to meet a particular policy goal. The pie is not unlimited, and there are many needs to balance against each other. You don't have to be a heartless libertarian jerk to realize that.
Avoiding disagreements with the handicapped is dehumanizing.
1
I recently spent a week In London in a wheelchair. I have pulmonary issues and walking any distance is impossible for me. I found people and places high accommodating not only to my needs, but they included my son and two grandchildren as well. From going through immigration at Heathrow, to getting on the London Eye, we were taken directly to the front of the line. Historic houses invariably had a well-hidden elevator (it should have been!) and I was quickly told whom I should contact when I was ready to use it. Hampton Court and Kew Gardens had motorized scooters for me to use with an advance reservation - wonderful.
The only time I've had trouble was in Chicago at the airport. After waiting 6 hours for a delayed flight, I was suddenly told that there was a gate change and they "didn't have time" to get someone to push my chair to the new gate and I'd have to take a later flight. Two sisters with whom I had been visiting while waiting, left up and immediately said "We'll get you there" and they did.
New buildings are required to have a degree of handicap accessibility that is significant and adds huge cost to the buildings; remodeling of many buildings requires the same. But some buildings and some infrastructure would cost a prohibitive amount to retrofit.
How we deal with a handicap says as much about us as it does about others reactions to us. I see Ms Doucette as having a huge chip on her shoulder and a willingness to take offense at just about anything.
The only time I've had trouble was in Chicago at the airport. After waiting 6 hours for a delayed flight, I was suddenly told that there was a gate change and they "didn't have time" to get someone to push my chair to the new gate and I'd have to take a later flight. Two sisters with whom I had been visiting while waiting, left up and immediately said "We'll get you there" and they did.
New buildings are required to have a degree of handicap accessibility that is significant and adds huge cost to the buildings; remodeling of many buildings requires the same. But some buildings and some infrastructure would cost a prohibitive amount to retrofit.
How we deal with a handicap says as much about us as it does about others reactions to us. I see Ms Doucette as having a huge chip on her shoulder and a willingness to take offense at just about anything.
21
I think Ms. Doucette was detailing her experiences as you have detailed yours. Please do not negate or invalidate her experience. Instead thank God that have more favorable outcomes...I am sure she is not alone, but others as well have had many difficulties, related to their disability...you are among the favorable, good for you not everyone is.
2
Designing in proper access does not add "huge cost" to buildings.
4
I would agree with you about the accommodations in London. I was also there with my partner who uses a knee-scooter. The taxis are extra large and most hotels have lifts. Our hotel in Mayfair was also great. The only time we had difficulties was going to the theater - steps only, and in Paris.
However, even with the ADA, there are still difficulties getting some places in the U.S.
However, even with the ADA, there are still difficulties getting some places in the U.S.
On the black/white front, I noticed as my (white) mother-in-law got older and slower, that the most impatient people were usually white, and the ones willing to give way, go slowly behind her, were usually black. (I say "usually" because memory is unreliable, but in my memory, it's "always.")
9
I'm not sure if this is scientifically objective data or just an anecdote of no significance. Actually, I'm fairly sure it's the latter.
10
My 88 year old white mother reports the same phenomenon. She is frequently shocked by how often African-American people go out of their way to help her as she is very debilitated and grew up with the culture racism against African-Americans.
5
Everyone in the country has their own disability or issues they must work around, should society pivot and accommodating to everyone? It's not realistic, and it's just not going to happen, we don't have the money to rejigger the system.
And let's be honest, we have far, far more problems to deal with than this right now. We all live in our own little bubble where our problems seem to loom the largest, but in the scheme of things our own issues or simply that, our own.
And let's be honest, we have far, far more problems to deal with than this right now. We all live in our own little bubble where our problems seem to loom the largest, but in the scheme of things our own issues or simply that, our own.
12
Yes, let's be honest--follow the law and rejigger the system.
4
And force many small business to close because they can't afford the 10s of thousands of dollars to remodel.
As a former New Yorker and longtime California resident, I could not help but be struck by the huge difference in commonplace accessibility amenities, such as curb cuts, elevators at subway stations, entrances to public accommodations, bathrooms in public spaces. California has led the way and was implementing accessibility regulations dating from the first Jerry Brown governorship, many years before the Federal ADA became law. New York and presumably a large portion of the country need to catch up. Caveat: accessibility can become an ideology and can be taken too far. For example, we are now providing for many more accessible parking spaces than are being used. How often do I cruise a full parking lot and note that all or almost all the "blue sign" spaces are vacant (answer: quite often)? The park where I walk my dog just spent 10s of thousands to create a picnic area to strict ADA standards - never seen a wheelchair user there before or since. The California building code has such extensive accessibility regulations, which are quite picayune, that the number of pages dwarfs the number of pages in the structural portion of the code.
4
Sorry, as a lifetime Californian, I can tell you that as a handicapped person, many of those disabled parking spots you note as empty are being taken away, and relabeled as parking for pregnant women. I no longer can go to the mall I live 4 blocks away from, due to the lack of handicapped parking. The same problem is arising in medical parking lots, near stores, and pharmacies. Now, to make things worse, handicapped parking is being removed for spots for electric cars! I have not even begun to talk about the roadblocks to taking buses or light rail.
13
Your comment about there being too many handicapped parking spaces is way off base. Just because you see an open handicapped parking space, that doesn't mean that it won't be needed five minutes to a half hour later. It's always a blessing to me when I find an open handicapped parking space, so I can get my wife's wheel chair to the door of the car, where she transfers directly into her wheel chair. "Normal" parking spaces are too narrow to allow a normal wheel chair to fit between 2 parked cars.
In fact, there are huge problems with "not enough handicapped parking spaces" at medical office buildings, hospitals, malls, casinos and Downtown L.A. high rise office buildings.
In fact, there are huge problems with "not enough handicapped parking spaces" at medical office buildings, hospitals, malls, casinos and Downtown L.A. high rise office buildings.
18
Well, Al, all I can say is that I see multiple (i.e., 5 to 15) empty handicap spaces in otherwise crowded garages all the time. This suggests that we have gotten away from a scientific examination of the problems and issues, and are into ideological and anecdotal territory when it comes to drafting regulations. My only point would be that we need to justify regulations with study, not rhetoric.
2
A word on the references to police misconduct: The caregiver who was shot was NOT caring for someone in a wheelchair. His client was autistic but physically able-bodied.
And the Ruderman Family Foundation report also defines "disability" as a wide spectrum of conditions, not simply limited physical mobility. Most of the police shootings that it cites seem to deal with mental illness, which causes behavioral problems that can be mistaken for criminal intent. The report also conflates mental illness with substance abuse, and while they often occur together, it's not the same thing as a wheelchair user who can't access a public building.
There are many types of disability and I would not lump them all into a single category. The accommodations for each could be wildly different and unless you've experienced that particular disability yourself, you can't even begin to design for it.
And the Ruderman Family Foundation report also defines "disability" as a wide spectrum of conditions, not simply limited physical mobility. Most of the police shootings that it cites seem to deal with mental illness, which causes behavioral problems that can be mistaken for criminal intent. The report also conflates mental illness with substance abuse, and while they often occur together, it's not the same thing as a wheelchair user who can't access a public building.
There are many types of disability and I would not lump them all into a single category. The accommodations for each could be wildly different and unless you've experienced that particular disability yourself, you can't even begin to design for it.
21
Two things to remember: 1) The ADA was passed 27 years ago. There has been more than enough time for businesses and people to adjust and to do the right thing. 2) Accessibility means independence and dignity.
In my own recent experience, I had to go through the basement of a federal government building in order to enter it. And this month, at my workplace, I am unable to participate in an important event because it is on a stage that I cannot access. Both experiences feel depressing and humiliating, as if I am not a full-fledged member of society, which I am (though I should not have to say it.)
In my own recent experience, I had to go through the basement of a federal government building in order to enter it. And this month, at my workplace, I am unable to participate in an important event because it is on a stage that I cannot access. Both experiences feel depressing and humiliating, as if I am not a full-fledged member of society, which I am (though I should not have to say it.)
45
It's about fighting over slices of the pie. Many people without obvious physical disabilities do not live with independence and/or dignity, by the way. It's never going to be perfect for anyone.
Quite honestly, if the 1% of the population that moves on wheels has to go through the basement of a federal building to get up or down a ramp to the elevator, I'm OK with that. The big victory is that that 1% can roll into the building.
Let's recall that we are living in a nation that does not even raise and allocate sufficient funds to provide a basic level of healthcare for all and not obsess over where exactly a ramp is located.
Quite honestly, if the 1% of the population that moves on wheels has to go through the basement of a federal building to get up or down a ramp to the elevator, I'm OK with that. The big victory is that that 1% can roll into the building.
Let's recall that we are living in a nation that does not even raise and allocate sufficient funds to provide a basic level of healthcare for all and not obsess over where exactly a ramp is located.
20
Yes Federal office buildings are some of the biggest offenders in terms of not being handicapped accessible. For example at the Federal office building at 300 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, Nevada the ramp up to the front door is so steep that a person in a manual wheel chair absolutely cannon wheel themselves up the ramp. There is no handicapped parking and no safe place (like a curb cut out) for a vehicle carrying a handicapped person to stop and safely load a handicapped person into a wheel chair. It is impossible to travel to the nearest parking lot with handicapped parking spaces, because there are no curb cuts for wheel chairs to go from sidewalk to street and back.
All these impediments to a wheel chair bound person's ability to access the Federal courts in that building existed on the watch of a U.S. General Services Administration property manager who spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on having "team building" seminars for GSA employees at the plush M Resort casino.
All these impediments to a wheel chair bound person's ability to access the Federal courts in that building existed on the watch of a U.S. General Services Administration property manager who spent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars on having "team building" seminars for GSA employees at the plush M Resort casino.
Please raise the accessibility issue with your supervisor and with human resources. An accommodation should be provided for you and anyone else who is not able to access the stage. Don't suffer in silence.
2
My elderly mother is wheelchair bound. We've found that wheelchair ramps are often blocked by parked cars, piles of garbage bags, or are inaccessible because of large potholes. Ramps often lead to small platforms where there is scant room both for a wheelchair and an open door. Stores that are ADA compliant often load aisles with displays and piles of boxes that make passage impossible. Store and restaurant managers usually respond to being told about these things that they will attend to it, but returning three months later rarely shows anything different. My mother once joked that she'd park her wheelchair in the doorway of one store with her in it, making it universally unaccessible. I think she was on to something: direct action to inconvenience those who produce inconvenience.
24
Yes this! I've had many stores with blockades, many accessible changing rooms being used as a storage closet, ramps that are also where the delivery trucks are supposed to park, handicapped spaces where there is no side to have a wheelchair come out of the car, and curving in the street that even with a power chair, going off the ramps spin me into oncoming traffic.
As a note, most people don't like to be referred to as wheelchair bound, but a wheelchair user or person who uses a wheelchair.
Thank you though for speaking the truth! Even "accessible" rarely is actually accessible
As a note, most people don't like to be referred to as wheelchair bound, but a wheelchair user or person who uses a wheelchair.
Thank you though for speaking the truth! Even "accessible" rarely is actually accessible
2
For the few months when my health required to use a wheelchair were an eye opener.
We visited a ridiculous building, where to meet compliance standards, they had constructed a ramp ... that could only be accessed after a flight of stairs. Even a so-called modern architectural marvel, had only one ramp that just left the person in the wheelchair in the middle of the courtyard ... and then that is it... all other halls were accessible only via stairs leading out of the courtyard.
One doesn't know whether to weep out of frustration or scream in anger. Is there an unsaid law of some kind that the disabled should be imprisoned in their homes?
We visited a ridiculous building, where to meet compliance standards, they had constructed a ramp ... that could only be accessed after a flight of stairs. Even a so-called modern architectural marvel, had only one ramp that just left the person in the wheelchair in the middle of the courtyard ... and then that is it... all other halls were accessible only via stairs leading out of the courtyard.
One doesn't know whether to weep out of frustration or scream in anger. Is there an unsaid law of some kind that the disabled should be imprisoned in their homes?
31
Maybe that's the answer then, a law that all people in wheelchairs must be imprisoned in their homes. Sounds crazy, so it's probably something Trump will do.
5
While I fully support the goal of making all places accessible I'm a little confused about your complaints about high tables. Should bars and bar stools be banned because they aren't wheelchair friendly? It is one thing to be entitled to access, but another to claim any seat or table that you can't use is inherently biased against you.
36
Smart bars create spaces for people to move, and have different seating configurations. Not all high tables, nor sticking people in the back.
15
It sounds more to me like she is saying "maybe throw in a couple of standard-height tables and chairs", not "ban all high tops!".
12
I can tell that you've never ambulated in a wheel chair. The "tall tables" are so tall that their table to is at or above EYE LEVEL for a person in a wheel chair. Trying to "look chic" many restaurants with tall tables have no normal height tables at all. Frequently we find that restaurants with "tall tables" have only one or two normal height tables and they are usually occupied by people who are not in wheel chairs!
It is sad that this author mistakenly considers society not making every accommodation for her being damaged as "macroaggressions" a recently made up word that is meaningless. Every person who falls outside the norm has to accept that there will be situations that are minor problems for them whether because of physical difference, physical disability or mental disability.
As the ADA requires, I support making handicap accessibility a needed parameter in NEW public construction. Yet as a very tall person, I have to duck to avoid hitting my head frequently, but should every historic building be destroyed or short tree branch be cut? NO.
The disabled person I care for here in the country cannot expect concrete walkways everywhere, instead his wheelchair can only be pushed on the gravel roadways.
My wife has spinal injuries and cannot climb stairs or go up inclines easily so she cannot hike our favorite National Park anymore, would this author insist there be escalators in the craggy mountains and eagle breeding areas? It appears yes.
She insists a bar with high stools is discriminating and showing "Ableism" because she is looked down at. "Ableism" is not a proper English word and has no purpose beyond creation of her victim mentality. Her perspective would require elimination of choice and charms of life for those who are not wheelchair bound.
Conflating her skin color with her being disabled takes this beyond the pale though. We need to be considerate not needlessly guilty!
As the ADA requires, I support making handicap accessibility a needed parameter in NEW public construction. Yet as a very tall person, I have to duck to avoid hitting my head frequently, but should every historic building be destroyed or short tree branch be cut? NO.
The disabled person I care for here in the country cannot expect concrete walkways everywhere, instead his wheelchair can only be pushed on the gravel roadways.
My wife has spinal injuries and cannot climb stairs or go up inclines easily so she cannot hike our favorite National Park anymore, would this author insist there be escalators in the craggy mountains and eagle breeding areas? It appears yes.
She insists a bar with high stools is discriminating and showing "Ableism" because she is looked down at. "Ableism" is not a proper English word and has no purpose beyond creation of her victim mentality. Her perspective would require elimination of choice and charms of life for those who are not wheelchair bound.
Conflating her skin color with her being disabled takes this beyond the pale though. We need to be considerate not needlessly guilty!
42
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ableism
Ableism has been in use as a "proper English word" for quite some time now. Just because you don't know it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Ableism has been in use as a "proper English word" for quite some time now. Just because you don't know it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
2
Tell your wheel chair bound wife to constructively use her feelings about being discriminated against by (1) making a list of places open-to-the-public which are not accessible, and (2) contacting one of California's several lawyers who litigate ADA cases and volunteering to be a complaining party so that the lawyer can convince the business owner/government agency that they need to comply with Federal law and regulations requiring accessibility.
3
This is a bizarrely out of touch and mean distortion of the opinion piece. Not wanting to enter buildings through dark alleys and confused routes is hardly the same as expecting geographical features to be made accessible. And the word you're looking for is "microaggression."
3
Despite gradual change over recent years, America is designed around right-handed, average height, average weight, English speaking, sighted and hearing white people. The rest are left to figure out how live in it. I wouldn't look for much improvement over the next four-to-eight years.
21
Yes, yes, yes, and no. Yes, the disabled are entitled to full accessibility to all places at all times, yes our author has been humiliated and invaded due to her disability and her race, and yes it is time to major changes in architecture and pubic awareness.
Finally, no. No we will not see these changes soon, nor we will not allocate the funds necessary, the space necessary and the legislation necessary to make full citizenship available to the disabled.
I wish this were not so, but it is wishful thinking to expect a country that can't deal with far more pressing needs (environment degradation and climate change, gun violence, income inequality, a buffoon in the White House), to step up to this problem of accessibility and respect which requires allocation of increasingly scarce tax dollars and the attention and compassion of the overburdened 'folks who care' and anything at all from 'the folks who don't care at all.
Would that this were different! Would that we could change the world!
Finally, no. No we will not see these changes soon, nor we will not allocate the funds necessary, the space necessary and the legislation necessary to make full citizenship available to the disabled.
I wish this were not so, but it is wishful thinking to expect a country that can't deal with far more pressing needs (environment degradation and climate change, gun violence, income inequality, a buffoon in the White House), to step up to this problem of accessibility and respect which requires allocation of increasingly scarce tax dollars and the attention and compassion of the overburdened 'folks who care' and anything at all from 'the folks who don't care at all.
Would that this were different! Would that we could change the world!
8
I'm amazed at the insensitivity expressed by some of the commenters, and I think they would have been far less critical and dismissive if the author hadn't identified herself as a black woman.
34
Dear Ellen,
You're jumping to conclusions there. A few essays ago in this series I posted far more harsh criticism of the author's complaints about wheelchair access, because he was a white man. I figure white men can take it, and of course we white men are responsible for all the evils of the world. The insensitivity you detect is a response to the tone of this article, not the color of the author's skin. The tone is accusatory, angry, and entirely self-interested, the statistics and anecdotes are misused or not terribly credible, and thus the response is pretty harsh. This is the NYT comments sections, so it's best to be braced for some insensitivity, although not as much as at Breitbart, Fox, etc.
You're jumping to conclusions there. A few essays ago in this series I posted far more harsh criticism of the author's complaints about wheelchair access, because he was a white man. I figure white men can take it, and of course we white men are responsible for all the evils of the world. The insensitivity you detect is a response to the tone of this article, not the color of the author's skin. The tone is accusatory, angry, and entirely self-interested, the statistics and anecdotes are misused or not terribly credible, and thus the response is pretty harsh. This is the NYT comments sections, so it's best to be braced for some insensitivity, although not as much as at Breitbart, Fox, etc.
11
Withholding vehement opposing viewpoint against a physically challenged, but fully cognitive human being, wreaks of patronizing sentimentality.
3
Yeah of course its all about race. You can never ever disagree with a black person. Disagreement against blacks is racist and wrong.
I disagree with black (and white) preachers who say Im a child molester who deserves to burn in hell because Im a transgender woman. Since I disagree with a black person though, I must just be a racist rural rube who should be shut down. If I speak out against the Baptists, I should be protested against and punched in the face because Im white and therefore all my thoughts revolve around hating black people. Thats all that goes through my brain apparently.
I wake up every morning and because Im white, my first thought is to make coffee and plan out how Im going to oppress black people today.
I disagree with black (and white) preachers who say Im a child molester who deserves to burn in hell because Im a transgender woman. Since I disagree with a black person though, I must just be a racist rural rube who should be shut down. If I speak out against the Baptists, I should be protested against and punched in the face because Im white and therefore all my thoughts revolve around hating black people. Thats all that goes through my brain apparently.
I wake up every morning and because Im white, my first thought is to make coffee and plan out how Im going to oppress black people today.
5
A well written article about an issue, and its many associated complex problematic implications and consequences, which merit further dimensionalizing. There are levels and qualities of being disabled. Being identified/tagged as "a disabled" by others. Self-identifying as a disabled person. Disabled and undisabled people, however delineated, and by whom, are diverse. In so many ways. When, for example, ethnicity, gender, gender identity,age,state of one's health ( physical, psychological, spiritual,social, etc.),other "characteristics," and economic situation are viewed, judged, and considered, or not, problems can and do increase. A binary constructed, and sustained, unnuanced, world of disabled-abled creates additional problems. Discrimination can, and does, exist.It is growing here.There. In our WE-THEY distorted reality.In which you, me, and others, whom we know, or don’t, are violated, disempowered. And also violate and self-empower. Daily. In so many ways.The writer rightfully states her right to move freely, not noting her inherent right to BE. Whatever.Wherever. Whenever.However.For however long.Such a right is often "wronged" by individuals and systems.Victims pay. Daily. Victimizers don't. Often.How realistic is it to expect that this article can increase some sensitivity amongst the disabled willfully blind, deaf and ignorant? Protected by certitudes. By ongoing, unchallenged, discriminatory behaviors! Which ordinary people enable.
1
5 points:
Happily, great strides have been made in requiring public accommodations to be built or retrofitted to be more accessible.
Lesser strides have been made in requiring new private homes to be designed for more accessibility. This makes sense. Just under 1% of Americans use wheelchairs or scooters, and accessible design is significantly more expensive than traditional design.
Once a wheelchair user gets inside the building, he or she needs to accommodate him or herself to the reality that some people want to, e.g., sit at high bars and tables. It's easy enough to choose a restaurant with traditional-level tables. Problem solved.
To live a happy life in any condition, it makes sense to focus most on the things you can change, like your own attitude. Good luck changing the behavior of (usually) well-meaning strangers. Don't let every little thing get under your skin. Chronic anger is poison.
Happily, great strides have been made in requiring public accommodations to be built or retrofitted to be more accessible.
Lesser strides have been made in requiring new private homes to be designed for more accessibility. This makes sense. Just under 1% of Americans use wheelchairs or scooters, and accessible design is significantly more expensive than traditional design.
Once a wheelchair user gets inside the building, he or she needs to accommodate him or herself to the reality that some people want to, e.g., sit at high bars and tables. It's easy enough to choose a restaurant with traditional-level tables. Problem solved.
To live a happy life in any condition, it makes sense to focus most on the things you can change, like your own attitude. Good luck changing the behavior of (usually) well-meaning strangers. Don't let every little thing get under your skin. Chronic anger is poison.
12
How incredibly insensitive and harsh to be discussing this article in terms of greater or lesser strides! Don't you realize how hurtful the term "strides" is to someone who can't walk?
Sorry I couldn't resist. Your last paragraph is entirely accurate too, everyone should try to learn those lessons.
Sorry I couldn't resist. Your last paragraph is entirely accurate too, everyone should try to learn those lessons.
5
It's NOT "problem solved" when the ONLY restaurant in a building like an airport terminal or office building where you've already parked in pay-parking has nothing but "tall chairs".
3
Big Al --
Then that will be one meal in a restaurant with higher seating. Not a big deal. Would you really want to legislate a required change to all bar-seating restaurants across the US to avoid such a possibility for the 1% in wheelchairs or scooters who will feel too low in such a (fairly rare) all-high-seating setting? Then allocate taxpayer funds for ongoing monitoring and enforcement? That sounds nuts to me. Sorry.
Then that will be one meal in a restaurant with higher seating. Not a big deal. Would you really want to legislate a required change to all bar-seating restaurants across the US to avoid such a possibility for the 1% in wheelchairs or scooters who will feel too low in such a (fairly rare) all-high-seating setting? Then allocate taxpayer funds for ongoing monitoring and enforcement? That sounds nuts to me. Sorry.
2
Even within the medical community barriers are common. My wife has been unable to have even a pap smear done for over a decade because none of the many local doctors have the ability to lift a paraplegic patient onto an exam table. We have used our own hydraulic lift at a dentists office where only one of the exam rooms was barely large enough to accommodate the lifting procedure. But invariably most exam rooms are tiny and using a lift would not be possible. Even if the room could accommodate a lift the facilities insurance will not allow for a patient to be lifted by any means.
And don't get my wife started on the diminutive names that are used for anyone in a wheelchair Sweetie Honey etc.
And don't get my wife started on the diminutive names that are used for anyone in a wheelchair Sweetie Honey etc.
26
It sounds like there is a great market opportunity for a family doctor in your community to open a general practice specifically designed for physically disabled people. He or she would corner that niche market immediately by providing larger exam rooms, hydraulic lifts, etc.
5
I appreciate this comment for the light it sheds upon issues of disability access that do not seem to be considered in designing many outpatient medical facilities. As for the PAP smear, I would suggest exploring whether any physician or nurse practitioner would be willing to come to your house to perform one, since unlike a dentist office, it doesn't require large pieces of equipment to perform, using a speculum, swabs and specimen slides. In the hospital setting they can be done at the bedside, and perhaps with assistance could be done in her bed at home? Just an idea.
5
So who pays? Who pays for the costs of a new entrance on every building? Do costs of a meal go up if the chairs & tables you object to are taken out & therefore there are fewer tables? I know it bites to be in a chair, but who pays for the accommodation of EVERY building?
10
Either we all do or we embrace our willingness to exclude others.
2
The first time I tried navigate New York with a child in a stroller, my eyes were opened to the difficulties faced by the disabled. Nonexistent curb cuts. Broken automatic doors. Subway stops without elevators. Inaccessible restrooms.
To face this kind of obstruction every day must be more than wearying. As Doucette says, it's humiliating and degrading.
If we are lucky, all of us will grow old enough to appreciate accessible design. And any of us can suddenly find ourselves needing help. My neighbor broke her ankle and used a wheelchair for a week before spending three weeks with a walker. My son broke his leg and used crutches for seven weeks. Both of them were exhausted by the daily grind of just getting to and from work.
And let's look at this from an economic point of view: making it easier for people with disabilities to live productive lives (and the elderly to remain independent) is also fiscally sound. Everyone wins.
To face this kind of obstruction every day must be more than wearying. As Doucette says, it's humiliating and degrading.
If we are lucky, all of us will grow old enough to appreciate accessible design. And any of us can suddenly find ourselves needing help. My neighbor broke her ankle and used a wheelchair for a week before spending three weeks with a walker. My son broke his leg and used crutches for seven weeks. Both of them were exhausted by the daily grind of just getting to and from work.
And let's look at this from an economic point of view: making it easier for people with disabilities to live productive lives (and the elderly to remain independent) is also fiscally sound. Everyone wins.
57
Some readers seem to think it is unusual to be disabled. In fact 56 million Americans have some sort of disability (U.S. Census) and half describe them as severe. I live in a city (Cleve. Heights.,OH) that gives little thought to accommodation, commonly making their own rules about access and parking.
Universal design would solve some of these problems before they even arise.
Going back and adding ramps and handicapped bathrooms is simply necessary in older buildings. People in wheelchairs are not the only one's that will benefit. People with stroke damage, MS, knee replacement, strollers, the blind, the elderly, people with CP, etc. These things are only the physical and does not even get to the personal, the behavior of others, which is real and frustrating.
Universal design would solve some of these problems before they even arise.
Going back and adding ramps and handicapped bathrooms is simply necessary in older buildings. People in wheelchairs are not the only one's that will benefit. People with stroke damage, MS, knee replacement, strollers, the blind, the elderly, people with CP, etc. These things are only the physical and does not even get to the personal, the behavior of others, which is real and frustrating.
28
Dear Sharon Grossman,
I think you're right about better standards of access, but careful about the use of statistics. The 56.7 million figure is from this:
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134...
But it's according to "a broad definition of disability". When it comes to ramps, parking spaces, and accessible bathrooms, that would only affect the group that has difficulty walking or using stairs (including but not limited to people in wheelchairs), which is 30.6 million; still a large enough group to be concerned about, at about 9.5% of the population. However, only 2.2 million of those people actually use a wheelchair, and using a walker or cane may not make a ramp or parking space necessary.
So I do agree with you, but I'm just advising caution on using census data.
I think you're right about better standards of access, but careful about the use of statistics. The 56.7 million figure is from this:
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134...
But it's according to "a broad definition of disability". When it comes to ramps, parking spaces, and accessible bathrooms, that would only affect the group that has difficulty walking or using stairs (including but not limited to people in wheelchairs), which is 30.6 million; still a large enough group to be concerned about, at about 9.5% of the population. However, only 2.2 million of those people actually use a wheelchair, and using a walker or cane may not make a ramp or parking space necessary.
So I do agree with you, but I'm just advising caution on using census data.
3
It's hilarious that you think using a walker does not necessitate a ramp. No need to look any further for affirmation of the concerns expressed in the op-ed.
1
This statistic is often used to justify attention to disability rights, but it's not only logically unnecessary, it weakens the case because almost everyone sees that it is an exaggeration. We need to do the best we can to accommodate those who are disadvantaged by some kind of disability, regardless of whether we are talking about 1% of the population or 5%. Over the last 30 years the discussion of the best and most effective ways to accomplish that goal has been damaged by opportunists, who sue over ADA and often walk away after getting a cash settlement and a mere bandaid over the physical problems, and by folks who are just so angry about their situation they have gone beyond reasonable debate.
1
Understandable complaints here, but at least it's getting a lot better. Fifty years ago there weren't wheelchair-accessible entrances all over, or even in many places at all. Thirty years ago, the sidewalks of NYC did not have ramps at the corners, I have no idea how people got around in wheelchairs at all. Nowadays every corner you see will have ramps from sidewalk to street level, and this strikes me as a vast improvement.
So it's getting better, and also, I think the Ruderman Family report is misleading. The disabled people being shot by police are not in wheelchairs, or blind, or amputees. They are all mentally disabled in some way, and I'd hazard that police are not shooting them simply because they're disabled, but because the victims act in irrational-seeming ways, and the police don't know how to deal with it. In the majority of all police shootings, the cops felt that their own lives were in danger; they are not just going up to people in wheelchairs and executing them for no reason.
So I get what the author is saying here, but the bright side is that a lot of improvements are being made for the 1% or so of Americans who use wheelchairs. It has been getting considerably better and continues to do so. And it's far better to be in a wheelchair than to be blind, infrastructure has not made nearly as many improvements to assist those who cannot see.
So it's getting better, and also, I think the Ruderman Family report is misleading. The disabled people being shot by police are not in wheelchairs, or blind, or amputees. They are all mentally disabled in some way, and I'd hazard that police are not shooting them simply because they're disabled, but because the victims act in irrational-seeming ways, and the police don't know how to deal with it. In the majority of all police shootings, the cops felt that their own lives were in danger; they are not just going up to people in wheelchairs and executing them for no reason.
So I get what the author is saying here, but the bright side is that a lot of improvements are being made for the 1% or so of Americans who use wheelchairs. It has been getting considerably better and continues to do so. And it's far better to be in a wheelchair than to be blind, infrastructure has not made nearly as many improvements to assist those who cannot see.
14
Ah, well. As long as it's better than being blind. Also: many more than 1% of Americans have temporary or permanent need of accommodations similar to those required by wheelchair users,
We definitely need to work on improving access for people with disability. As a legally blind individual, I don't encounter the same obstacles as the author, but it is equally difficult for me to get around where there are cracked or non-existent sidewalks, where people obstruct sidewalks and crosswalks with cars and trashcans, or where vegetation has overgrown the walkway. I can't tell you how many times I've been injured when I walked right into a low-hanging tree branch or a bush that has been allowed to overtake the sidewalk.
We also need to educate people about how to interact with people with disabilities. I use a white cane, which is supposed to signal to people that I am blind. Many people don't know what it is for and assume it is a walking stick. When people want to help me, they often do so without asking or grab my arm. They are trying to be nice, but that is not the appropriate way to lead a blind person. If they asked me if I needed help and what they could do to help, I could certainly tell them.
We also need to educate people about how to interact with people with disabilities. I use a white cane, which is supposed to signal to people that I am blind. Many people don't know what it is for and assume it is a walking stick. When people want to help me, they often do so without asking or grab my arm. They are trying to be nice, but that is not the appropriate way to lead a blind person. If they asked me if I needed help and what they could do to help, I could certainly tell them.
30
By the time I finished I couldn't tell if this was a parody. First, we all have our disabilities or things that make our lives difficult. Short, obese, shy, diabetic, gender confused etc. Granted few of these are as hard as being a parapelegic with intense pain. The reality is, entering the craft brew pub will never be the same for you as for the able bodied. Try thinking of the back entrance as a challenging maze to follow. If people in the maze aren't nice to you, imagine them as evil trolls in a fantasy mission to your beer. Imagine the place where they sit you as the cool place normally reserved for Johny Depp and Kieth Richards. In short, you are much more likely succeed in face of the considerable challenges you face by adjusting your own attitude. As for the MRI technician pulling out your hair, I'm just very skeptical. She sees dozens of black women every month. From this piece it's clear you are extremely sensitive to every hardship and you likely see slights and injustices when there are none. My guess is most paraplegics would identify with some of your frustrations but not with the tone of this piece.
42
This kind of critique is crazy making. Yes, if she was an entirely different kind of person with a positive sassy attitude she would do great in life. And probably not write this essay. Or, do great and get your approve, but still write this essay -- because what she is writing about is real and a part of her experience.
10
Why does this have to be an and/or proposition? Sure, approaching challenges with a positive attitude can make life easier- although I find your suggestions to the author a bit condescending, she's an adult trying to get into a bar, not a child who needs fairy-stories to deal with hardship. But regardless of whether the author applies this "positive attitude" approach, why shouldn't she advocate for changes that would make her life, and the lives of many, many other folks with comparable disabilities, easier?
18
I might be sensitive to every hardship as well if I encountered them day in and day out. Disabled people shouldn't have to concoct elaborate fantasy scenarios to get through the day more easily. Why shouldn't the experience of entering the craft brew pub be the same for the author as every able-bodied person who also visits it? Why should there not be some standard-height tables and chairs there? Tell me why that shouldn't be reality.
You don't like the tone of her piece because you don't believe her. Like all ableists, you think we're exaggerating, or you want us to power through and never complain so you can say, "Wow! So inspiring!". You don't believe her about her hair being pulled out, but why do you doubt it? Because you haven't had the same experience or haven't seen it firsthand? People who approach the lived experiences of others with the same sort of skepticism you do are part of the reason that civil rights are held back in our society.
You don't like the tone of her piece because you don't believe her. Like all ableists, you think we're exaggerating, or you want us to power through and never complain so you can say, "Wow! So inspiring!". You don't believe her about her hair being pulled out, but why do you doubt it? Because you haven't had the same experience or haven't seen it firsthand? People who approach the lived experiences of others with the same sort of skepticism you do are part of the reason that civil rights are held back in our society.
11
Thank you for this! I have MS and the blue man parking is essential to my life. In my small town movie theater has no disability parking nor does the book store or theater. How can I get in touch with you an learn how to be a disability activist?
thx Beth Broun
thx Beth Broun
7
it has been said that god doesn't give us more than we can handle.
i am 30 years and 2 days into being a being with residual complete right-sided hemiparesis, and i 'walk' with a cane. i can, having been in a manual wheelchair, know your situation to a fair extent and can tell you that the first thing one has to do is center your self and figure out what you CAN do and not waste time railing against what you cannot.
which does not mean give up, but to choose the best, most positive ways to use your energy. everyone is broken in some way, and many are disabled in ways we cannot see. most cannot see beyond their inconveniences to even partially consider yours.
so skip the bar with the high chairs. big deal. at least you can afford to go out and have a social life.
i am 30 years and 2 days into being a being with residual complete right-sided hemiparesis, and i 'walk' with a cane. i can, having been in a manual wheelchair, know your situation to a fair extent and can tell you that the first thing one has to do is center your self and figure out what you CAN do and not waste time railing against what you cannot.
which does not mean give up, but to choose the best, most positive ways to use your energy. everyone is broken in some way, and many are disabled in ways we cannot see. most cannot see beyond their inconveniences to even partially consider yours.
so skip the bar with the high chairs. big deal. at least you can afford to go out and have a social life.
13
I take exception to the idea that "god doesn't give us more than we can handle." What an easy way to dismiss people who are suffering or who find their situation unbearable. And how about those who end their lives? Sometimes it IS more than a person can handle, especially when facing a callous society.
23
What is also disturbing is the use of handicapped parking spaces by able bodied people (who do not have a permit to use them) when there are no other parking spaces in the lot open for use. The excuses I've heard when I've asked some of these people why they are parking in a handicapped space are selfish. They're only running in and out of the bank, store, whatever. These spaces are empty, who cares? Am I the parking police? I speak out because I know that handicapped people depend upon these spaces to be there so they can manage a wheelchair, a walker, a cane, or not put strain on a weak heart, fragile bones, etc.
My quandary is when to offer to help a handicapped person. What I try to do is ask if they would like me to hold the door for them or if they need someone to help them over the curb. As an able bodied individual who is getting somewhat older I find that I appreciate the curb cuts, the ramps, doors that are easier to open; in other words building or renovating with the ADA in mind benefits more than just the wheelchair bound or someone who uses a walker. We all benefit.
What worries me the most, as the sister of a high functioning autistic brother, are encounters with authority. The way they behave is guaranteed to produce the opposite reaction in my brother no matter what we might tell him to do. It's part and parcel of how Americans refuse to acknowledge that there are always exceptions to the norm until it affects them. We have to speak out.
My quandary is when to offer to help a handicapped person. What I try to do is ask if they would like me to hold the door for them or if they need someone to help them over the curb. As an able bodied individual who is getting somewhat older I find that I appreciate the curb cuts, the ramps, doors that are easier to open; in other words building or renovating with the ADA in mind benefits more than just the wheelchair bound or someone who uses a walker. We all benefit.
What worries me the most, as the sister of a high functioning autistic brother, are encounters with authority. The way they behave is guaranteed to produce the opposite reaction in my brother no matter what we might tell him to do. It's part and parcel of how Americans refuse to acknowledge that there are always exceptions to the norm until it affects them. We have to speak out.
9
As usual, I agree with most of your thoughts.
Part of the problem with authority (and others) reacting inappropriately to a person on the autism spectrum is that the disability is in most cases completely invisible until the affected person starts interacting. By that time, often things have already gone south. I have a close friend who lives this reality every day with her normal-appearing but severely affected son.
Part of the problem with authority (and others) reacting inappropriately to a person on the autism spectrum is that the disability is in most cases completely invisible until the affected person starts interacting. By that time, often things have already gone south. I have a close friend who lives this reality every day with her normal-appearing but severely affected son.
2
It's not just autistic people. People who are in the midst of a schizophrenic episode may not react the way law enforcement expects them to. We have entire groups of people who have authority over others who do not recognize when barking out orders or even touching a person is a bad move. Yet they expect instant obedience and some, like police officers, will shoot first and ask questions later.
2
I am the caregiver to my mom who has disabilities. So in an indirect way, I can relate to many of the issues that Ms Doucette brings up. We are white so we don't experience the race issues that Ms Doucette encounters. Configuring buildings to make persons with disabilities welcome is almost an afterthought to most designers and architects. It is a rare person that offers to help us, most of the time it is a glance or a slighter louder remark to a person's partner that speaks volumes of what mom's place in society. On more that one occasion I've called down on a person who is disrespectful to mom because of her disabilities. Interestingly airlines go out of their way to help mom out as well as other companies involved in the travel industry.
Ms Doucette, I'm the perpetual optimist so I believe it will get better.
Ms Doucette, I'm the perpetual optimist so I believe it will get better.
11
When we built our dental office we had more than one inspector and architect looking over our plans before we built out and then again while we were building and then again after we were finished. This was over 10 years ago. We wanted to have a bathrooms built for both the staff and the primary office, that would not be handicapped accessible. We already had a large handicap bath in the public areas. We could not build the other bathrooms, we had to build all the bathrooms handicap accessible. At no time during the project were people not thinking about handicap accessibility. I've talked to others and this seems to be standard procedure for San Antonio. There are limits to space in most buildings and all things must be configured around that.
3
If the public area is such a reasonable accommodation, it's hard to understand why you had such a desperate need for two additional bathrooms.
1
It's funny - I spend time in Europe and the US. One issue that arises from our families older homes - none is less than 150 years old, mostly Victorian/Georgian townhouses is making them accessible. They have stairs - lots of stairs, and lots of levels, and when people are ageing, it's a big difficulty. But historic preservation laws create problems over and beyond the structural issues - they make it hard and expensive to alter the fabric of the property. I'm not taking a position one way or another, but I am noting the difficult reality.
A separate problem I ran into only yesterday, is when is it appropriate to offer a disabled person assistance getting over a kerb, or crossing a busy street, or guiding a blind person around a cluster of badly placed street obstacles? Or, moving things out of the way of a wheelchair user? And when is it condescending and patronising?
A separate problem I ran into only yesterday, is when is it appropriate to offer a disabled person assistance getting over a kerb, or crossing a busy street, or guiding a blind person around a cluster of badly placed street obstacles? Or, moving things out of the way of a wheelchair user? And when is it condescending and patronising?
8
Just ask. Make eye contact. Be aware of how you're occupying space, e.g. standing in the middle of sidewalks and aisles. But don't ever touch the person without permission. (I am a wheelchair user.)
15
As a non-disabled person I found this op-ed to have that rare quality of showing me things I never thought of. To the extent I've been guilty of the assumptions and slights Ms. Doucette catalogs, I will sincerely try to change.
That said, I'm not sure what to do about some of these problems. I can see that the brew pub filled with high-top tables and the old building that has been gracelessly retrofitted are frustrations, but is it reasonable to insist that every environment be well suited for every physical and mental disability?
My mother was briefly in a wheelchair years ago. I will always remember the waiter who approached our table and said to me, "Would she like another cup of coffee?" That's the kind of discrimination that can, I hope, be ended by better education, and this column is a step toward that. So, notwithstanding my reservations about some of it, I'm glad I read it.
That said, I'm not sure what to do about some of these problems. I can see that the brew pub filled with high-top tables and the old building that has been gracelessly retrofitted are frustrations, but is it reasonable to insist that every environment be well suited for every physical and mental disability?
My mother was briefly in a wheelchair years ago. I will always remember the waiter who approached our table and said to me, "Would she like another cup of coffee?" That's the kind of discrimination that can, I hope, be ended by better education, and this column is a step toward that. So, notwithstanding my reservations about some of it, I'm glad I read it.
41
While I generally agree with you about the need for greater accessibility in public places, there has to be a balance. For instance, I am shorter than the average male. It is impossible for me to reach the top shelves at the local grocery store without assistance (a stool, a stepladder, a tall person standing next to me, etc.). One solution would be to make the shelves half as tall. However, that would require doubling the floor area of the store, thereby making the store far harder to navigate for people of limited mobility. It would also make my favorite foods more expensive since the store's floor area--and hence its rent--would increase significantly. The fairer solution is retain the status quo, however imperfect it is. While it is embarrassing to have to ask for a stool or the hand of a stranger, it strikes a reasonable balance with the needs of other shoppers.
32
I agree with the thought. But on the other hand, you might think about it differently if you could not enter the store at all, or the police outside treated you in a manner that was inappropriate for your handicap and later said they arrested or shot you because you behaved in a way that was threatening. Not all handicaps are created equal. There are a lot of very good officers out there who are unprepared because they lack the proper training to recognize common signs of handicap and the skills to de-escalate those moments.
4
In the last few years, I have developed some difficulty retaining my balance while walking. To assist me, I now use a cane.
Since using my cane, I have been gratified to see the number of people who hold doors open for me, and provide small, but useful assistance, just upon seeing me. And as for high shelves, the hooked end of the cane is a remarkable tool for grabbing stuff over my head and yanking it down to where I can catch it.
None of this may sound like much, but it is another viewpoint. Sometimes, because of old architecture, adaptation to disability is impossible. Sometimes, people are simply thoughtless. But I have learned to appreciate the small stuff, and laugh some of the problems off. Even with severe disabilities, a sense of humor should be of some help.
Since using my cane, I have been gratified to see the number of people who hold doors open for me, and provide small, but useful assistance, just upon seeing me. And as for high shelves, the hooked end of the cane is a remarkable tool for grabbing stuff over my head and yanking it down to where I can catch it.
None of this may sound like much, but it is another viewpoint. Sometimes, because of old architecture, adaptation to disability is impossible. Sometimes, people are simply thoughtless. But I have learned to appreciate the small stuff, and laugh some of the problems off. Even with severe disabilities, a sense of humor should be of some help.
8
There are "kick stools" used in most libraries that are safe and allow shorter people to reach those top shelves, where most of the goods I want are housed. It seems that most stores are not interested in providing them for their customers. Wonder why?
it's unfortunate that you live in such a 'backwards' city. i have never encountered segregation of those in wheelchairs in Chicago. To the contrary, every possible accommodation is made for me and sometimes i am given priority over others (in part because my wheelchair is an obstruction and in part because chicagoans are sensitive to the needs of the handicapped).
16
Dear Richard Gaylord,
That's actually been what I've witnessed in NYC too. I don't think this was an objective recounting of things; everyone makes way for people with wheelchairs on the sidewalks, getting on the bus, in building entries, and so forth, as far as I have seen. I think this is probably about the same in most cities in the U.S..
That's actually been what I've witnessed in NYC too. I don't think this was an objective recounting of things; everyone makes way for people with wheelchairs on the sidewalks, getting on the bus, in building entries, and so forth, as far as I have seen. I think this is probably about the same in most cities in the U.S..
2
You have no idea! This last summer my husband and I took a vacation to NYC to show the 'old neighborhood' to our youngest and just sight see. My husband has a muscle degenerating disease and a bad knee. He can't walk up or down stairs or over curbs, uneven surfaces, etc. NY was awful. There seems to be no handicap accommodation at all. The museums and sights were OK, but the subway was just a trial. We just started looking for restaurants that opened directly to the street or sidewalk. It was very disheartening. However, that being said, we found the people to be exceptionally helpful and friendly.
You don't use a wheelchair, do you, Dan Stackhouse? Consider the possibility that "as far as you've seen" is not anything remotely comparable to what someone with a disability has not only seen, but lived. Listen a little more: you might learn something.
2
The able-bodied world did not put you in that chair, so our good fortune in that sense is a blessing. Your frustration is of course understandable; your thinly veiled anger and victimization complex is nonetheless unappealing. You want no assistance - very enobling. Then you carp about how navigating on your own is a trial - no kidding, but that's some architect's fault? Most of us try very hard, and with open hearts, to assist those obviously having difficulty - whether at the bus stop, the subway platform or the entrances to stores. We help the blind cross, we put singles and fives in the cups of the homeless. None of us expect anything in return; we do these things because we are human and we can empathize. Having said that, your approach should come with signage, that way we can all know to cross the street, avert our tender gazes and leave you to your self-imposed segregation of the mind.
55
It IS some architect's fault.
15
When we live in a world of privilege, it is jarring to realize that we may be complicit in the suffering of people we have seldom thought about. How many of us consider the height of chairs or the width of doors when going to a restaurant, or imagine the frustration of being pushed to a corner table, or ushered in through the kitchen? How many of us make assumptions about people in wheelchairs, either as potential danger or in need of our help, without truly engaging the people operating them? With awareness, architects can surely design buildings pleasant for the able-bodied and the disabled alike. Few Times readers can know what it feels like to be a disabled person of color. Such perspectives are almost totally absent from the news. We hurt others unwillingly when we are ignorant of their perspectives, but we deepen our humanity when, through increased knowledge and sensitivity, we become capable of genuine empathy. It can be hard to listen to the frustrations of people denied things we take for granted. Instead of a knee-jerk reaction, I suggest that we examine more thoughtfully why the frustration and demand for respect expressed in this article make us uncomfortable. Perhaps, it is because we are being asked to acknowledge that we are not perfect as we are. If we can respond enthusiastically with this invitation to grow and expand our imaginations, we will gain a sister in Luticha Doucette rather than sense a threatening "other."
10
Trust me: your gaze is not tender. Yes, it's an architect's fault when a building is not accessible. And it's likely the person in the wheelchair didn't put herself there, either, so your not being responsible for the disability is irrelevant.
2
Thank for sharing, every offered story helps those whose abilities do not often include knowing how one should react to persons who must have access via changes that are not always obvious to the bystander. My first lesson in this world was with a representative of an association dealing with sight. then I used blind as a descriptor and was corrected, sighted. Indeed over the years I have experienced some aspects of varying sight and a neighbor has one spot on one eye from which he can see. The therapist who deal with varying abilities know that allowing one to care for oneself is a strength that can be under cut by "helping" too quickly, still at times I fight the urge.
I am not certain that the Constitution gives us a right to have all of our differences fully accomodated. But we have used our legislative bodies to put lots of rules into place that help but do not solve right away all the problems one might face.
In the health field generally those with chronic diseases have an outsized role in managing the disease ...or condition. It is real and it is tough. But it is done. And here the author has clearly managed to set a great example of how to handle the problems...but is without the individual power to change everyone else to ease those burdens...or as other might say, the challenges that one meets in living a fuller life.
I am not certain that the Constitution gives us a right to have all of our differences fully accomodated. But we have used our legislative bodies to put lots of rules into place that help but do not solve right away all the problems one might face.
In the health field generally those with chronic diseases have an outsized role in managing the disease ...or condition. It is real and it is tough. But it is done. And here the author has clearly managed to set a great example of how to handle the problems...but is without the individual power to change everyone else to ease those burdens...or as other might say, the challenges that one meets in living a fuller life.
3
Beautifully written and expressed, thank you so much.
8
The writer's jarring statement that a white MRI technician "pulled out her hair" deserves a lot more explanation. The author is describing a felony-level criminal assault, not mere insensitivity or discrimination.
32
I am guessing that the MRI technician was moving her hair so that it would not get caught as the moving bed-platform went in and out of the MRI machine. That has happened to my wife.
1
There should be a regular column addressing these issues.
3
This is a regular column: https://www.nytimes.com/column/disability
6
Yes, that would make for some very interesting reading, we don't need more victimization columns in the New York Times, we already have far too many.
2
An observation from the book, 'Neurotribes' that stuck with me is that the degree to which a handicap is handicapping is often the environment and society the handicapped person is in.
For this author, stairs and narrow doors are handicapping. For someone with a palsy, the assumption that he must be drunk is handicapping. For someone with autism, an environment with no escape from sensory stimulation or a job interview that focuses on 'fit' rather than skill can be handicapping.
Maybe we should start considering the impediments to people's success the handicap, not the quadriplegia, palsy, or autism.
For this author, stairs and narrow doors are handicapping. For someone with a palsy, the assumption that he must be drunk is handicapping. For someone with autism, an environment with no escape from sensory stimulation or a job interview that focuses on 'fit' rather than skill can be handicapping.
Maybe we should start considering the impediments to people's success the handicap, not the quadriplegia, palsy, or autism.
12
Also, for the physically vulnerable, mean-spirited individuals are a pest and real impediment although little can be done about them.
3
Im transgender. I want there to be a third gender bathroom in every building in America. Do you think anybody is going to do that? No way. Do you think some church is going to put up a Third Gender bathroom and say "God Loves Trans-Homosexuals" above it?
Come on sister. If you are religious, you probably think Im a deluded child molester. Ive heard black and white preachers say that transgender people are an abomination and deserve it when they are raped and murdered and derive righteous pleasure in imagining a transwoman burning in Hell.
The world is not going to bend over backwards for every persons problems. Im fine with just using the womens bathroom and not being arrested and put on a sex offender list for taking a pee.
Did insurance cover your wheelchair? Well insurance doesnt cover squat for me. Ive read so many comments on NYT articles on trans-people by disabled people saying that we shouldn't be spending time and thought trying to help transgender people.
I want you to have all the ramps and equality in the world. I want to have third gender bathrooms. I want religion to go away and stop driving so much hate. In the end though, we got to stop being eternal victims and make our own reality. If theres no ramp, then dont spend your money there until there is.