Asides

Exploring Participation and Access as Foundations for Inclusion

I recently read two articles that inspired me enough to return to blogging.

Peter Downs developed a framework to support the inclusion of people with disabilities in sports and recreation called the “7 Pillars of Inclusion” as part of Play by the Rules. [1] The “7 Pillars” extend far beyond inclusive recreation, sports, and physical activity. Key concepts promoted by the pillars include access, choice, and communication. [2]

Timothy R. Clark wrote an article in Forbes Magazine titled “Diversity Is A Fact, Inclusion Is A Choice.”  One of the themes identified in Clark’s article is the idea that ‘innovation is the process of connecting people and connecting things’. [3]

My personal insertion and view is that inclusion is more than bringing ideas and people in. Inclusion is about supporting engagement and participation. Participation is about getting people with multiple disabilities represented, included and involved. People with a variety of disabilities and a range of needs can provide critical input and support to resolve physical, programmatic, and communication barriers that exist and negatively affect programs and service delivery. The foundations of inclusion begin with representation, participation, and access. This piece will touch upon key definitions and examples.

The challenge in trying to espouse and support the foundations of inclusion is that a lot of work remains to debunk myths and misperceptions about people with disabilities. In my own circumstance, people can sometimes “feel sorry” for me or perceive my disability as a personal tragedy or as something that needs to be cured. The reality is that my walking differences do not translate into a lower quality of life.

Integrating the principles of access, choice, and communication as part of inclusion involves examining the physical, programmatic, and communication barriers that exist for people with disabilities. Examples of physical access barriers include having steps without ramp access, lacking automatic or push-button doors, or facing narrow sidewalks, doorways, and aisles.

I suspect many people without disabilities navigate throughout their communities without having to consider the height of stairs and curb cuts.  Most don’t think about the width of hallways. I suspect that most people do not think twice about opening a door to enter or exit a building.  

Physical access in its simplest form means having the ability to get in, out, and around a physical space. Physical access includes elements like accessible routes, ramps, elevators, signage, entrances, restroom accessibility, and parking.  

Programmatic access means that a person with a disability can equally participate in a program or service. [4]  Modifying  procedures or systems to support participation and use of services in the same way as a person without a disability is called an accommodation. Examples of accommodations include providing assistive listening systems, sign language interpretation, and presenting informational materials in braille, audio, and large print formats.

Communication access means that communication is made possible through “auxiliary aids and services” such as sign language interpreters or real-time captioning services, so that people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-impaired can equally participate in programs, services, and activities. [5]   Communication access also covers environmental accessibility. For example, visual fire alarms are one form of communication access. [6]

For the principles of inclusion to be truly recognized and embraced,

  1. People with all types of disabilities must be represented and engaged as active participants and partners for their input and experience to resolve critical access barriers;
  2. Stereotypes and misconceptions about people with disabilities must be evaluated, questioned, and discredited; and
  3. Physical, Programmatic, and Communication access needs to be continually weighed and measured.

Accessibility Resources:

Community Toolbox: “Tactics for Modifying Access, Barriers, and Opportunities”  

https://cutt.ly/GZd70s7

Community Toolbox: “Ensuring Access for People with Disabilities” https://cutt.ly/VZd5zec

Works Cited

[1] https://cutt.ly/mZdNNmT

[2] https://cutt.ly/mZdNNmT

[3] https://cutt.ly/pZdNZvI

[4] https://cutt.ly/iZd00Ln

[5] https://nwadacenter.org/topics/ada-title-ii-state-and-local-government

[6] https://nwadacenter.org/topics/ada-title-ii-state-and-local-government

Resilience: Continuity, Connections, & Adapting

I have read several articles about resilience over the last few months.  Dennis Rensel defines resilience as “continuity and recovery in the face of change”.[1]  In March of 2020 our lives irrevocably changed. Lockdown was imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19.  New York like many other states went into lockdown and “on pause”.  Our daily lives and routines were disrupted. City streets that were typically bustling with people became silent.  Businesses closed. Personally, I only ventured outside to go to my mailbox.  At the start of the Pandemic, I felt like I was living in the frame of a paused movie. 

Continuity is defined as maintaining an uninterrupted state of activity.  As days and then weeks passed after the initial lockdown, I found I maintained continuity by having a schedule and a routine. I woke up at a certain time.  I was fortunate that I could work from home.  I had phone calls to make and assignments to complete. I found myself applying principles from an article I read by Wendy C. Hildenbrand entitled “Let’s Start Here: Relationships, Resilience, Relevance.”  The article offers principles for adapting to change in personal and professional contexts. Ms. Hildenbrad’s article suggests that effective adaption includes developing and preserving social connections and relationships.[2]  Relationships in this context refer to family relationships, friendships, and acquaintances.

I had a list of people that I would contact and connect with on a regular basis. The connections could happen over the phone or over the computer.  I found that a simple ten-minute conversation provided me with a sense of relief, reassurance, and comfort. The topic of conversation was not as important as the connection.  In crises like the Pandemic social connections can help us to navigate through times of uncertainty and through fear of the unknown by offering mutual outlets of support and encouragement.

When the lockdown occurred, the healthy lifestyle I was trying to implement also went on pause.  I lost my resolve to eat healthy and exercise.  I felt a strong sense of apathy and indifference.  I needed time to recover my sense of purpose, focus, and determination. Staying connected to the people closest to me helped me to regain my sense of motivation to pursue my goals again. 

The experience of the Pandemic has brought up feelings of confusion, frustration, loss, and uncertainty.  Many of us are still trying to process the long-term effects and consequences that have resulted from the Pandemic. 

Ms. Hildenbrand’s definition of resilience includes the idea of “Persisting, adapting, and moving forward.”[3]  Resilience is about learning to positively adapt and respond to permanent changes including earth-shattering disaster, illness, separation, and death—but what do the principles resilience look like in practice?

The foundation of effective resilience and coping skills includes allowing for the space and time to process the breadth of changes that have occurred.  It includes developing and implementing positive strategies to take care of the mind and body.  Examples of positive coping strategies include practicing meditation, engaging in some form of exercise, and developing a network of social support.  

Continuity, connections, and relationships are important components of resilience.  There is a final component of resilience that I would like to introduce and emphasize.  Adapting to massive and permanent change means embracing a sense of hope despite facing adversity.  Hope emerges after a time of suffering.[4]  From hope, motivation is born. The combination of hope and motivation will support us to persist in times of doubt and uncertainty.

[1] Rensel, D. J. (2015). Resilience-a concept. Defense A R Journal, 22(3), 294+.

[2] Hildenbrand, W. C. (2019). Let’s Start Here: Relationships, Resilience, Relevance. AJOT: American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(6), NA.

[3] Hildenbrand, W. C. (2019). Let’s Start Here: Relationships, Resilience, Relevance. AJOT: American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(6), NA.

[4] Subandi, M. A., Achmad, T., Kurniati, H., & Febri, R. (2014). Spirituality, gratitude, hope and post-traumatic growth among the survivors of the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi in Java, Indonesia. Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies, 18(1), 19+