Inspiration Porn: High School Gestures

I am still working on a sort of master post on Inspiration Porn, but I want to take another detour to talk about a subset of this loosely defined phenomenon. I'll call it High School Gestures, referring to three practices that have become popular in American high schools and a familiar trope in "feel good" media:

1. High school students electing a disabled student to be Prom King or Queen.

2. Organizing and hosting "special" prom events, specifically for disabled students.

3. Allowing a disabled student to "run a play" with a sports team.

Three key factors make these practices a type of Inspiration Porn:

1. They are all intended to be “good deeds” for people assumed to be stigmatized and unable to make satisfying social lives for themselves.

2. Media coverage of these events almost always focuses on the kindness of the organizers, relatively little on the disabled individuals these events are supposed to benefit, and not at all on the stigmas and barriers disabled students face every day in their effort to participate in school social life.

3. The events are often further interpreted as encouraging signs that "the kids today" may not be going to Hell after all ... the premise being that on every other day it seems like they are, an unfair and insulting idea in itself.

Labeling these kinds of events Inspiration Porn obviously indicates that I have problems with them, and I do. They are usually well meaning, but contrived and, in a sense, fake. I worry that later in life, some of these disabled youth will look back on these “feel good” events and and cringe at how patronizing they were, and wonder how they allowed themselves to be treated as objects of pity and charity. No matter what the specifics, these events are almost always reported in the same sentimental way, so that even when a specific event is really sincere, it still comes off as weepy Inspiration Porn. The worst thing, in a way, is that these are usually “one off” gestures that benefit one especially loved disabled person, while most disabled kids are unaffected.

Let’s be clear. An unstated premise of these gestures is that “normal” high school social rituals are inherently exclusive and off-limits to most disabled students. That is the problem, and these flashy gestures don’t do much to change the situation. It’s like giving a box of extra-tasty chocolates, just once, to starving person, instead of what they need, which is a reliable diet of nutritious food.

In addition, a lot of disabled people themselves find these kinds of practices truly vile and offensive, in a very personal way. And I think it’s important to emphasize that this feeling is real, not intellectualized or theoretical, or deployed merely for rhetorical purposes. And no, it doesnt matter that the intentions are good. We feel it like a gut punch.

On the other hand, I have started thinking that the acts themselves aren’t always so terrible; it’s the way they are reported that makes us gag. In a couple of cases about prom court elections, it seemed like the students sincerely voted for people they genuinely liked, almost without reference to their disability. It's just that the media covered it like it was a charitable act. Still, one or two isolated examples just don’t go far enough when the majority of disabled students are entirely left out of extracurricular activities and social life.

Instead, I would prefer schools to discourage these types of grand, benevolent gestures, and instead take up the long-term and less immediately gratifying job of removing barriers to a full social life for all disabled students.

How? Here are some ideas:

1. Schools should support a wider variety of extracurricular activities, besides the prom and the the most popular sports programs. "Schools should support" means school district taxpayers should demand and agree to pay for more diverse, robust social options that appeal to all kinds of students, including those with disabilities.

2. Schools should create clubs and organizations that are associated with the top sports programs, but serve peripheral support functions and can accommodate non-athletic participants. It's unrealistic to think that chess club, theater companies, and community service groups are ever going to be as popular as football and basketball, so let's create and recognize some real support roles that disabled students ... and other non-athletic students … can play.

3. Make it absolutely clear that all students … including those who don't have dates and just want to go and have fun … are welcomed to attend all of the proms, formals, and other social events. The long term goal here might be to permanently de-emphasize the "coupling up" aspect. Also, it would help to downplay the most expensive aspects, like tuxes, gowns, and limos. Don't ban them, but don't glorify them.

4. Instead of charitably giving awards and honors to disabled people who would probably not qualify under ordinary circumstances, create a wider variety of awards and honors that are honest and real, and which disabled students (and others) can more frequently earn without anyone having to make a “special” effort.

One argument against these suggestions might be that they shortchange students on learning valuable lessons about kindness and generosity. For one thing, that's like saying that we need people to be in poverty so that everyone else can learn to be generous. I would also counter that there are much more important lessons to learn about respecting and including all kinds of people and normalizing those values, rather than treating ordinary decency as some kind special gift that privileged people occasionally bestow on those deemed “less fortunate.”

In short, a little less “Make-A-Wish” and a lot more commitment to deep integration and equality. That’s what we should be shooting for. It’s harder to accomplish, but the long term benefits are far greater than the fleeting results of one or two big, short-term gestures per year. And although wholesale culture change sounds like a near-impossible task, these specific steps in that direction are eminently achievable.

We have to insist on it, not just for our disabled students, but for all of them.

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I Was So Young ...

This morning, a disability activist here in Plattsburgh emailed a bunch of people this Op Ed piece I wrote for the Plattsburgh Press-Republican newspaper about the Americans with Disabilities Act, just before it was signed into law on July 26, 1990.

When I saw what it was, I had a moment of dread. I couldn’t remember writing it, and I wondered if it would be embarrassing. In fact, it’s not bad.

On thing I noticed is that there are actually very few people making the libertarian argument against the ADA anymore. Apart from a few think-tank theorists, hardly anyone uses the ADA as an example of government overreach anymore. That’s a good thing, but also a bad thing. It’s good that we mostly don’t have to deal with ideological opposition anymore. But it’s also disturbing because it is further evidence that most people don’t see the government as an active participant … a cheerleader maybe, but nothing anyone feels afraid of anymore.

Any residual venom seems to be reserved for a few lawyers, and for disability activists.

Anyway, enjoy this pre-ADA, pre-Web, pre-Blog, pre-Disability Thinking snapshot from the archives.

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Weekly Reading List - Happy Birthday ADA Edition

This week I am posting links to articles I have collected the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The “mainstream” press rarely covers disability issues in any sort of depth. That’s why I decided to stick with the more journalistic pieces, even though most of what I have read about the ADA this week was on personal disability blogs and social media sites.

A NEW 'COMMON IDENTITY' FOR THE DISABLED

Joseph P. Shapiro, Washington Post - March 29, 1988

This is a good place to start … an article on the ADA from 1988, just before the first bill was introduced for the first time.

The Americans With Disabilities Act Is Turning 25. Watch the Dramatic Protest That Made It Happen.

Samantha Michaels, Mother Jones - July 25, 2015

It’s all about the video above, which I have posted before on this blog. As the man in the video says, there’s a fine line between empowerment and pity. I think there are two key factors. First, it seems like the capitol crawlers wanted to do it, and came up with the idea themselves. Second, they did it for their community, not for themselves.

Why I wrote the Americans with Disabilities Act

Robert L. Burgdorf Jr., Washington Post - July 24, 2015

This is the kind of history I love, and I’m amazed at how little I knew about the origins of the ADA. But to me, this is the most important sentence:

“After conducting consumer forums around the country, NCD concluded that discrimination was the biggest problem facing those with disabilities."

It’s easy to forget what a radical conclusion that was at the time. For many today, it’s still a surprise and a revelation that disability discrimination is, in fact, worse than disability itself.

In Helping Those With Disabilities, ADA Improves Access For All

Joseph Shapiro, NPR.org - July 24, 2015

News stories about ADA lawsuits usually make them sound either vaguely sleazy or unrealistic and selfish. This article shows how lawsuits are sometimes necessary to move progress along, and ensure justice for individuals who need it.

25 years after passage, Americans with Disabilities Act has improved the lives of millions

David Crary, Fox Business / Associated Press - July 25, 2015

This is a very good overview of the ADA’s history and effect, taking into account both praise and criticism.

In 25 years, ADA broke down barriers for the disabled, but the workplace is the next frontier

Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun - July 25, 2015

The Title I employment provisions may be the least successful part of the ADA, if success means a major shift towards employment for all people with disabilities. But I don’t think the ADA was really designed to deal with macro-level employment gaps. It’s better suited to dealing with very specific individual employment matters. And as a civil rights law, the ADA has nothing at all to do with preparing people for jobs. It removed some barriers to entry, but it was never meant to push people through.

America still leaves the disabled behind

Ananya Bhattacharya and Heather Long, CNN Money - July 26, 2015

Reading about the blind man at the start of this article, I wonder for the millionth time why there aren’t more disabled people who file complaints and sue under the ADA when faced with such straightforward discrimination and lack of accessibility. But it takes resources to pursue complaints and lawsuits, neither of which are likely to make the plaintiff more employable. Especially with employment discrimination, there’s something missing in the ADA, but I don’t know how it could be fixed.

Why Disability And Poverty Still Go Hand In Hand 25 Years After Landmark Law

Pam Fessler, NPR.org - July 23, 2015

Did the ADA make it harder for disabled people get jobs? It’s an interesting thought that makes some kind of sense, but I’m not convinced the law has been a net negative. After reading this article, I have the feeling that for many of us, the problem is that we are distracted by so many little inaccessibilities, discriminations, and disincentives before we even get to the workplace, and I think employers sense that. They might not think, “I don’t want to hire a disabled person,” but they will think, “This person’s life is too complicated, how would she stay focused on the job?” If the rest of our lives were smoother and more secure, I think we’d be more convincing in the job market.

Woman in wheelchair who fought for Disabilities Act can’t use tour bus

Petula Dvorak, Washington Post - July 20, 2015

I agree with Dot Nary’s strategy of letting smaller businesses go with some education, while saving really aggressive advocacy for the big companies that “should know better.” In rural towns like mine, though, that might not be enough. The bigger companies are all on the outskirts of town, and are mostly accessible by now. It’s just that a lot of disabled people can’t get there. The businesses they can reach tend to be smaller, in those old downtown buildings that ALL have steps up and narrow doorways. Eventually, something has to be done about them, too. And after 25 years, “eventually” is, arguably, now.

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I have to say I’m disappointed that neither of my two favorite news websites, Vox.com and FiveThrityEight.com have posted anything about the ADA anniversary. I wonder if these were conscious editorial decisions, or just carelessness.

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9 Ways America Would Be Different Without The ADA

It is hard to get a handle on what the Americans with Disabilities Act has accomplished and meant to disabled Americans for the last 25 years. As a disabled person myself, I have been trying to think of a way to sum up the ADA’s importance.

Pretty much everyone in the disability community celebrates the ADA, but it’s a very glass half full / glass half empty thing for us. How each of us evaluates the ADA says as much about our own personalities and individual experiences than about the law itself. Unfortunately there aren’t many objective measures of the ADA's success or failure. How do we assess the value of the ADA? Has it really made much of a difference?

Maybe we should ask, “What would America be like today, if the ADA had not become law in 1990?"

Set aside the very strong possibility that an ADA of some kind would have passed eventually, in 1995 or maybe 2000. Let’s suppose instead that after failing to pass in 1990, the whole idea of a civil rights law to cover disabled Americans falls out of favor entirely.

Here are 9 ways America would be different today, without the ADA:

1. Most buildings of all kinds built after 1992 would have unnecessary barriers like narrow doorways and steps at entrances. Facilities and features for disabled people would be rare, separate, hidden from view, and hard to find.

2. Disabled people would only venture out into the community or travel for bare essentials. Most recreational places like restaurants, theaters, stadiums, hotels and motels would lack accessibility restrooms, restricting disabled people to only the briefest visits.

3. Sidewalk curb ramps would be rare, and wheelchair users riding in the street would be a major local irritant issue, similar to cars vs. bikes.

4. A handful of colleges and universities would be known for their accessibility and accommodation practices, and disabled people would have to go to them or not go to college at all. A few very expensive private colleges would probably be founded just for students with specific kinds of disabilities.

5. Virtually all disability activism would consist of groups representing specific disabilities lobbying for very targeted benefits and privileges, plus individuals raising money to pay for personal needs. The concept of “disability rights” would be viewed abstractly, discussed mainly by theorists and academics but unfamiliar to most disabled people.

6. There would be huge opportunity and participation gaps between disabled people with some wealth, who could pay for their own accommodations in workplaces and other areas, and those too poor to do so.

7. Far fewer disabled people would even attempt to get jobs, since they would be told quite plainly that they are not being hired because of their disabilities. Mentally ill people would find it almost impossible to get jobs of any kind, as employers would regularly and legally probe into whether applicants had any mental health histories.

8. Elderly people would move into nursing homes and similar facilities sooner and in much higher numbers, due in part to less accessible communities, and also because of the lack of any meaningful commitment to the principals of “most integrated setting."

9. Very few buses trains, or subways would be wheelchair accessible, mostly in the biggest cities and on a handful of the busiest routes. Accessible, affordable public transportation in rural areas would not exist, apart from a few vans operated irregularly by disability non-profits, nursing homes, and churches.

What do you think would be different today without the ADA? Join a Twitter hashtag … #AmericaWithoutADA

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ADA Anniversary Twitter Event

Share #DisabilityStories on Wednesday, July 15

Ellen Blasco, National Museum of American History - July 8, 2015

As I post this, we are only days away from the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have disabilities, if you are related to someone with a disability, or if you are just interested in disability issues and culture, I encourage you to join in a day of Twitter discussion about the ADA, hosted by the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution.

I am still working on a complete ADA Anniversary post, with useful information about the law, memories of when it first passed, and an assessment of how effective, or not, it has been. For now, I will just say that I feel like the Americans with Disabilities Act has had more impact as a moral, almost spiritual victory for the disability community, than as an actual civil rights law.

What do you think? What does the ADA mean to you? What are its strengths and weaknesses? How much of a difference has it made in the lives of Americans with Disabilities?

It looks like the Twitter chats happening all day on July 15th will be a great place to talk about it and find out what others think.

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Poly Sci For Disabled People - Part 2: Rights, Not Privileges

This is the second part of a multi-part series of posts on disability and politics. My aim is to air out some thoughts and ideas that I think are important for disabled people to consider as we here in the U.S. gear up for another General Election in 2016. We all have our own political beliefs and natural leanings, which probably don’t change much just because we have disabilities. Still, having disabilities does give us insight into some important political and policy questions … insight that others might not have.

At the same time, I think that we are also sometimes vulnerable to some popular political opinions that tend to make us feel less important, less worthy of consideration and even political power than we should be as disabled citizens.

Take these thoughts for what they are, ideas to chew over.

Part 2: Rights, Not Privileges

- As disabled people, we sometimes get confused about the difference between rights and privileges, between accommodation and favors.

- Because equality for disabled people usually requires being treated differently, you will sometimes hear accessibility, accommodations, and supports described, in a mean way, as “special privileges.” The idea is that things like handicapped parking, workplace accommodations, and financial supports make our lives easier than everyone else’s. 

- You have the right to accessibility and individual accommodations to your disability. These are not privileges you have to earn. They are not favors you have to rely on kind people to do for you. They get you closer to equality, not superiority or higher privilege.

- You earn human kindness and friendships by being a nice person. You may find you can earn an easier life, including some luxuries, by hard work and ingenuity. But you don’t have to earn your continued existence, or equal respect and opportunity.

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ADA 25th Anniversary

25 Ways the Americans with Disabilities Act Sparked Positive Change in the United States

Emily Ladau, Words I Wheel By - April 20, 2015

ADA Generation Girl: Reflections on the 25th Anniversary of the ADA

Cara Liebowitz, That Crazy Crippled Chick - April 20, 2015

I’m sick, I guess, and I have a doctor’s appointment today, but I’m at least going to start working on my own thoughts on positive effects of the ADA. Emily and Cara want bloggers to send them articles on this topic, that they will put into a link-up, to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Meanwhile, if you want, use this post’s Comments to offer your thoughts on the ADA. Of course, you may also want to write own post for the link-up. If you do, email it to: wordsiwheelbyblog@gmail.com

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Let's Be Complainers

Nobody actually likes a complainer, even when they're right. That's one reason why relatively few disabled people ever actually complain in a meaningful way.

We should never feel bad about making informal and formal complaints about poor accessibility or disability discrimination. Complaints are not lawsuits. I’m not suggesting they are pleasant, or that a business you file a complaint about will be totally cool with it. They’ll probably be offended and hurt. But later they may be a little embarrassed, and that’s a good thing. We need a little more shame and feelings of inadequacy in business and local governments when it comes to ADA compliance. In most cases, the worst thing that will happen if you file a complaint is that someone will get a stern but informative notice from the U.S. Department of Justice. The won't be fined or go to jail, and it may not solve the problem right away. But the Justice Department gets a better picture of compliance around the country, and ADA violators will know that they are noticed.

By all means, try to work it out person-to-person at first. Point people to the resources easily accessible online on how to make buildings more accessible, and how to accommodate workers with different kinds of disabilities.

• 2010 ADA Standards For Accessible Design
• Job Accommodation Network

If you run into people who have still never heard of the ADA, (they’re out there, believe me!), or who wildly misunderstand what it says, direct them to the easy-to-remember "www.ada.gov”.

• The Americans with Disabilities Act

And if you don’t get a reasonable response, go ahead and file a complaint, using the new, (this month!), Justice Department online complaint form.

• Americans with Disabilities Act Discrimination Complaint Form

Don’t forget the “customer review” option. There are at least two online databases where you can rate the accessibility and responsiveness of any business that can be mapped. Try one or both of these two sites:

• AXS Map
• AbleRoad

I feel very strongly that ableism won’t go away on it’s own, through everyone becoming more “aware”. We have to make it go away, and we have the legal and informal tools to do it. The only thing really holding us back, I think, is our own hesitation. So let’s all quit complaining, and start filing actual complaints.

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Let’s Make A Deal

The #StopAbleism2015 hashtag got me thinking. What would a workable end to ableism entail?

For most of my adult life, I think I have had in mind some kind of deal, a social contract between disabled people and the rest of society. Something like:

We (disabled people) agree that the rest of you (mostly non-disabled people) don't have to know about our specific disabilities, anticipate our accommodation needs, or understand how we feel about being disabled. In other words, you are all off the hook from having “disability awareness". We’ll even forgive the stupid things you sometimes say about disability, as long as it's clear you're not being intentionally mean or provocative.

In return, we expect that our communities and everyday routines will be accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities. Simply following established accessibility standards and adopting a few basic customer service strategies would be a great start. It doesn't require much special knowledge or training … and we’re happy to help you figure it out if you have questions. These things should happen pretty quickly, without constant prompting or advocacy from us.

For the stuff we don't expect you to anticipate … needs that are very specific to each of us and our unique disabilities … all we ask is that you remain open-minded and flexible. We will tell you what we need and what works for us. All you have to do is listen and do what we ask, within reason, safety, and your own abilities.

To put it more simply:

We won't expect you to know and understand everything about everyone’s disability, and we won’t hold you responsible for perfect social behavior at all times.

We do expect you to do all that you can do to accommodate us, with tools and techniques that are widely and easily available. We also expect you to listen to us and use us as guides on how to treat us.

This "deal" is based on a fairly simple premise:

Access > Awareness

How does that sound?

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The Boy With The Cane. Or, What The Heck Is A "Pool Noodle"?

School punishes blind child by taking away cane and replacing it with a pool noodle

Fox2 Now St. Louis - December 17, 2014

So, first I had to look up what a “pool noodle” is. Turns out it is a long, thick, semi-flexible “stick” made of squishy styrofoam, used as a toy or perhaps a sort of float by kids in swimming pools. Looking at pictures of “pool noodles”, I can see right away what the school staff were thinking. It’s long and semi-rigid, so it could, in theory, provide some of the sensory feedback of the canes used by blind people. At the same time, it is made of a material that can’t really hurt anyone, even if used as a deliberate weapon. I’d bet real money that there is at least one person at that school who really, honestly thought they had come up with a brilliant solution to a perceived disciplinary problem.

Of course, one suspects that the “problem” was either overblown or nonexistent. Dakota’s parents say it was all a misunderstanding … that the bus attendant might have seen him raise his cane and assumed it was to hit someone.

To me, this isn’t the issue. Dakota is still a young boy. It’s entirely possible that on occasion, he’s used his cane in questionable ways. It’s also possible he’s still learning how to control his cane, and not accidentally bump it into people or trip them up. The point to me is that the school should have a more thoughtful set of guidelines and procedures for how to deal with Dakota if he should misbehave, as most 8-year-olds misbehave from time to time. And a central tenet of any disciplinary plan should be to never take away an assistive device a child depends on for independence and mobility. This would apply to canes, crutches, a speech device, a wheelchair, or any other equipment that helps them with their particular disability.

It seems to me that part of the formula for kids like Dakota should be some sort of peer counseling “real talk” where someone he trusts … maybe a blind adult ... tells him, as a friend and ally, that assistive devices should never be used as weapons or to cause mischief. Teach disabled kids that they have an absolute right to their devices. They are not revokable privileges like a cell phone. But they also have a responsibility to use and look after their devices with great care. That seems like an essential bit of “growing up” that disabled kids, in particular, have to do. In a way, it’s part of learning self-advocacy.

As a side note, I found it kind of appalling that apparently, the cane was supplied by the school, which is one of the excuses the school used for taking it away. I suppose it’s good they provided the cane, if Dakota’s family can’t afford one, but also reminds me of all the ridiculous angst some school administrators go through over fears that school-provided assistive devices will be “misused” … including being taken home. Especially with something like a cane, whoever pays for it ought to just give it to the person who needs it, with no strings attached.

Update: Via @SFdireworlf, Dakota's school district apologized for taking his cane away. 1. I hope the district also agrees on a disciplinary policy that excludes confiscation of adaptive devices, and 2. I hope Dakota gets a cane of his own.

Class Photo Time Again!

Disabled Arlington student excluded from group photos

Lauren Zakalik, ABC / WFAA Channel 8 - December 9, 2014

Didn’t something like this happen just last year? Why yes. Yes, it did.

There is one bright spot in this story, compared to the one from last year. Here, the student is extensively quoted in the article, and seems to have at least tried to be involved in the picture setup and negotiations. On the other hand, it bugs me that even in its apology, the school district officials refer to Tyson’s mother, not Tyson, himself … as if the offense was to “Mom”, and not Tyson.

It seems like between schools and the professional photography business, there ought to be pre-vetted procedures for these kinds of stupid dilemmas. Some disability accommodations are genuinely difficult. Taking inclusive class photos should be dead easy.

Tipping

Tipping the Scales of Justice

Judge John Hodgman, Episode 158

This is a bit off-topic, but bear with me. I’ll bring it all back to disability issues.

This episode of the fantastic Judge John Hodgman podcast is about tipping … that is, who one is expected to give a gratuity, how much, and why we give tips at all. “Judge” Hodgman, his “Bailiff” Jesse Thorn, and the married couple who are the “Litigants” discuss:

- who actually receives the money from tips (it’s not just your waitress)

- whether it is a reward for good service, or an expected component of service employees’ pay

- which services are you supposed to tip

- whether tipping low or stiffing service workers actually teaches them any lessons (what do YOU think?)

- how much should you tip

When Judge Hodgman also pointed out that generous tipping is an investment in better service, with people and places you plan to use frequently, it made me wonder whether good or bad tipping habits can affect service to customers with disabilities.

I don’t travel a lot, but when I do, I make sure to have a bunch of $5 bills on me just for tips. I’m not talking about tips for waitstaff so much, but in airports, it makes life a whole lot easier. True, I could probably get by purely on asserting my right to accommodations. On the other hand, the people who always have to carry out reasonable accommodations are the lowest paid and least respected people in the industry, and I feel like the extra money works for them, and frankly their improved attitude and more personal commitment to, say, getting me to the gate or hauling my bags off the baggage claim belt, works for me.

Of course, many disabled people can’t afford to be “generous” tippers. Sometimes, that can’t be helped. Nevertheless, I would recommend disabled travelers to budget as much as possible for tips when they plan a trip. Certainly don’t forget about it and just hope you’ve got a little extra cash when the time comes to give the lady pushing your wheelchair a tip.

The other problem is that some of us may actually be kind of clueless about tipping, from lack of experience or because nobody ever bothered to give us the lowdown on tipping customs. It seems like an important independent living skill, but one that probably gets forgotten a lot.

So, fellow disabled readers, what are your tipping experiences and practices?

More Advice For Businesses

How To Fix Your Service Experience For Customers With Disabilities -- What Kanye Should Have Learned

Micah Solomon, Forbes - September 14, 2014

Newspaper and magazine articles offering tips on serving customers with disabilities are pretty common, and usually quite bland. Maybe that is because providing good service and equal access to disabled customers is really pretty simple. Still, I liked this article more than most of the genre. I also really appreciated how Mr. Solomon connects with the Kanye West story … something lots of people have heard about, but who may not go beyond a surface-level outrage. Since Kanye is nothing if not a businessman, what he did should be understood as bad business as well as poor social awareness.

I’ve got a few pieces of advice for businesses, too. Again, none of it is particularly new or innovative. The problem isn’t that nobody knows how to serve people with disabilities. The problem is the lack of follow-through.

Here are my ideas:

1. Put accessibility on all of your “To Do Lists". I say “all” of your To Do Lists, not just one special To Do List, because you need to consider physical accessibility and individual accommodation strategies for all of your functions and events, and re-evaluate constantly. And you have to add us to your lists, because history has shown that for some reason, disabled people are among the most easily and frequently forgotten constituencies.

2. Tell employees it’s okay for them to break some rules and procedures if it will allow them to help a disabled customer. Good policies are no good if they aren’t implemented, and that’s done by employees, rarely by one boss. Don’t try to create a plan for every contingency. Instead empower your employees to be responsive to what each customer needs, including those who have disabilities.

3. If your business’ image is “retro”, “vintage”, “quirky”, or “hipster”, make sure it isn’t also “inaccessible”. Charming little businesses housed in 150 year old business districts are trendy and feel progressive, but they are often far less accessible to disabled people than the dreaded “big box” stores out in suburbia. Old-fashioned front stoops and a narrow little doors with cute brass knobs may be are like “disabled customers not wanted” signs. Some businesses may not have much of a choice of locations, but if you do, and if you’re putting money into decor, think about investing in accessibility. And then do it.

"20 States On Wheels" Update

20 States On Wheels

I decided to check in on the 20 States On Wheels project … four college students, one of whom uses a wheelchair, traveling from San Francisco to Boston and blogging about the accessibility they find, or don’t find, along the way. Today they are in Denver!

It looks like they have found a fair amount of full accessibility so far, with the biggest problems being when promised accessibility and accommodations fail to materialize. This seems most notable with car rental and hotel reservations. Restaurants and tourist attractions seem to be mostly accessible and accommodating.

That all sounds familiar to me, and highlights one of the best aspects of architectural accessibility. For the most part, a physically accessible feature can't disappoint. People frequently do, as do their policies and practices.

Browse the blog. The group has posted lots of great photos, along with descriptions of their accessibility experiences.

Music For A Saturday Evening: "The Thunder God"

I write a lot on this blog about life-long disabilities, mostly because that’s my personal experience. Of course, millions of disabled people experience disability as a sudden intrusion that can derail the lives they thought were ahead of them. Then there are the relatively few who have the perseverance, creativity, and support they need to take a brief detour, but ultimately get back on their original track.

I wasn’t a huge heavy metal fan in the summer of 1987 when I listened to a special radio introduction of Def Leppard’s long-awaited album Hysteria, while unpacking for my "Sophomore Summer" semester in college. So, I was only vaguely aware of what the band’s real fans knew was special about the album. Not only was it way overdue, it was overdue in large part because the band’s drummer, Rick Allen, had lost his left arm in a car accident, and the band had, basically, waited while Allen re-learned drumming on an adapted kit. Even after I heard the story, I just sort of noted it. I wasn’t really tuned in to disability as an “issue” then.

It wasn’t until just after the Americans with Disabilities Act passed that I realized that Def Leppard had, essentially, provided Allen with a pretty massive “reasonable accommodation” to an sudden disability. They could easily have parted ways with him … offering prayers of support and sad farewells, and debuting a new drummer. They weren’t stuck with Rick. They chose to stick with him, and he to the band. And a key to that was ingenuity, adaptability, and an understanding of teamwork that doesn’t see people as simply interchangeable cogs.

Def Leppard is decidedly classic “Dad Rock” at this point. I don’t think they were ever the best band in the world, or inherently better than “the bands kids listen to today”. But they were very good, and very successful, and certainly never paid a discernible price for not leaving Rick behind, in an incredibly competitive and fast-moving industry. Heavy Metal and Pop Metal are very emotional, almost sentimental genres, and a story like Rick Allen’s still to this day provokes what one YouTube commenter calls “man tears” … a.k.a. “Inspiration Porn”. It’s hard to sustain the sentimentality, though, when the product is this particular music.

I still love it, once in awhile.

Questions About Employment Discrimination

I’m working on grant writing today, so how about another question for feedback?

How would you describe the most common ways that disability discrimination hinders employment for disabled people? Do employers simply want to avoid perceived hassles? Are they worried about specific perceived problems with disabled employees? Do disabled applicants and employees sabotage ourselves without realizing it? Do laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act help?

Please be as specific as you can. It’s easy to cite “discrimination”, but how, specifically, does it play out in real-life? Do you have any specific ideas on how to make the employment situation better for disabled people?

Later this week I will collect comments and write a more complete post on employment discrimination.

Deaf And The Police

I’m a not legal expert, but this all seems like good advice for Deaf people dealing with the police. Quite a lot of it could be helpful for people with other disabilities as well … including mobility impaired, cognitively impaired, and mentally ill people. I found it interesting that on the YouTube page for this video, a sizable minority of the commenters were down on this video. Most of them I believe are Deaf themselves, based on the context and tone of their remarks. Basically, they seem to be saying that Matlin’s advice won’t work because the police are either actively hostile or completely irrational. That’s an understandable view if you have had your rights violated by police, but I don’t think it necessarily negates the advice. She’s not saying to Deaf people, “Behave yourself and everything will be fine.” She’s saying be cautious, understand a bit of where the police are coming from, and use good sense and proper timing in fighting for your rights.

Best Article On Disability In College

Going to College with a Disability

Eva Sweeney, Hannah Langlie, Julie McGinnity and GimpGirl Community (posted by Jennifer Cole) - March 28, 2014

This is one of the best articles advising students with disabilities in college that I have ever read. The core of the piece is the tips and stories of three women with different physical and sensory disabilities who are at various stages of higher education. I made a few notes as I read:

- I’m not sure the focus in high school transition planning for disabled students on “menial jobs” is because teachers and counselors assume students won’t go to college. College is truly not for everyone. It might be more accurate to say that schools from K-12 are still not very good at identifying disabled students who should go to college and have the ability to do so if they have the right supports. By the time students reach “transition” age … generally age 13 and older … a lot of the key decisions have already been made, and it’s very hard to turn a student around from a vocational path to a college path in four years or less.

- Some transition programs are staffed by disabled adults and include peer mentoring, but surprisingly few. Most are just as the article describes … staffed by able-bodied professionals. There is nothing wrong with being an able-bodied educational professional, but it means that certain key qualities will be missing from the program.

- Ironically, a lot of the bureaucracy and paperwork they cite in school transition programs is there to make sure schools don't ignore transition planning completely. Before rules and regulations were developed to require it, most schools didn’t bother with transition planning at all. Unfortunately it is true that teachers end up spending at least as much time making sure they document their work as they do actually doing their work with students. It is less of a problem with teachers who believe in their students’ potential, because they will generally find it easier to write meaningful plans when they actually believe in them. It’s much worse with teachers and counselors who are disillusioned or profoundly skeptical that their students can achieve higher levels of learning and functioning.

- I found it interesting that the only positive things either of the three women say about the disability services offices of their colleges was about their logistical support … like maintaining campus accessibility maps and obtaining braille and other accessible technologies. None of them mentioned counseling, tutoring, or even arranging accommodations with professors. All three women say that they arranged their own accommodations directly with professors, and in fact they underscored the importance of keeping up a constant communication with professors about their needs and procedures. Yet, most college disability offices say that it is their job to arrange accommodations and act as mediators between students and professors. It seems like there is a perception gap between what disability offices define as their mission, and what disabled students actually want.

- For me, the most meaningful and eloquent quote in the article was from Hannah, about managing personal care attendants:

“I always (jokingly but seriously) say that I did not come to college in order to have five more people try to be my mother. It’s funny, but it’s true. I have to often remind people that I am not the “child” that some people refer to me as and I am still in charge.”

- The women also each talked about strategies for putting professors and fellow students at ease, to make social life better, but also to facilitate discussion and full participation in class.

- Overall, the three women in the article took responsibility for their accommodation needs, and didn't seem to mind it. What they wanted from their disability services offices wasn't someone to fix everything, but simple cooperation and follow-through.

I don’t know much about current practices at college disability services offices. My impression from limited exposure to them is that 80-90% of their time and attention is on tutoring and academic accommodations for large numbers of students with learning disabilities, and that the logistical needs of physically disabled students tend to be afterthoughts. To the extent this is accurate, there are probably somewhat understandable reasons for this.

For one thing, there are probably a lot more learning disabled students than physically disabled students at most colleges and universities. Second, there may be a perception that physically disabled students are more self-reliant, and that once a campus is largely “accessible”, there isn’t much left to do for them. Third, my sense is that these offices draw in staff who come mostly from the education field, and are therefore most professionally interested in academics, somewhat less comfortable with advocacy and negotiation with other academics (the professors), and even less familiar with accessibility and technology which call for engineering and problem-solving skills, not teaching or advising skills.

When I was in college, my only accommodation needs were physical, and I had almost no interaction with the Academic Skills Center, which was nominally in charge of disability-related services. That was 25 years ago, and I know through a friend in my class that they were doing some really good and probably ahead-of-its-time work in identifying and accommodating learning disabilities. But, for physical accessibility, it didn't seem like there was anyone in particular to go to. Fortunately, most of the places I needed to go were accessible to me, but I didn't push the envelope, either. Looking back, there are several key college experiences I simply skipped because it seemed like too much hassle to try and rig up accommodations for them. I suspect things have changed there, but I wonder how much.

I also wonder if any colleges have separate offices and coordinators for academic accommodations and physical accessibility? Or, they could have distinct and carefully staffed divisions within disability services offices.

I would be very interested in hearing about other disabled peoples' experiences in college. What worked for you and what didn't? What would you change if you could?

A Parking Problem (That Should Have Been) Easily Solved

Problem Solver: Disabled court worker barred from closer parking spots

Jon Yates, Chicago Tribune, “What’s Your Problem?” - March 9, 2014

So many barriers that individual disabled people face are easy to solve, except that nobody in a responsible position will focus on it for ten minutes and make a decision. Here, a court worker with MS has a really hard time walking from where she’s allowed to park her car, into the building where she works. She identifies a specific, practical fix for the problem … let her and a couple other disabled workers in the same building use some handicapped spots in a much closer lot normally reserved for judges and other bigwigs. These handicapped spots apparently usually go unused anyway.

The problem is either that she doesn’t know who is the right person to talk to in order to get a decision made, or that there is nobody in that particular workplace who is responsible for such decisions and knows that they are. It took the intervention of a newspaper, and the head of the whole Chicago court system, to get the situation resolved. Without knowing anything else about the case, several thoughts occur to me:

• Municipalities and some municipal departments are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to have an appointed ADA Coordinator, a manager within the organization who handles all accessibility and disability accommodation problems. Does the Chicago Court System have an ADA Coordinator? What about the City of Chicago?

• I can also easily imagine a situation where there IS an ADA Coordinator for the court system, but the person either doesn’t realize they are, or they have been poorly trained for the job and / or nobody listens to them. “Oh, by the way Joe, you’re our ADA Coordinator now. I dunno, some disability thing …”

• Note that the solution they came up with, which seems fine by the way, nevertheless does NOT involve letting disabled workers park in the VIP lot. It sounds like it would have been fine, but I’ll bet those spots are massively coveted perks in that bureaucracy, and they’re not about to hand them out just because they make practical sense!

• It would be easy to see this as a fairly minor problem. But, the quotes from Ms. Walsh’s daughter highlight how an “inconvenience” can quickly become a serious barrier. Ms. Walsh’s family are worried about it already. What if she did fall on the ice one day? Would she really injure herself? Would her continued employment there become an “issue” in her family, causing more anxiety because she’d be worried about them being worried? “Little things” like this can snowball quite quickly. It’s one reason why we sometimes here what sound like ridiculous stories of disabled people losing a job because of something silly like parking, or lack of a really simple accommodation.

• This thing of plowed snow being piled into handicapped parking spaces is so widespread that carelessness alone can’t be the only reason for it. I suspect that it is a fairly common idea floating around public works departments and facility maintenance crews that, a. There are too many handicapped spaces overall, b. They go unused “all the time”, and therefore, c. It’s perfectly fine to plow snow into handicapped spaces since “everyone knows nobody uses them”. It’s just a hunch, mind you, and you’d never get anyone to admit on the record this is what they think.

• I hope someone in the local EEOC office looks into how Ms. Walsh’s inquiry was handled. It’s possible they weren’t quite as rude as the article portrays. Also, I would agree that this kind of problem really is too small for the EEOC … not small in importance, but small as in easily solved without lawyers and a federal agency. The EEOC staffer should have helped Ms. Walsh solve the problem herself.

• What the Chicago Tribune reporter did to get the problem solved is exactly what Centers for Independent Living are meant to do. Chicago is a big city, with more problems like this than 12 CILs could handle, much less one, but I still wonder why it took the Chicago Tribune to solve this problem.

• Come to think of it, the article offers virtually no useful advice as to who to consult if similar disability accommodation problems crop up in other workplaces.

There are enough disability-related problems that are legitimately hard to solve. Can't we at least get our acts together to fix the easy stuff?

Seriously? ... Again?

Houston police to disabled vet blocked from restaurant: 'You don't need a dog’

Heather Alexander, Houston Chronicle - February 26, 2014

The headline says it all. It is going to take a long time for some people to get used to the fact that guide dogs aren’t the only kinds of disability service animals, and that they all should be allowed in public places, even those that otherwise have “no pets” policies.

Apparently this is partially a Texas thing, because Texas actually passed a law specifically making it a misdemeanor to bar service animals, including those for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Gov. Rick Perry, surely a friend to business and as old-fashioned conservative as they come, apparently supports and is proud of this law, but a series of incidents seem to show there are skeptics out there.

As I said before …

The worst problem in society today is PEOPLE PRETENDING TO BE DISABLED SO THEY CAN TAKE THEIR DOGS INTO COFFEE SHOPS THAI RESTAURANTS.