Disabilities with Abilities: Making a more accessible world Sara Pritchard Computer Skills for the Information Age Unit 8: Assignment 2

Accessibility for all persons needs to be reached It is societies responsibility to include persons with disabilities, giving them confidence to go out and be a part of their world. “ It can reasonably be said that people with disabilities may not be able to do every single job that the able-bodied can do, but they can take jobs appropriate for themselves, using their skills and abilities, and in that way they can benefit society as a whole ” (Meshur, 2013, p. 44)

It's the Law! The Americans with Disabilities Act requires all public places and most private places to have accessible means for all persons with disabilities, which falls under ones basic civil and human rights. “ The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else ” (Madrigal, 2014, p. 39).

Public vs. Private Accessibility Laws This law requires public places, whether older than the law itself or not, to comply with making each of these places fully accessible. When the location is private the law is a little more lose, meaning the decision of whether or not the residence is accessible lies in the hands of the builder or owner of the house. Generally, the builder does not relate to disability so more often than not they will not be concerned with making the residence accessible.

A Little Experiment... Look around your house/place of residence and count how many entrances are fully accessible. Fully accessible means that a person can get in and out on their own, as well as have the ability to do the same things as a person who does not have a disability. For instance, does each door have a ramp or flat entrance into the residence like for a wheel chair to be able to smoothly roll in? What were your results?

Sad Fact common around the World My disturbing results were that there is not one fully accessible entrance in my whole house of 5 entrances. “ But personal determinants, like acceptance of abilities and limits, motivation, and effort to manage, are crucial ” (Volkova, 2014, p. 210). It's important to remember for every person to achieve success to the best of their abilities, they must have the same rights and accessibility as everyone else.

It’s time to stand up for whats right! The most important thing to remember is to be an advocate for change in all places and situations so that all people can have full accessibility. Everyone has the right to wake up everyday, no matter what their setbacks are and feel like they matter.

References Madrigal, J. (2014). The 24: An accessibility refresh. Journal on Active Aging, 38 – b8-48ef-937b-c1f1b2e03216%40sessionmgr4001&vid=10&hid=4108 Meshur, H. F. (2013). Accessibility for people with disabilities in urban spaces: A case study of Ankara, Turkey. ArchNet - IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, 7(2), 43 – b-c1f1b2e03216%40sessionmgr4001&vid=3&hid=4108 Valkova, H. (2014). Tourism for all: Challenge for persons with disabilities. Rozprawy Naukowe, 46, 204 – b-%40sessionmgr4001&vid=14&hid=4108