I have been
disabled all of my life. All 61 years. I feel eminently qualified, therefore, to
speak on the issue of accessibility or lack thereof.
Due to my
disability, and for no other reason, there are activities and sports I
cannot participate in, places I cannot go, and careers I cannot pursue. This is virtually never due to lack of
accessibility. It is solely and entirely
due to my 3 missing limbs and use of a wheelchair. More directly, my disability imposes many
limitations. It always has and always will.
Discrimination
claims are all too common these days. It
is so tiring. My discussion here will focus
only on claims of discrimination against the disabled. Most of these too are tiring, and I am often
embarrassed by them. Constant claims of injustice
often lead to an indifferent audience; e.g. the ‘crying wolf’ analogy.
For example, once
again, there is a lawsuit against Disneyland for not properly accommodating
their disabled guests. Honestly, my
initial response was an unsympathetic “now what?” Don’t get me wrong. I am all for equality. I am all for no discrimination. I am all for civil rights. I am all for the disabled sharing in the
world just as anyone else. I am also for
understanding that things are not the same as anyone else. I am also for realizing the limits, accepting
with dignity what I can’t do, and understanding that the world can never
realistically accommodate my every need.
I appreciate so
much the past efforts of disability advocates in getting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed
in 1990. Lawmakers agreed that major
changes were badly needed. Realizing
that there were challenges in meeting ALL needs, the agreed goal was to serve
the largest percentage of the disabled population as possible. Gradually, there was a significant increase
in the number of ramps, bathroom revisions, handrails, sign language
interpreters, braille signage, and modifications to public transportation, hospitals,
restaurants, hotels, schools, and sports stadiums. Indeed, the ADA profoundly improved the quality
of life for countless people.
As anticipated, some
disabilities did not benefit as much as others.
Sadly, this will always be true no matter how much is done. For example, I personally need a toilet with
a handrail on the right. Many times, the
handrail is on the left or in the back.
Neither works for me, rendering usage of the toilet impossible. I must realize this possibility before I go
out. I must adapt. I must have an alternate plan. Before you think that putting a handrail on
both sides is an easy answer, it is not.
Even attempting to do so would make it harder or impossible for someone
else, particularly a wheelchair user. While
this handrail issue poses limits for me, it would be foolish to stomp around
claiming that the ADA did not address my needs.
It is totally unreasonable to think that every single special need can
be, or should be, addressed. It is simply
not possible. Thus, it is up to us, the disabled
population, our family and friends, to find ways to exist in the world. We must find ingenious and clever ways to
adapt. We must accept that sometimes the
alternatives may momentarily wound our dignity.
However, in the end, we must always focus on what we CAN do and not so
much on what we can’t do.
The Disneyland lawsuit
alleges that some disabled patrons can’t enjoy the theme park. First of all, I wonder how anyone can enjoy
the park with the incredulous admission fees (currently $99) and insufferable
long lines but, I digress.
I have been to Disneyland
many times, and I have always felt that they accommodated the disabled
superbly. If one thing didn’t work, they
tried another. They once had a reduced
price for a disabled person if they said they couldn’t get on the rides. This was handy for the elderly too. Of course, they had no way to regulate this
once inside the park so it didn’t take long for some to take advantage of the
reduced price and it was discontinued. Then
they allowed a disabled person and their party to go to the front of the line. Incredibly then, unusually large groups of
people claimed they were with a disabled person. Sometimes, a group would even rent a
wheelchair for one of them just so the entire group could go to the front. Again, this was stopped. Disneyland then allowed a disabled person to wait
at the front of the line for their party to get to the front. For various reasons, this too was stopped. It is disappointing that so many people deemed
having a disability to be some sort of advantage.
Disneyland, other
amusement parks and public places have made significant modifications for the
disabled. Despite this, the lawsuits
continue. The current one against Disneyland
claims that autistic children have trouble understanding the new “line policy” (get
a time and come later). This seems senseless
to me. Parents of disabled children
(autistic included) should know their child’s limits and not expose them to avoidable
frustration. They might even be too
short to ride so preparing them ahead of time for this possibility is
prudent. It would be ludicrous to claim
that the ride company did not consider short kids. Disabled adults should also anticipate the
limits they may face. Pregnant women and
the elderly also have limits. For me, I must
always anticipate that possibly NO bathroom will have a handrail on the
right. Thus, it is my responsibility, and mine alone, to have an alternate plan before
I go or maybe not go at all. Unfortunate?
Yes. Unfair? Yes.
My reality? Yes.
More and more
people claim to be disenfranchised every day, which makes it more and more
difficult to adjudicate legitimate claims.
I have seen assertions that all
restaurants should have higher (or lower) table heights for disabled
guests. How high? How low?
How many tables? For which
disability? I have seen demands that
bathroom stalls in every public
bathroom be large enough to accommodate an adult changing table and 3 people. I find both of these unreasonable. The key word throughout the ADA law is
“reasonable.” By definition, reasonable
means “fair and sensible, being in accordance with reason.”
There are as many
individual disabilities and special needs as there are disabled people. It is not reasonable, certainly not even
possible, to accommodate every single need of every single person. In the end, it will always be up to the
disabled person and/or their family to find resourceful ways to face challenges
that the majority of the population quite frankly simply does not face. It is not fair, it is not fun. It is unfortunate and sometimes even
depressing, but it is no one’s fault. It
is ultimately more productive to adopt an attitude and behavior of meeting
challenges graciously and not placing blame for what should be done. It is infinitely more gratifying to meet
challenges head on, to have realistic expectations, to accept what cannot reasonably
be changed, to focus solidly on what IS possible, and yes, to be grateful for
the changes that have been made.
There will always be
challenges and limitations for disabled people.
There will always be special needs not met. There will always be unfortunate and unfair circumstances. How
one deals with them is the key. Acceptance
is not the same as “giving in.” It just
is what it is.