Do It Myself Blog - Glenda Watson Hyatt

When talking about accessibility, it is easy to get caught up in the necessary width of doorways, the need for ramps built at a certain incline, and the height to install grab bars in wheelchair washrooms. And, of course, the cost of it all! But, what is often missing from the discussion is the why. Why go to the bother and cost of making places accessible? Why does it matter?

Please allow me to share my “why”:

On Tuesday, my husband and I, both wheelchair users, decided to go out to celebrate our nation’s birthday with fellow Canadians. Without a definite plan in mind, we took the Skytrain into Vancouver. When the elevators are working, the Skytrain is an easy mode of transportation for us. We merely wheel into a train car and then wheel off at our destination.

Getting off at the Main Street/Science World Station, we first took in the progress of the Athletes’ Village for the 2010 Olympics. What an amazing sight seeing a dozen cranes in one location! All of them operating at once must be quite a dance.

Then we followed the path around False Creek, with the rest of the cyclists, inline skaters and walkies. This route is one of our favourite outings because it’s nicely paved and bricked, fairly flat and no car traffic to watch out for. We can go for miles without needing to contend with barriers.

Some of the sights leave us puzzled though. We have no clue what this tripod structure is: a piece of abstract art, a marker of some kind or alien spaceship?

We stopped at Urban Fare for a bite and our first iced mocha. Those could be addictive!

At my age, I have learned not too pass by an accessible washroom without using it – there isn’t always one around when needed. Urban Fare’s accessible washroom was pretty good; definitely doable – and that is what counts!

From False Creek, we headed across downtown to Canada Place, grateful that there were sidewalk curbcuts on every corner. Where possible we avoided a few curbcuts that either were a little too steep or went out into of oncoming traffic.

Unknowingly we arrived at Canada Place in time to catch Vancouver legend Dal Richards and his band perform. Watching him took me back to the early days of the Variety Club Telethon where he conducted the orchestra for the entire twenty-two hours. Now at 90, I’m sure it is his passion for music that has kept him so young!

With the festivities at Canada Place over, we found our way down to Harbour Park to wait for the fireworks. Alternative sidewalks around construction sites were accessible. Long ramps at the park made it possible for us to get down the harbourside, which gave us a perfect vantage point.

Once again, I didn’t pass up the opportunity to use the public washroom, which was, again, quite accessible.

After putting several miles on our chairs, we took the Skytrain back home to Surrey.

(Photo credit: Darrell Hyatt)

I honestly do not know how much it cost to make that day accessible for us and other wheelchair users, for parents with baby strollers, for cyclists and for others on wheels. But, I do appreciate being able to get out in the community like that.

Being able to “ooh aah” fireworks with fellow Canadians: priceless!

Accessibility 100 is a series of 100 easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive tips for improving accessibility for people with disabilities. This is a community project. Feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas for future Accessibility 100 posts.

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Cripple. Handicapped. Disabled. Physically challenged. Person with a disability. It doesn’t really matter what term is used, does it? After all, is not a rose by any other name still a rose?

Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski suggested that “language and culture are indivisible, our language is our culture and how we use it reflects on our culture.” (Quoted from Susan Balandin, Susan. “Transitions – A lifelong journey.” School of Communication Sciences and Disorders: The University of Sydney.) Through history, culture has dismissed, discounted, and discarded those seen as different or disabled. Preoccupied with physical perfection in ancient Greek times, infants who did not measure up were drowned in the river. In medieval times, the disabled, feeble-minded, and malformed were court jesters and exhibitions at freak shows — things to be laughed at, ridiculed, and feared. More recently, the disabled were the first group to be murdered by the Nazis.

An indicator of a society’s regard for the disabled lays in the terms used to label them. For example in English, invalid means “not valid” or “not acceptable.” Handicap conjures up an image of someone on the street corner with “cap in hand,” begging for handouts and charity. These labels degrade individuals by focusing on their differences or incapabilities, rather than on the individuals themselves. Labels link individuals to stereotypes, and often trump other indicators of identity. People use labels as a form of mental shorthand, for example, the disabled, the homeless, single-parents, and so on.

Until recently, the prevalent model of disability has been the medical model in which the disabled person is seen as the problem: “We are to be adapted to fit into the world as it is.” In this model, terms frequently used include confined to a wheelchair, housebound, suffers from, stricken with, needs help, needs a cure, can’t walk, can’t talk. Usually the focus is on the impairment, rather than the needs of the individual. This language emphasizes dependency, pity, fear and patronizing attitudes and reinforces negative stereotypes of disabled people. In this model, “most disablement is created by oppressive social systems.”

In the late 1980s, largely influenced by people with disabilities themselves who argued that disability is a socially constructed concept and society itself creates the disability, there was a shift from the medical model to the social model. In this model, prejudice, discrimination, and inaccessible environments are the disabling factors, rather than the medical conditions.

The social model of disability highlights the use of language to disempower, as the medical profession and government imposed limiting and negative labels. This type of language is used as a way to control, dominate, and subtly or blatantly discriminate. This model gave way to the empowerment of people with disabilities through the development of a vigorous disabled identity and self-advocacy movement.

Then, language around disability began to change:

“.…we are not ‘the disabled.’ We are disabled people, or even people with disabilities. It is important that we do not allow ourselves to be dismissed as if we all come under this one great metaphysical category ‘the disabled.’ The effect of this is a depersonalization, a sweeping dismissal of our individuality, and a denial of our right to be seen as people with our own uniqueness, rather than as the anonymous constituents of a category or group.”

For the first time in history, people with disabilities were finding their voice in determining which terms would define them. The result was a widespread social realization that the disabled population is not a homogenous group, but rather a group of individuals often lumped together—as many stereotyped groups are—despite differences in experiences, beliefs, needs, and goals.

Society no longer knew what to call these newly empowered people. Not wanting to upset or offend them, society grappled for more socially acceptable terminology: physically challenged, visually impaired, differently abled, disAbled, and so on. Canadian songwriter Jane Field expressed this sentiment in The Fishing is Free:

No one knows just what to call us
which label should befall us,
And they’re some dandy terms from which to choose.
My favourite’s “wheelchair-bound” ‘cause it has a
bondage sound.
Oh it’s fun to guess what term they’re going to use.

Although the terms used to refer to people with disabilities are evolving, the language used to describe their experiences seem to be still somewhat medicalized. Able-bodied individuals exercise, workout, and have personal fitness trainers, while individuals with disabilities get rehab, therapy, and have physiotherapists. Able-bodied children take music lessons, children with disabilities receive music therapy. Able-bodied children do swimming lessons, children with disabilities get hydrotherapy. Such language still implies a sense of dependency and inferiority; a sense that the experiences are happening to the individual, rather than the individual being actively involved.

There is still some distance to go before people with disabilities are acknowledged as equals in society. The use of language and choice of words go a long ways in empowering and liberating, and thus, creating equality. For example, one wonders if the labels Olympians and Paralympians are viewed equal, as having the same high-quality of athleticism, determination, and commitment. Is this differentiation between athletes necessary? What purpose does this distinction serve? What stereotypes are reinforced?

Words can hurt or they can heal; they can disempower or empower; they can reinforce negative stereotypes or enlighten. Consider the language you use everyday. Does it convey the right message?

Empower Your Words

When communicating, choice of words can be quite empowering and liberating.

Words like gimp, cripple, and handicapped convey a different image than a person with a disability, a man with multiple sclerosis, or a businesswoman with cerebral palsy.

If you are unsure of what terminology is appropriate, keep these three simple tips in mind:

1. Put people first, not their disability.
2. Individuals with disabilities have different preferences regarding terminology. To ease awkward situations, simply ask the individual what he or she prefers — if such terminology is even necessary in the situation.
3. Remember, we all have names. If the particular situation does not require disability-related terminology, simply use our names, please.

The key is to speak to and refer to people — all people — in a respectful manner.

(Originally written for SPARC BC News, Fall 2005.)

Accessibility 100 is a series of 100 easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive tips for improving accessibility for people with disabilities. This is a community project. Feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas for future Accessibility 100 posts.

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According to the U.S. Department of Labour, more than 50 million Americans with disabilities - 18% of population - are potential customers for businesses of all types across the United States. This under tapped market has $175 billion in discretionary spending power. That figure is more than twice the spending power of American teenagers and almost 18 times the spending power of the American “tweens” market. Similarly, the Canadian Standards Association estimates that Canadians with disabilities, with an estimated $25 billion in purchasing power annually, will represent 20-25% of the recreation, retail, entertainment, workplace and housing markets in the coming year.

Which small business wouldn’t want a share of that market?

Ideally, all business locations would meet physical access requirements and regulations by having wide doorways, automatic door openers, ramps and elevators, textured floorings, flashing fire alarms and such. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, particularly for small businesses with limited resources and limited physical control over their leased space. However, there are numerous ways they can welcome and serve customers with disabilities, perhaps even better than their large competitors can.

(Credit: Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities)

• Where possible, ensure doors, aisles and hallways are at least 36″ or 91.5 cm wide. People using wheelchairs can’t become customers if they are unable to enter your place of business.
• Keep aisles clear from extra displays or products on the floor.
• Be comfortable communicating with customers with disabilities.
• Provide a lower counter (34″ or 86 cm) to serve customers in wheelchairs and customers of short stature. Alternatively, keep a clip board handy at the service counter to provide people in wheelchairs a firm surface for writing cheques and such.
• Adjust the tension of door closure to make it easier for someone in a wheelchair or with minimal arm strength to open a door. The tension need not be more than five pounds.
• If you’re not sure what to do, ask your customer, “May I help you?” Ask before you offer to help, then wait for response. Your customers with disabilities know if they need help and how you can provide it.
• Have various ways customers can contact your business. Not everyone can use the phone; not everyone has email.
• If your location does have a wheelchair washroom, please keep it clean and in good working order. Don’t use it for storage, please!
• Attitude and common sense goes a long way in compensating for a less than accessible location.
• Keep sidewalks, ramps and curb cuts clear of snow, overgrown bushes and other debris.

Remember: “My money believes in equal opportunity. If one business is inaccessible, it is happy being spent elsewhere!”

Questions to consider

1. In your business, what are some of the ways that a customer with a disability may need extra assistance?
2. Do your employees know they are supposed to provide extra assistance to a customer with a disability when needed, as long as it does not jeopardize the safe operation of your business?
3. What are some alternative ways to provide service to a customer with a disability that would be feasible in your setting?

Additional Resources

• Access is Everyone’s Business!: Quick Business Tips
• How to Welcome Customers with Disabilities
• Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities: An online ADA course for businesses
• Ten Small Business Mistakes (video)

Accessibility 100 is a series of 100 easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive tips for improving accessibility for people with disabilities. This is a community project. Feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas for future Accessibility 100 posts.

Get the entire series by subscribing to this blog by filling in the form in the upper right corner or by subscribing to the RSS feed.

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Blogs create a way for people to share their thoughts, pass on information and connect with others from around the world. Blogs provide countless individuals with a door to the world. However, for many individuals, blogs slam shut that door by creating as much of a barrier as stairs do for wheelchair users in the brick-n-mortar world.

Within the confines of their blogging platform, there are ways bloggers can increase accessibility for people with some kinds of disabilities.

Provide ALT attributes for all images

Images present problems for people with sight impairments using screen readers – software that reads aloud what is displayed on the computer screen. This technology cannot read content presented in an image or graphic format. Also, individuals with older computers or slow Internet connections may surf with image loading turned off and will miss information presented visually.

The simple solution is providing text equivalents for all images and graphics. In HTML, this is the ALT attribute. The code for inserting an image would look like:

<...img src="http://www.xxx.com/logo.jpg" alt="Accessibility 100" />

Individuals not able to see the image would hear or read “Accessibility 100″. They receive equivalent information.

In WordPress (version 2.5.1), when using the “Add an image” feature, filling in the caption field provides the ALT attribute:

Screen shot of the “Add an image” dialogue box

Other blogging platforms will vary in how the ALT attribute is inserted. For bloggers comfortable with HTML, the platform may allow them to insert the attribute manually.

When writing ALT text, consider:

• ALT text must communicate the purpose of a graphic accurately and succinctly.
• the length of ALT in relation to image size (rule of thumb: 150 characters maximum),
• if the image is purely eye candy, in which case the null ALT is appropriate. Without an ALT present, even a null one, an individual using a screen reader would hear “image”.

Not using images is not a solution. Images can increase comprehension and usability for others.

Make hypertext informative

Like sighted individuals, people using screen readers often scan a webpage for hypertext links that may interest them. Links like “click here” or “more” make no sense when read out of context.

To increase the accessibility of your blog, make hypertext links informative when read out of context, whether they are on their own or as part of a sequence of links. Make link text succinct.

For example, instead of:

Listen in on the interview here.

Try:

Listen to the interview.

Instead of:

…running two Group Research projects… (where each hyperlinked word points to a separate link)

Try:

…running the Internet Marketing Group Research Project and the Community Building Group Research Project…

Maximize colour contrast

Blogs entails countless hours of reading. Enhance readability by maximizing contrast between text and background colours.

Consider these suggestions when choosing colour schemes:

• Black on white is the most legible; white on black is reasonably legible; other colours on black are less legible.
• Mixing yellow and black is fairly legible.
• If using red or green text, make it large and bold enough to be legible in yellow.
• Black on red and black on green are not legible, as some people will see them as black on black.
• Combining blue and black is legible enough as long as it is not used for fine detail (e.g., paragraph text).
• Combinations such as red-blue, green-yellow, green-white, green-gray are poor.

Colour blindness and the web will be discussed further in a future Accessibility 100 post.

Provide text transcripts

Audio and video add another dimension to blogs. These mediums benefit individuals with some kinds of disabilities, such as learning disabilities or cognitive impairments, who find reading long pieces of text difficult and laborious.

However, for individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing and those who don’t understand the speaker’s accent (we all have accents!), this content is inaccessible to them. (Also, audio content is not yet searchable by search engines.)

The solution is to provide a transcript for all audio and captioning for video. Darrell Hyatt does an excellent job of providing transcripts for his podcasts. (Perhaps, in a future podcast, he’ll describe his process for using the voice recognition software Dragon Naturally Speaking for creating the transcripts.)

Avoid CAPTCHAs

Bloggers are inundated with spam comments. CAPTCHAs – Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart – are frequently used to weed out spambot comments from human comments.

However, because CAPTCHAs are typically images of distorted characters, this information is not accessible to screen readers, leaving people who are blind unable to post a comment. As Darrell Shandrow, a screen reader user, said visual CAPTCHAs are “no blind people allowed” signs.

CAPTCHAs do not keep out only people who are blind. With the distortion of characters or extraneous markings, people with learning disabilities, particularly dyslexia, can have difficulty deciphering what the actual characters are. Likewise, with poor colour contrast, those individuals with colour blindness or low vision can also have difficulty getting past the CAPTCHA step.

One solution is to a combination of visual and audio CAPTCHAs. But, then people who are deaf-blind are excluded.

Read CAPTCHA: The FAQs for more about the accessibility issues.

Avoid using CAPTCHAs, where possible, to moderate blog comments. Instead, use Askimet or other spam filters to control that unwanted spam. Make it as easy as possible to participate in your blog’s community.

Additional resources

For more information on web accessibility, check out these resources:

• Simplified Web Accessibility Guide
• Web Accessibility Initiative
• WebAIM: Web Accessibility in Mind
• Web Accessibility Toolbar

Accessibility 100 is a series of 100 easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive tips for improving accessibility for people with disabilities. This is a community project. Feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas for future Accessibility 100 posts.

Get the entire series by subscribing to this blog by filling in the form in the upper right corner or by subscribing to the RSS feed.

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The Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC BC) reminds everyone that parking unnecessarily in handicapped or wheelchair spaces can have undesirable consequences. Listen to SPARC radio ad that will air on stations across the province this week, promoting Access Awareness Day on Saturday, June 7th.

(Photo credit: Dani Simmonds)

The transcript reads:

Female: Yeah, we can’t park here.

Male: Why not?

Female: It’s handicapped parking.

Male: So?

Female: We’re not handicapped. That’s bad karma.

Male: Karma sharma, I’ll be right back.

[Male gets out of the car and slams the door]

Male screams in pain: Owwwwww!

Announcer: Parking in specially designated spaces without a permit is not only bad karma, it’s illegal. While you may not slam the door on your finger, you may get a fine. And remember, you’ll be taking that space from someone who truly needs it. SPARC - the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia - reminds you to be access aware. When it comes to designated parking, please cooperate. No permit, no parking. Now that’s good karma.

Accessibility 100 is a series of 100 easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive tips for improving accessibility for people with disabilities. This is a community project. Feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas for future Accessibility 100 posts.

Get the entire series by subscribing to this blog by filling in the form in the upper right corner or by subscribing to the RSS feed.

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Communication is the basis for all interaction between humans. When a disability is involved, the interaction is often hesitant, uncertain or even, unfortunately, avoided. Communicating with people with disabilities can be improved with these tips:

1. When talking with a person with a disability, speak directly to the person rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter.

   I really dislike when someone turns to my husband for a response after asking me a question. Or, when a restaurant server asks, “What does she want?”

2. When introduced to a person with a disability, offering to shake hands is appropriate. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting.)
3. When meeting a person who is sight impaired, always identify yourself and others who may be with you. When talking in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking.
4. If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.

   I find it annoying when someone asks if I need help and then rushes in to help after I have kindly said no. Sometimes assistance is appreciated; other times I tolerate it as my good deed for the day so that someone else feels helpful.

5. Treat adults as adults. Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending the same familiarity to all others. (Never patronize people who use wheelchairs by patting them on the head or shoulder.)
6. Respect an individual’s personal space. Leaning on or hanging on to a person’s wheelchair or mobility device is similar to leaning or hanging on to a person and is generally considered annoying or, sometimes, even rude.

   If, however, you need to steady yourself for a moment, simply ask first.

7. Listen attentively when you’re talking with a person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient and wait for the person to finish, rather than correcting or speaking for the person. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod or shake of the head. Alternatively, enable the individual to write or type or use a communication device to communicate the message.

   Never pretend to understand if you are having difficulty doing so. Instead, repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond. The response will clue you in and guide your understanding.

8. When speaking with a person who uses a wheelchair or crutches or a person of short stature, place yourself at eye level by squatting down, leaning against a counter or taking a seat to facilitate the conversation, particularly if it may be a long one. This relieves the neck strain and the power imbalance perceived when someone is towering over another.
   
   Remember: My eye level is your fly level!
9. To get the attention of a person who is Deaf or hard of hearing, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand. Look directly at the person and speak clearly and expressively to determine if the person can read your lips. If you are a fast talker, slow down your speech slightly to make it easier to understand.

   Not all people who are Deaf can read lips. For those who do lip read, be sensitive to their needs by placing yourself so that you face the light source and keep hands, cigarettes and food away from your mouth when speaking. Pen and paper can also facilitate communication.

   The easiest way to ask if a person wants to communicate by lip reading is to point to your lips with a questioning look, or by writing is to make the motion of writing in your palm with a questioning look.

10. Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted, common expressions such as “See you later,” or “Did you hear about that?” that seems to relate to a person’s disability. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re unsure of what to do.

Accessibility 100 is a series of 100 easy-to-implement, free and inexpensive tips for improving accessibility for people with disabilities. This is a community project. Feel free to leave your comments, questions and ideas for future Accessibility 100 posts.

Get the entire series by subscribing to this blog by filling in the form in the upper right corner or by subscribing to the RSS feed.

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