Theoretically, America strives for acceptance of diversity. The “melting pot” of the world is touted as the great celebrator of uniqueness, whether that diversity stems from language, race, age, gender, weight, religion, abilities, or a mixture of them all. As a person living with a disability, however, your experiences have taught you that theory does not always meet neatly with reality.
Often times the laws that are intended to equalize society are ignored because of prejudices, stubbornness, and a lot of red tape. It is when individuals or groups ignore these laws that are set forth to protect your rights that you must find a passionate disability advocate who has the expertise to make the situation right for everyone.
All citizens must follow the laws of the nation. You certainly don’t get to drive 60 miles per hour in a school zone just because you feel like it. If you do so, you know there will be ramifications. Building owners refusing to comply with the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design are akin to those speeders. While new construction largely meets these requirements, many older buildings fail. Building owners are not always willing to spend the money to properly retrofit their properties for accessibility. In fact, some proprietors will drag their feet regardless of the law, hoping that you and those like you will just fade into the background. This philosophy is revolting and archaic. If one person has encountered barriers at a specific locale, it’s a certain wager that there have been others before and that there will be more after. You should not feel guilty, ashamed, or problematic simply because you would like to share the experience that is granted to everyone else.
The world is an enormous, exciting place, but if you must constantly worry about the barriers you must conquer as you traverse it, the joy will flee from your life. Airports, hotels, apartment complexes, and shopping centers are all public areas; hence, they should be modified to accommodate the needs of all the public. If your accessibility rights have been violated, please contact us today so that we may support your endeavor to make it better for us all. It shouldn’t have to be your fight, but you won’t be in it alone.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Tim Parkinson