IAN: July 26, 2024 Disability Pride Month and Access to venues and life

Google Disability fails, or ramp fails. There are some that are so bad they are funny.

Happy Friday! Bit is off on Saturday, so I’ll be home today! 
Welcome to the last Friday of Disability Pride Month. Today we are mostly going to talk about places that have increased accessibility, unlike in the picture above. There HAVE been many positive changes for access for all kinds of disabilities. Of course that could all change if Trump is voted into office, there are a lot of concerns for the disabled community in Project 2025. 
 

As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!

IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!

Monday Youffraita

Tuesday: bigjacbigjacbigjac

Wednesday Pam from Calif

Thursday art ah zen

Friday FloridaSNMOM

Saturday FloridaSND

People with all kinds of disabilities need to and deserve to access venues and things to let them enjoy life to the fullest, just like non-disabled people. There are a LOT of barriers in place, from non-accessible buildings to outright discrimination. People with disabilities have to do a lot more planning before going anywhere. For some of us, our families help with that. If we are going to go to a new to me venue, for example, and Bit gets a chance to scout it ahead of time, we’ll know of any barriers to entry that are easily visible. Sometimes you have to call and find out, but then you have to hope that the person on the other end of the phone actually knows what is accessible and what is not. 

 

Beaches are something that have long been inaccessible, or accessible with a lot of difficulty, for people with mobility challenges of all kinds. Some communities, however, are making great strides in beach accessibility. 

 

Accessible theme parks and playgrounds are becoming more popular, access to more rides, or even entire accessible parks are becoming available.
 

Getting around town, and going to restaurants are something that many people take for granted, but they can pose challenges for the disabled as well. A place crowded with too many tables means no where to put a wheelchair safely, high bar counters are inaccessible for people in wheelchairs, as is travel around town or being able to access public buildings. Some communities are working on these challenges. 
 

Vacationing can be particularly difficult. Finding a disabled room, usually a limited commodity in a hotel, can be difficult. As can finding venues that you can actually get into, including tourist attractions. Then there are the sensory difficulties. Crowded places can be overwhelming, causing sensory melt downs, panic attacks, or difficulty finding a way to the ramp or restroom. Airlines can also put barriers on the way, making the aisles narrow, mishandling mobility devices, or just airports being overly loud and echoey. 
 

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