How Accessible Is Accessible?
One of the things that I’ve noticed about being #disabled in this day & age whether I’m in a #wheelchair, using a #walker, #crutches, a #cane or walking sticks, or #standing & #walking on my own for a little while…is how the word “Accessible” is used.
First, let's look at what the word "Accessible” means & how the word is defined. According to Dictionary Definitions, #Accessible means many things including:
“Capable Of Being Reached”
“Capable Of Being Used Or Seen”
“Abled To Be Used, Entered, Reached”
“Obtainable; Attainable”
“Capable Of Being understood or appreciated”
“Easy To Understand”
“Easily Used Or Accessed By People with Disabilities”
Based on my personal experiences, I have noticed that just because there’s an Accessible Sign, doesn’t mean the place is totally accessible to ALL Disabled people.
It’s been beyond frustrating!
For starters, why don’t we have ACCESSIBLE DOORS EVERYWHERE?
We have technology to get a robot to Mars, but we don’t have accessible #doors??? How is someone in a wheelchair, on crutches, using a rolling walker or a cane supposed to reach for a door & open it, especially if the door opens towards them and is heavy? Do we not have accessible #doorways everywhere because no one has stopped to think about what life is like for a disabled person? Is it because common sense is not common? Is it because people don’t want to see disabled #people in #public? Is it discrimination?
I’ve asked myself these questions over & over again for years now because It’s hard for me to comprehend & not feel #discriminated against when places say they’re accessible & they really aren’t totally accessible.
It’s hard to not feel discriminated against when I’ve been out in public in a wheelchair & people walk over me like I’m not even there. It’s hard for me to not feel discriminated against when movie #theaters sell disabled seats to anyone online, even if they're not disabled. It’s hard not to feel discriminated against whenever I’ve been alone, have had to sit & try to figure out how I’m going to open a door to get into a #restroom, my #apartment, a #bank, a #store, a #laundry room... It’s hard not to feel discriminated against when #parks say they’re accessible & there’s 0-1 #trails, and the #trail is not even totally accessible, and I have to accept taking #photos from the passenger seat of a #car, on the side of the #road or in a #parking lot!
Having these frustrations & all of my #experiences has led me to creating The Disabled Photographer Project so I can shed some light on realities of what life is like being a disabled #photographer & what is really accessible. Hopefully sharing my experiences will lead to changing how the word “Accessible” is being used & hopefully someday all aspects of life will be accessible to everyone! Stay tuned! I will be bringing #awareness to my project with my “How Accessible Is Accessible” #vlog series!
If you'd like to #Donate to The Disabled Photographer Project visit Paypal & make a donation to email denisevasquezphotography@gmail.com clicking on the #Donate button
