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Independent LivingCouncil of Illinois
Statewide
Independent LivingLast baseball season, on my way to St. Louis with a friend to watch my Cardinals lose to the Mets, we exited at a rest stop, following the sign with a symbol of an automobile indicating the direction for autos to park.
Attached below that sign was the international symbol for accessibility. The international symbol for accessibility is a square sign with a blue background profiling a stick man in a wheelchair. My friend B a fellow disability rights advocate B and I discussed the day when all businesses and buildings would have this symbol indicating that they are accessible to all persons with disabilities.
At that point, I had a profound revelation. I indicated that we will have won our battle for true equality when there is no longer a need for these signs indicating a business, building or bathroom is accessible. Unfortunately, we are decades away from having the necessity for such signs removed. As it stands now, disability rights advocates, their families and friends are engaging in an ongoing battle for true accessibility for all people.
Additionally, I am baffled at the sign outside of our unisex restroom in my office, which has a symbol of a stick woman, a stick man, and a stick man in a wheelchair. It's like wheelchair users are in a class by themselves. Males, females and males in wheelchairs allowed. Women in wheelchairs not allowed?
This international symbol of disability, depicting a profile of a stick man in a wheelchair offends me. To me these signs of accessibility are a subtle reminder of the discriminatory signs scattered throughout the South from the days of segregation that indicated where a person of color was allowed to eat, sleep or even drink from a public water fountain.
Another subtle reminder of society's unwillingness to create a truly accessible society is housing. A few months ago I spoke with members of Capitol Area Association of Realtors about the need for affordable and accessible housing for persons with disabilities. A key point that I shared was my frustration regarding the homebuilders' continued reluctance to build homes that meet "Visitability" standards.
Visitability is a concept gaining acceptance nationally that requires the following four modifications be included in the development of any new home.
At least one fully accessible entrance with no stairs.
32-inch doors for maneuverability.
Raised electrical outlets and slightly lowered environmental control units. And finally, reinforced bathroom walls to accommodate grab bars in the shower area or by the commode.
It is estimated that the cost to increase visitability standards into the construction of a new home is less than an additional 1 percent of the home's total cost.
In addition, during a talk with a high-ranking staffer of the homebuilders' group, I was informed that the demands of the buyer, however shortsighted, are what builders go by and more often than not do not take into account accessibility features that would make their home available to everybody.
It is inconceivable to me that anyone who has a friend or a family member who requires the use of a wheelchair or a walker would purchase or build a home that is inaccessible. What you are telling me, or anyone else with a physical disability, is that we are not welcome in your home. This is a slap in the face.
I am, however, pleased that real progress is being made to address issues of affordable and accessible housing in the Springfield area. To this end, several area Realtors, bankers, home inspectors, representatives of disability rights advocates and the Illinois Office of Rehabilitation have formalized the Central Illinois Home Ownership Coalition for People with Disabilities. This fledgling coalition is exploring several avenues to assist in helping people with disabilities realize the American dream of home ownership.
Don't get me wrong, this country, with laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, is making great strides in creating a barrier-free society for all of its residents. We must use laws to achieve our goals, but we shouldn't have to.
Everyone must continue to ensure that these laws are being enforced and that we look at proactive ways to remove barriers that inhibit all of us from having full access to the goods and services that our country has to offer. We should welcome and celebrate the diversity that people with disabilities give to society, and make our society accessible, because it is the right thing to do, not because we have to.
State Journal-Register, April 21, 2001
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