By: Emily Chan, Co-Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility
The month of July marks Disability Pride Month. Created in 1990 to commemorate the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this month allows disabled folks and allies to celebrate and rejoice in our disabled identities. As a disabled person myself, I love celebrating Disability Pride Month, as it is an opportunity for me to celebrate this crucial part of my intersectional identity. Far too often, the rhetoric around disability takes on a negative tone; whether it is using deficit-based language to talk about disabled individuals, inspiration porn, or lack of accessible and inclusive environments in society. These are two of many examples where ableism and stigma around disability are still pervasive today. However, Disability Pride Month allows us to reclaim the word and feel proud and included. It also is an opportunity to speak about the continued work that needs to be done to move forward towards building an inclusive and accessible society. This work is crucial and can not just be done by disabled folks, so I’d like to highlight 5 tips on how you can work alongside us in fostering an inclusive and accessible society.
1. Speak to disabled people directly
When encountering members of the disability community, we may be accompanied by another individual, group of individuals, or service animal. Whether we are taking a walk with our family members or accompanied by a personal support worker to the grocery store, always talk TO us and never to our companions about us. I have been in this situation too many times to count, and every time a stranger asks my friends a question about me, I feel uncomfortable, irritated, and powerless. Assuming that people with disabilities do not have the capacity or capability to speak for ourselves is ableist and damaging. The next time you come across someone with a disability, treat them as you would any other individual; with respect and dignity.
2. Ask how you can help and never just assume a person needs help
It is important to listen to what we know will work best in a certain situation. For example, I was recently walking around my neighbourhood and I was about to enter into a store without an accessible door opener. A kind stranger asked me if I wanted help opening the door. This was impressive to me because they did not assume that I needed help, they took the time to communicate with me, ask for my input, and gave me a choice. I ended up accepting their offer. Next time you see someone with a disability, never assume they need help just because they may ‘look’ like they need help; approach them and ask.
3. Include us at decision making tables
There is a popular saying in the disability community, “nothing about us without us.” This phrase refers to the fact that because we are experts in our own lived experience, we deserve opportunities to be involved in decisions, opportunities, and policies that will directly impact us. As an ally, this can be really easy to do! Even putting forth people you know in your community to sit on roundtables and local planning committees can be a great way to provide us with opportunities for community engagement, and to have our voices heard and integrated into projects. If you are a community leader, advocating for the inclusion of disabled voices on different project committees and initiatives is another great strategy to get us involved. When it comes down to it, we are eager to share our experiences and be a part of making our environments more accessible and inclusive.
4. Diversify who you include at decision making tables
I am encouraged to see that an increasing number of disabled people are invited to participate at decision making tables as lived experts. However, I have noticed that there is a tendency to only have one or two disabled stakeholders per committee or working group. There is a significant amount of diversity among disabled individuals and only inviting a small subsection of disabled folks to the tables increases the chance that important nuances may be missed. I am only able to speak and share from my own lived experience as a disabled woman of colour who is a wheelchair user. The experiences of disabled folks from the LGBTQIA2S+ community or disabled folks who are low vision, hard of hearing, or are neurodivergent are not experiences I can capture, as I do not belong to these communities. Issues related to accessibility can impact disabled folks in different ways depending on their unique intersectional identity. Thus, it is crucial to think about diversifying which disabled folks are invited to tables, as we all have valuable insight to share from our unique perspectives.
5. Be intentional and mindful in creating inclusive and accessible environments, particularly online spaces
We have made great strides to creating accessible spaces, however there is still a ways to go. For example, there are still many restaurant, event spaces, and other areas that are not ‘disability friendly.’ Many spaces still lack accessible door openers, height adjustable tables, steps in front of the door, or sensory friendly spaces. However, the conversation should continue expanding into creating accessible and inclusive online spaces. With the rise of working from home and remote learning, online spaces that are accessible are crucial to disabled folks’ participation in society. The next time you are scheduling a Zoom meeting or giving an online presentation, take the following into consideration to improve accessibility:
- Does your meeting platform have closed captioning available for folks who are hard of hearing?
- Can you hire an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter for folks who are hard of hearing to join your meeting or presentation?
- Do your presentation slides take into account accessible design principles?
- Can meeting agendas be circulated prior to the meeting to allow folks who require more time to process information to do so?
- Do your handouts/presentation materials come in alternative formats?
This is a short and not exhaustive list of ways to make online spaces more accessible. However, these small and easy adjustments can make a world of a difference for folks with disabilities.
Emily Chan is a Master of Social Work graduate from the University of Toronto Social Work program and is working as a Social at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab. As a passionate advocate for disability rights and leader in her community, Emily has lent her lived experience as a person with a disability as well as learned knowledge to several disability justice and health equity organizations. She is an active stakeholder on many community committees including the Holland Bloorview Youth Advisory Council, the Young Canadians Roundtable on Health, the March of Dimes Strategic Planning Committee, and the Muscular Dystrophy Accessibility Advisory Committee. Emily also participates in public speaking events such as the Children’s Healthcare Canada’s Annual Conference and the first annual Easter Seals Community Conference where she spoke about the importance of including people with disabilities at the forefront of disability justice conversations and initiatives. In all Emily does, she strives to continue being a champion for change and advancements of disability rights.