Lack of Accessibility in public spaces 

                    for people with disabilities

                                                                  By: Melanie Campos 

What is Civic Engagement?

Civic Engagement is when people work together to make a change in society by using our knowledge and skills, such as using our voting rights or our freedom of speech, to do something that could help make an impact on the community by all working together. Civic Engagement is defined as a call to action regarding something that is happening or impacting the community. 

What are some of the public spaces?

• Public spaces that people use 
• Public Transportation 
• Public spaces such as (events, and activities)
• parks 
• sidewalks 
• Libraries 
• public service buildings

Research

In public spaces, there is a lack of accessibility for people who have a disability we have seen that many public spaces there are some sort of accessibility, such as ramps for people with wheelchairs and wide entry in places and elevators, and etc but mostly public spaces don't have mobility accessibility for people who have a disability, and that causes some challenges and hurdles for people who have a disability. As stated in the article "Disabled-by-design: effects of inaccessible urban public spaces on users of mobility assistive devices a systematic review" states that "Notwithstanding the contribution of assistive devices, existing societal barriers (e.g., stereotyping and prejudice) or physical obstacles in the built environment can be insurmountable challenges for their users [10–12]."(Kapsalis, Jaeger, Hale pg.1, 2022). No matter if people with disabilities use mobility devices, they still have a hard time moving around in public spaces, which could be annoying. 

Another issue is the type of obstacles that people with disabilities face in public spaces. According to "Accessibility Issues In Public Spaces" by WSR.  

• Buildings with parking lots, corridors, curbs, and doorways that are unsafe, difficult, and impossible for a wheelchair user to fit or navigate through.
• Any public area that doesn’t provide ramps to enter the buildings.
• Crossing streets is dangerous for wheelchair users since they are below the general line of vision while in their wheelchairs. Drivers of cars, SUVs, and large trucks are not able to easily see the wheelchair user crossing the street.

The article "Disabled-by-design: effects of inaccessible urban public spaces on users of Mobility assistive devices a systematic review" talks about the ways the improve accessibility in public spaces, such as "Local governments should encourage and welcome MobAD participation in the planning processes of public open spaces and buildings. Participatory planning proffers an efficient way to optimize the usability of the built environment."(Kapsalis, Jaeger, Hale pg.15, 2022). This could help with identifying barriers and preferences that people with disability have and having a better understanding of the modifications to be made in public spaces. Another way is by researching and exploring the different types of user characteristics to improve the diversity of accessibility and the well-being. 

 Personal

        I chose this topic because it interests me, and it's a really important topic because in everyday life, we use transportation, and we go out because we're social people and we enjoy being outside with our friends and family. In today's society, one of the biggest issues is the lack of accessibility in public spaces which causes more struggles for people with disabilities and a hard time commuting through these obstacles. This topic is important because when I'm in public, I see so many issues in accessibility, such as the streets not being even having potholes which cause issues for people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices, or places such as businesses or parks not so accessibility friendly. I picked this topic because I have a family member who has a disability, and when I listen to his experiences about there being a lack of accessibility and the struggles he faces in public places, it makes me sad I want to spread awareness about this issue that is still happening and to find ways to help improve public spaces to make them easy access for people with disabilities. 

Interviews 

-Questions Asked-

Q: What does accessibility mean to you?

Q: What are your thoughts on the lack of accessibility in public spaces for people with disabilities?

Q: What are some ways that we could improve accessibility in public spaces?

(Roman Salgado) 

Q: What does accessibility mean to you?

Response: "To me, accessibility means that you have access to an object."

Q: What are your thoughts on the lack of accessibility in public spaces for people with disabilities?

Response: "I feel like I only see little access for people with disabilities. The only places I've seen are schools, movie theatres, and buses."

Q: What are some ways that we could improve accessibility in public spaces?

Response: "One, we can improve accessibility for people with disabilities is to add more accessibility devices or spots for the disabled in public places. Like in malls, amusement parks, and restaurants."

(Genevieve Ruiz) 

Q: What does accessibility mean to you?

Response: "Accessibility, to me, is something that everyone, non-able bodied or not, can assess to. It also means helping those with a disability being close to what they needed to and get where they needed to be." 

Q: What are your thoughts on the lack of accessibility in public spaces for people with disabilities?

Response: "I feel like we are getting there but so much could be done in terms with accessibility. With elevators breaking down and not enough railroads, I feel like we have a lot of work to be done."

Q: What are some ways that we could improve accessibility in public spaces?

Response: "I seen that there are elevators that are for wheelchairs, I feel like we should have more of that. Have more railings in the area where there is none. A part of me says to make an elevator exclusive to those with a disability but that would be a 50/50. They wouldn't have to worry about crowded elevators but they break and that would be feel less included to the able bodies."

(Denice Lopez) 

Q: What does accessibility mean to you?

Response: "Accessibility means to me being able to get around without worrying about your own specific needs. It means getting from place to place without about public spaces. It's part of our society to made easy access to people with disabilities with uttermost access." 

Q: What are your thoughts on the lack of accessibility in public spaces for people with disabilities?

Response: "I think there should be accessibility in public spaces for all people with disabilities. This helps people with disabilities feel more comfortable out in public because they are human, and they deserve this accessibilities specifically for them."

Q: What are some ways that we could improve accessibility in public spaces?

Response: "Some ways in which they can improve accessibility in public spaces is by taking it seriously. I think there should be specific accommodations for different people with different disabilities. There needs to be more talk about the importance of accessibility in public spaces."

Ways that we could get involved 

• Spread awareness about the issue.
• Talk to your community about the lack of accessibility in your community and what could be added.
• Make a club. 
• Talk to your friends and family about the issue and what we could do.
• Advocate accessibility in public spaces for people with disabilities. 
• Research and inform yourself about the lack of accessibility in public spaces for people with disabilities. 

References 

“Accessibility Issues in Public Places.” Wheelchair & Scooter Repair, solutions.com/accessibility-           issues-in-public-places/.

Kapsalis, Efthimis, Nils Jaeger, and Jonathan Hale. "Disabled-by-Design: Effects of Inaccessible Urban Public Spaces on Users of Mobility Assistive Devices - a Systematic Review." Disability and rehabilitation: Assistive technology ahead-of-print.ahead-of-print (2022): 1-19. CrossRef. Web.