Tag: making your community more accessible

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Programs

Helping John

We recently helped John ‘Indian’ Sparks, a double amputee, get off the streets. John was homeless and in a wheel chair when a local ministry told us about him. He had no one else left to turn to and no where else to go. We found a hotel for him until more permanent housing could be found.

Finding a wheelchair accessible hotel room for a few nights until more permanent housing could be found proved difficult. One would assume that over 30 years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), access and design of modern buildings would be accessible to all. But, alas, that is not the case. In instances like this, I strongly encourage you to eagerly and politely advise the establishment of the inconvenience they have caused and ask that it be corrected sometime in the near future.

While we were helping John find a place to stay we also picked up food from a local food bank for him and eventually John was able to find more permanent housing and get off the streets thanks to Mays Mission’s wonderful donors.

If you would like to advocate on behalf of people like John we have free brochures we can provided you like ‘The Americans With Disabilities Act’ and ‘Making Your Community More Accessible’ that can help. These brochures were printed by employees with disabilities at Mays Mission.

Positive Language Empowers!

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Programs

Interacting with people who have disabilities

We get asked a lot for help in this area, especially in workplaces, so here are some quick points to always remember:

Don’t make assumptions about people or their disabilities. If you have a question about what to do, how to do it, what language, or terminology to use, or what assistance to offer, ask the person.

Do not assume that a person with a disability is disabled in all areas of life.

Before you help someone with a disability, ask if they’d like help. In some cases, even a person who appears to be struggling is fine and would prefer to complete the task without assistance.

Look for potential obstacles for people with mobility or sensory limitations in your workplace. Identify how you might have those obstacles removed.

When writing or speaking about people with disabilities, use “people first” language: “person with a disability” versus “disabled person.”

And, as always, focus on ability, not disability!

Thank you for your support! For more information call us, message us, or email us at info@maysmission.org for a free, no strings attached copies of our brochures ‘Making Your Community More Accessible’ or ‘The Americans With Disabilities Act’ to help advocate in your community. These brochures were produced by employees with disabilities right here at Mays Mission.

Thanks for your support!