I've always considered myself an advocate to help get rid of ableism, but it wasn't until I started my job that I truly noticed all the things that just weren't that great. Two years ago, I started working with people with motor and developmental disabilities, most of them in a chair or a walker. Yes, there are the obvious things, like curbs, and stairs, but I bet you never questioned the accessibility of a broken sidewalk. Or a low water fountain, or potholes, or narrow hallways, or small bathrooms. And if you never questioned it, don't worry, I didn't until it started to make a difference in my life.
I first noticed how inaccessible a broken sidewalk and a pothole could be to a wheelchair user when my client and I decided to get coffee one day. The building that we work out of is down the street from a small coffee shop, and my client wanted to go on a walk and stop at the coffee shop. She has an electric chair so it was heavier than a manual chair would have been. The distance should have taken us about 5 minutes to travel, but there were these cracks in the sidewalk and unevenly laid blocks. Some were going up and every few feet, her chair would hit the ground hard, because of the drops. After finally getting through the sidewalk we had to go into the parking lot. Keep in mind it was the dead of Minnesota winter, snow covering the ground and barely plowed everything. We were so excited to finally get the coffee and just before it was too late, I noticed a pothole. She drove into it and we did everything we could to get her out. I pushed her chair forward and backward and tried lifting it, but it barely budged. Luckily, after about 10 minutes, two men had seen us struggling and offered to help, them and I had to lift her chair as high as we could while she drove forward in order to get her out of the pothole. The coffee was good so that definitely made us feel better.
Ever since then, when I look at a broken sidewalk I think about how glad I am that I can just step over the crack and not have to worry. Since getting my job, I've started to notice all the things that I don't need to worry about. All the things that aren't inconvenient to me, but are to anyone with wheels. I hope now, you question the accessibility of a broken sidewalk.
