How do you feel about the accomodations we make for disabled people?

Question

Do we do enough?

Answer 1

Not near enough! Some of my favorite half-hearted "attempts" are: a curb cut for wheel chairs on one side of the street, but not on the other; an extra wide restroom door that is around a sharp corner that a chair could not negotiate. Just seems that the able bodied don't quite get what it's like.....

Answer 2

It is much better than it used to be. In the 80's when I found myself in a wheelchair, most of the restrooms at the university I attended were not equipped with handrails or large enough to accomodate my chair. Doors were not wide enough and one building only had an elevator to access the second story. The worst was trying to shop in department stores where displays and racks of clothing were placed so close together that my chair would not be able to pass through without knocking products to the floor. We've made a lot of progress, now even homes are being built with hallways that can accomodate chairs, but we have a lot more than can be done.

Answer 3

Not even close.

The problemis not physical accomodations--those help. But the most disabling thing about having an impairment is the attitude of the society around us.

People--most simply becausethey are uninformed--continue to regard children with disabilities as a "problem child" who cannot learnand has to be shut off in special ed classes. That is rarely the case.

Employers also continue to cling to old stereotyps of the "disabled as unproductive"--despite overwhelming empirical evidence to the contrary.

In short--the real accomodation we need is simply to be treated as people,instead of being stereotyped and excluded. Ramps, power doors, and large print or braille sighns are fine. They mean NOTHING--until the day those signs say "Welcome."

Answer 4

No, they aren't doing enough. I will make a list. I am only talking about special education provision in elementary and high schools.

1. The school system is CORRUPT because they have mean people out there who HATE special needs people.
2. The mainstreaming model is not like it used to be. It added "fake" inclusion classes to the model which has children failing in them. Nothing has been done to help them.
3. The school system takes advantages of alternative schools by using them as a way to help underachieving special needs students. In reality, alternative schools were not for this purpose.
4. People are too lazy to carry out the "real" inclusion because it takes too much effort. And students without special needs feel having special needs students in the classroom interfere with their education. In other words, students without special needs are selfish.
5. School officials in the "IEP meeting" do not mention to the parents if their child will be in inclusion classes. They don't explain to them that there is chance that they may fail. And if they do, will the child be removed from the inclusion class? Most likely they will just leave them in the inclusion class if they are still failing. They don't care about the child at all. This is not providing "appropriate" education to the child, but do school officials care? NO!
6. How many more do you need? Five of them are already bad enough!

Answer 5

I do not think there is enough at all. I take care of my parents, so I know.

One thing that is really bugging me is the fact that so many of the stores offer the wheel chairs that are motorized now and maybe just one manual chair, (sometimes the manual is broken). Neither one of my parents like the motorized at all, they don't feel safe in them. So I go in ahead of them and look for the manual wheel chairs w/foot plates and w/baskets. I know that we can get our own, but haven't found one w/basket on it yet.

I have even saw stores that have the handicap parking on the side of the store instead of in front of the store.

I for one do think that a lot more needs to be done for the disabled folks.

Answer 6

How can we ever do enough, we are the most free country in the world despite what the terrorists are trying to do. We must continue our support for our wounded vets and anyone else who has a disability, Thats why we need to do more with Social Security, it provides an income if you or me become disabled and if it crashes and you are disabled that would be a total disaster. Obviously I believe we need to do more to fix our problems and we need to stay in touch with a reps and senators in DC, God bless you for that great question!!

Answer 7

It is much better than 50 years ago. All of our city buses have lifts most down town curbs are cut, most new public buildings have accessibility. Once the old buildings are gone and more curbs and ramps go in people will have more freedom.
My boyfriend was in a wheel chair in 89 and most places were accessible but we hit a few that weren't. I went in the video store to ask how to get him in even one little curb was too much. He couldn't even stand up for a second so I couldn't just have him get out and step up very irritating when he wanted to rent a movie and couldn't. We went to another video store and I took him in and told them don't tow my car I am going to move it but needed the handicapped spot for a minute, they were nice about but I didn't have a handicapped parking permit.

Answer 8

It is quite a bit better than it used to be. But what I would really love to do is have the big wigs or the people who can make such needed changes to stores, restaurants ects. to be put in a wheelchair and not be aloud to stand up at all and then see what changes get made. You never ever know how that Indian feels until u have walked a mile in his shoes.

Answer 9

If people were more educated about all the differnt disabilitys (expeshally the rare ones that are rarly heard about) then maybe the accomodations would be better suited.

Answer 10

the accomodation for disabled people very well people every new building has got to now have a lift ... dont blame them tho if i was diabled i would like to get to the top floor of shops