Shared Space : Vulnerable Users

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) assists Ontarians by “developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities…”. This act creates a standard that must be met through all facets of society. Whether it be in an in-store customer experience, in the workplace or online, AODA lays a framework that will assist in the day-to-day lives of Ontarians with disabilities. This act greatly impacts the IT field, in that it changes the way IT professionals utilize technology, in order to assist and accommodate disabled citizens. Disabled Ontarians occupy a significant population within all of Ontario, “15.5% of Ontario’s population has a disability and this

The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.

Many places now have adapted well for those with disabilities and have for example opened up corridors and made slops for those using physical aids such as sticks, frames and wheelchairs enabling those with disabilities able to join in with social events with others.

The society, despite its current level of development, violates the rights of persons with disabilities, when it is led by prejudices, when it denies employment and study opportunities to an individual with a disability or when building inaccessible buildings. But accessibility must also occur in all areas available to anyone: health, education, work, culture; Sports, leisure, and recreation, technology, media,

This essay highlights and discusses models of disability reflected in two separate articles (Appendices A and B). I will identify the models of disability they represent. Both have been recently featured in the Guardian newspaper and are stories on disabled people.

“More than three billion people worldwide now use the internet (Time), and 80 percent of them access if from their smartphones” (Smart Insights). A smartphone is a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, and much more. There is an abundant amount of smartphone brands out there in the world and while they all cost different prices, they all perform the same job. Each person uses their smartphone for various reasons, whether it’s for work or to make calls or texts. Smartphones have changed society in various ways, both good and bad. Although countless individuals think that smartphones have ruined American society, smartphones have actually benefited society because of more safety precautions, information on hand, and entertainment.

Unlike people who had experienced discrimination against the civil rights act of 1964, the ones who had experienced it on the basis of disability didn’t have any legal recourse to redress it. Therefore, with a very strong influence from the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination on the foundation of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which set people with disabilities as a legitimate minority, the ADA became the "equal opportunity" law that has set an example for the rest of the world. This act finally defined what non-discrimination was in the context of disability. The 1990 ADA added the specifications of a new conduct that should be undertaken, for instance, architectural and communication barriers should be removed by providing reasonable accommodation to disabled workers, and finally, it also imposed accessibility requirements for public spaces.

Raymond Carver focuses on one of the critical problems that has been present for ages is that people do not know how to interact with those with disabilities in his short story the “Cathedral.” Stereotypes have led to awkward or lack of communication. Breaking down the barrier between disabilities and the world is necessary to develop an understanding for the other and to “look through their eyes.” In the “Cathedral” the husband breaks down many stereotypes of the blind, overcomes barriers in communication and develops an understanding for his wife’s blind friend, Robert.

The overarching topic of the book is focused on creating a new future about the concept of disability and disabled bodies. The overarching argument of the book is the idea that “disability is often seen as a future that no one wants. Furthermore, Kafer writes this book to bring a new definition of disability focusing on the political experiences of this concept. Throughout the chapters of the book, Kafer incorporates a variety of social issues that are analyzed using different theoretical principles. Some of these theoretical principles include crip theory, queer theory, and disability studies. In many chapters of the book, Kafer cites herself when she talks about her experiences as a disabled person.

As a result of the marginalization, persons with disability, older people, and people with mental health issues often lack power within their families and communities, and autonomy in their own lives – and this feeds into the cycle of marginalization. Society often does not take into account the ways in which impairment is part of humanity. Instead, it views the effects of impairment as obstacles. This emanates from the interaction between persons

The Policy Statement of the Union of the Physically Impaired against Segregation (UPIAS) is an early example of unity against socially created impediments to disabled peoples integration. It examines the frustrating reality that despite its capacity to do so, society still segregates, isolates and oppresses people living with disabilities. Further, the statement identifies key barriers creating limitations for disabled persons to fully participate in society and live with maximum possible independence and control over their lives. Negative impacts of social exclusion such as feeling isolated, oppressed and dehumanised are stressed.

In today’s society, the use of mobile devices has taken over our lives in every way possible.

Today’s technology-based society is plagued with an over abundance of mobile devices. These devices now control our homes, our transportation, and our

The second is one in which we also had to rely on in getting a change to happen. This change happened by turning to social media. Social media is a great platform when you are trying to create a conversation about something. There are many advantages to it and using it for activism, one of which is that social media allows for those with disabilities to break through any societal or institutional walls which may get in their way. Ahmed discusses the concepts of walls coming up when we are trying to do diversity work (2018 pg.135). The walls that people with disabilities come up against when trying to take part in any activism is that events are often not coordinated to suit those in wheelchairs and or those with walkers or crutches. Ahmed also points out something which is very crucial in this discussion of walls being that “what stops movement moves” (2018 pg.

Over the years, perceptions towards disability have been significantly changing as result of the long pathway the disable community has taken fighting for Civil Rights, inclusion and against discrimination. Unfortunately, this last one has not been totally accomplished yet. Barriers to social integration still exist in the society. Perhaps the greatest barrier is not the disability itself; is the attitude of people.