Good intentions are not enough
Are you being inclusive or just “nice”?
Every person is different, we all have distinct personalities, physics, and different needs. But in a globalized world, when everything is standardized, the majority is benefited and privileged over what is perceived as a minority.
Cities are built without considering disabled people, businesses only consider minorities at times when they can obtain monetary benefits, such as during pride months.
Disability is part of being human. Almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life. — World Health Organization
All of this is not created out of nothing, behind it there are teams of people, and each of them could, if they wanted, be more inclusive in their proposals and, as a result, in what they create.
What is missing for them to decide?
Sometimes it is due to ignorance of not seeing other realities, other times it is due to ableism. But the result is usually the same: unless something happens to them or a loved one that makes them a minority, they usually do not consider inclusion.
On other occasions they do some things that they think are “inclusive” as a way of being “nice”, but in general is not enough, because inclusion requires education. For example, someone puts a ramp for people with mobility aids to use, but that ramp is impossible to use because the angle is too steep. Was it a nice gesture? Yes, Was it useful? No, it was not.
When you decide to be inclusive, not only do you decide to be nicer, but you decide to educate yourself on the needs of people different from you.
Let’s cover the basics
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 16% of the global population currently experience significant disability. For example, in the UK, there are over 14 million disabled people (Source), and in USA, 1 in 4 adults have at least one disability (CDC).
There are a lot of types of disabilities, but I want to review the most common ones with you.
Mobility disability
This implies a range of problems involving musculoskeletal disorders, having some problem in one or more parts of the body. Persons with these problems often require some kind of mobility aid permanently or in an ambulatory way.
How you can be more inclusive?
- Putting ramps that are at an angle that a person with crutches AND a wheelchair user can use, you can try it with a shopping cart or a baby stroller, if it doesn’t pass well neither will a wheelchair.
- If there are stairs, consider having a wheelchair climbing device or, if you are building, an elevator.
Cognition Disability
Cognitive impairments may be memory impairments, differences in the perception of the environment, language impairments, etc. Also includes intellectual disabilities, which may have significant limitations in the skills needed to live and interact in the community, so you need to have extra patience and give them time to express themselves.
How you can be more inclusive?
- Express every instruction or service in a simple manner, and have written signals, especially as directions, you may find it obvious, but is not.
- In your signals consider using more than one language or use international symbols easy to understand.
Hearing and Vision Disabilities
This includes people who are deaf and blind, but in this case, I would also like to include those people who are hypersensitive to sounds and visual stimuli.
How you can be more inclusive?
- In the case of hearing disabilities is very important to consider if you are hosting an event to have a sign interpreter, and if you are displaying something to have subtitles.
- In the case of vision disabilities, please respect the person’s space, don´t touch them out of the blue, and always, introduce yourself first before offering assistance, and don’t be offended if they decline. If they have a guide dog remember that is a mobility aid for them and not a cute dog you can pet, the guide dog is doing a job, so don´t be a jerk about it.
- When someone loses one sense, the others become more acute, so the person could become overstimulated with others. This is why it is important that there is no excess of stimulation, and consider the volume of the music and the lights in the place.
Being a more inclusive person in your personal life
If you know someone with a disability you can ask, what can you do to make them feel more welcome.
For example, I have a mobility disability and use crutches, also I am autistic. So, if you ask me the most important thing is that I can access your place, and also that that place is not an inferno of stimulus, so, I would ask you not to have strong or flickering lights or loud music.
But beware, disabled people can deliver what we need as individuals, but we cannot generalize what others need. Furthermore, we are not encyclopedias, it is up to you to educate yourself and see the best option to be inclusive.
Always ask first
Remember that always the most important things in inclusion are education as well as respect.
You need to want to learn about disabilities and inclusion, and you need to remember that a disabled person are people just like you, respect us and please introduce yourself and ask if we need help, don´t assume it. I know you mean well for wanting to help us, but we know what we need help with if we need it. Also, you could unintentionally be invading our personal space, so please always ask first.
Final Thoughts
I made this article as a way to be a little guide for all, it is based on personal experience, histories of disabled people that I had heard as well as info that I researched.
I applaud your interest in broadening your horizons and wanting to be more inclusive, but as you can see, there is a lot of information that needs to be investigated. And this is not just for able-bodied people, it is for everyone since having a disability does not make us experts.
I hope it helps to spread some awareness.
What would you include as a request for people to be more inclusive?
I invite you to clap, comment, and subscribe, it will encourage me to continue writing.
I wrote for free, so If you would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee!
