Accessible vacation
Planning accessible and welcoming vacations for people with disabilities is not a ‘special’ initiative or a niche concern. Nearly all families include people with some form of disability. Almost everyone has at least one friend, colleague, or neighbor with a disability.
It may be a mobility impairment for people using canes, crutches, wheelchairs, or mobility scooters. It may be some degree of vision or hearing loss that is lifelong or related to disease, accident, or age. It can be a cognitive disorder such as Down syndrome, autism, learning disabilities, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s disease, or more commonly age-related memory or intellectual disability. Many people who are not are experiencing severe chronic pain and illness. This will affect how comfortable she will endure the event and whether she will feel safe with others, especially as her COVID and other seasonal infections remain an issue. There is a possibility. Holidays can also be particularly difficult for those with mental illness, especially when related to family trauma.
There are many very specific ways to make your holidays more accessible and inclusive. Here are three basic steps to get you started:
1. Invite family members, friends and colleagues with disabilities.
Do not assume that people with disabilities cannot or do not want to attend family reunions, shopping trips, community events, or office parties. When in doubt, let us invite you. If they say no, don’t worry too much.
At the same time, make sure that: that is Fully prepared for disabled people accept your invitation. Remember, without accessibility and effective accommodation, a cheerful welcome is of little value to a friend, family member, or colleague with a disability.
2. Plan accessible and acceptable holiday events.
Accessibility means designing spaces that seamlessly accommodate the known needs of people with disabilities and provide maximum independence. Wheelchair users need step-free entrances, wide aisles for indoor mobility, and safe, accessible restrooms. People with visual or hearing impairments need effective and adaptive communication and consideration from others to participate fully and avoid feeling isolated and lonely in the festive crowd. People with cognitive disabilities need understanding, an open mind about expected social behavior, and a true spirit of respect and inclusion.
Adapting means being flexible and ready to change to meet new or unexpected needs. “Reasonable accommodation” is not just for the workplace. If someone’s disability worsens or an unexpected access problem occurs, plans and methods must change immediately. In these situations, if they get the job done, it’s usually fine to ‘get it done’ in less than ideal accommodation.The most important thing is to listen to and respond to the needs of people with disabilities. actively To requests for specific help, without fuss.
An important first step in planning a disability-friendly holiday event is to check the location you want to host for accessibility and be an annoying butler about it if necessary. It can be as much of a barrier as an entire staircase. An accessible restroom clogged with junk in a hallway is worse than useless for someone who literally has no other choice. You may have to choose another bar or restaurant due to physical barriers, or give up the honor of hosting a party in your own home if someone else’s home is more accessible. Resist the strong temptation to compromise basic accessibility.
3. Give gifts that make life easier and more enjoyable for people with disabilities.
Consider giving adaptive products. Some are made specifically for people with disabilities, such as wheelchairs, walkers, bathroom modifications, and communication equipment. Others are sold “off-the-shelf” to all customers, but are designed to be easy to use and particularly helpful to people with disabilities. This includes everything from mobile phone communications to smartphones that can make home automation more accessible.
Another gift idea is to come up with creative ways to provide flexible financial assistance to people with disabilities who may be struggling to make ends meet or invest in large purchases. am. Give gift certificates to restaurants, your favorite specialty stores, general shopping sites, etc. Or purchase annual memberships to your favorite TV streaming channels, shopping and delivery services. Online purchases of all kinds make it easier than ever to make a one-time gift for her. This is more than just cash, it makes life a little richer and safer for disabled people for the next year.
And don’t miss the luxury. Essentials are important and often appreciated. However, while many disabled people can live well on the necessities of life, purchasing just for fun can be out of reach. Consider giving something the disabled person can enjoy but cannot include in their normal budget.
Above all, think about the particular person you are giving, not just the disability. Would they appreciate a gift or something they could use related to their disability, or would they prefer something purely fun and decadent?
The most important way to make holiday events more accessible and welcoming for people with disabilities is listen To the disabled in your life. Do your best to meet their needs and wishes in the spirit of genuine generosity. At the same time, don’t overinvest. your great idea. And don’t count on life-changing holiday gifts and experiences for people with disabilities, and don’t count on being appreciated the way you imagined.
In other words, don’t be inclusive. yourself Feel good. Because including disabled people is as essential to a vacation as cookies, gingerbread and eggnog.
