Talking Accessibility: An Interview With Paraquad
Anna Corbitt and Kim Lackey visiting from Paraquad Disability Experts
Perspectives
Anna Corbitt and Kim Lackey like to explore new destinations, experience the ambiance of a new and unique restaurant, and enjoy life as they travel with their friends and families. Anna, who uses a wheelchair, and Kim, who has a visual impairment, recently shared their experiences planning and traveling with a disability with our design team. They relayed their ideas and thoughts on how designs impact their experience, common accessibility issues, and what could be improved.
Here are a few key takeaways.
Inclusion
Including people with disabilities in your conversations, planning, design, and implementation will make spaces more accessible. Anna says, “We work hard to build empathy for the disability community. Just trying out a wheelchair in a space would not be sufficient to fully understand the lived experience of using a wheelchair—knowing what technology or adaptions are out there and how to utilize and do everything that everyone else does.” She continued, “I highly recommend having people with disabilities review the design and try out your space or attraction. Get practical feedback to see if the design that’s been created does work.” She added, “Including voices of people with a disability is vital, but you must also value what they say. Take it to heart.”
Anna Corbitt vacationing with her partner
Kim Lackey in Key West with her husband
ADA is the floor, not the ceiling.
While following the guidelines outlined in the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is imperative, those are the minimum. They also do not get updated regularly enough to accommodate changes. As Kim explained, “obviously, digital and website accessibility wasn’t much of a thought in 1990 when the ADA was passed.” Anna added, “I wish the ADA was more practical. There are a lot of ADA-required accessibility features that are great, but sometimes when you see them out in the world, they don’t make sense. For instance, there is supposed to be a certain turn radiance in the bathroom, but in some bathrooms, you can’t get two people into a stall. You struggle to get a wheelchair in, let alone an additional person to help.” Anna continues, “Look at it from a practical sense of who are the people using this every day and what makes sense for them. Not just checking boxes on how wide the doors are.”
People with disabilities visit destinations with other peoplE
As Anna said, “Theme parks aren’t fun without someone else.” She also said, “Consider barriers that keep me from interacting with everyone else in my group,” She noted that people with disabilities are often in the front row or very back and separated from the other people in their group.
National Park Accessibility
Universal design helps not only people with disabilities
but all people
Universal Design creates spaces everyone can use and access, regardless of age or ability. Entrances accessible to people in wheelchairs will generally be accessible to everyone. Gender-neutral bathrooms can help a person in a wheelchair by allowing their partner to assist them. They can also help families with children, transgender people, people traveling with an elderly parent, and others. Kim said, “My husband uses a power wheelchair, and I assist him in the restroom. It’s a hard choice which one we go into sometimes, or we must clear one out. We’re always looking for that family assist restroom.” Anna said, “I frequently negotiate with myself if I can just hold it until I get home because this will be awkward to navigate. I am concerned about making other people feel comfortable when I just need to use the bathroom.”
Obstacles and barriers
There are often obstacles that don’t impact many people but create barriers for people with disabilities. Doors and floor space significantly impact a person’s ability to navigate. Heavy doors are challenging to operate, but doors with levers are easier to function.
Anna says, “if you can’t open a door with a closed fist, maybe you should go back to the drawing board.”
Clear floor space around doors and handles. Things like trashcans right as you enter can cause difficulties in maneuvering. Kim says, “We often see a trashcan or a plant right under the elevator button. It’s the easiest thing to fix but the most common barrier.”
The Please Touch Museum is entirely wheelchair and stroller accessible, right down to the vintage Dentzel carousel - Photo by J. Fusco
Preplanning resources on websites are essential
Anna and Kim look for websites with a lot of accessibility information, including explanations for navigating parking, entry, pathways, and restrooms. Photos also are integral to planning. Anna said, “Pictures allow me to visualize myself navigating that space. I want to see the entrance; I want to see the doors. I want to see the bathroom. I’ll be more likely to go if you give me visuals.”
Variety
Providing information in a variety of ways will help everyone plan and navigate. Signage should include both icons and text. An audio option should be available. Kim says, “I’m a big fan of audio description. I love it if I can utilize an app or something on my phone to give me additional information on how to get around and where things are at the destination.”
“People with disabilities are unique. What works for me may not work for Kim. What works for Kim doesn’t always for me,” Anna said. It can be challenging to create spaces that work perfectly for everyone. However, people with disabilities want to explore, go on adventures, and enjoy attractions with their families, so it’s worth the effort to learn about the challenges they face and explore options to make it easier.
Anna and Kim work at Paraquad, a non-profit, community-based agency focusing on equity and independence for people with disabilities through advocacy, information, services, and education. Paraquad, based in St. Louis, MO, is one of 403 Centers for Independent Living (CIL) in the United States.
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