photo: oddee.com

how to help slave lake

photo: www.vancouversun.com

In case you haven't heard, the town of Slave Lake in Northern Alberta has been devastated by forest fires. If you want to help, you can donate to the Red Cross (www.redcross.ca) or to Edmonton Emergency Relief Services (http://www.eerss.ca).

how to make an accessible space, part one

Here are some pictures showing examples of accessibility and barriers to accessibility.

Let's start with the basics.

Automatic doors are great.

Doors with buttons are almost as great.

 

Non-automatic doors without buttons? Not so great.

Elevators are also very helpful.

Though a button people in wheelchairs could reach would be nice!

Signs telling you where the elevators are can be very handy.

Sometimes people need reminders!

Pro tip, though: most of us don't really enjoy being called "the disabled".

It's great when there are accessible alternatives to inaccessible routes- especially when the accessible way is right there, and you don't have to go around back!

Here's another example of a dually accessible entrance- the ramp is right beside the stairs. Convenient for everyone!

If the main entrance isn't accessible, it's nice to have a sign showing you where the accessible entrance is. Something more visible and closer to the main entrance would be even better.

 

Cutaway curbs make things a lot more convenient for those of us with wheels.

Although gravel in the spring makes things a bit tougher.

It's great when detours or temporary sidewalks are also accessible!

Though hard-to-notice gaps like this can be jarring.

Finally,

People in wheelchairs can have emergencies too! It would be nice to have a security phone where everyone could reach it.

That's all for this post. I'm planning on continuing, though, so if you have any suggestions for other examples of accessibility or barriers let me know!

update

 

photo: www.oddee.com

Hey all. Sorry things have been a bit slow around here lately- it's finally begun to seem a bit like summer, and I've been enjoying the weather (and the end of classes for the year!). I also have a couple other projects on the go, which I will keep you posted on. Regular updates will be back soon.

Dave

Photo: www.oddee.com

art gallery of alberta

image: www.virtualmuseum.ca

The Art Gallery of Alberta has some neat exhibits at the moment. I was there the other day and especially enjoyed the Emily Carr exhibit. This painting, "Indian House With Totems", was my favourite.

In terms of accessibility, the art gallery is okay. The main issue is that none of the doors to the galleries are automatic. If the security people see you they'll rush over to open the door for you, but this system doesn't work all the time, and plus it's kind of awkward standing around waiting for someone to open a door for you. Other than that it's pretty accessible.

ableism documentary

This short documentary was made by high school students in California. It's a pretty good outline of what ableism is, and features some sweet whiteboard illustrations. Check it out!

photo: animalswithdisabilities.org