Is It Accessible?
Despite being good friends for years, sometimes a new perspective enters the discussion of accessibility. My friend JJ invited our family to meet him at the river, and I asked him if this spot was accessible.
Instead of responding yes or no, he sent me this, which later morphed into a blog for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and I’m proud to share his writing here with you now:
It should have been an easy answer – and in fact I immediately responded via text with a “100% not accessible”. But after thinking about it for a minute, I replied again: “Maybe 99%. I’d want you to see it first.” The text conversation continued, and, with each reply, I softened my stance on the accessibility issue.
The scenario in question was a trip to the river for my boys and me, as well as the Krills, our accessibility-dependent friends. Ninety-plus degree temperatures and stifling humidity made an afternoon cool-down a must. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful mountain valley, where access to cool, clean, flowing rivers is plentiful. I was eager to show them a “secret” spot I had recently discovered.
Many of you know the Krills- either in real life, or through Heather’s witty and thoughtful prose. For those of you who don’t know them, a brief introduction is necessary: Geoff Krill suffered a spinal cord injury in his 20’s and has been a paraplegic since. Geoff’s post-injury story is quite compelling; one of perseverance, determination, and success. It is also well documented, so I won’t rehash it here. What you need to know is that Geoff is an athlete and an adventurer, and his injury rarely limits what he can do, or at least try.
Heather is Geoff’s smart, beautiful and strong wife. She is a high school English teacher and author, and regular contributor to this blog. She is without doubt, the glue that holds the whole Krill ship together. Carver, their 13-year-old son, is the wild one – that type of wild that you quietly encourage as a parent. He’s willing to try anything at least once, and is a true child of nature. Greta is their 12-year-old daughter. She’s kind and gentle and sweet… until it comes time to compete. Then she’s a fearless and aggressive warrior! And she makes great guacamole!
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So why is knowing the Krills relevant to the question of accessibility? It’s relevant because the answer, I’m learning, can be subjective. Perspective is important. Accessibility isn’t just about ramps, lifts, and parking spots. It’s about people and it’s about living life. My initial reaction to taking Geoff to the river was ‘no, can’t be done’. But the more I thought about it – who he is, who his family is – I thought ‘of course Geoff could go to the river!’ Once I changed my mindset, then the question of accessibility took on a new dimension: it was less about COULD he, and more about HOW could he.
Not everyone can be like Geoff and Heather; injuries are different, resources are different, means are different, support systems are different. In fact, I’m pretty sure they are the exception, not the norm. But the idea that accessibility can be a living, breathing, changing, concept is one that those of us who support and love our disabled friends and family should continue to embrace.
Those of you who live in the disability world likely think this way automatically. You’ve learned it as a matter of daily life. And for many of you who support your disabled loved ones, this type of thinking is second nature. For those of us “outsiders” who are still learning and developing our adaptive skills, please be patient with us when the question “Is it accessible?” ends up having several answers.
Heather Krill with Guest Writer J.J. Bujeaud.