Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 13:08     Subject: "Accessible?"
Anonymous wrote:If I didn't know that the person was handicapped, my first thought would be whether it was accessible via public transport.


So? If someone you haven't met in person says to you

"Is it accessible?"

and you say

"Yes, it's near Farragut North station?"

It's not really that hard to clarify. Why should a word that works well be modified?

I will say that usually, if I am talking to someone I've never met and there are accessibility issues, I would probably say "I want to make sure that we are inclusive of our members with disabilities, is the space accessible?" or something. I can't imagine that the OP is constantly finding themselves in positions where someone is asking "Is it accessible?" out of the blue. If they are, then they probably should have mastered the word by now?
doodlebug
Post 07/01/2016 13:08     Subject: "Accessible?"
If I ran a business and someone called and asked if it were accessible, I would assume they meant to a bus line. If you mean is it ADA compliant, then say that. The word accessible means many different things and different things to different people. Ask what you need to know and don't assume the other person is a mind reader.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 13:07     Subject: Re:"Accessible?"
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think that often if a place is "accessible" they've thought about multiple physical and sensory disabilities. So, we're talking about a place with parking that can accommodate a van with a lift, and braille on the elevator buttons, and nothing raised at the threshold, and grab bars in the bathroom. So, it's not just "wheelchair accessibility" it's ADA compliant across the board.

Having said that, as someone who works with people with developmental disabilities, I do feel as though sometimes people forget that using pictures or icons along with text (e.g. on a menu), or providing reduced sensory input through alternate places to wait, or other strategies specific to DD are also accessibility strategies and yet are frequently forgotten.


Yes, so I would think it would be more helpful for the asker to specify what type of accessibility they are looking for. Examples:

1) Is it wheelchair-accessible?
2) Is it walker-accessible?
3) Is it accessible for those who need reduced sensory input?
4) Is it accessible for those with limited vision?

Why wouldn't this be a more helpful way to phrase it? It seems like the more specific, the better.


Individuals with disabilities are just that, individuals. For example, 2 people who both use walkers or wheelchairs might need very different things, and they might need different things depending on the day or the kind of support they have. Plus, a person shouldn't have to disclose specifically what's hard for them in order to find out if they can go somewhere. Asking "Does the door on the bathroom stall swing in or out?" or "How high is the toilet?" can be embarrassing and intrusive.

ADA standards cover most people with disabilities most of the time. Most people with disabilities know what ADA standards are, and have learned ways to use spaces that meet them, so asking whether a place meets ADA standards lets them know whether they'll be successful.

If someone has a condition that isn't covered by ADA standards (e.g. someone with CVI who needs high contrast, or someone with specific sensory needs, or someone who can handle an automatic door opening on the left side but not the right side) then they're probably going to ask about those specific things. Asking "Are you accessible for cortical visual impairment?" will result in people guessing, because most people don't actually know what accommodations for CVI might be.


OH, I see. This make sense. Thanks.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 13:05     Subject: "Accessible?"
If I didn't know that the person was handicapped, my first thought would be whether it was accessible via public transport.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 13:04     Subject: "Accessible?"
Hmmm I can sort of see where OP is coming from. If I were meeting someone for an interview at a coffee shop and they simply asked whether the building is "accessible" I'd probably wonder if they meant by public transit or something.

Why not just ask whether it is accessible to persons with mobility issues?
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 13:03     Subject: "Accessible?"
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No it's not like, non-PC. It's just unnecessary.

I use a walker, not a wheelchair. I still need places to be accessible to me.

Is it accessible. As in, are there barriers for someone with mobility issues? That doesn't always mean wheelchair.


So, wouldn't it be more specific to ask, "Is it walker-accessible?"


Are you OP? Or is there more than one person being obtuse about this?

Accessible as in ADA Compliant. I have never come across anyone who had to question it.

I suppose if mobility is the issue, you can ask "Is it barrier free?"
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 13:00     Subject: Re:"Accessible?"
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think that often if a place is "accessible" they've thought about multiple physical and sensory disabilities. So, we're talking about a place with parking that can accommodate a van with a lift, and braille on the elevator buttons, and nothing raised at the threshold, and grab bars in the bathroom. So, it's not just "wheelchair accessibility" it's ADA compliant across the board.

Having said that, as someone who works with people with developmental disabilities, I do feel as though sometimes people forget that using pictures or icons along with text (e.g. on a menu), or providing reduced sensory input through alternate places to wait, or other strategies specific to DD are also accessibility strategies and yet are frequently forgotten.


Yes, so I would think it would be more helpful for the asker to specify what type of accessibility they are looking for. Examples:

1) Is it wheelchair-accessible?
2) Is it walker-accessible?
3) Is it accessible for those who need reduced sensory input?
4) Is it accessible for those with limited vision?

Why wouldn't this be a more helpful way to phrase it? It seems like the more specific, the better.


Individuals with disabilities are just that, individuals. For example, 2 people who both use walkers or wheelchairs might need very different things, and they might need different things depending on the day or the kind of support they have. Plus, a person shouldn't have to disclose specifically what's hard for them in order to find out if they can go somewhere. Asking "Does the door on the bathroom stall swing in or out?" or "How high is the toilet?" can be embarrassing and intrusive.

ADA standards cover most people with disabilities most of the time. Most people with disabilities know what ADA standards are, and have learned ways to use spaces that meet them, so asking whether a place meets ADA standards lets them know whether they'll be successful.

If someone has a condition that isn't covered by ADA standards (e.g. someone with CVI who needs high contrast, or someone with specific sensory needs, or someone who can handle an automatic door opening on the left side but not the right side) then they're probably going to ask about those specific things. Asking "Are you accessible for cortical visual impairment?" will result in people guessing, because most people don't actually know what accommodations for CVI might be.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:52     Subject: "Accessible?"
Anonymous wrote:"Accessible" is shorthand for "complaint with ADA standards".


I guess this is the best answer. It's an umbrella term.

It just seems that more specific, the better.

But, oh well.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:51     Subject: Re:"Accessible?"
Anonymous wrote:I think that often if a place is "accessible" they've thought about multiple physical and sensory disabilities. So, we're talking about a place with parking that can accommodate a van with a lift, and braille on the elevator buttons, and nothing raised at the threshold, and grab bars in the bathroom. So, it's not just "wheelchair accessibility" it's ADA compliant across the board.

Having said that, as someone who works with people with developmental disabilities, I do feel as though sometimes people forget that using pictures or icons along with text (e.g. on a menu), or providing reduced sensory input through alternate places to wait, or other strategies specific to DD are also accessibility strategies and yet are frequently forgotten.


Yes, so I would think it would be more helpful for the asker to specify what type of accessibility they are looking for. Examples:

1) Is it wheelchair-accessible?
2) Is it walker-accessible?
3) Is it accessible for those who need reduced sensory input?
4) Is it accessible for those with limited vision?

Why wouldn't this be a more helpful way to phrase it? It seems like the more specific, the better.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:50     Subject: "Accessible?"
Anonymous wrote:No it's not like, non-PC. It's just unnecessary.

I use a walker, not a wheelchair. I still need places to be accessible to me.

Is it accessible. As in, are there barriers for someone with mobility issues? That doesn't always mean wheelchair.


So, wouldn't it be more specific to ask, "Is it walker-accessible?"
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:36     Subject: "Accessible?"
"Accessible" is shorthand for "complaint with ADA standards".
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:32     Subject: Re:"Accessible?"
I think that often if a place is "accessible" they've thought about multiple physical and sensory disabilities. So, we're talking about a place with parking that can accommodate a van with a lift, and braille on the elevator buttons, and nothing raised at the threshold, and grab bars in the bathroom. So, it's not just "wheelchair accessibility" it's ADA compliant across the board.

Having said that, as someone who works with people with developmental disabilities, I do feel as though sometimes people forget that using pictures or icons along with text (e.g. on a menu), or providing reduced sensory input through alternate places to wait, or other strategies specific to DD are also accessibility strategies and yet are frequently forgotten.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:28     Subject: "Accessible?"
As a permanent physically handicap person, I cannot believe people like OP exist. Are you for real?
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:23     Subject: "Accessible?"
No it's not like, non-PC. It's just unnecessary.

I use a walker, not a wheelchair. I still need places to be accessible to me.

Is it accessible. As in, are there barriers for someone with mobility issues? That doesn't always mean wheelchair.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2016 12:12     Subject: "Accessible?"
Within the wheelchair community, is it common to ask, of a new place, "Is it accessible?"

I would think it would be more illuminating to ask, "Is it wheelchair-accessible?"

But I have a friend who is a special ed teacher who also has a sibling in a wheel chair and he'll always ask, "Is it accessible?"

When I first hear, "Is it accessible?" I think, "To what?"

So, is it, like, non-PC now to say "wheelchair-accessible" and so we must say, "accessible"?

(?)