tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post662523896148158033..comments2024-03-16T16:44:18.220-07:00Comments on Bad Cripple: Another One Bites the Dustwilliam Peacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-87802011729733744122009-03-02T21:22:00.000-08:002009-03-02T21:22:00.000-08:00I myself have been in the gutter. Once, when tryin...I myself have been in the gutter. Once, when trying to turn my brand new chair around due to a lack of curb cut at one side the entire thing shunted half way off the curb into the busy Highway. This was the first time I had cried in public, and, instead of helping me for the first half an hour while I was dangling and waiting for death, people honked, laughed, and called names out of their cars at me. <BR/><BR/>The only reason I am not dead? I was rescued by a construction worker who was hauling supplies. He blocked the entire lane, got out, and lifted me AND my chair onto the side walk, then, walked me to the other end, and gave me a driven escort home, following me to protect me from cars. <BR/><BR/>I no longer go out on the side walks of Albuquerque, it is too dangerous as over 80% of the side walks end without a curb cut, most have dangerous dips that send me into traffic even with my very powerful chair. <BR/><BR/>I went to a rummage sale at a church just three days ago and noted their ramp actually ended with a 12 inch curb, so that it was totally unusable. I threw a fit. It was not my greatest reaction but, I refused to spend money there. I was told that I must be a heathen to complain about their lack of access. <BR/><BR/>Does it make those who do not see the deaths, countless deaths, of wheelchair users thrust into these gutters as important heathens? I could care less about their religion but it does make them disgusting.Kateryna of the Cenotaphhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01948759290608332351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-12895453347899157112009-01-09T04:57:00.000-08:002009-01-09T04:57:00.000-08:00Becs, You raise an excellent point: ramps to enter...Becs, You raise an excellent point: ramps to enter buildings are often shunted off to the side and hidden behind shrubs. I have also found such ramps are in poor condition and in the winter not cleared of snow. These back doors are often locked too. Incorporating a ramp into the architecture and landscaping can be done well. I have seen this add to the aesthetic appeal of a building. However, this is not the norm and I think architects either do not value and in some cases actually resent that wheelchair access must be incorporated. You are also correct that the way one approaches a curb cut and ramp is important. One time I was showing off for my son and going too fast when I hit a curb cut and took an impressive fall. I was not hurt but my ego was bruised.<BR/><BR/>My harsh views about suburban living are not the norm. Most people I know that own suburban homes are quite happy. A major factor here is finances. I could never afford the cost of living in NYC, it is the reason I moved to the northern suburbs. You also raise the issue of safety. I find it ironic that wealthy areas, i.e. safe urban settings, from my experience are accessible. Less desirable areas, i.e. poorer areas, are not. The demographics of disability clearly demonstrate the vast majority of people who have a disability are not wealthy and likely unemployed.william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-77422080137524639302009-01-08T19:30:00.000-08:002009-01-08T19:30:00.000-08:00Becs, it is always what works for you. Your city i...Becs, it is always what works for you. Your city is not my city. My burbs are not yours. If it brings satisfaction and happiness, it is the right place.Jason Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08678439544508714619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-60432899990583516042009-01-08T16:52:00.000-08:002009-01-08T16:52:00.000-08:00Last night, I was at a municipal building in a sma...Last night, I was at a municipal building in a small town. The building is new, built within at least the last ten years. The front of the building features about twelve broad granite steps. Off to the right, behind lots of shrubbery, is the wheelchair ramp.<BR/><BR/>The back of the building has very bumpy pavers. Maybe three steps up and the wheelchair ramp once again off to the side.<BR/><BR/>Here's a problem I often see where there's a curb cut - if you hit that ramp at the wrong angle or too fast, there's no doubt you'll take a header. <BR/><BR/>(I've lived in a city. I've lived in the 'burbs. The burbs work best for me. The city area I lived in was the best I could afford at the time and I was not safe there. My apartment was broken into while I was asleep and more than once, someone came by casing the place. The burbs work for me.)Becshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057614535554183360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-15678984581589607642009-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:002009-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:00Complicit, Our views of suburbia are one in the sa...Complicit, Our views of suburbia are one in the same. I often joke with my friends suburbia is an intellectual and cultural wasteland. Yet, here I am living 40 miles due north of New York City. The foremost authority in my estimation on suburban culture is Herb Gans, a distinguished scholar at Columbia university. If you have not read his work it is outstanding.<BR/><BR/>I have not been to Toronto in many years but I agree it is a far more interesting city than New York. Downtown New York was taken over long ago by Disneyland and reminds me of a giant outdoor mall for tourists. <BR/><BR/>Cities are indeed meant to be walked. Humans in fact are designed for that purpose as well. To me, the only way to know a city is to walk it from one end to the other.william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-39175134290352047712009-01-08T09:29:00.000-08:002009-01-08T09:29:00.000-08:00Funny thing is that everything goes down hill when...Funny thing is that everything goes down hill when you move to the sub-urbs. Mobility issues are an obvious one, but the entire notion of suburbs was monocultural. In my understanding, the postwar suburban expansion was about places for people to commute to the big city. They were never conceptually designed for other people, regardless of how otherness is construed. It is funny, but I don't even include the suburbs in my thinking any more. If I can't walk around my world, it doesn't exist, any more. And I use the inclusive notion of walk, rather than merely moving by foot.<BR/><BR/>Strangely enough, Toronto blows manhattan away, down town. And Copenhagen just blows. I understand now why Copenhagen is like that, as their disability support structure's very different. I just thought Toronto would be behind manhattan.Jason Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08678439544508714619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-47858085738757394342009-01-08T09:15:00.000-08:002009-01-08T09:15:00.000-08:00Complicit, Certain cities are easily navigated. Th...Complicit, Certain cities are easily navigated. The center of cosmopolitan cities such as Toronto and Manhattan do indeed have curb cuts at virtually every intersection. Problems in terms of curb cuts arise as one travels further away from the most heavily populated areas. Suburbia is a mixed bag--some towns go out of the way to be accessible while others present significant architectural barriers. Please let me know about what you find in parking lots as awareness is indeed a key variable. I appreciate your observation about looking beyond individual issues. For real progress to be made in disability rights all people with disabilities must unit as a single political group.william Peacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00223601480542461802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556371561007953336.post-70528270645398763422009-01-08T08:44:00.000-08:002009-01-08T08:44:00.000-08:00This is an interesting post. My disability doesn't...This is an interesting post. My disability doesn't impact on my mobility, so I've only become aware of the intensity of the difficulty helping a friend get over curbs in NYC and Copenhagen. I have started looking, in toronto for intersections that are not accessible, and I've not been able to find any, in the past 6+ months looking. You've now added a greater awareness when it comes to parking lots, which I'll add to the watching. I don't drive, so it is not an issue for me either... but the point is to be aware of more than what our own personal issues/needs are, IMHO. Thanks for it.Jason Nolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08678439544508714619noreply@blogger.com