OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
AARP’s Harrell said in 80 percent of American neighborhoods, single-family housing is the only option, which is not affordable for tens of millions.
AARP and many planning leaders advocate for
doubles, triplexes, low-rise condos and similar housing in areas zoned for only
single-family housing.
OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
“Zoning varies from community to community across the country — you may have to go through an expensive permitting process with an architect and attorney.
This makes it hard to finance ADUs. They are excellent ways of providing flexibility for the homeowner.
They can help pay for repairs and modifications for their home through ADU rent.
They can have an on-site caregiver staying in the ADU for
free or reduced rent,” AARP’s Harrell said, noting that the community benefits
by bringing young, bright medical, nursing, physical therapy, occupational
therapy and other students into a more vibrant neighborhood.
SACHIN
PAVRITHRAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE U.S. ACCESS BOARD, STAR GUEST
LECTURER TO OUR UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE
We are proud
to teach a groundbreaking course on Universal Design at the University of Miami
School of Architecture.
In addition
to our four decades of professional experience and thousands of articles of published
expertise, we like to use our extensive contacts to bring renowned leaders live
to our class via Zoom.
Sachin Pavrithran,
a scholar, advocate and blind person, spoke to our graduate and upper-level undergraduate
students about the profound responsibilities of the Access Board.
The board
creates all of the rules for the built environment under the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
Thanks to our brilliant colleague for sharing his expertise and advocacy with our students, while endorsing the need for our Universal Design curriculum at every school of architecture, planning and engineering
We look
forward to collaborating him on many inclusive projects.
OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
To allow aging in place, Harrell called for a uniform code that addresses Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) —
housing on a single-family lot that is smaller than the main house and is allowed to be occupied by someone other than the owner of the lot.
OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
“Every community and every location have trade-offs. The urban area might be closer to a grocery store and more accessible to walkability.
The rural area might be more affordable,” he said.
“It’s very hard to see all the tradeoffs.
We created a guide to pull 40 indexes
and 20 public policies. This allows you to put in your priorities, create a
report and see a quick score that takes a deep dive and gives you comparisons
at a quick glance.”
The tool, which allows weighting for
priorities such as proximity of transit or good schools, is at https://www.aarp.org/livabilityindex
OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and AARP teamed up this year to integrate AARP’s Livability Index scores across the REALTORS® Property Resource® platform.
The index, created in 2015, measures
how a neighborhood serves people of all abilities, incomes and ages.
“People are seeing how walkability to parks, grocery stores, and amenities serves them, and REALTORS® are learning about this,” said Harrell,
noting that the site has been visited nearly 2.5
million times and more than half a million reports have been created.
OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
AARP created the Home Fit Guide featuring smart ways to make a home comfortable, safe and a great fit for older adults — and people of all ages and abilities.
Featuring many elements of universal design, it is in many languages at:
https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/housing/info-2020/homefit-guide.html
OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
Centers for Disease Control numbers show that one in five people will experience some degree of disability in their lifetime.
The need for strategies to make
housing age-friendly and barrier-free has never been greater.
Rodney Harrell — AARP’s vice president
for Family, Home and Community — said housing can no longer be built in a
conventional way — that it must be more flexible, diverse and accommodating.
OLDER AMERICANS ARE DRIVING
THE NEED FOR HOUSING TO AGE IN PLACE
The concepts of aging in place and universal design — that is flexible, durable design that is comfortable and accessible to all, including people with disabilities — are not some fancy flavor-of-the-month.
They are essential needs backed by countless demographic
studies by respected institutions.
By 2030, all baby boomers will be older than age 65 — meaning one in five U.S. residents will be retirement age.
U.S. Census numbers show that by 2034, there will be 77 million people over 65,
compared to 76.5 million under 18 — a first in history that there are more
elderly than youth.
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
We have launched a first of its kind course on Universal Design.
We is my wife, Heidi Johnson-Wright,
and yours truly.
Our gratitude to UMSoA Dean Rodolphe
el-Khoury, Director of the Undergraduate Program Jaime Correa and countless faculty and
staff members is beyond words.
My evolution as a writer and planner
came about because of the UMSoA.
I learned city and regional planning
from then Dean Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, who also hired me to work on writing
projects. I learned about community building from the former Knight Program at
the UMSoA.
My leadership as an urban policy
advisor for the chairman of the Miami City Commission was fueled by various
UMSoA professors and colleagues.
It has been a dream to influence you
designers, to teach them about human-centered architecture and planning.
Heidi, a lifelong public servant with
more than two decades of experience as an Americans with Disabilities Act
professional, has used a wheelchair for mobility for four decades.
We have celebrated the triumphs of barrier-removal and railed against the injustice of even brand new buildings, streetscapes and parks that are littered with poor design that limits or largely blocks access by wheelchair.
Together, we have published nearly
1,000 articles on design, planning, policy and other issues related to people
with disabilities.
I have covered Universal Design for
dozens of major publications, including Planning, the magazine of the American
Planning Association, which published a 2021 opinion piece advocating for the
teaching of Universal Design at the higher education level.
The brilliant late architect Ron
Mace created the concept of Universal Design -- defined as design usable by all
people to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or
specialization.
Universal Design goes far beyond ADA
compliance.
It is elegant, welcoming, durable,
efficient and sustainable.
We will be featuring guest experts –
architects and consultants, many who have a disability – via Zoom and hopefully
in-person at the Coral Gables campus.
We will be empowering both
undergraduate and undergraduate students with the ability to design for all
while making the world a better place.
AS THE NEW GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN ARCHITECTURE DIRECTOR
Professor
Joel Lamere, the U-SoA’s new Graduate Programs in Architecture, received his
Master of Architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Before joining the U-SoA, he was Assistant Professor of Architectural Design
and Homer A. Burnell Chair at MIT.
“Our approach is very consistent with the roadmap vision of lifelong learning
at the U-SoA,” he said. “With the ecological, economic, technological, and
social disruptions that will characterize the coming century – we have to
prepare students for this uncertainty, not mere competency. This requires
fostering many kinds of literacy and an expanded view of the field – preparing
our graduates to be lifelong learners.”
Lamere emphasized that technological progress is not, in itself, enough to
tackle the world’s many problems. Lamere believes that technology can foster
more collaboration, which in turn can help with diverse community building, but
for architecture to truly address issues of equity and inclusion, it must
reconsider who it serves beyond its clients. “A more just architecture will
need to commit to a broader constituency, and codify what qualifies as a public
good in such a way that those interests cannot be ignored.” He added that U-SoA
Graduate Programs in Architecture “have the distinct mission to prepare
architects to be good in two senses: to be good at being architects, which
means navigating rapid changes in the profession, but also good as citizens,
focused on how we can be agents for positive change in the world.”
https://mailchi.mp/mhttps://mailchi.mp/miami.edu/usoanow-january2022iami.edu/usoanow-january2022
AS THE NEW GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN ARCHITECTURE DIRECTOR
Professor Joel Lamere, the U-SoA’s new Graduate Programs in Architecture Director, approaches his duties with a balance of education in core design knowledge blended with preparing students to be perpetually empowered to adapt to new tools and technology.
“The nature of architecture is flux; there’s a lot of stable core knowledge
necessary to become an architect, of course, but the way we design and the way
we build are both contingent on technologies that are evolving exponentially,”
he said. “Even the outstanding technology and lab capabilities we have today –
those will be rapidly advancing and changing during the graduate student’s
career.”
Lamere praised Prof. Allan Shulman, the previous director, for solidifying
essential elements of the programs and having long discussions with him to form
curriculum adjustments and changes built on a solid core.
“One cannot, at this point, even imagine an architecture of the future that doesn’t engage computational design processes, augmented reality environments, and so forth,” Lamere said. “The disruptions will be more profound still: robotic fabrication, automated construction, outsourcing enabled by instantaneous communication and virtual collaboration, and A.I. replacing human labor throughout the creative disciplines.”
https://mailchi.mp/miami.edu/usoanow-january2022
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
RESOURCES:
• Canadian Spinal Research Organization, opens in a new windowcsro.com
• FES Center, opens in a new windowfescenter.org
• Neurotech Network, opens in a new windowneurotechnetwork.org
• North American SCI Consortium, opens in a new windownasciconsortium.org
• On My Feet Again: My Journey Out of the Wheelchair Using Neurotechnology, by Jennifer French, available at most online booksellers. https://www.amazon.com/My-Feet-Again-Wheelchair-Neurotechnology/dp/0988234203
• Spinal Cord Series and Cases journal, opens in a new windownature.com/scsandc
• Spinal Cord journal, opens in a new windownature.com/sc
• Unite 2 Fight Paralysis, opens in a new windowu2fp.org
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, says there are seven ways incorporating the lived experience of people with SCI makes research better:
7. We can support fundraising efforts to secure research dollars.
Learn more about the SCI Mobility Lab, located at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute’s KITE Research Institute, at
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, says there are seven ways incorporating the lived experience of people with SCI makes research better:
6. We can advocate and move research along at a faster pace.
Rather than wasting time investigating every nuance, the research can take what we need and move on to the next step.
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, says there are seven ways incorporating the lived experience of people with SCI makes research better:
5. We can disseminate results so others learn about the latest research and help advocate for policy change, or implementation of new treatments/therapies.
Tomorrow marks the 35th Valentine’s Day I’ll spend with my soulmate, Heidi.
Through the
years, she has been my:
Scholarship
winning undergraduate student Valentine
Law school
graduate Valentine
Proud public
servant for the State of Ohio Valentine.
Co-author of
hundreds of articles about travel and disability Valentine.
First time
home owner Valentine.
Travel
around the world by wheelchair Valentine.
Move 1,200
miles from heartland Ohio to pulsing Miami Valentine.
First in
history full-time Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for the City of
Miami Beach Valentine.
Purchaser of
a 100-year old home in the heart of Little Havana Valentine.
Point person
for all things ADA, serving nearly 3 million constituents, in Miami-Dade County
Valentine.
Protector of
urban park land and open space (stopping concrete paving over paradise)
Valentine.
Educator of
town planners, urban designers, architects, mobility engineers and other
shapers of the built environment Valentine.
Survivor of
the pandemic – using her own computer to stay connected in a leadership role –
Valentine.
Creator of a
unique course on design for all Valentine.
Lead
instructor/professor of a graduate and undergraduate full-credit course on
Universal Design at a top 10% rate school of architecture Valentine.
Happy
Valentine’s Day – my soulmate, superstar wife and partner in making the world a
more equitable, inclusive, diverse and accessible place.
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, says there are seven ways incorporating the lived experience of people with SCI makes research better:
4. We can help interpret results.
A well-designed study means the results would be meaningful and applicable.
Whether it’s an early-stage study that tells us which direction to focus on, or late-stage research where we can take something and apply it to practice, even negative results are successful because they tell us what not to do.
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, says there are seven ways incorporating the lived experience of people with SCI makes research better:
3. We can aid with research design and implementation so that the project is feasible and researchers can collect the data they need.
We can identify flaws in a research design that could lead to lost, missing or unreported data.
A well-designed study would make recruitment/retention/compliance less challenging. This can be the difference between a successful study and a failure — particularly when developing devices or products that align with needs.
Florida seized a disabled mom’s 4-day-old son: ‘I didn’t think this could happen in America’
Two days after Alysha Princess Cesaire gave birth to her son on Feb. 1, 2018, someone at Hollywood’s Memorial Regional Hospital phoned the state’s child abuse hotline to express concerns that Cesaire’s physical disability — which causes her to use a walker and have difficulty speaking — rendered her an unfit mother. Extended family members had cobbled together a plan to help the baby’s parents care for the child, Elijah Bastien, safely. But the Broward Sheriff’s Office, which investigates abuse allegations in the county, took custody of the boy at the hospital anyway, and asked a judge to make Elijah a dependent of the state.
In an internal email, the then-director of BSO’s Child Protective Investigative Section questioned why Cesaire’s family allowed her to have a child at all. “If there is such close supervision of this mother, how did she get [pregnant]?,” the former director, Kim Gorsuch, wrote, according to an email obtained by the Miami Herald. “And if they thought it was ok for her to be intimate, why didn’t they get her on some birth control???”
In a settlement to the civil rights lawsuit, Cesaire filed over Elijah’s removal from her care — a judge later ordered that he be returned — the state Department of Children & Families agreed last week to implement a raft of policy changes to align the department with federal civil rights laws that protect people with disabilities from discrimination. Among other provisions, the settlement requires DCF to “make reasonable efforts” to accommodate a person with disabilities “in order that the disabled parent can participate in recommended programs or services” necessary to keep a family intact and children safe. DCF’s Office of Civil Rights will be tasked, the settlement says, with “ensuring that, when necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, reasonable accommodations… and services requested are provided in an appropriate and timely manner in accordance with the [Americans with Disabilities Act].” DCF agreed to develop and implement a training curriculum to dispel stereotypes about people with disabilities and to help investigators and service providers strengthen the skills of parents with special needs. The settlement adds: DCF, its employees and contractors “will not base decisions about child safety actions on stereotypes or generalizations about parents with disabilities or on a parent’s disability, diagnosis, or intelligence measures alone.”
DCF, which outsources child abuse investigations to BSO under contract, also agreed to pay Cesaire’s lawyers $30,000 for litigating the claim. DCF did not acknowledge any wrongdoing, the settlement says. “I never did anything to anybody,” said Cesaire, 27. “And they wanted to take my child to a foster home.” Cesaire remembers lying on her hospital bed with Elijah next to her. “They took the baby away from me. I didn’t do anything wrong to the baby.” “My heart broke,” she added.
BSO declined to discuss the settlement, noting that BSO is still involved with the federal lawsuit. “Since this involves ongoing litigation, we will not be commenting at this time,” said agency spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright. A DCF spokeswoman issued a short statement about the case, noting that Elijah’s removal occurred four years ago, and that it is “not reflective of the way in which similarly situated cases would be handled today.” “The Department strives to ensure best practices are utilized in fulfilling Department responsibilities — including those delegated to our contractors/partners. As such, the Department has worked to increase its training for child welfare professionals and examined its policies and procedures regarding reasonable accommodations and auxiliary aids for parents with disabilities,” said Mallory McManus.
Cesaire was diagnosed in early childhood with “spinocerebellar ataxia,” a genetic neurological disorder. The condition makes it difficult for Cesaire to walk, coordinate the use of her hands and speak. In court pleadings, BSO also suggested Cesaire is cognitively delayed. Records obtained by the Miami Herald show someone at Memorial Regional — the documents aren’t clear who made the call — reported Cesaire to DCF when Elijah was born, suggesting Cesaire and the child’s father, Nickel Bastien, “are vulnerable adults who cannot independently meet their own basic needs, nor can they meet the needs of the baby.” A BSO investigator came to the hospital to look into the report. She interviewed Cesaire’s mother, who told her that the families of both parents had agreed upon a plan to ensure Elijah was safe, and never left alone with his parents. Specifically, Cesaire’s mother and aunt each were going to take time off from work, then the family would enroll him in day care. At night, Cesaire and her son would be overseen by family members. Bastien, the child’s father, denied he was incapable of being a parent. “He told [the investigator] that he is not disabled, he has a job, and he wants to be involved in caring for” Elijah, the suit stated. Nevertheless, the investigator told hospital staff not to allow the family to take Elijah home, and that BSO “will be removing” him, Cesaire’s lawsuit said.
Cesaire was diagnosed in early childhood with “spinocerebellar ataxia,” a genetic neurological disorder. The condition makes it difficult for Cesaire to walk, coordinate the use of her hands and speak. In court pleadings, BSO also suggested Cesaire is cognitively delayed. Records obtained by the Miami Herald show someone at Memorial Regional — the documents aren’t clear who made the call — reported Cesaire to DCF when Elijah was born, suggesting Cesaire and the child’s father, Nickel Bastien, “are vulnerable adults who cannot independently meet their own basic needs, nor can they meet the needs of the baby.” A BSO investigator came to the hospital to look into the report. She interviewed Cesaire’s mother, who told her that the families of both parents had agreed upon a plan to ensure Elijah was safe, and never left alone with his parents. Specifically, Cesaire’s mother and aunt each were going to take time off from work, then the family would enroll him in day care. At night, Cesaire and her son would be overseen by family members. Bastien, the child’s father, denied he was incapable of being a parent. “He told [the investigator] that he is not disabled, he has a job, and he wants to be involved in caring for” Elijah, the suit stated. Nevertheless, the investigator told hospital staff not to allow the family to take Elijah home, and that BSO “will be removing” him, Cesaire’s lawsuit said.
A court petition seeking custody of Elijah said “the parents are not meeting the child’s basic and essential needs for food, clothing and supervision and the child likely will be seriously harmed.” Elijah had not yet left the hospital, and Cesaire and her family had been given no opportunity to care for the newborn. Muller said she told investigators she and her daughter had “a lot of family here in America” and a “strong support team for the baby.” Muller told investigators that she has always cared for her daughter, and expects to “be caring for [her] for the rest of her life.” When her mother goes to work, Cesaire stays with a family friend, Nickel Bastien’s mom, the investigator was told. “The mother has a fervent desire to be a parent, and does not fully understand how her disability places the child at risk,” said a petition BSO filed to take custody of the newborn.
Muller said child welfare workers “dragged Alysha in front of a judge” as if she had done wrong. Broward Circuit Judge Alberto Ribas, who presided over BSO’s petition in child welfare court, denied the petition, writing there was no probable cause to remove Elijah from his parents. In an order dated Feb. 7, 2018, Ribas instructed BSO to execute a “safety plan” with the parents, and offer them services to help protect Elijah. “Family [is] to assist in caregiving for child,” Ribas wrote in his order. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights law passed in 1990, BSO was required to “address the functional effects” of the parents’ special needs, and accommodate them where necessary to raise Elijah. After Ribas signed his order, BSO case workers continued to supervise the family for an additional three months, according to Muller and court records.
Caseworkers called constantly, Muller said. At all hours, they visited the Coral Springs home that Muller, Cesaire and Elijah share. “For three months they were knocking at my door, any day, any time,” Muller said. “They’d say, ‘We need to see Elijah now.” “It’s like me and my child did something wrong. What did we do wrong? They are knocking at my door early in the morning.” Matthew Dietz, one of three attorneys representing Cesaire — the other two are Stacie Schmerling and Howard Talenfeld — said BSO investigators and supervisors noted Cesaire’s physical challenges and made immediate and erroneous assumptions about her ability to be a parent. “The BSO child protective investigator took efforts to remark how Alysha was observed drooling, and that, based on her history, there was an implied threat to the safety of the baby,” Dietz said. “BSO deemed Alysha unfit to be a parent without any investigation of her abilities, or any services that could assist her.”
Said Dietz: “This settlement effectively changes the evaluation of parents to not focus on the disability as a disqualifying factor in the decision to shelter a child, but instead focus on what accommodations and community resources are available to assist a parent to be more successful in having a family.” Elijah, who just turned 4, is thriving, his grandmother said.
He loves to dart around on a scooter, which he got for Christmas. He plays with a tablet, and watches Mickey Mouse — though he prefers to be with family members rather than in a room watching television. He likes to kick a soccer ball around with his cousin. He’s a picky eater, Muller said. He likes “American food” like pasta, macaroni and cheese and potatoes — but not the stews that are a staple of his family’s Haitian culture. He prefers grits and strawberries to meat. He’ll put ketchup on almost anything, including just bread.
“He’s my little bundle of joy,” said Muller, who still tears up when discussing his first months. “It was really, really painful. I never thought that we could have that kind of treatment here in America. America says it cares for disabled persons. “But you have to expose yourself to the real world to see how it treats disabled people here in America.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 9:27 AM. CAROL MARBIN MILLER 305-206-2886 Carol Marbin Miller is the Herald’s deputy investigations editor. Carol grew up in North Miami Beach, and holds degrees from Florida State University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has written about children, elders and people with disabilities for 25 years. Stories written by Carol have influenced public policy and spurred legislative action, including the passage of laws that reformed the state’s involuntary commitment, child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article258155053.html#storylink=cpy
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, says there are seven ways incorporating the lived experience of people with SCI makes research better:
2. We can assist with recruitment of participants in studies, which is something many scientists struggle with. An interesting study on a relevant topic with potential to benefit the participant sells itself and can spread like wildfire through our community.
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, says there are seven ways incorporating the lived experience of people with SCI makes research better:
1. We add relevancy, helping to define research questions.
Our presence ensures research is focused in areas of importance to us and that it addresses a need or gap in care or service or explores a novel treatment or therapy that leads to neurorecovery.
NASCIC and
the SCI Alliance are made up of multiple stakeholders, including people with
lived experience of SCI whose mandate is to set priorities for research.
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
“People with SCI are experts in our own right by virtue of our lived experience.
What we have to say matters and can directly influence the direction of research priorities, as well as how projects are designed and administered,” says Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab.
“I recognize the dual role and unique perspective I bring as a
person with lived experience and the value of that in producing high quality
research that reflects the priorities and needs of the SCI community.”
Kaiser says when people with SCI drive
research, they focus on reduction and treatment of secondary complications,
improvements to quality of life and accessibility as well as finding a cure for
paralysis.
WHEN PEOPLE WITH SCI HELP DESIGN IT
Much has changed in the 10 years since Anita Kaiser, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a research trainee in the SCI Mobility Lab, first entered graduate school.
Then, she received pushback from her advisors who feared her C6-7 complete SCI would bias her data collection and analyses of that data.
But now, “Research has been
slowly shifting to include individuals with lived experience of a specific
illness/disease/condition in the decision-making process from start to finish,”
she says.
Kaiser said this positive shift is an
important step forward because building a strong partnership between the SCI
and research communities can enhance the quality of the research and improve
outcomes.
THIS BLOG IS PART OF OUR PRO-BONO EFFORT TO IMPROVE UNIVERSAL DESIGN, INCLUSIVE MOBILITY AND PLANNING FOR ALL
We have published more than 1,000
professional articles on Universal Design, Inclusive Mobility and planning that
serves all – including people with disabilities.
Our work has appeared in Planning
Magazine, On Common Ground, Strong Towns and hundreds of leading newspapers,
websites and other publications.
For a decade, we have posted daily to
this free blog.
More than 3,000 posts have shared
ideas for urban design, planning, architecture, engineering, landscape
architecture, sustainability and related disciplines to be more inclusive to
those who use wheelchairs for mobility.
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Europe, Africa and Asia.
The humble blog – we once were proud
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That means we soon will have a readership equal to the entire population of New Orleans – one of our favorite sense of place cities.
The amount of text in these blogs, if
published as compilations, would fill more than four novel-length books.
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since turning 55, to dedicating 20 percent of our working hours to producing
award-winning written and visual content that focuses on diversity, equity,
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