WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #3: People with disabilities are outliers, a fringe special interest.

While the need is huge, Miami—like most cities in America—budgets almost no money in its capital or operating budget specifically earmarked for barrier removal and improving mobility for people with disabilities.

A landmark study published in the second quarter of 2023 by a group of Ohio State University researchers in the Journal of Transport Geography found that only 1% of Columbus, Ohio, is readily accessible to manual wheelchairs who use public transit.

The number only rose to 25% for power wheelchair users.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #3: People with disabilities are outliers, a fringe special interest.

As noted above, the CDC has documented that one in four adults has some kind of disability.

The UN has proven there are more than one billion people with disabilities on Earth.

That means a place like Miami-Dade County, for instance, has nearly 700,000 people with disabilities.

I live in Little Havana, which has a population bordering 100,000.

Factoring in census undercount and undocumented people, it easily has 25,000 residents with disabilities—plus all those who visit the neighborhood to work, shop, and play.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #2: Cities can’t afford to make their facilities and public spaces more accessible.

I once interviewed a climate change expert who said a city may say it cannot afford $1 billion in sea level rise/flood control infrastructure…but it also cannot afford to do nothing, then suffer $10 billion in property and job losses.

The same applies to accessibility.

Cities cannot afford to resist spending $25 million on access for all when a barrier-free city could reap tenfold on investment in terms of independence, improved pay, enhanced quality of life, and a reduced need for government benefits by people with disabilities.

WE LOVE OUR READERS

500,000 UNIQUE VISITS TO THIS BLOG AND COUNTING

We appreciate the folks who seek out this blog for the latest on:

Town Planning

Universal Design

Urban Travel

Architecture

Policy

Wheelchair Access

Neighborhood Advocacy

Visual Art

2023 was an unprecedented years with keynote speeches, workshops for major clients, university lectures, hundreds of published articles, a major photo exhibit, dozens of podcast appearances and much more.

We chronicled those exploits and more on this blog.

We hope to double the success, as 2024 evolves. 

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #2: Cities can’t afford to make their facilities and public spaces more accessible.

Universal Design and accessibility also support the hugely embraced planning principle of “aging in place,” which becomes increasingly important as more than 10,000 people per day turn 65 in our nation.

The idea is that if a person’s dwelling and neighborhood are largely accessible as their mobility is reduced, they can still live in the neighborhood they have been rooted in for decades.

No need to move to a senior citizen community or building to live safely and comfortably—make it so that they can still play an active role in their community and economy.

(By the way, all of these measures would also fuel the local economy by employing thousands to design, build, and maintain our more humane built environment!)

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #2: Cities can’t afford to make their facilities and public spaces more accessible.

Sometimes the goal is accomplished simply through policy: towing away cars that block the sidewalk, banning right turns on red in high pedestrian areas, or regulating dockless scooters so they are not discarded in curb ramps, crosswalks, or in the middle of sidewalks.

While these urban designs and policies are essential to the mobility of people with physical, visual, hearing, and cognitive disabilities, they are welcomed by all.

A main street where people from ages 8 to 88 feel safe, comfortable, and able to enjoy urban life with calmed traffic is a main street that can compete with malls and big box store complexes.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #2: Cities can’t afford to make their facilities and public spaces more accessible.

Universal Design involves measures like simply making sidewalks wider so people can move about, even in a wheelchair about three feet wide, while there still is room for benches, trash receptacles, bike racks, and, in commercial strips, outdoor seating.

Universal Design is making sure crosswalks are safe —sometimes made safer with bump-outs that extend the curb, or with a safe haven median wide enough for people to rest comfortably at if they only make it halfway across four or more busy lanes of traffic in the allotted 30 seconds.

 

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #2: Cities can’t afford to make their facilities and public spaces more accessible.

Cities benefit when they invest in Universal Design—in other words, when they design places to allow ease of access and use for all, not just people with disabilities.

Universal Design makes neighborhoods safer for older adults, children, families, and everyone else.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #2: Cities can’t afford to make their facilities and public spaces more accessible.

There are a few different points to cover with debunking this one.

For one thing, people with disabilities are the most under and unemployed of any marginalized group.

This is because of the built environment, not their underlying disability.

Spending on mobility, transit, and infrastructure that’s accessible to all would hugely improve access to education, employment, and housing for people with disabilities.

That, in turn, will go back into improving the broader economy and creating a stronger tax base for cities.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #1: The ADA hurts small businesses.

Keeping a building up to code over a half century easily costs a total $250,000.

A tiny fraction of that, $25,000, to improve accessibility could bring in hundreds, or even thousands, of new customers who can now access the diner. Remember, one in four people has some kind of disability.

An accessible business allows the business owner to retain veteran, valuable employees who otherwise may have to retire well before their prime if they become disabled.

When factored into the many costs of doing business, accommodating people with disabilities is not an onerous expense.

And with a rapidly aging America and more people with disabilities joining the workforce, it is both the right and, likely, profitable thing to do.

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY

THIS WEEK, I GAVE THE GIFT OF ADVOCACY FOR

CREATING MORE INCLUSIVE/ACCESSIBLE CITIES

I was honored Wednesday to moderate a Vision Zero Cities panel.

Four experts came together to talk about sidewalks, transit and transportation that can better serve the one in four people in America who have disability that impacts their daily living.

Hosted by the Transportation Alternatives Organization and attended by hundreds, the panel was titled: Creating Inclusive Spaces: Towards Accessible Cities hosted by Transportation Alternatives.

I was joined by the brilliant:

Eman Rimawi Doster, Executive Director of Diversity Includes Disability.

Anna Zivarts, who runs the Disability Mobility Initiative for Disability Rights Washington.

Prashanth Venkataram, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis.

I probably talked to much for a moderator, but I’m passionate about Inclusive Spaces, Accessible Cities and Disability Inclusion.

Planners, transportation pros, architects and all civic designers need to make Universal Design a core part of their approach.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Myth #1: The ADA hurts small businesses.

People repeat, without even thinking, that $25,000 to widen a door, install a ramp, or create an accessible family restroom is going to kill that mom-and-pop diner operated by the same family for 50 years.

Over a half-century, that family that owns their building would have had to replace the roof, HVAC, kitchen equipment, seating, and likely windows and other elements.

It went from a cash register and scratch pad to the expense of generations of computers, plus a website and social media. 

If it didn’t spend big to replace or upgrade plumbing and fixtures, then it’s the filthiest, nastiest restaurant in town.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Establishments have had 33 years’ notice to comply with ADA, because that’s how long the legislation has been in place. 

Congress and state legislatures do not give employers six or 12 months (or 33 years, for that matter) to learn to stop abusing someone’s civil rights based on race, gender, or religion—so why exempt the ADA, the only civil rights legislation based on disability?

As a writer, planner, educator, and activist who has worked within the disability community for four decades, allow me to bust three myths that are commonly used as excuses for not complying with ADA.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Several bills have been introduced in Congress and state legislatures that require any individuals who file lawsuits for pubic accommodations’ failure to remove architectural barriers (under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act) to provide the owner of such establishments with a written notice of the plaintiff’s intent to sue—to allow the would-be defendants to remedy the problem without penalty. 

Most contemplate allowing six or more months to remedy issues that have been in violation for decades.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Buses that have ramps, lifts, or boarding platforms for ease of access are not just for those who use assistive mobility devices, but they also make boarding easier for small children, senior citizens, and urban dwellers schlepping home groceries and goods because they live car free.

Sadly, the landmark civil rights legislation that makes these things possible—and is a game changer for more than 80 million people with disabilities in the U.S. and their families—could be watered down or all but dismantled.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Curb ramps where sidewalks connect to crosswalks are a major benefit of the ADA. 

Curb ramps are not just for wheelchair users, as they make mobility safer for elderly people and families pushing strollers. 

Curb ramps are good for the economy, as well, because they make for easy wheeled delivery of the millions of products delivered via e-commerce daily.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO *NOT* MAKE OUR CITIES

MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 33 on July 26. 

For a third of a century, this landmark civil rights legislation has made it possible for people with disabilities to access public spaces and participate in their communities, in ways they couldn't in the past. 

This has had a marked effect on our built environment and the way cities operate—in ways that benefit both people with disabilities and the general public, as a whole.

CULTURAL CRAWL MIAMI BEACH

KICKS OFF A NEW SEASON WITH A CHAT ABOUT 

MY LITTLE HAVANA PHOTOS THIS THURSDAY

Thrilled to kick off the new Cultural Crawl Miami Beach season October 19 with a chat about my Little Havana photo exhibit at the Art Deco Welcome Center Museum.

Cultural Crawl takes place 6-9 p.m. every third Thursday.

The museum is on Ocean drive at 10^th street in the Heart of South Beach.

Admission is free for Miami-Dade County Residents (a $7 value) and the venue is wheelchair-accessible via a ramp on the southern side of the building.

Everything on display is for sale. There also is a large selection of smaller matted prints in the adjacent gift shop.

Fifty percent of sales go to support historic preservation.

I will be speaking about my passion for photography and preservation -- and greeting friends old and new -- from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at the museum.

https://mdpl.org/event/night-at-the-museum-radio-waves-and-saving-little-havana/

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

“NBCUniversal is trying to develop some shows about disability. 

We’re working with them and trying to get studies to understand that disability is a part of diversity, equity and inclusion — that you must add an A for ‘Access’ to DEI,” James LeBrecht says. 

“Because mainstream films still have a hard time seeing beyond the tropes, I think there is a great need for independent films made by people with disabilities. 

You simply have to tell your story from an authentic viewpoint.”

Resources"

Dani’s Twins: danistwinsfilm.com, IG: DanisTwinsFilm

danistwinsfilm.com

Move Me: movemedoc.com, IG: movememovie

movemedoc.com

Crip Camp: cripcamp.com, IG: CripCampFilm

cripcamp.com

FWD-Doc: fwd-doc.org, IG: FwdDoc

fwd-doc.org

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

James LeBrecht wishes more industry leaders appreciated the value people with disabilities bring to their work. 

“As a person with a disability, if I limit my time, it’s not limiting my creativity,” he says. “I can manage time really well. 

The industry has to change to create openings for all people with imagination and dedication and creativity.”

Knowing that Crip Camp’s success opened doors, LeBrecht has leveraged his renown to grow FWD-Doc. 

By partnering with companies like NBCUniversal, he hopes to keep the industry headed in the right direction.

 

 

 

 

 

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

Obstacles remain when it comes to disabled technical talent progressing on the film career ladder.

“Entry-level positions in film are on-set production assistant(s). 

If you don’t have endurance and agility, it is an absolute deal breaker.

The attitude is ‘if you’re not willing to sleep under your desk, I don’t want you here because you’re not dedicated.’

That kind of pressure will kill people,” James LeBrecht says. 

“Only wanting people who can do a coffee run for 12 people and work 10 days straight — that’s impossible for a single parent, for economically disadvantaged people — it’s bullshit. It has nothing to do with your true value.”

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

FWD-Doc is also thinking beyond the filmmaking process, pushing for more accessibility at film festivals, from screening facilities to after-parties.

James LeBrecht notes that deals for financing, distribution and collaboration get done at festivals, and if they are not accessible to all, the playing field is not level for disabled documentary makers. 

To this end, FWD-Doc created a Film Event Accessibility Scorecard, a handy checklist to steer film festivals away from private screenings that are inaccessible, or after-parties held at lounges that are downstairs, upstairs or are otherwise inaccessible.

With personal memories of how things were, he appreciates the progress the industry has made on including people with disabilities.

“Thank goodness there are easier entry points than there were 30 years ago. 

Being able to use an iPhone, being able to do a podcast, being able to do edits — the price points are much lower than they used to be,”
he says.

 

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

James LeBrecht said that FWD-Doc, funded by the Ford Foundation, Perspective Fund, Field of Vision and Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, has created a private database of people with disabilities who work in many aspects of filmmaking. 

The database allows productions that want to be inclusive to get referrals for hiring industry professionals. 

In association with filmmaking nonprofit Doc Society and supported by Netflix, FWD-Doc published “A Toolkit for Inclusion & Accessibility: 

Changing the Narrative of Disability in Documentary Film,” available as a free download on its website.

LeBrecht appreciates how the film industry has evolved.

“Thank goodness there are easier entry points than there were 30 years ago.”

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

If there was a Mount Rushmore of disabled filmmakers, James LeBrecht would be on it.

The longtime disability rights activist and founder of Berkeley Sound Artists has done sound design work for over 145 films — including as re-recording mixer for Move Me — with a particular focus on documentaries. 

The New York native, who has spina bifida, co-directed Crip Camp, the award-winning 2020 documentary about the birth of the disability rights movement.

James LeBrecht’s passion for film and documentaries inspired him to co-found Filmakers with Disabilities – Documentary, a nonprofit that seeks to increase visibility, support, access and opportunities for deaf, disabled and neurodiverse filmmakers.

FWD-Doc is modeled after successful startup film advocacy groups launched by and for women of color.

UNIVERAL DESIGN BOILED DOWN TO THE BASICS

 PROUD TO SHARE MY PASSION FOR INCLUSION

ON THE MOBILITY MATTERS PODCAST

One in four people has disability.

Designing for all is good business.

Universal Design is the most durable, sustainable, flexible and cost-efficient way of creating the built environment.

Proud to share my expertise, learned from global travel and consulting, on the Mobility Matters podcast hosted by Javier Betancourt, Director of the Miami-Dade County CITT.

Here's a link to my latest passionate discussion of Universal Design and a better built environment for People with Disabilities.

https://fb.watch/nuy8PxasyD

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES 

Kelsey Peterson’s film happened so organically that, looking back, she wouldn’t do much of anything differently.

“My story is about self-discovery. It’s a wild thing to discover that while you’re in a wheelchair, you still have internalized ableism from our culture,” she says.

“I love my body,” she adds. 

“I don’t need to be fixed. But I’m really interested in possible recovery and if it could give me different kinds of pleasure or give me more time.”

 

 

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

Kelsey Peterson advises would-be documentarians in the disability community to “be brave” and reach out to experts in production, funding and broadcasting. 

She suggests working with grant writers, or at least finding multiple good editors to review grant applications and deliver quality feedback. 

“Fundraising is challenging enough as it is, and you don’t want to put in all this effort and wish that you could’ve done more, or feel like you wasted your time,” she says.

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES

“The artist in me came out in documentary form, and it felt like a reblooming of myself.

I could feel it in post-production and the editing room.

This beautiful unraveling. Being able to translate myself.”

Listening to Kelsey Peterson discuss the filmmaking process, it’s clear the experience had a profound effect on her. 

“When I started, I wasn’t even comfortable with the word ‘disability,’ or claiming it,” she says.

“I learned the importance of storytelling for your own personal growth.”

 

BEHIND THE LENS

WHEELCHAIR USERS TELL THEIR STORIES

IN ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARIES 

The team applied to an open call for documentary submissions from nonprofit Independent Television Services and received $350,000 in funding plus a pipeline to PBS. 

ITVS funds and presents documentaries on public television, new media projects on the internet, and the weekly Independent Lens on PBS.

Kelsey Peterson said the support from ITVS turned her project from a personal endeavor to a high-caliber film.

Filming the documentary helped Kelsey Peterson rediscover the internal artist and storyteller she had lost post-SCI. 

She was a successful dancer prior to her injury and loved expressing herself through dance.

She says her “internalized ableism” made it difficult for her to see herself as a dancer after her injury.