Post by @chronicallyjenni

I want to challenge you to something. I’m calling it The Access Challenge. For one day, choose a disability. Not because you’re pretending to have that disability, but because you’re planning your day around the access needs of someone who does. Rule one: Before you do anything, research how someone with your chosen disability would do it. Going to work? Getting the train? Meeting a friend? Going shopping? Going to the cinema? If you don’t know how they’d do it, find out. Rule two: If the information isn’t online, do what disabled people do. Email. Call. Explain the access needs. Advocate for the information if it isn’t forthcoming. That’s the invisible labour that happens before we’ve even left the house. Rule three: Follow the same rules we do. If you’ve chosen a wheelchair user and want to catch a train, find out whether the stations are step-free and how to book assistance. If it must be booked 24 hours in advance, you have to wait too. If you’ve chosen a Deaf person and want to go to the cinema, find a captioned screening. If you’ve chosen an autistic person and want to visit somewhere busy, check for quieter sessions or sensory information and only go then. If you can’t find the information, or the answer is no, you can’t do it. Rule four: If you’re told somewhere is accessible, but when you arrive it isn’t, you don’t get to ignore the barrier. Nope not even if the step is only tiny! You don’t get to find another way in or pretend it doesn’t matter. You turn around and leave. Because that’s the decision disabled people are so often forced to make. This is the invisible labour of disability. It’s not just living with our conditions. It’s researching, planning, checking, emailing, calling, explaining, advocating and making backup plans, sometimes all before we’ve even left the house. So if you’ve ever wondered why disabled people ask so many questions before booking a holiday, choosing a restaurant or visiting a venue, try The Access Challenge. I think you’ll see accessibility differently. Save this video and come back tomorrow to let me know how you got on. #Accessibility #DisabilityAwareness #DisabilityEducatio