The Importance of Widespread Wheelchair Accessibility
Although advocates for disability rights have been speaking on it for decades, the issue of insufficient accessibility in public spaces is just now entering mainstream news coverage. In a recent article from Cable News Network, it was reported that Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett threatened not to attend the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) if the organizers did not provide proper wheelchair access for guests. This statement was issued after Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar, who uses a wheelchair, spent two hours on Nov. 1 trying to enter the COP26 venue and ultimately was unable to participate in any events. The U.N. Climate Change secretariat claimed that it was due to “exceptional and unprecedented logistical circumstances”, even though the COP26 President Alok Sharma had previously stressed the importance of an inclusive conference. True inclusivity cannot exist without accessibility, and the negligence of the COP26 organizers exemplifies an overarching societal disregard for disabled individuals.
Unfortunately, poor accessibility is not a problem exclusively faced by adult wheelchair users. A 2021 report conducted by the Government Accountability Office, an office responsible for monitoring federal spending and performance, showed that 63 percent of school districts have physical barriers that limit disabled students’ mobility and potentially violate the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (American Broadcasting Company News). Schools and organizations like the U.N. have the civic duty to facilitate a comfortable environment for all participants, which includes maintaining basic accessibility and teaching individuals to be conscious of how their actions affect those with disabilities.
“Even at Peninsula, our wheelchair accessibility is not that great,” Associate Principal Katie Clovis said. “It is a maze for people coming from [the front entrance] to get down onto campus. Adapting buildings so that everyone can access them is a legitimate problem. I think it is important to put funds toward it.”
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) states that all students with disabilities are to be given a free public education that is individualized and ensures maximum academic participation with non-disabled students. Although Peninsula complies with these guidelines by supplying necessary equipment for students that use wheelchairs and designing customized special education curricula, this is far from widespread. An investigation from the U.S. Department of Justice in 2016 found that 83 percent of public schools in New York City had entrances, bathrooms or playgrounds that were not ADA-compliant. Most non-disabled students have no idea what it is like for people who use wheelchairs to navigate the world, and they are not conscious of them in a packed school hallway. In order to maximize student safety, sophomore Yuna Oh is required to lower the speeds on her mobility device and leave classes early to avoid crowds.
“[Students] just run around, even when there is a wheelchair,” Oh said. “They rush in front and do not make way [for me] because they do not understand [that] I need to slow the settings [to keep everyone safe].”
The next step for Peninsula and other schools to take would be to foster more interaction between disabled and non-disabled students, ultimately encouraging an empathetic approach to disability awareness. Furthermore, major renovation in public infrastructure, both inside and outside of school campuses, needs to take place before the world is truly disability-friendly. “[People should be] more aware of other [people] who have physical needs,” Resource teacher Crestina Quesada said. “I know everybody is in their own world, but just be more conscious of what is going on around you.”
