5 Things Accessibility Should Always Be
As a person living with disability, accessibility is always at the forefront of my mind. Not just considering my own disabilities, but also the disabilities of other individuals as well. I can’t help but look at the world through new eyes since being struck by a car traveling 48mph while crossing the street in downtown Phoenix in 2017. I look at sidewalks and entrances, signs and noise levels. I take it all in and quite honestly, it makes me sad that many people are excluded from being able to fully participate in the world. I’m one of those people and I am not alone. In the United States alone, 1 in 4 persons is living with at least one disability (I’ve got a few-good times!😂)
I’ve created a list of five things that accessibility should always be, and I hope that we (globally) move in this direction.
ACCESSIBILITY SHOULD BE…
A Consideration at the Onset
During my speaking engagement at the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference, I spoke about making space settlements accessible for all citizens. Space settlements are an opportunity for us to create environments that are accessible for everyone at the onset, during their creation, which is much easier than trying to retrofit and work backwards to make things work for all individuals. The same should apply to Earth. Just like other marginalized voices, disabled persons should be a part of the conversations at the beginning, rather than making us have to raise a stink about it after the fact. 😜 I did an additional talk about Disabilities as Superpowers. Disabled persons are creative, our disabilities can offer unique strengths, and even advantages. Why not use that as a resource at the onset in planning and implantation across all sectors?
Inclusive of All Peoples
Deaf, blind, black, jewish, indigenous, asian, queer, religious, wheelchair-bound, brain injury, psychological, neurodivergent, limb difference…it may seem impossible to try to accommodate everyone & their various experiences as disabled persons…but that doesn’t mean we can’t try! In the words of Dr. Seuss, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” No one should bet left out. An important thing to keep in mind is that when you create accessibility for one group, it often benefits several others, even those without disabilities! For instance, with brain injury, we experience visual disturbances, balance issues, sensory sensitivities, and more. Visual disturbance accommodations for brain injury survivors also help those who have low vision. Accommodations for our balance issues can benefit those who use wheelchairs or have limb differences. Accessibility considerations for our sensory sensitivities can benefit those who are neurodivergent. (As a brain injury survivor, I love a good “Quiet Room”!)
*Note: I don’t really care for the word “accommodations” because if we had been considered in the first place, we wouldn’t have to be “accommodated” after the fact. 🤷🏽♀️ “Accommodations” can imply that it’s special treatment when what we’re asking for is actually just equal treatment.
Accepted by All
In order for accessibility to really work, everyone has to be on board with it. That is why if you are someone who is not living with a disability, it’s important to avail yourself of the numerous resources that are available in order to help you better understand the disability experience and how to be an effective ally. We can’t do it alone, so we need our non-disabled brothers and sisters to get on board with making sure everyone is considered.
Not Made the Responsibility of Disabled Persons
Disabled persons should not have to bear the weight of fighting for an accessible world by themselves. We are tired, y’all. Even those of us who are advocates get frustrated at the lack of empathy and having to try to convince everyone that we deserve to be considered and to have the same rights and to be able to enjoy life the same way that people without disabilities do. We need your help.
Not Taken Personally
Rights are not pie. Giving rights and considerations to somebody else doesn’t mean less for you. There’s enough accessibility pie to go around for everyone, trust me. Disabled persons asking for things to be made accessible is not a personal attack against you, and should never be taken as such. (That’s not an excuse for people to be rude to you though, disabled or not.) You may not always get it right. Even as a disabled person myself, I certainly don’t, but if you do get corrected, don’t take it personally. My mom recently helped me reframe this situation as being a positive because in being corrected, you gave someone the opportunity to find and use their voice, and especially for disabled persons who are often marginalized, that is so important. So don’t take the fight for accessibility personally, pull up your sleeves and come alongside us, babe. We need you.
Join us for the next virtual meeting of Resilient Roots Support Group for Parents Living with Brain Injury!
©2024 Cazoshay Marie. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cazoshay Marie with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
D.I.D. with Cazoshay and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.
Brain Injury Association of America: My Brain Injury Story
I’m honored to have had the opportunity to share a little bit about my journey with brain injury with the Brain Injury Association of America. I talked about how my family has been a great sense of support & much more in this feature! Click the link below to read the full story.
Disabilities As Superpowers
Question: What do J’onn J’onzz, Professor X & Geordi La Forge all have in common?
Answer: They all have disabilities & are also highly gifted!
Image Credit: DC
Growing up, I was immersed in the fantastical worlds of superhero stories, comic books, & sci-fi shows & movies. In many instances these stories featured characters with extraordinary abilities, but what often fascinated me most were the ones who grappled with disabilities, yet still managed to shine as heroes. Characters like the Martian Manhunter, Professor X, & Geordi LaForge demonstrated that disabilities could be integrated into their identities, oftentimes even transforming them into valuable superpowers. Little did I know then that these stories were not just flights of fancy but reflections of real-life potential that I would have the opportunity to further explore after becoming disabled myself as the result of a life-altering traumatic accident.
Image Credit: Marvel
Image Credit: Paramount
In May of 2023, I had the opportunity to speak at the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference. I shed light on an unconventional idea: disabilities can be superpowers, even in space. Historically, NASA's strict physical requirements have excluded individuals with disabilities from its astronaut program. However, a fascinating experiment in the late 1950s involving deaf individuals, known as the "Gadaullet Eleven," revealed an unexpected advantage. Their immunity to motion sickness due to inner ear impairments showcased how disabilities can offer unique strengths, and even advantages over able-bodied astronauts, in the field of space exploration.
The Power of Disability
In my research for my talk, I found very interesting information about how the plasticity of the brain allows for remarkable adaptations. When one sense is lost or absent, the brain compensates by enhancing others. This phenomenon, documented in a Stanford article, means that individuals with disabilities often develop heightened abilities in other areas. For example, blindness can lead to enhanced auditory awareness, making individuals more attuned to sounds around them.
My talk at the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference
Harnessing Cognitive Diversity
Including individuals with disabilities in the design and planning of communities, events & environments offers invaluable insights. Our everyday experiences navigating accessibility challenges equip us with a unique perspective on designing inclusive environments. By incorporating the feedback of disabled individuals early in the design process, you can also help to avoid the need for costly retrofits later on down the line.
Pictured with Rod Pyle, Author, Editor-in-Chief, Radio Personality, Keynote Speaker for IBM, Smithsonian, NASA, BAE Defense, and others who also worked on the set of Star Trek!
Embracing the Potential
Often, disabilities are only limitations because society constructs them as such. Consider this: are disabilities inherent flaws, or products of an environment designed without diverse needs in mind? Reframing our perspective unveils new possibilities. Just as the deaf individuals in NASA’s experiments flourished in adverse conditions, our disabilities can propel us to creative solutions and inclusive designs.
Instead of viewing disabilities as limitations, why not explore how they can be utilized as superpowers? By harnessing the unique strengths that individuals with disabilities bring to the table, we can enhance the efficiency & inclusivity of the ways in which our world functions. Including disabled persons in these vital conversations not only expands our possibilities, but also fosters a more diverse and equitable future for all.
Conclusion
The examples I’ve shared here offer just a glimpse into the potential of disabilities as superpowers. Disabilities are not hindrances; they are superpowers awaiting discovery. By embracing the experience & expertise of those with disabilities, we can create a vibrant future that is truly accessible to all. As Professor X once said, "You have the chance to become part of something much bigger than yourself." Let's seize that opportunity and pave the way for a more inclusive journey into the future.
Pictured at my talk at the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference
Sources
1. Stanford University School of Medicine. "Supersensors: How Loss of One Sense Impacts Others."
2. NASA. "How 11 Deaf Men Helped Shape NASA's Human Spaceflight Program."
3. Center for Universal Design. North Carolina State University.
4. Povinelli, Elizabeth. "The Case for Disabled Astronauts." Scientific American.
5. Astro Access. "About."
©2024 Cazoshay Marie. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cazoshay Marie with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
D.I.D. with Cazoshay and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.
“Disabled & Elegant”
I have struggled these past few months with keeping my blog updated. Both physically & directionally. I’ve been endeavoring to post on my TikTok every day, have become an active member of the Brain Injury Association of America’s Advisory Council, have speaking events scheduled & I have an amazing Super Senior who is active & preparing for college. Needless to say, all that has been taxing on me physically & I haven’t been able to keep up with posting here.
I’ve also struggled with the direction that I want to take the blog in. I don’t feel like my previous posts, although many have been popular (“The Gentlemen’s (Southern") Spicy Pickled Eggs” from 2022 remains a top hit), I’m in a different place style-wise, & mentally as well.
When talking all this out with my Advisor (aka my much cooler than me Gen Z son), he said, “make it be about how you’re disabled and elegant. That’s you.”
Could it really be that simple?
He’s not wrong, that pretty much encompasses where I’m at in life. As a disabled person, especially as one living with invisible disabilities, there was a big part of me that felt like I had to present a certain way. Not dishonestly, but certainly holding back & not showing the real me for fear of judgment & negative reactions. (Which I have experienced more than my fair share of as a disabled person.
The real me loves fashion, luxury beauty (luxury anything really), etiquette, entertaining & dressing up for no reason other than that I’m grateful to be alive & realize what a blessing that is. Especially after being struck by a car traveling 48mph while crossing the street in downtown Phoenix. A traumatic event that could have easily taken my life. I’m no longer saving things for a “special occasion” because every day that God gives you is a special occasion.
Going forward, this blog will share even more about my experiences of living with disability, all from the perspective of an individual #SurTHRIVE-ing with elegance, grace & the vulnerability of showing who I really am as a person. Secondhand Chanel pumps and all. (Eco-friendly & cost-effective!)
All this means that there will still be recipes, but also tips for hosting easy & elegant dinner parties (hello, cloth napkin folding!) & maybe some outfit & beauty posts added for good measure. And of course I’ll be talking about life as someone living with traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, nerve damage & more.
I hope you’ll join along with me on the next part of my journey.
©2024 Cazoshay Marie. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cazoshay Marie with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
D.I.D. with Cazoshay and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.
ANNOUNCEMENT: MSKTC TBI Ambassador
I’m pleased to announce that I am now a TBI Ambassador for the Model System Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC).
MSKTC Offers Free Research-based User-friendly Resources for People Living With Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Burn Injury
The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC; https://msktc.org/) offers free research-based user-friendly information resources to support individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI; https://msktc.org/sci), traumatic brain injury (TBI; https://msktc.org/tbi), and burn injury (https://msktc.org/burn). MSKTC collaborates with researchers from the SCI, TBI and Burn Model System Programs to develop resources that cover a wide range of topics and are available in various formats such as factsheets (in both English and Spanish), infocomics, videos, and podcasts. MSKTC resources may be reproduced and distributed freely with appropriate attribution; prior permission must be obtained for inclusion in fee-based materials. Both the MSKTC and Model System Programs are funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, Administration for Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services. For questions about MSKTC resources, please contact msktc@air.org.
Disclaimer: The contents of this resource were developed with funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPKT0009). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this resource do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
©Cazoshay Marie, 2023. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cazoshay Marie with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
D.I.D. with Cazoshay and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.