Designing for Accessibility

I really connected with the topic today concerning designing for the population with limited accessibility to the world. This connection was made because I was in a car accident that left my right leg in a cast from crotch to toe for about 4 months. The injuries I sustained made mobility impossible without a a friend and a wheelchair for about 6 months then transitioning to a walker or set of crutches. I did go out into the world throughout the entire experience so I really gained perspective on how a permanent handicap changes a life.

My dad used to take me to the movies every weekend but I always had to sit on the bottom row. It was uncomfortable on my neck and there wasn't adequate room for my casted leg. I also went to a theatre to see Carrot Top and I had to pull my wheelchair into a handicapped spot on the very end of the row we had tickets for, and luckily my friends and family were able to switch seats with the people at the end seats. I also noticed small details such as inclines in parking lots and sidewalks, where I could gain a lot of speed in a short amount of time, possibly becoming a hazard. Also, entrances off the beaten track can be an easy target for an attack of a person with limited mobility.

Watching the wheelchair video was pretty awesome because I had seen it before and kind of forgot about it. It was a great way to get minds thinking about how difficult it is for certain people to execute and enjoy the simplest of tasks. If I had that wheelchair, I could've gone into my room, and a plethora of other destinations during my experience in a wheelchair.

Nationally, a lot of effort has been made to accommodate for all kinds of handicaps but there are still a lot of things that can be tweaked to integrate all walks of life and help others better understand the rest of the population.