Going in the Main Entrance, or Access and Aesthetics
I just watched a news story about a family in Colorado who is currently fighting with their neighbors to keep the ramp in the front of their house for their disabled daughter. The neighbors want the ramp gone because they think that it will affect the value of their house. The neighbors want the ramp gone for aesthetic reasons; they don't care about accessibility. They don't get that the ramp is not an option, but a necessity. They don't get by asking the family to remove the ramp, they are effectively denying their daughter access to her house. They don't get it, but they're not the only ones.
I hear people talk about accessibility in aesthetic terms all the time. People don't want to put in ramps because they are "ugly". People are told to hide their accessible devices because they "look weird". Where I live there is a shopping center that was built after the ADA that has the ramp in the back, leading up to back entrances which aren't always open. The ramp is in the back for purely aesthetic purposes. I have been denied entrance into an ice cream shop in that shopping center because they told me I needed to use the front entrance. When I told them it wasn't accessible to me they still wouldn't open up the back door. I was humiliated and I didn't know what to do. I had been discriminated against by people, but also by the infrastructure.
Every time we talk about accessibility in aesthetic terms we completely miss the mark. It should never be legal, or even acceptable to think about denying somebody proper entrance into any kind of building because of what an accessible entrance looks like. The amount of privilege it takes to even consider doing that makes me want to puke. It's not about what it looks like, it's about access! You would never remove the steps because they weren't aesthetically pleasing, you would realize that they were a necessity, and you would get over it. Why should ramps be any different? They are not optional! They are a necessity.
I'm so sick of people looking at accessible access as a burden or an eyesore. I am so sick of being relegated to back entrances and freight elevators. I am so sick of being told that I should not be seen. The idea that accessibility is ugly is pervasive. The idea that accessibility is ugly promotes ableism. The idea that accessibility is ugly promotes the idea that it is acceptable to continually separate disabled people from non-disabled people. I'm sick of having to go around back, I'm sick of being told accessibility should not be seen, I'm sick of people only looking at the aesthetic value of things like ramps and elevators.
A ramp is not optional. An elevator is not a choice. A stair lift is not a luxury. Without ramps, elevators, and stair lifts. I cannot get into buildings. Without ramps, elevators and stair lifts I am stuck on the outside. It doesn't matter what they look like they are my only choice. They are my only way of accessing a building or my home. When people say that they don't want ramps around because they are ugly, they are also saying they don't want disabled people who need ramps around. It is not simply about the object, but also about the person you are affecting when you ask for the object to be removed.
If we continue to demand that accessibility be hidden for aesthetic purposes, we are also continuing to demand that disabled people stay hidden. When we don't want to see ramps or elevators, we also are saying we don't want to see the people who need them. When we ask people to remove a ramp, we are also asking them to deny entrance to people who would use it. It's time to stop thinking of accessibility in purely aesthetic terms. It's time to remember that at the end of the day it's about access, and it doesn't really matter what it looks like. It's time to stop relegating disabled people to back alleys and service entrances. It's time to start realizing that we deserve to go through the front door, just like everyone else.
I hear people talk about accessibility in aesthetic terms all the time. People don't want to put in ramps because they are "ugly". People are told to hide their accessible devices because they "look weird". Where I live there is a shopping center that was built after the ADA that has the ramp in the back, leading up to back entrances which aren't always open. The ramp is in the back for purely aesthetic purposes. I have been denied entrance into an ice cream shop in that shopping center because they told me I needed to use the front entrance. When I told them it wasn't accessible to me they still wouldn't open up the back door. I was humiliated and I didn't know what to do. I had been discriminated against by people, but also by the infrastructure.
Every time we talk about accessibility in aesthetic terms we completely miss the mark. It should never be legal, or even acceptable to think about denying somebody proper entrance into any kind of building because of what an accessible entrance looks like. The amount of privilege it takes to even consider doing that makes me want to puke. It's not about what it looks like, it's about access! You would never remove the steps because they weren't aesthetically pleasing, you would realize that they were a necessity, and you would get over it. Why should ramps be any different? They are not optional! They are a necessity.
I'm so sick of people looking at accessible access as a burden or an eyesore. I am so sick of being relegated to back entrances and freight elevators. I am so sick of being told that I should not be seen. The idea that accessibility is ugly is pervasive. The idea that accessibility is ugly promotes ableism. The idea that accessibility is ugly promotes the idea that it is acceptable to continually separate disabled people from non-disabled people. I'm sick of having to go around back, I'm sick of being told accessibility should not be seen, I'm sick of people only looking at the aesthetic value of things like ramps and elevators.
A ramp is not optional. An elevator is not a choice. A stair lift is not a luxury. Without ramps, elevators, and stair lifts. I cannot get into buildings. Without ramps, elevators and stair lifts I am stuck on the outside. It doesn't matter what they look like they are my only choice. They are my only way of accessing a building or my home. When people say that they don't want ramps around because they are ugly, they are also saying they don't want disabled people who need ramps around. It is not simply about the object, but also about the person you are affecting when you ask for the object to be removed.
If we continue to demand that accessibility be hidden for aesthetic purposes, we are also continuing to demand that disabled people stay hidden. When we don't want to see ramps or elevators, we also are saying we don't want to see the people who need them. When we ask people to remove a ramp, we are also asking them to deny entrance to people who would use it. It's time to stop thinking of accessibility in purely aesthetic terms. It's time to remember that at the end of the day it's about access, and it doesn't really matter what it looks like. It's time to stop relegating disabled people to back alleys and service entrances. It's time to start realizing that we deserve to go through the front door, just like everyone else.
