People with disabilities continue to be inspiring. They overcome the challenges and, for some, the adjustments during the transition after a life-altering event.
Nobody can deny that people with disabilities have changed the world through extraordinary means. Stephen Hawking’s contributions to general relativity and quantum gravity changed the realm of quantum physics and the way people view the universe. In music, practically everyone knows Ludwig van Beethoven because of his significance in the realm of classical music. Helen Keller, talking about blindness in her autobiographies, has advanced the conversation about disabilities, leading to the improvement of their treatment and their release from asylums.
Today, people living with disabilities comprise 15 percent of the global population. Two to four percent of them experience difficulties in day-to-day life.
It’s true that these people have benefits, but they also have to fight for their social security disability applications, going through hearings, councils, and needing an attorney. Every day, they face obstacles such as stairs, slim doorways, and shows that do not have captions. While these people become inspirations and conquer every difficulty they face, the public should also work towards increasing inclusivity for people with disabilities.
Wider Doorways
The minimum size for an interior door is 24 inches, and this is often used for powder rooms, utility rooms, and closet doors. Doors of newer houses have a standard of 30 inches in width.
To make the doors more accessible for people with armchairs and those who need assistance as they walk, the minimum requirement is 36 inches. Applying this to the house makes it more timeless, as elderly family members will benefit from this accessibility in the future. Offices, on the other hand, should welcome every client that comes to them to avail of their services, and this includes people with disabilities.
Braille in Public Places
In Japan, public spaces have “Braille blocks.” These are bright yellow tiles on the floor that have dots or lines to guide visually impaired people as they walk around the place, but they don’t use actual braille. The ones with straight lines are guide blocks that signal direction. Those with dots are warning blocks, and they are found on spots that present potential danger: station platforms, stairways, before crosswalks, guide boards, and obstacles.
Aside from braille blocks, labels for beer cans come with braille, so those who are blind can avoid taking the wrong drink. Hopefully, in the future, incorporating these features become a global standard. When sidewalks have braille blocks and labels come with braille, it will be a safer world for people with visual disabilities.
Sign Language Interpreters
People have a wide range of interests. For perfectly able people, this is easy to access. They can watch a political debate, stay up-to-date with the news, or go to local for all they want. For people with hearing impairments, all these are a challenge, and it could come to their dismay if these events occur without sign language interpreters.
Sign language interpreters are commonly found at the lower corner of the screen on TV, making hand gestures according to the speech from the people on screen. This is best done in live TV since accurate captioning could be difficult to accomplish in real-time.
They should not be limited to TV shows, however, because physical events can have them, too. Concerts of well-known artists hire them. They’re not only super cool for keeping up with rap music, but they also help people with deaf impairments enjoy the music.
Captioning or Subtitles
A few years ago, the internet had a debate about subtitles. People were claiming that people who hate it have low reading skills or that they just plainly “suck.” Where this debate is going, no one knows. One thing’s for sure, though, subtitles are beneficial for people with hearing impairments. They show what’s being said onscreen for the people to read them and understand the show.
Because of modern technology, sites have adapted the auto-captions method. The device interprets the speech and automatically translates it to words. YouTube incorporates this in videos that don’t have subtitles. Google Meet also has this feature for video conferencing. The only caveat is that it’s not accurate. Therefore, content creators can be more inclusive by adding captions to their videos when they upload.
As the world progresses in innovation and technology, incorporating ways to become more inclusive of people with disabilities should advance as well. While the world gives them an appreciation for their achievements and resilience, it is also the world’s responsibility to build an environment that makes their lives easier.
