Building a Better Future: Creating Inclusive Environments for People with Disabilities
The Growing Impact of Disabilities
In today’s world, an increasing number of young individuals are facing disabilities at alarming rates. The various impacts of long Covid alone are estimated to affect between 8 and 25 percent of those who have been infected (source). However, it is not just Covid that poses a threat to the future of people with disabilities; pollution and environmental factors are also playing a significant role in the rise of disabilities.
Pollution, including air pollution, is contributing to the higher rates and earlier onset of environmentally-induced disabilities such as various types of cancers, asthma, chemical sensitivities, and autoimmune disabilities (source). The effects of pollution on the planet itself, resulting in what has been termed “disabled ecologies,” further highlight the need for urgent action and inclusive environments. We must recognize that disabled individuals have important insights on how to live, age, and exist in these disabled ecologies (source).
The Challenges of Space Travel for Disabled Individuals
Even in promising futures like space travel, the production of disabilities cannot be avoided. Space environments, much like the built environment on Earth, are not suitable for any human bodies, leading to physical impairments and lasting damage for astronauts. The longer they spend in space, the worse these disabling effects become (source).
This reality challenges the notions of technofuturists who believe technology can magically eliminate the disabling effects of space travel. Instead, we must acknowledge and accept that disability will continue to exist, evolve, and manifest in new forms in the future. However, this does not mean that medical projects aimed at treating diseases and disabilities are unpromising; rather, it highlights the importance of preparing for the future of disabled individuals.
Embracing Disabilities: A Call for Inclusion
To build a better future for all, we must become more comfortable with other people’s disabilities and accept the fact that disability may affect us at some point in our lives. Recognizing and eradicating ableism becomes crucial in creating inclusive environments where people with disabilities can thrive. This necessitates shedding techno-ableism, the belief that technology alone is the solution to disability, and acknowledging the creative ways in which disabled communities shape and navigate the world.
Planning for the future must involve accepting the existence and powerful role of people with disabilities within it. By doing so, we can work towards building truly inclusive societies where diversity is celebrated and valued.
The Power of Disabled Space Travel
Disabled space travel serves as a powerful case study in understanding the potential of disabled individuals in shaping the future. The Society of Deaf Poets, a literary magazine run by deaf and disabled people, prompted readers to dream about disabled individuals in space in their special issue titled “#CripsInSpace” (source). This unique perspective challenges the limited options often faced by disabled individuals and invites exploration of how they can be best prepared to journey to the stars.
Furthermore, disabled space travel has been considered by experts, such as blind linguist Sheri Wells-Jensen, who advocate for the inclusion of disabled astronauts. Wells-Jensen argues that having a blind crew member on board would offer unique advantages, highlighting the need for better-designed spacesuits to transmit tactile information in space (source).
Expanding Perspectives: Looking Beyond the Surface
While the initial discussions on disabilities and inclusive environments covered in the article shed light on the challenges faced by disabled individuals, it is important to delve deeper into the subject matter and explore related concepts and practical examples to captivate readers and provide them with unique insights. Here are some key points to consider when understanding disabilities and building inclusive environments:
- Disability is not limited to physical impairments; it encompasses a wide range of conditions and challenges.
- Accessible and inclusive environments benefit not only disabled individuals but society as a whole by promoting diversity, innovation, and creativity.
- The social model of disability emphasizes the role of societal barriers in creating disability, highlighting the need to address such barriers.
- Universal design principles can help create environments and products that are accessible to people with various disabilities.
- Employment opportunities for disabled individuals are crucial for fostering inclusion and empowerment.
- Education and awareness about disabilities play a vital role in breaking down stigmas and misconceptions.
- Engaging with disabled communities and seeking their input and insights are essential in creating inclusive environments.
The statistics mentioned earlier regarding the impacts of long Covid and pollution on disability rates can further emphasize the urgency and importance of taking action to create inclusive environments.
Conclusion
The future of people with disabilities is already here, and it is our responsibility to ensure the creation of inclusive and accessible environments. Recognizing the challenges posed by long Covid, pollution, and space travel, we must embrace disabled individuals’ powerful role in shaping the future. By shedding ableism, eradicating societal barriers, and valuing diversity, we can build a better future for all. Let us not view disability as an endpoint, but as a journey towards inclusivity, understanding, and acceptance.
Summary
Today, a growing number of young individuals are experiencing disabilities at alarming rates, with the impacts of long Covid and pollution contributing to these numbers. To prepare for the future, it is crucial to create inclusive and accessible environments that cater to the needs of people with disabilities. Additionally, even in promising fields like space travel, disabilities cannot be fully eliminated, and recognizing the perspectives and insights of disabled individuals becomes essential. By embracing disabilities and shedding ableism, we can build a better future that celebrates diversity and inclusivity.
—————————————————-
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| 90’s Rock Band Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Nature’s Secret to More Energy | View |
| Ancient Recipe for Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| You Need a VPN in 2023 – Liberty Shield | View |
Today the young are becoming disabled in record numbers with all the various impacts of long Covid, which is estimated to affect between 8 and 25 percent of people who have been infected. The future of people with disabilities is coming now and we need to create inclusive and accessible environments so that people with disabilities of all types and ages can cope with it.
Beyond Covid, pollution is increasing rates of environmentally produced disability: higher levels and lower ages of onset. different types of cancers, as well as increasing rates of asthma, chemical sensitivities, and autoimmune disabilities, some of which may be due to smog and poor air quality conditions. The future is also disabled for the planet itself. Sunaura Taylor, a disabled colleague and environmental and animal activist, writes powerfully about “disabled ecologies”that constitute the landscapes that we have deteriorated. His case study is the Superfund site in Tucson, Arizona, which contaminated local groundwater and, 40 years later, is still affecting the land and surrounding communities. She believes disabled people have important insights about how to live, age, and exist in disabled ecologies. She reminds us that we cannot simply throw away our land, our environment. We have to learn to live in a world where we have disabilities.
Even with hopeful futures like that of space travel, we can expect the production of disability. Space is already incapacitating for humans. Just as the built environment on Earth is not suitable for disabled bodies, space as an environment is not suitable for any human bodies. Every astronaut returns from the low gravity of space with damage to their bones and eyes, and the longer they spend off the Earth’s surface, the worse the damage. Some things can be restored over time, but some changes are long-lasting. These realities are absent in futuristic writings about technology, which are presented simply as a way to magically eliminate the disabling effects of space travel.
This is why technofuturists’ discussions of “The end of disability“They are so stupid. Disability doesn’t end; let’s see further and newer forms of disability in the future. This does not mean that all medical projects aimed at treating diseases and disabilities are unpromising. But we must prepare for the future of disabled people: become more comfortable with other people’s disabilities, accept the fact that we ourselves will eventually be disabled (if we are not already), learn to recognize and eradicate ableism – all These are measurements. towards building a better future for all. Planning for the future realistically requires accepting the existence, and indeed the powerful role, of people with disabilities in it. We must shed techno-ableism (the harmful belief that technology is a “solution” to disability) and instead pay due attention to the ways in which disabled communities create and shape the world, live with loss, they navigate hostility and adapt creatively.
the promise of Disabled space travel is a particularly powerful case study. Literary magazine run by deaf and disabled people The Society of Deaf Poets asked us to dream in 2017 with his #CripsInSpace special problem. Edited by Alice Wong and Sam de Leve, this issue was announced with a video of de Leve showing us how they are especially suited to the space, since as wheelchair users they were already trained to push themselves off kitchen counters and walls to get to where they wanted to go. They also noted that while most children can dream of being astronauts, disabled people often have fewer options, even early in life. So they asked us to dream, write and create art: the issue features stories, prose and poetry in which people think about how they are best prepared to go to the stars.
Others have also considered disabled space travel and disabled futures. In 2018, blind linguist Sheri Wells-Jensen (now the 2023 Baruch S. Blumberg Chair of Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation at NASA/Library of Congress) made “The case of disabled astronauts” in American scientist. He wrote about how useful it would be to have a totally blind crew member on board. Spacesuits would need to be better designed to transmit tactile information, but a blind astronaut would not be affected by dim or poor lighting or loss of vision caused by smoke, and would be able to respond unhindered and cloudless to such an emergency—Wells -Jensen refers to a problem in the Mir where they couldn’t find the fire extinguisher when the power went out.
—————————————————-