Mar
5
Inclusion…the process
March 5, 2007 | 2 Comments
There can be a problem with inclusion when people expect there to be no problems.”
-Me
I really don’t know if anyone else ever said that, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s my quote.
Yesterday I ran into an inclusion issue at church. A retreat I wanted to go on is being held in a location that has a ramp but doesn’t have an accessible bathroom, which is an issue for me. I spoke to the woman who is running the retreat and she checked the details out for me and relayed the situation to me.
We worked things out in a very productive way . The people in my parish try very hard – harder than I’ve ever seen people try – to accommodate what I need.
I’ve said before that inclusion is a two way street. By that I mean that both sides have to hang in there and work toward it. It doesn’t happen overnight and it takes communication.
After using a wheelchair for over a decade, I know how far we still have to go with access. Hence the quote above – access, especially when traveling, can be dicey. (At this point, I hear voices chime up saying how much better it is now than it was and I acknowledge that. Sit down. Unless you already are.)
Part of inclusion, then, is bridging the kinds of gaps in experience between people who use a wheelchair every day and those who aren’t familiar with that. This is an ongoing process. Able bodied people just don’t have to find out if places have ramps and accessible bathrooms before they go somewhere. We do.
This can be hard to accept when your disability is new. The initial shock of realizing that I was the one in the wheelchair who couldn’t go here or there has now worn off and I realize that, despite the advances in access, it still requires planning, inquiries and creativity for me to travel. I have to be specific and realistic about what I need. I then need to communicate this to other people.
In this case, this woman was kind enough to do all of the footwork, which I appreciate. Most of the time I do that myself. It can be time consuming getting access information and at times people on the other end of the phone, whether you’re dealing with a hotel, restaurant or retreat center, may not be knowledgeable about access issues. It can take a number of calls to even find out what kind of access they have and you may not even get accurate information.
When it happens with church activities, this whole process can feel frustrating to both sides. It’s extremely important to remember, as we go through growing pains with inclusion together, that the dialogue we have as parishioners is a crucial step in the achievement of inclusion. Even if the immediate problem cannot be solved, planning for the future is an option. And working through solutions together – well that’s inclusion in and of itself.
This world is not built for wheelchairs. As my fellow parishioners learn how much of an issue it can be at times, I find myself marvelling at their willingness to be flexible and their commitment to include me.
But after years of dealing with this alone so many times, what I cherish most is that they truly care.
Comments
2 Comments so far
I have found that there are people who care and seem to try and have an understanding of the obstacles placed in front of those in a wheelchair.
When I was blessed with the ability to travel I found that in the U.S.A. where there are laws to aid those in wheelchairs, that there is little real aid in allowing one to have a normal life.
Yet while in Europe, especially Luxemburg, England and Scotland they do all they can to aid those in wheelchairs. An example of this is that in London all taxis have wheelchair accessible ramps that fold down, all new busses have wheelchair access as well, and they were ready to aid those who wish to use the rail system with enough notice. The new Double Decker bus actually lowers its frame and a ramp is extended.
Of course Edinburgh was a bit different, there transportation is accomplished by a series of volunteers whose numbers you can call who have special vans to aid you move about town.
God has seemed fit to keep me from traveling at present. So I was not able to accept the invitation to accept the 150th anniversary of the apparition in Lourdes. My new large wheelchair and necessity for occasional mixture of compressed air and oxygen to keep my lungs working has stopped all travel. Having entered the hermitage has now made that a moot point.
May God’s blessings be upon you.
Brother Michael Anthony,
Thank you for your comment. My friends in Europe have said similar things, although I was unaware of the volunteer system in Edinburgh- how wonderful. In some sense in the US, I often hear people refer to our law, the ADA, as the entire solution to “getting around” and access, but as you point out, many obstacles require human aid and assistance. I am sorry you couldn’t go to Lourdes.
Ruth