>> Mobility impairment is not compatible with "car-free" or "bikes only" events. <<
In my observation, it really depends on how an event is arranged -- how big it is, how the travel paths are laid out, the texture of the ground, etc. And most of all: did they hire an inclusivity consultant and/or talk to folks from the local disability group(s) to get experienced input on accessibility?
One approach is to call an event's information number well in advance and ask to speak to their accessibility person. They usually won't have one. If they do not, give them a list of suitable consultants. If citizens nag and nag for long enough, usually events will start trying to meet that need. It's not universal yet, but there are a lot more vegetarian and allergen-free food trucks so people can fucking eat.
>> They regularly close streets to vehicle traffic where I live, making walk or bike the only way to access certain areas for an entire weekend. If they do it near my neighborhood, I am almost literally trapped in my house.<<
That is completely unacceptable. Quite possibly, it is also illegal under ADA standards. You and other disabled people in your area could band together and challenge them on that basis -- and even if they don't change, humiliate them in public. Make the event synonymous in people's minds with imprisonment of people with disabilities, the elderly, etc.
>> They try to emphasize bike and walk, but don't have enough benches to sit on, and those that are there are made "anti-homeless" and uncomfortable for anyone bigger than a size 12 to sit on. <<
That's troublesome, but straightforward to fix: add more benches and make sure they suit people's needs. If the city refuses, then shame them. SHAAAAAAME. Large people can take pictures of themselves not fitting the benches. People who can't walk far can unroll a green streamer from their house as far as they go, then have a friend run a red streamer from there to the nearest bench. Calculate the distances between benches and compare that to how far people can typically go with various limitations, including post-surgery medical advice. Post to YouTube or other public venues. SHAAAAAAAAME.
>> They have those damned rent-a-scooters, and enough people4 ride the and bicycles on the goddamn sidewalk that even trying to walk very far means getting run over on the sidewalk. <<
That is a harder problem to fix because of poor infrastructure design. In order to work, shared-use paths must be at least 8' wide and preferably 10-12' wide. A typical 3-4' sidewalk is nowhere near enough unless traffic is very low, and even then you can't get two wide vehicles (scooters, wheelchairs, strollers) past each other without going off the pavement. And many older sidewalks are more like 18-24" instead. 0_o They should be routing HPV traffic through the streets if cars are banned, not on the sidewalks. Though for long-term solutions, bike lanes or wider shared-use paths are better.
Plus of course, shared-use paths require that people A) know how to share them and B) are willing to share them. These are not guaranteed in this society, but they can be built up if enough people want to.
>> They, and the rental bikes, are supposedly "accessible", but in reality only work for people who have normal balance. <<
A responsible event makes sure that everyone can attend and also that it does not place undue burden on uninterested bystanders.
The easiest solution is often front/back travel differentiation. Even in carless parts of town, restaurants and stores need deliveries; nobody can hand-carry pallets of goods. So that's usually handled by routing the delivery trucks through a different street (e.g. side streets, alleys) than the front-facing carless promenade for pedestrians. The same route can then be used for wheelchair vans or other ADA vehicles.
This also works for most temporary events which tend to be either lines or small squares. As long as the perimeter-to-area ratio is good, disabled folks can simply be delivered to their destination or hopped along the outer perimeter. This is best handled with event planning, because if you make too big of a blob, the center is difficult or impossible for disabled people to reach. Same with large areas of grass instead of pavement; if you put stuff in the middle, it's out of reach. Plus big blobs are also a pain in the ass for emergency services, residents or irrelevant businesses stuck in the middle, and so on. Poor event planning ruins everyone's day. 0_o Hire a consultant who knows how to avoid that.
If they do not, pan the hell out of the event with details of what they fucked up and how a competent planner could have done it better. Send the complaints to event planners in the area and point out that they could easily do better. Band together with other people bothered by the bad planning -- there is strength in numbers.
Another option is to provide complimentary service to disabled folks. Are there pedicabs, horse and buggies, trainlets, or other alternative conveyances? Make them free and give disabled people first dibs on seating. Can't remember if it's Indiana or Illinois, but one of our state fairs has a trainlet that loops around the perimeter and is Extremely Useful. I think that one's on a track but the little electric ones are getting more popular. What about housebound folks, are any of the vendors willing to do door-to-door presentations? It's not common anymore, but it used to be.
Solutions exist, and while not every solution may work for every person or event, it is usually possible to find a combination that will be acceptable. If people care to. If they don't? SHAAAAAME.
Yes, all this takes work. Not everyone has the energy for that, especially disabled folks. But that's what organizations are for. They can find people with the energy for activism to rag on the authorities until they give in and behave decently. People with less energy can support the organization in other ways. Strength in numbers, again. There are already many national groups from the ACLU to condition-based organizations, but some folks prefer to start a local group to pester their city council. It's easier to go to town meetings if you actually live there, and your local group will care about local events that a state or national group may not.
Plus of course, if you get your town in good shape, you can advertise it and attract more people there. Bloomington, Indiana did that -- it was the first place I ever heard chirping stoplights for vision-impaired folks, very clever.
>>I'd like my city to be greener, but not at the expense of my mobility.<<
That is a valid complaint. While it is essential for species survival that humans quit cooking off the atmosphere, it is not decent to abuse disabled people in the process. There are many interventions, such as planting trees or producing things locally instead of shipping long-distance, that reduce the carbon footprint without impairing anyone's access to public life.
Re: Mobility Impairment
In my observation, it really depends on how an event is arranged -- how big it is, how the travel paths are laid out, the texture of the ground, etc. And most of all: did they hire an inclusivity consultant and/or talk to folks from the local disability group(s) to get experienced input on accessibility?
One approach is to call an event's information number well in advance and ask to speak to their accessibility person. They usually won't have one. If they do not, give them a list of suitable consultants. If citizens nag and nag for long enough, usually events will start trying to meet that need. It's not universal yet, but there are a lot more vegetarian and allergen-free food trucks so people can fucking eat.
>> They regularly close streets to vehicle traffic where I live, making walk or bike the only way to access certain areas for an entire weekend. If they do it near my neighborhood, I am almost literally trapped in my house.<<
That is completely unacceptable. Quite possibly, it is also illegal under ADA standards. You and other disabled people in your area could band together and challenge them on that basis -- and even if they don't change, humiliate them in public. Make the event synonymous in people's minds with imprisonment of people with disabilities, the elderly, etc.
>> They try to emphasize bike and walk, but don't have enough benches to sit on, and those that are there are made "anti-homeless" and uncomfortable for anyone bigger than a size 12 to sit on. <<
That's troublesome, but straightforward to fix: add more benches and make sure they suit people's needs. If the city refuses, then shame them. SHAAAAAAME. Large people can take pictures of themselves not fitting the benches. People who can't walk far can unroll a green streamer from their house as far as they go, then have a friend run a red streamer from there to the nearest bench. Calculate the distances between benches and compare that to how far people can typically go with various limitations, including post-surgery medical advice. Post to YouTube or other public venues. SHAAAAAAAAME.
>> They have those damned rent-a-scooters, and enough people4 ride the and bicycles on the goddamn sidewalk that even trying to walk very far means getting run over on the sidewalk. <<
That is a harder problem to fix because of poor infrastructure design. In order to work, shared-use paths must be at least 8' wide and preferably 10-12' wide. A typical 3-4' sidewalk is nowhere near enough unless traffic is very low, and even then you can't get two wide vehicles (scooters, wheelchairs, strollers) past each other without going off the pavement. And many older sidewalks are more like 18-24" instead. 0_o They should be routing HPV traffic through the streets if cars are banned, not on the sidewalks. Though for long-term solutions, bike lanes or wider shared-use paths are better.
Plus of course, shared-use paths require that people A) know how to share them and B) are willing to share them. These are not guaranteed in this society, but they can be built up if enough people want to.
>> They, and the rental bikes, are supposedly "accessible", but in reality only work for people who have normal balance. <<
A responsible event makes sure that everyone can attend and also that it does not place undue burden on uninterested bystanders.
The easiest solution is often front/back travel differentiation. Even in carless parts of town, restaurants and stores need deliveries; nobody can hand-carry pallets of goods. So that's usually handled by routing the delivery trucks through a different street (e.g. side streets, alleys) than the front-facing carless promenade for pedestrians. The same route can then be used for wheelchair vans or other ADA vehicles.
This also works for most temporary events which tend to be either lines or small squares. As long as the perimeter-to-area ratio is good, disabled folks can simply be delivered to their destination or hopped along the outer perimeter. This is best handled with event planning, because if you make too big of a blob, the center is difficult or impossible for disabled people to reach. Same with large areas of grass instead of pavement; if you put stuff in the middle, it's out of reach. Plus big blobs are also a pain in the ass for emergency services, residents or irrelevant businesses stuck in the middle, and so on. Poor event planning ruins everyone's day. 0_o Hire a consultant who knows how to avoid that.
If they do not, pan the hell out of the event with details of what they fucked up and how a competent planner could have done it better. Send the complaints to event planners in the area and point out that they could easily do better. Band together with other people bothered by the bad planning -- there is strength in numbers.
Another option is to provide complimentary service to disabled folks. Are there pedicabs, horse and buggies, trainlets, or other alternative conveyances? Make them free and give disabled people first dibs on seating. Can't remember if it's Indiana or Illinois, but one of our state fairs has a trainlet that loops around the perimeter and is Extremely Useful. I think that one's on a track but the little electric ones are getting more popular. What about housebound folks, are any of the vendors willing to do door-to-door presentations? It's not common anymore, but it used to be.
Solutions exist, and while not every solution may work for every person or event, it is usually possible to find a combination that will be acceptable. If people care to. If they don't? SHAAAAAME.
Yes, all this takes work. Not everyone has the energy for that, especially disabled folks. But that's what organizations are for. They can find people with the energy for activism to rag on the authorities until they give in and behave decently. People with less energy can support the organization in other ways. Strength in numbers, again. There are already many national groups from the ACLU to condition-based organizations, but some folks prefer to start a local group to pester their city council. It's easier to go to town meetings if you actually live there, and your local group will care about local events that a state or national group may not.
Plus of course, if you get your town in good shape, you can advertise it and attract more people there. Bloomington, Indiana did that -- it was the first place I ever heard chirping stoplights for vision-impaired folks, very clever.
>>I'd like my city to be greener, but not at the expense of my mobility.<<
That is a valid complaint. While it is essential for species survival that humans quit cooking off the atmosphere, it is not decent to abuse disabled people in the process. There are many interventions, such as planting trees or producing things locally instead of shipping long-distance, that reduce the carbon footprint without impairing anyone's access to public life.