Poem: "Pride Against Prejudice"
Jul. 29th, 2019 11:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem came out of the July 2, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from Dreamwidth users Capri0mni, Bairnsidhe, Curiosity, Readera, and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ng_moonmoth. It also fills the "International Day of Persons with Disabilities - December 3" square in my 7-1-19 card for the Winterfest in July Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series. Aconite and several other characters were introduced in "What Makes the Feast," so you might want to read that first.
This microfunded poem is being posted one verse at a time, as donations come in to cover them. The rate is $0.50/line, so $5 will reveal 10 new lines, and so forth. There is a permanent donation button on my profile page, or you can contact me for other arrangements. You can also ask me about the number of lines per verse, if you want to fund a certain number of verses.
So far sponsors include: DW user Capri0mni,janetmiles, Bairnsidhe, general fund, Librarygeek
FULLY FUNDED
422 lines, Buy It Now = $211
Amount donated = $207.50
Verses posted = 114 of 118
Amount remaining to fund fully = $3.50
Amount needed to fund next verse = $0.50
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $1
[Sunday, July 26, 2015]
Black flags snapped in the breeze,
their colorful lightning bolts dancing:
blue, yellow, white, red, green.
Murray, Boris, Aconite, and Lucy
marched together, arm in arm, in
the Disability Pride Day parade.
Murray was pleased to see that
they weren't the only soups there,
although most marchers were naries.
Ahead of them was a mixed group
whose disability pride T-shirts
each bore a different phrase
printed across the back.
The one on the far left read,
Respect my limits as a person with
a disability; when I say I can't, I CAN'T.
The one in the middle read,
Respect my boundaries as
a person with a high IQ; I am not
a vending machine of answers,
and I don't owe you myself.
The one on the right -- clearly
a supervillain T-shirt -- read,
Respect my humanity as a soup;
my abilities don't make me evil,
the only evil is denying me my rights.
Murray wasn't sure what disabilities
they had, and didn't care; he was
just happy to see them here.
No-Hands Hannigan was doing
a sort of air show above the parade,
her plane trailing lines of colored smoke
as she zigged and zagged overhead.
"Where did Boris and Aconite go?"
Lucy said suddenly, looking around.
"I don't know," Murray said.
"Just act casual ... in case
anything is going on, we don't
want to attract attention to them."
From the sound of a ruckus
behind them, it probably was.
Then Boris reappeared, rolling
his wheelchair briskly into place.
"Where's Aconite?" Lucy asked.
Her lop ears swiveled in place.
A siren wailed toward them.
"What happened?" Murray said.
"Do we need to fix anything?"
"Ah, some idiot went and
grabbed Aconite, so she needs
the personal space," Boris said.
"You know bigots -- they're
not the brightest bulb in the box."
"Isn't she wearing the T-shirt that
has a poison arrow frog and the words
Don't Touch Me on it?" Lucy said.
"Yep. She's also wearing the button
that says TOXIC several times around
a skull and crossbones emblem," said Boris.
"If the idiot dies on the way to the hospital,
I'm going to call it evolution in action."
"Darwin Award," Murray agreed.
"Look on the bright side, though --
I bet the rest of the Do Not Touch crowd
gets a wiiiiide berth today," Boris said.
"That's a good thing," Lucy said.
"Touching some people hurts them."
For the most part, though, it was
a fun parade, full of colorful banners
and larger-than-life balloons and
big floats throwing goodies.
Some of the people were
tossing hypoallergenic candy,
while others threw tiny frisbees.
ColorADD and Feelipa each had
their own float with people scattering
game pieces from several different sets.
Jay Brimmer drove an electric wheelchair,
its sound system playing music for
Greta Picard, who bounded along
on two sets of stilts attached to
the stumps of her arms and legs.
Murray really hoped that she would
take a turn at the autograph table later.
She was one of his favorite actresses,
especially since he had just seen
her latest movie, The Willowfolk.
Aconite caught up with the group,
falling into step beside Boris,
although being toxic today
she didn't actually touch him.
Then Sendoff and Bankshot
got into an argument, and
Honey Badger egged them on.
"All right, that's enough," Boris said,
wheeling into the middle of it.
"Break it up now, people."
"We don't need to fight with
each other," Cheersquad said
as he shooed Sendoff away.
"We're on the same side today."
Honey Badger tried to get
around Boris, but Murray
caught her by the sleeve.
"Knock it off, Honey, you're
not helping," Murray said.
Honey Badger shook him off
hard enough to unbalance him.
"Whoa, careful!" Lucy said
as she caught him. "Honey,
watch out, you can't roughhouse
with people here. Some of them
aren't too steady on their feet."
Fortunately they were turning
into Old Oak Park, and everyone
lost interest in the argument so they
could hurry toward the food trucks.
Murray made a beeline for Free Indeed,
eager to get some chicken nuggets
and miniature donuts, while Lucy
went for Rabbit Tracks. Boris and
Aconite hit Jamaica Mi Hungry.
By the time Murray got his lunch,
Lucy bounced over to him with
a big bowl of flower salad.
"I didn't even have to pay!"
she said, grinning. "The guy
told me I could eat for free if I
let him take my picture by the truck."
"I can see why Rabbit Tracks would
want to advertise that they serve
actual rabbits," Murray said.
"It's good for business."
Lucy was already stuffing
her face, so she just wiggled
her ears happily at him.
As they waited for Boris and
Aconite to return, they listened to
Dr. Laser and the Nocturnal Emissions
singing "Let's Make Lemonade."
Murray could hear Nightshade
miss a note now and then, so he
knew it must be live music.
He still felt glad that she had
come out during the day and not
let her nocturnal nature stop her
from joining the celebration.
Soon everyone got back together
and they could wander along looking
at booths while they ate their lunches.
Prideland Intentional Neighborhood
had a big map showing which homes
already sold and which were still available.
They had a core of multifamily buildings
around the common house and amenities,
with gardens and orchards on one side
and across the street several blocks of
individual houses in different styles.
Some of the homes were designed
for limited mobility, vision impairment,
or hearing impairment. Others had
no special accommodations, since
it was a mixed community.
Beside that display was a table
for the Timothy Nugent Inclusive Library
in Raleigh, North Carolina. It included
a schedule of summer activities for
people taking a vacation.
The music changed to
"We Will Ride," with new lines
about Dr. Doohickey's antchair,
which made Murray smile.
Mapuche Mail had a booth
filled with Galvarino swag including
T-shirts, book bags, posters, coffee cups,
historic novels, biographies, and statues
of Galvarino with knives strapped to
the stumps of his forearms.
Basic Babe and Shrewd Dude
had set up next to each other,
each with packs of four garments
and instructions on how to build
a 4x4 Capsule Wardrobe in
the disability pride colors.
Beyond them was a new booth
called Penny's Pocket Parity that
had all kinds of multicolored stuff.
It was meant for women, but Murray
didn't care; he loved the cheerful colors.
Sadly Penny had already sold out of
the few vrip-seamed garments she'd
brought, but he got a nice scarf with
a pocket to hide his ID cards.
"Hey, look," Lucy said, directing
their attention to a concrete pad
where Jay Brimmer was playing
"Wheelchair Waltz" for Greta Picard
as she danced on her two pairs of stilts
with a little girl using a wheelchair.
"Adaptive dance for the win,"
Aconite said, grinning.
ColorADD and Feelipa
both had booths with
stickers and tactile tabs
available in packages
up to bucket size.
Play All had a huge booth
made of five tables in
the shape of an E.
Among the usuals, they
had the rarely-issued set
of Oodles and Kettles in
the five senses with eyes,
noses, mouths, ears, and hands
matching the ColorADD symbols gold,
light gray, dark gray, white, and black.
There were extra colors of Transoms
for Chocks and Doors, too, and
the reusable Pux and Pottz.
Tubs held Softee Playable Parts
that would fasten together to make
all kinds of different games.
Murray and Boris both spent
waaayyy too much on games.
The next booth featured
Paletta textured art supplies,
along with activities hosted by
the Feel and See Art Movement.
Clusters of kids with different abilities
worked on junk collages and found art.
Others experimented with textured paint
on a row of miniature artist easels.
A sign read, Your Tax Dollars at Play,
indicating that a government grant
had funded the public supplies.
The bookseller not only had
ordinary titles such as Go Like This
but also The One-Armed Bandit
from the supervillain side.
There was a whole row of
Touchy-Feely books in Braille.
An even longer row offered
some BiblioThecla romances.
Murray recognized Blue Love,
Up, Up, and Away, and
Heart-Leaved Moon Seed
as touching on disabilities.
There were magazines including
Sankofa Circle, Cope on a Rope,
Health News Weekly, Take It Easy,
Viva la Raza, and of course Taxxi.
A writer stood by the tables calling,
"It's time. Time to hear what people with
disabilities are saying. Time to confront
prejudices regarding the value of all people."
"Hear, hear!" Aconite hollered back.
"It's time to realize that the exclusion of
one endangers us all," the man went on.
"Time to realize that 'Sticks and stones
may break my bones but names
will never hurt me,' is a lie --
names hurt, attitudes bruise."
"Yeah, they do," Murray muttered.
He'd been pummeled like that plenty,
and still had scars you couldn't see.
"These public service announcements
are strong and direct," the writer said.
"They tell the truth, the battle that
all minorities face is pride against
prejudice. I know which side I'm on."
"Booyah!" yelled Boris, and
pumped his fist in the air.
Murray bought a few books
for some friends of his,
and then moved on.
"We Shall Overcome,"
sang the Nocturnal Emissions,
and all the black folks in the park
began to sing along with it.
Murray and his friends joined in,
even though he couldn't sing
nearly as well as the others.
Roll 'Em had a table selling
the Rostrum, a magazine on
scriptwriting; and Phantom Power,
a newsletter about how to portray
superpowers and superdisempowers.
A large whiteboard listed the skits
and short plays that would be performed
in the Petite Playhouse during the day.
"Hey, they've got a new one," Murray said.
"Does anyone else want to come watch
Blindsided by Love with me later?"
"I wish I could, but I need to take
a turn at my booth," Lucy said.
"Don't look at me," Boris said,
and Aconite shook her head.
"You can go, though, and we'll
just catch up with you afterwards."
"Okay," Murray said, adding
the play to his phone's calendar.
Past Roll 'Em lay a booth by
Cattle Annie's, a company for
demographics in film productions;
and then We the People, a union
of performers dedicated to
representing diversity.
Validation Station listed
material by and about
marginalized people.
Like Roll 'Em, they had
a schedule of showings,
in the presentation room
of the park's visitor center.
Squeaky Clean TV was
an organization that viewed
television shows, movies,
and other entertainment
to identify triggers.
It had a list of titles
showing disabilities
in a positive light.
Soon they came to
the autograph table.
A handful of Syrian actors
from The Argosy of Assur
were holding their own amidst
a dozen kids probably from
that many different countries.
It was a show about space refugees
made by and for actual refugees,
so that was no wonder.
Murray was delighted to see
Not in Hamshire represented too.
That was a fantasy show loosely
but clearly inspired by both
Robin Hood and Tolkien.
There was Hildred Ehrenberger,
a military veteran who played
the Questrienne Joarra Eistel,
missing her left arm below the elbow.
Beside her, an albino performer who
played a Pallar was so swathed in
sunproof robes that the only sign of
their coloring was the life-size photo
printed on cardboard beside them.
Behind the table, a couple of
Quiescents were giving lessons
in the constructed sign language,
Enigmanx, that allowed their characters
to work strange and powerful magic.
Someone had even brought
a pony ride with a couple each
of llamas, donkeys, ponies,
and the rare striped zonies.
"So the thing about veterans and
horses isn't just a stereotype?"
one fan asked Hildred.
"It's common, but it's not
universal," Hildred replied.
"Respecting someone's identity
includes categorizing them as
a person, rather than a stereotype."
"Yeah, but recognizing that someone
who doesn't align with the stereotype
you expect might indicate they aren't
a member of the category the stereotype
applies to, and doesn't invalidate their
personhood, seems regrettably beyond
too many people," Murray grumbled.
"Alas, you're right," Hildred said
as she took his pride schedule
and signed it. "We can still try."
It took Murray a few minutes,
but eventually he got his schedule
autographed by all the actors.
The toy booths came next,
including the one Lucy had
shared with a friend to sell
her stuffed bunny dolls.
"What the heck?" Murray said,
staring at Lucy's friend.
The girl had replaced
her missing arm with
a branch of flowers, and
wore a bunny hat on her head.
"It's for the costume contest,"
Lucy said, reaching for the sign
that read, Custom Bunnies Made.
She flipped the lower part
from Later to Now.
Murray looked around.
There was a 'superhero'
flying over a cityscape
built around his wheelchair.
A one-armed man accompanied
his girlfriend who wore a shark suit.
A tall brunette had simply repurposed
a machine gun into a prosthetic leg.
She was probably a supervillain,
but possibly another veteran.
Murray couldn't help thinking
of his tricycle. Maybe he would
dress it up for Halloween this year.
Meanwhile, a small herd of kids
were crowding around Lucy,
all wanting bunnies made
to look like themselves,
disabilities and all.
It was adorable.
Murray was already
starting to think ahead to
the International Day of
Persons with Disabilities
coming on December 3.
Maybe Arcadia East could
host an event for that.
Just like that, Murray got
an idea for his costume, and
it wasn't for Halloween at all.
He was going as Santa's sleigh.
* * *
Notes:
Jay Brimmer -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short brown hair. He wears glasses. He uses an electric wheelchair due to cerebral palsy. Jay lives at the Prideland Intentional Neighborhood in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He graduated from the Technical College of New Jutland with a major in Computer Programming and a minor in Fine Arts. He composes and performs electronic music entirely using a computer, rather than playing it on a keyboard or other instrumental interface. Jay is fearless, and refuses to let his disability stop him from doing things he wants to do.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Electronic Music, Good (+2) Fearless, Good (+2) Friends with Greta Picard, Good (+2) Won't Stay Down
Poor (-2) Mobility
* * *
"It's time. Time to hear what people with disabilities are saying. Time to confront prejudices regarding the value of all people. Time to realize that the exclusion of one endangers us all. Time to realize that "Sticks and stone may break my bones but names will never hurt me," is a lie -names hurt, attitudes bruise. These public service announcements are strong and direct. They tell the truth, the battle that all minorities face is pride against prejudice. I know which side I'm on."
-- Dave Hingsburger, Writer
A community park is an open space area encompassing 30 to 75 acres within a one and a half (1 1/2) mile service radius serving approximately 18,000 to 36,000 in population and six neighborhood units for the purpose of providing both preservation of natural features within the urban environment and programmed recreational needs on a community wide basis.
Old Oak Park is a community park in T-Hampton Roads that includes about 70 acres of oak savanna, forest, and landscaped amenities.
The visitor center has a large patio with a brick oven on one side and a wildlife viewing area on the other. A small reception nook stands near the front door. The gift shop carries nature toys, books, and souvenirs. A nature display presents Virginia wildlife. The lounge has large glass windows. The wildlife viewing area includes seating around the windows, binoculars, and field guides for Virginia species. The library only has one window, since most of the walls are lined with nature books. It also has a table and chairs. The children's room offers live animals in tanks, taxidermied animals on the walls, bulletin boards, books, toys, and other resources. The multipurpose room, also called the forest room, is decorated with nature art and has space for tables and chairs. The presentation room has theater seating, a small stage, and a large screen behind the stage.
A 5-acre lawn area with sidewalks and plazas provides space for festivals and other events. Wide mixed-use paths wind through the park.
Pavilions have picnic tables, garbage cans, grills, water fountains, and other amenities. The pavilions and open-air picnic spots fill about 10 acres. The picnic sites include a grill and a picnic table, some of which are accessible. Note that this style of picnic table adds an extension at the end for wheelchair users, instead of subtracting a seat that people could otherwise use. Another good option is to use a table with detached seats.
This concrete pad can be used for basketball, dancing, or other activities.
An inclusive playground makes it possible for everyone to play together. The playground and its surrounding lawn fill about 2.5 acres.
This swimming pool has a zero-depth entry side. There are separate pools for laps and diving. The swimming pools, their outbuildings, and surrounding lawn fill about 2.5 acres.
The Petite Playhouse is a colorful wooden building with a curtain wall, which can be used for recreation or performances. Most of it is accessible, although the widow's walk requires a ladder to reach.
The amphitheater covers a hillside with terraces of grass and stone. Steps with railings run down both sides and the center. A parking lot at stage level provides access for people with disabilities, who get first claim on the lowest level of seating by the stage and also the highest level at the back. Modern sound equipment allows music to transmit from the stage to loudspeakers in the pavilions and on poles around the landscaped parts of the park. Beyond the amphitheater lies a rolling lawn where more people can listen to the performance. The amphitheater and its surroundings cover about 5 acres.
Part of the park consists of wilderness, mostly oak-hickory savanna and forest. Some of this area (about 20 acres) has hiking trails, and some (about 15 acres) is reserved for wildlife only. The trails interlace and run about 2 miles total.
Hickory Hollow Pond has docks for fishing and boating. The pond itself covers about 5 acres with another 5 acres of lawn around it. The trail around it runs about half a mile.
In Local-America, Free Indeed is a food truck that serves cuisine without gluten or the top 8 allergens. It started in Minnesota. In Terramagne-America, it has grown into a nationwide franchise with many trucks that travel the circuit of fairs and other summer events.
Jamaica Mi Hungry is another food truck with ethnic cuisine.
Rabbit Food is a T-American vegetarian fast food chain. They also run food trucks called Rabbit Tracks. Enjoy a recipe for Garden Salad with Flowers.
The Timothy Nugent Inclusive Library in Raleigh, North Carolina
1948 – The University of Illinois at Galesburg disabled students’ program was officially founded, and was directed by Timothy Nugent. The program moved to the campus at Urbana-Champaign where it became a prototype for disabled student programs and independent living centers across the country
Here some resources on creating accessible libraries.
The Timothy Nugent Inclusive Library uses considerable soundproofing to provide a quiet experience for patrons, while still providing spaces for group study, computer use, children's activities, and other services which may make some noise.
The accessible entrance has a street-level patio with two picnic tables, one of them also accessible. The door has a push-pad to open automatically.
The lobby is a wide-open area with information and circulation desks, touchscreen kiosks, accessible bathrooms, elevators, and stairs. The open design owes much to Deaf architecture, preserving line-of-sight for signed conversations.
This display promotes Deaf literacy.
The Braille Periodical Room carries many different titles and topics.
The Braille Equipment Room offers Braille typewriters, writing slates, and other tools.
The Presentation Room has chairs, projectors, and a sound system.
Accessible Study Room 1 for group use includes two adjustable desks, two computers, two ergonomic chairs, and two soft block chairs.
Accessible Study Room 2 for group use includes two adjustable desks, two computers, two ergonomic chairs, and two soft block chairs.
Sensory Study Room 1 for individual or group use includes an adjustable desks, a computer with two screens, an ergonomic chair, two soft block chairs, a beanbag chair, a rocking chair, a ball light, LED lights, and assorted fidgets.
Sensory Study Room 2 for individual use has a large soft chair, an adjustable desk, an LED light tube, and assorted fidgets.
Accessible Study Room 3 for individual or group use has a long adjustable desk with two computers, two ergonomic chairs, and a third soft chair.
Sensory Study Room 3 for individual use has a chair, an adjustable desk, a computer with two screens, a light ball, a bubbling light tube, LED lights around the room, and a blackboard.
Accessible Study Room 4 for individual use has a whiteboard, a chair, an adjustable desk, and a computer loaded with adaptive software.
Group Study Room 1 has two adjustable notched-circle tables, 10 stacking chairs, a whiteboard, a viewscreen, and a wall clock. It may be used by groups of 4-10 people.
Group Study Room 2 has four adjustable rectangular tables (usually combined to form one big table) with 14 ergonomic chairs, a whiteboard, and a projector. It may be used by groups of 7-14 people.
The Children's Sensory Room includes a padded corner, mats of various thickness, musical stepping stones, yoga balls, a pressure roller, and a ball pit. This helps children work off nervous energy and noise so they can go back to reading quietly.
The stacks use a motorized shelving system, so they remain fully accessible, because the aisles between them can be widened or narrowed at need.
Prideland Intentional Neighborhood offers community living for people with disabilities, their friends and families. Many of the homes are customized in different ways for wheelchair users, vision impairment, hearing impairment, and so on. Other homes have no special features.
The sitemap shows the common house in turquoise, which will include 4 small apartments; 4 stacked fourplex flats in green and yellow; 6 duplexes in blue and violet; and 4 townhouse apartments in brown, for a total of 36 units in all. On the west side of sitemap lie the gardens, orchards, prairie, and a rustic overlook above the play space. Parking appears in gray, with the dark gray garages having walk-up apartments above them. A closeup shows the different unit types; those marked with an X have sold.
The little patch of food forest west of the housing attracts wildlife such as these bald eagles.
These new residents are excited to move in.
The open floor plan of the studio apartments is ideal for Deaf people and others who use sign language and need maximum visibility.
A 1-bedroom common house unit suits most couples without children. The bathroom is wheelchair-accessible.
A 2-bedroom stacked unit is ideal for couples with a child or a home business. The bathroom is wheelchair-accessible.
The duplexes are all 2-story units with 3 bedrooms, good for larger families and home businesses.
The 1-story townhouses have 2 bedrooms and a laundry closet. See the interior.
Across the street from the core development, and connected by a pedestrian bridge, the adjacent neighborhood includes a variety of individual houses customized in different ways.
Houses for the blind use a glyphic language of textured floorboards to give instructions for wayfinding. See how these combine with the floor plan.
The floors are smooth hardwood, except for strips of textured stone which form the wayfinding glyphs. The stone is easy to detect with feet or a cane. A similar effect could likely be created much cheaper by applying texture strips to any smooth floor surface, although it would be less durable.
A stone path leads to the front door. The kitchen and living room are divided by a walk-around wall. The dining room and kitchen are part of the same space. The master bedroom has a king-size bed and an ensuite bathroom.
This house is wheelchair-accessible. It can be built with either steps or a ramp to the front door and interior door from the garage.
The floor plan is primarily open with roll-through access to the dining room, kitchen, nook, and great room. The den and master bedroom have double doors for easier access. The laundry room and master bathroom are accessible. If desired, an elevator can be installed in the foyer. Upstairs are three more bedrooms and a common bathroom. While they are not fully accessible, Bedroom 4 does have double doors.
Multigenerational house design includes an attached apartment for semi-independent living. This house lends itself well to multigenerational or sharehouse living. The unfinished walkout basement could hold common space or apartments. The first floor has the master bedroom and two other bedrooms, plus an attached apartment. The second floor has a fourth bedroom above the main house and a bonus room above the garage, either of which could be developed as an apartment.
When President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law — the world's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities — in front of 3,000 people on the White House lawn on July 26, 1990, the event represented an historical benchmark and a milestone in America's commitment to full and equal opportunity for all of its citizens.
Read about the Disability Pride Flag and how to make it. This flag is P-squared for the public domain.
See Aconite's Don't Touch Me T-shirt and TOXIC button.
Enjoy some disability pride songs about activism and protest.
Araucanía is a historic region of local-South America belonging to the Mapuche people.
1557 -- The Mapuche leader Galvarino fought against the Spaniards, which led to them cutting off his hands. He subsequently manifested as a Berserker. On November 30, 1557, he went into battle with knives strapped to his arms. In Terramagne, he survived and contributed to the Mapuche remaining free. Today their nation of Araucanía shares borders with North Chile, South Chile, and Argentina. North Chile and South Chile are connected by the Pan-American Highway. Araucanía has a substantial population of Jewish immigrants dating from around World War II, a source of conflict due to Argentina hosting so many Nazi immigrants. It is notable for its development of advanced prosthetics, and for the Araucana breed of chickens.
This map shows the triangular shape of Araucanía. While much smaller than ancestral Mapuche lands, it remains a substantial area.
Explore the Disability Pride 4x4 Capsule Wardrobe by Basic Babe and Shrewd Dude.
Basic Babe is a T-American store which sells staple clothing for women. They're good quality, mostly neutrals but some other colors, in simple styles that wear well over time. They carry things like underwear, jeans, t-shirts, athleisure wear, plain blouses, a few simple dresses, and jackets. Their motto is "Basic doesn't have to be boring."
Shrewd Dude is a T-American clothing store for men that supports a wide range of formulas for capsule wardrobes. They carry everything from hats through clothes to shoes, mostly in midrange quality and prices. Style ranges from casual to business, with most of the items in the middle. Staff are trained to assist men, and they have a body scanner. So you can walk in, tell them what colors and dress mode(s) you want, set a budget, and they'll dress you for it. You can pick a capsule if you want to, but it's not required; the staff can suit one to your price range and clothing needs. It's an easy and relatively affordable way to fill a closet with essentials that look nice together, for men who don't like fiddling around with fashion themselves but want to look decent.
Penny's Pocket Parity has a booth with multicolored bohemian pants, scarves, and other garments with pockets. The ones with vrip seams are already sold out.
Play All is a T-American game company that makes games and game pieces with inclusive features. It was started by several Kraken members who retired from supervillainy due to various disabilities and went into gaming. So Kraken encourages it and provides some support, but it's not a wholly-owned subsidiary company. It is one of the most popular places to stash people who don't want to become supervillains or minions, because they have so many different types of jobs suited to employees with various abilities and special needs.
ColorADD is a visual-tactile code that uses triangles and slashes to identify colors. L-America barely uses it, but T-America does much more with it, so most people are familiar with it before they need it.
Feelipa is a visual-tactile code that uses squares, triangles and circles to identify colors. L-America barely uses it, but T-America does much more with it, so most people are familiar with it before they need it.
Differences between the (1) Medical Model, Rehabilitation, Community Assistance (service delivery system), Charity Paradigm and the (2) Independent Living, Disability Rights, Disability Culture, Disability Pride Paradigm:
Go Like This: Tips and Tricks from Occupational Therapy for New Disabilities is a series of T-American books about how to compensate for acquired disabilities. Each volume covers a different subject area. Volume 1 head, volume 2 arms, volume 3 chest, volume 4 lower torso, volume 5 legs. Volume 2 is Arming Yourself: Compensating for Upper Limb Shortcomings.
The One-Armed Bandit: Overcoming Limb Loss is a Kraken chapbook of essays and diagrams about coping with amputation. The pullquote on its front cover proclaims, "Yes, you can STILL be a minion!"
Touchy-Feely is a series of picture books with Braille text for vision-impaired travelers. Each book showcases a number of attractions within a given area. There are series that cover the fifty states, national parks, tourist-friendly countries, major cities, and so forth. They have a large-scale map and often regional maps showing the location of sites. Then the contents are organized geographically to help readers imagine where sites are in relation to each other. Each entry includes a variety of features such as a site map, an illustration of the destination, and a description of its highlights. These books are widely distributed through tourist offices, gift shops at famous locations, and libraries. They're also stocked in waiting rooms that have a lot of vision-impaired clients.
Tactile graphics can teach map skills. Various formats include road maps with lines, raised images of monuments, and terrain maps. These are good ways to keep vision-impaired people busy in a car or waiting room.
California attractions include roadside attractions, museums, native culture, beaches, parks, and other places. The Tull family has explored many of these.
In L-America, Braille books are ruinously expensive. Regular books typically run $50-100 while college textbooks cost around $500 ... or about ten times the standard cost. In T-America, more Braille materials are available because people spread out the cost. The government contributes a lot, but so do interested organizations. For Touchy-Feely California, all the featured locations chipped in to help produce and distribute copies, because they'll benefit from readers visiting them.
BiblioThecla: Romance for Worldly Women
This line of romance novels is edited by Thecla Kijek, who was born in Poland and immigrated to America as a tween. She felt that the genre needed more substance in order to appeal to women who usually avoid romances as silly and implausible. So these stories feature women and men who face genuine challenges and must use their coping skills to overcome those -- or learn new ones along the way -- in order to succeed in life and relationships. Each book comes in English and one foreign language suited to its setting.
bibliotheca in American
(ˌbɪbliəˈθikə ; bibˌlēət hēˈkə)
noun
1. a book collection; library
2. a bookseller's catalog
Голуба́я Любовь (Golubaya Lyubov)
Blue Love
While struggling with depression, Trista decides to travel around the world exploring the color blue. In St. Petersburg, Russia she meets Alexei, an artist who has lost his muse. Together they find new inspiration in each other.
Cathedral Mosque in St. Petersburg, Russia. Model: Aygul. (Russian)
Yukarı, Yukarı ve Uzağa (Yukare, Yukare ve Uzaja)
Up, Up, and Away
Fonda has always been afraid of heights. That's okay, because she loves traveling by boat and by train. While exploring Cappadocia, Turkey, she falls in love with Evren, a nonbinary person who makes hot air balloons. Can their love overcome their differences?
Cappadocia, Turkey. Model: Nina. (Turkish)
Beyken'bi Veyo
Heart-Leafed Moon Seed
Leah has lost boyfriends to a car accident, the Army, and other women. She decides to treat herself to a solo vacation to Finolhu in the Republic of the Maldives, but the cheap package delivers her during the rainy season. Discouraged by the storms, she gives up on tourist pursuits and lurks in the garden of the resort. There she meets the gardener Amil, who insists that -- like the lush tropical vines he tends -- Leah can recover from her cutting losses.
Finolhu, Maldives. Model: Nastya. (Dhivehi)
Roll 'Em is a T-American publisher of scripts for plays, screenplays, and other performances. They specialize in scripts for performers who have various disabilities. In addition to individual playbooks, they also publish some periodicals. The Rostrum is a magazine about how to write, direct, and perform scripts that feature disabilties along with short plays and skits with disabled leads. Phantom Power is a newsletter about superpowers and superdisempowers that includes tips on how to portray them, acting with powers, and skits with soup themes. Because T-American drama clubs in public schools are legally required to be inclusive, such materials are quite popular for student plays. Community centers, church groups, theatre clubs, and many other social groups also like them. Many of the writers, editors, and sponsors of Roll 'Em also have disabilities, although it's not required.
Cattle Annie's is a company that calculates demographics of different places for film productions. They also have contacts among agents and organizations to help casting directors find suitable actors to match the recommendations. For an added fee, they'll even host the cattle call and present the customer with a complete cast list for crowd scenes and the like.
We The People is a union of performers dedicated to representing diversity. Members can tag all the identities they have, enabling agents and casting directors to search the membership list for desired traits.
The Argosy of Assur is an ongoing webserial filmed by refugees, primarily from Syria but also other parts of the Middle East. It focuses on a fleet of refugees making their way through space, somewhat like Battlestar Galactica, but instead of a single menace hounding them, they encounter a wide variety of obstacles -- many of those allegories of things that the writers survived. While the core episodes have been produced by the same group of people, there are more by other teams, all counting as canon provided they follow the guidebook.
Validation Station is a television channel that specializes in material by and/or about any kind of marginalized group -- women, homosexuals, people of color, poor people, soups, etc.
Squeaky Clean TV is an organization that views television shows, movies, and other entertainment to identify triggers. Then they add those to a database which can be searched in whitelist (shows free of certain triggers) or blacklist (shows containing certain triggers) mode. They also have gentle entertainment lists in various genres They cover the most common content triggers (death, graphic violence, rape/dubcon, child harm, etc.) and physical triggers (shrill sounds, flashing lights, etc.), and they review as much of mainstream entertainment as they can. If you subscribe, you can add your own triggers and/or request a review of shows not already covered. They have subsidies for people with disabilities (epilepsy, PTSD, etc.) which make this an essential accommodation; some of those come from the government, some from organizations that care for a specific disorder, and then subscribers have an option to sponsor another person's subscription or to make a general donation.
Not in Hamshire is a fantasy show loosely but clearly inspired by both Robin Hood and Tolkien fandoms. Hamshire is a peaceful place inhabited by the Banta people, who are short and stocky. Bantam culture is homey and cheerful. They speak Vernac, the common tongue. They also use sign language, represented as the most widespread gestural language, for which ASL is used. The Banta are played by actors with disproportionate dwarfism, who must be less than 4 feet 10 inches tall.
Joarra Eistel is a Questrienne hired to protect Hamshire. (Her name is pronounced "jo-AR-ah.") She is missing her left arm below the elbow. She rides a gray stallion named Hrímfaxi. The actress who plays her, Hildred Ehrenberger, is a veteran who entered show business after a medical discharge from the Marines. Many horse-loving women have named their daughters Joarra or Hildred after watching Not in Hamshire.
The Quiescents are deaf magi who communicate and work magic through a mystical sign language called Enigmanx. Those who interact with outsiders usually use the common sign language too, shown in ASL. At first, their order consisted entirely of prosaic people who sacrificed their hearing to learn magic. Over time, however, they married within the order, and their children began to be born without hearing and with magic. Natural magi tend to be more powerful than those who trade hearing for magic. At this time, a half-Quiescent has about a 50% chance of being born a deaf mage, while a full-Quiescent approaches 100%. Quiescent children born with hearing and without magic can almost always develop a level of skill close to their natural peers. Quiescents are played by deaf actors using a constructed sign language called Archanan. It is the only known CSL in public use; it was invented by a group of Deaf gamers and licensed for the television series. Their gamemaster plays Cadmus, patriarch of the Quiescents. Cadmus' son Torquil is an active adventurer.
The Pallar are blind cave-dwellers with pale hair and skin. They are brilliant miners, and they also guide people through tunnels under mountains where there are no passes or weather has closed the high routes. Most Pallar are played by albinos, and all of them are played by vision-impaired actors. However, an interesting quirk of their culture is that they will adopt anyone who is blind or at least too vision-impaired to function in the sighted world. While scenes on the surface or in cave mouths are lit, those underground are pitch dark; the Pallar don't allow lighting in their home territory because some of them have eyes that are painfully sensitive to light. The only glimpses of their world have come when they're under attack.
Questria is a shortgrass borderland adjacent to a tallgrass prairie called Veland, both populated primarily by horse-riding nomads, with a few permanent settlements. The Questrial people are a subset of a larger nation. This is where disabled veterans go to provide a ferocious barrier against hostile neighbors. Many of them also go abroad as adventurers or mercenaries. They are respected and feared in varying porportions across other cultures. Questrians are quite popular among heroes who need extra muscle; they will also work for neutral or warring parties, but not outright villains. They are utterly undaunted by any fight, no matter how "hopeless" it may seem. Questrians are played by actors with various disabilities, mostly limb loss, paralysis, or facial disfigurement. Due to the demand for large numbers of disabled roles, background characters and bit parts are often played by actual veterans with some acting skill.
This zony shows the distinctive fringed saddlepad used by the Banta.
See disabled costumes for a superhero flying, a branching arm, a shark, and a gun leg.
ng_moonmoth. It also fills the "International Day of Persons with Disabilities - December 3" square in my 7-1-19 card for the Winterfest in July Bingo fest. This poem belongs to the Polychrome Heroics series. Aconite and several other characters were introduced in "What Makes the Feast," so you might want to read that first.So far sponsors include: DW user Capri0mni,
janetmiles, Bairnsidhe, general fund, LibrarygeekFULLY FUNDED
Amount donated = $207.50
Verses posted = 114 of 118
Amount remaining to fund fully = $3.50
Amount needed to fund next verse = $0.50
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $1
Pride Against Prejudice
[Sunday, July 26, 2015]
Black flags snapped in the breeze,
their colorful lightning bolts dancing:
blue, yellow, white, red, green.
Murray, Boris, Aconite, and Lucy
marched together, arm in arm, in
the Disability Pride Day parade.
Murray was pleased to see that
they weren't the only soups there,
although most marchers were naries.
Ahead of them was a mixed group
whose disability pride T-shirts
each bore a different phrase
printed across the back.
The one on the far left read,
Respect my limits as a person with
a disability; when I say I can't, I CAN'T.
The one in the middle read,
Respect my boundaries as
a person with a high IQ; I am not
a vending machine of answers,
and I don't owe you myself.
The one on the right -- clearly
a supervillain T-shirt -- read,
Respect my humanity as a soup;
my abilities don't make me evil,
the only evil is denying me my rights.
Murray wasn't sure what disabilities
they had, and didn't care; he was
just happy to see them here.
No-Hands Hannigan was doing
a sort of air show above the parade,
her plane trailing lines of colored smoke
as she zigged and zagged overhead.
"Where did Boris and Aconite go?"
Lucy said suddenly, looking around.
"I don't know," Murray said.
"Just act casual ... in case
anything is going on, we don't
want to attract attention to them."
From the sound of a ruckus
behind them, it probably was.
Then Boris reappeared, rolling
his wheelchair briskly into place.
"Where's Aconite?" Lucy asked.
Her lop ears swiveled in place.
A siren wailed toward them.
"What happened?" Murray said.
"Do we need to fix anything?"
"Ah, some idiot went and
grabbed Aconite, so she needs
the personal space," Boris said.
"You know bigots -- they're
not the brightest bulb in the box."
"Isn't she wearing the T-shirt that
has a poison arrow frog and the words
Don't Touch Me on it?" Lucy said.
"Yep. She's also wearing the button
that says TOXIC several times around
a skull and crossbones emblem," said Boris.
"If the idiot dies on the way to the hospital,
I'm going to call it evolution in action."
"Darwin Award," Murray agreed.
"Look on the bright side, though --
I bet the rest of the Do Not Touch crowd
gets a wiiiiide berth today," Boris said.
"That's a good thing," Lucy said.
"Touching some people hurts them."
For the most part, though, it was
a fun parade, full of colorful banners
and larger-than-life balloons and
big floats throwing goodies.
Some of the people were
tossing hypoallergenic candy,
while others threw tiny frisbees.
ColorADD and Feelipa each had
their own float with people scattering
game pieces from several different sets.
Jay Brimmer drove an electric wheelchair,
its sound system playing music for
Greta Picard, who bounded along
on two sets of stilts attached to
the stumps of her arms and legs.
Murray really hoped that she would
take a turn at the autograph table later.
She was one of his favorite actresses,
especially since he had just seen
her latest movie, The Willowfolk.
Aconite caught up with the group,
falling into step beside Boris,
although being toxic today
she didn't actually touch him.
Then Sendoff and Bankshot
got into an argument, and
Honey Badger egged them on.
"All right, that's enough," Boris said,
wheeling into the middle of it.
"Break it up now, people."
"We don't need to fight with
each other," Cheersquad said
as he shooed Sendoff away.
"We're on the same side today."
Honey Badger tried to get
around Boris, but Murray
caught her by the sleeve.
"Knock it off, Honey, you're
not helping," Murray said.
Honey Badger shook him off
hard enough to unbalance him.
"Whoa, careful!" Lucy said
as she caught him. "Honey,
watch out, you can't roughhouse
with people here. Some of them
aren't too steady on their feet."
Fortunately they were turning
into Old Oak Park, and everyone
lost interest in the argument so they
could hurry toward the food trucks.
Murray made a beeline for Free Indeed,
eager to get some chicken nuggets
and miniature donuts, while Lucy
went for Rabbit Tracks. Boris and
Aconite hit Jamaica Mi Hungry.
By the time Murray got his lunch,
Lucy bounced over to him with
a big bowl of flower salad.
"I didn't even have to pay!"
she said, grinning. "The guy
told me I could eat for free if I
let him take my picture by the truck."
"I can see why Rabbit Tracks would
want to advertise that they serve
actual rabbits," Murray said.
"It's good for business."
Lucy was already stuffing
her face, so she just wiggled
her ears happily at him.
As they waited for Boris and
Aconite to return, they listened to
Dr. Laser and the Nocturnal Emissions
singing "Let's Make Lemonade."
Murray could hear Nightshade
miss a note now and then, so he
knew it must be live music.
He still felt glad that she had
come out during the day and not
let her nocturnal nature stop her
from joining the celebration.
Soon everyone got back together
and they could wander along looking
at booths while they ate their lunches.
Prideland Intentional Neighborhood
had a big map showing which homes
already sold and which were still available.
They had a core of multifamily buildings
around the common house and amenities,
with gardens and orchards on one side
and across the street several blocks of
individual houses in different styles.
Some of the homes were designed
for limited mobility, vision impairment,
or hearing impairment. Others had
no special accommodations, since
it was a mixed community.
Beside that display was a table
for the Timothy Nugent Inclusive Library
in Raleigh, North Carolina. It included
a schedule of summer activities for
people taking a vacation.
The music changed to
"We Will Ride," with new lines
about Dr. Doohickey's antchair,
which made Murray smile.
Mapuche Mail had a booth
filled with Galvarino swag including
T-shirts, book bags, posters, coffee cups,
historic novels, biographies, and statues
of Galvarino with knives strapped to
the stumps of his forearms.
Basic Babe and Shrewd Dude
had set up next to each other,
each with packs of four garments
and instructions on how to build
a 4x4 Capsule Wardrobe in
the disability pride colors.
Beyond them was a new booth
called Penny's Pocket Parity that
had all kinds of multicolored stuff.
It was meant for women, but Murray
didn't care; he loved the cheerful colors.
Sadly Penny had already sold out of
the few vrip-seamed garments she'd
brought, but he got a nice scarf with
a pocket to hide his ID cards.
"Hey, look," Lucy said, directing
their attention to a concrete pad
where Jay Brimmer was playing
"Wheelchair Waltz" for Greta Picard
as she danced on her two pairs of stilts
with a little girl using a wheelchair.
"Adaptive dance for the win,"
Aconite said, grinning.
ColorADD and Feelipa
both had booths with
stickers and tactile tabs
available in packages
up to bucket size.
Play All had a huge booth
made of five tables in
the shape of an E.
Among the usuals, they
had the rarely-issued set
of Oodles and Kettles in
the five senses with eyes,
noses, mouths, ears, and hands
matching the ColorADD symbols gold,
light gray, dark gray, white, and black.
There were extra colors of Transoms
for Chocks and Doors, too, and
the reusable Pux and Pottz.
Tubs held Softee Playable Parts
that would fasten together to make
all kinds of different games.
Murray and Boris both spent
waaayyy too much on games.
The next booth featured
Paletta textured art supplies,
along with activities hosted by
the Feel and See Art Movement.
Clusters of kids with different abilities
worked on junk collages and found art.
Others experimented with textured paint
on a row of miniature artist easels.
A sign read, Your Tax Dollars at Play,
indicating that a government grant
had funded the public supplies.
The bookseller not only had
ordinary titles such as Go Like This
but also The One-Armed Bandit
from the supervillain side.
There was a whole row of
Touchy-Feely books in Braille.
An even longer row offered
some BiblioThecla romances.
Murray recognized Blue Love,
Up, Up, and Away, and
Heart-Leaved Moon Seed
as touching on disabilities.
There were magazines including
Sankofa Circle, Cope on a Rope,
Health News Weekly, Take It Easy,
Viva la Raza, and of course Taxxi.
A writer stood by the tables calling,
"It's time. Time to hear what people with
disabilities are saying. Time to confront
prejudices regarding the value of all people."
"Hear, hear!" Aconite hollered back.
"It's time to realize that the exclusion of
one endangers us all," the man went on.
"Time to realize that 'Sticks and stones
may break my bones but names
will never hurt me,' is a lie --
names hurt, attitudes bruise."
"Yeah, they do," Murray muttered.
He'd been pummeled like that plenty,
and still had scars you couldn't see.
"These public service announcements
are strong and direct," the writer said.
"They tell the truth, the battle that
all minorities face is pride against
prejudice. I know which side I'm on."
"Booyah!" yelled Boris, and
pumped his fist in the air.
Murray bought a few books
for some friends of his,
and then moved on.
"We Shall Overcome,"
sang the Nocturnal Emissions,
and all the black folks in the park
began to sing along with it.
Murray and his friends joined in,
even though he couldn't sing
nearly as well as the others.
Roll 'Em had a table selling
the Rostrum, a magazine on
scriptwriting; and Phantom Power,
a newsletter about how to portray
superpowers and superdisempowers.
A large whiteboard listed the skits
and short plays that would be performed
in the Petite Playhouse during the day.
"Hey, they've got a new one," Murray said.
"Does anyone else want to come watch
Blindsided by Love with me later?"
"I wish I could, but I need to take
a turn at my booth," Lucy said.
"Don't look at me," Boris said,
and Aconite shook her head.
"You can go, though, and we'll
just catch up with you afterwards."
"Okay," Murray said, adding
the play to his phone's calendar.
Past Roll 'Em lay a booth by
Cattle Annie's, a company for
demographics in film productions;
and then We the People, a union
of performers dedicated to
representing diversity.
Validation Station listed
material by and about
marginalized people.
Like Roll 'Em, they had
a schedule of showings,
in the presentation room
of the park's visitor center.
Squeaky Clean TV was
an organization that viewed
television shows, movies,
and other entertainment
to identify triggers.
It had a list of titles
showing disabilities
in a positive light.
Soon they came to
the autograph table.
A handful of Syrian actors
from The Argosy of Assur
were holding their own amidst
a dozen kids probably from
that many different countries.
It was a show about space refugees
made by and for actual refugees,
so that was no wonder.
Murray was delighted to see
Not in Hamshire represented too.
That was a fantasy show loosely
but clearly inspired by both
Robin Hood and Tolkien.
There was Hildred Ehrenberger,
a military veteran who played
the Questrienne Joarra Eistel,
missing her left arm below the elbow.
Beside her, an albino performer who
played a Pallar was so swathed in
sunproof robes that the only sign of
their coloring was the life-size photo
printed on cardboard beside them.
Behind the table, a couple of
Quiescents were giving lessons
in the constructed sign language,
Enigmanx, that allowed their characters
to work strange and powerful magic.
Someone had even brought
a pony ride with a couple each
of llamas, donkeys, ponies,
and the rare striped zonies.
"So the thing about veterans and
horses isn't just a stereotype?"
one fan asked Hildred.
"It's common, but it's not
universal," Hildred replied.
"Respecting someone's identity
includes categorizing them as
a person, rather than a stereotype."
"Yeah, but recognizing that someone
who doesn't align with the stereotype
you expect might indicate they aren't
a member of the category the stereotype
applies to, and doesn't invalidate their
personhood, seems regrettably beyond
too many people," Murray grumbled.
"Alas, you're right," Hildred said
as she took his pride schedule
and signed it. "We can still try."
It took Murray a few minutes,
but eventually he got his schedule
autographed by all the actors.
The toy booths came next,
including the one Lucy had
shared with a friend to sell
her stuffed bunny dolls.
"What the heck?" Murray said,
staring at Lucy's friend.
The girl had replaced
her missing arm with
a branch of flowers, and
wore a bunny hat on her head.
"It's for the costume contest,"
Lucy said, reaching for the sign
that read, Custom Bunnies Made.
She flipped the lower part
from Later to Now.
Murray looked around.
There was a 'superhero'
flying over a cityscape
built around his wheelchair.
A one-armed man accompanied
his girlfriend who wore a shark suit.
A tall brunette had simply repurposed
a machine gun into a prosthetic leg.
She was probably a supervillain,
but possibly another veteran.
Murray couldn't help thinking
of his tricycle. Maybe he would
dress it up for Halloween this year.
Meanwhile, a small herd of kids
were crowding around Lucy,
all wanting bunnies made
to look like themselves,
disabilities and all.
It was adorable.
Murray was already
starting to think ahead to
the International Day of
Persons with Disabilities
coming on December 3.
Maybe Arcadia East could
host an event for that.
Just like that, Murray got
an idea for his costume, and
it wasn't for Halloween at all.
He was going as Santa's sleigh.
* * *
Notes:
Jay Brimmer -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and short brown hair. He wears glasses. He uses an electric wheelchair due to cerebral palsy. Jay lives at the Prideland Intentional Neighborhood in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He graduated from the Technical College of New Jutland with a major in Computer Programming and a minor in Fine Arts. He composes and performs electronic music entirely using a computer, rather than playing it on a keyboard or other instrumental interface. Jay is fearless, and refuses to let his disability stop him from doing things he wants to do.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Electronic Music, Good (+2) Fearless, Good (+2) Friends with Greta Picard, Good (+2) Won't Stay Down
Poor (-2) Mobility
* * *
"It's time. Time to hear what people with disabilities are saying. Time to confront prejudices regarding the value of all people. Time to realize that the exclusion of one endangers us all. Time to realize that "Sticks and stone may break my bones but names will never hurt me," is a lie -names hurt, attitudes bruise. These public service announcements are strong and direct. They tell the truth, the battle that all minorities face is pride against prejudice. I know which side I'm on."
-- Dave Hingsburger, Writer
A community park is an open space area encompassing 30 to 75 acres within a one and a half (1 1/2) mile service radius serving approximately 18,000 to 36,000 in population and six neighborhood units for the purpose of providing both preservation of natural features within the urban environment and programmed recreational needs on a community wide basis.
Old Oak Park is a community park in T-Hampton Roads that includes about 70 acres of oak savanna, forest, and landscaped amenities.
The visitor center has a large patio with a brick oven on one side and a wildlife viewing area on the other. A small reception nook stands near the front door. The gift shop carries nature toys, books, and souvenirs. A nature display presents Virginia wildlife. The lounge has large glass windows. The wildlife viewing area includes seating around the windows, binoculars, and field guides for Virginia species. The library only has one window, since most of the walls are lined with nature books. It also has a table and chairs. The children's room offers live animals in tanks, taxidermied animals on the walls, bulletin boards, books, toys, and other resources. The multipurpose room, also called the forest room, is decorated with nature art and has space for tables and chairs. The presentation room has theater seating, a small stage, and a large screen behind the stage.
A 5-acre lawn area with sidewalks and plazas provides space for festivals and other events. Wide mixed-use paths wind through the park.
Pavilions have picnic tables, garbage cans, grills, water fountains, and other amenities. The pavilions and open-air picnic spots fill about 10 acres. The picnic sites include a grill and a picnic table, some of which are accessible. Note that this style of picnic table adds an extension at the end for wheelchair users, instead of subtracting a seat that people could otherwise use. Another good option is to use a table with detached seats.
This concrete pad can be used for basketball, dancing, or other activities.
An inclusive playground makes it possible for everyone to play together. The playground and its surrounding lawn fill about 2.5 acres.
This swimming pool has a zero-depth entry side. There are separate pools for laps and diving. The swimming pools, their outbuildings, and surrounding lawn fill about 2.5 acres.
The Petite Playhouse is a colorful wooden building with a curtain wall, which can be used for recreation or performances. Most of it is accessible, although the widow's walk requires a ladder to reach.
The amphitheater covers a hillside with terraces of grass and stone. Steps with railings run down both sides and the center. A parking lot at stage level provides access for people with disabilities, who get first claim on the lowest level of seating by the stage and also the highest level at the back. Modern sound equipment allows music to transmit from the stage to loudspeakers in the pavilions and on poles around the landscaped parts of the park. Beyond the amphitheater lies a rolling lawn where more people can listen to the performance. The amphitheater and its surroundings cover about 5 acres.
Part of the park consists of wilderness, mostly oak-hickory savanna and forest. Some of this area (about 20 acres) has hiking trails, and some (about 15 acres) is reserved for wildlife only. The trails interlace and run about 2 miles total.
Hickory Hollow Pond has docks for fishing and boating. The pond itself covers about 5 acres with another 5 acres of lawn around it. The trail around it runs about half a mile.
In Local-America, Free Indeed is a food truck that serves cuisine without gluten or the top 8 allergens. It started in Minnesota. In Terramagne-America, it has grown into a nationwide franchise with many trucks that travel the circuit of fairs and other summer events.
Jamaica Mi Hungry is another food truck with ethnic cuisine.
Rabbit Food is a T-American vegetarian fast food chain. They also run food trucks called Rabbit Tracks. Enjoy a recipe for Garden Salad with Flowers.
The Timothy Nugent Inclusive Library in Raleigh, North Carolina
1948 – The University of Illinois at Galesburg disabled students’ program was officially founded, and was directed by Timothy Nugent. The program moved to the campus at Urbana-Champaign where it became a prototype for disabled student programs and independent living centers across the country
Here some resources on creating accessible libraries.
The Timothy Nugent Inclusive Library uses considerable soundproofing to provide a quiet experience for patrons, while still providing spaces for group study, computer use, children's activities, and other services which may make some noise.
The accessible entrance has a street-level patio with two picnic tables, one of them also accessible. The door has a push-pad to open automatically.
The lobby is a wide-open area with information and circulation desks, touchscreen kiosks, accessible bathrooms, elevators, and stairs. The open design owes much to Deaf architecture, preserving line-of-sight for signed conversations.
This display promotes Deaf literacy.
The Braille Periodical Room carries many different titles and topics.
The Braille Equipment Room offers Braille typewriters, writing slates, and other tools.
The Presentation Room has chairs, projectors, and a sound system.
Accessible Study Room 1 for group use includes two adjustable desks, two computers, two ergonomic chairs, and two soft block chairs.
Accessible Study Room 2 for group use includes two adjustable desks, two computers, two ergonomic chairs, and two soft block chairs.
Sensory Study Room 1 for individual or group use includes an adjustable desks, a computer with two screens, an ergonomic chair, two soft block chairs, a beanbag chair, a rocking chair, a ball light, LED lights, and assorted fidgets.
Sensory Study Room 2 for individual use has a large soft chair, an adjustable desk, an LED light tube, and assorted fidgets.
Accessible Study Room 3 for individual or group use has a long adjustable desk with two computers, two ergonomic chairs, and a third soft chair.
Sensory Study Room 3 for individual use has a chair, an adjustable desk, a computer with two screens, a light ball, a bubbling light tube, LED lights around the room, and a blackboard.
Accessible Study Room 4 for individual use has a whiteboard, a chair, an adjustable desk, and a computer loaded with adaptive software.
Group Study Room 1 has two adjustable notched-circle tables, 10 stacking chairs, a whiteboard, a viewscreen, and a wall clock. It may be used by groups of 4-10 people.
Group Study Room 2 has four adjustable rectangular tables (usually combined to form one big table) with 14 ergonomic chairs, a whiteboard, and a projector. It may be used by groups of 7-14 people.
The Children's Sensory Room includes a padded corner, mats of various thickness, musical stepping stones, yoga balls, a pressure roller, and a ball pit. This helps children work off nervous energy and noise so they can go back to reading quietly.
The stacks use a motorized shelving system, so they remain fully accessible, because the aisles between them can be widened or narrowed at need.
Prideland Intentional Neighborhood offers community living for people with disabilities, their friends and families. Many of the homes are customized in different ways for wheelchair users, vision impairment, hearing impairment, and so on. Other homes have no special features.
The sitemap shows the common house in turquoise, which will include 4 small apartments; 4 stacked fourplex flats in green and yellow; 6 duplexes in blue and violet; and 4 townhouse apartments in brown, for a total of 36 units in all. On the west side of sitemap lie the gardens, orchards, prairie, and a rustic overlook above the play space. Parking appears in gray, with the dark gray garages having walk-up apartments above them. A closeup shows the different unit types; those marked with an X have sold.
The little patch of food forest west of the housing attracts wildlife such as these bald eagles.
These new residents are excited to move in.
The open floor plan of the studio apartments is ideal for Deaf people and others who use sign language and need maximum visibility.
A 1-bedroom common house unit suits most couples without children. The bathroom is wheelchair-accessible.
A 2-bedroom stacked unit is ideal for couples with a child or a home business. The bathroom is wheelchair-accessible.
The duplexes are all 2-story units with 3 bedrooms, good for larger families and home businesses.
The 1-story townhouses have 2 bedrooms and a laundry closet. See the interior.
Across the street from the core development, and connected by a pedestrian bridge, the adjacent neighborhood includes a variety of individual houses customized in different ways.
Houses for the blind use a glyphic language of textured floorboards to give instructions for wayfinding. See how these combine with the floor plan.
The floors are smooth hardwood, except for strips of textured stone which form the wayfinding glyphs. The stone is easy to detect with feet or a cane. A similar effect could likely be created much cheaper by applying texture strips to any smooth floor surface, although it would be less durable.
A stone path leads to the front door. The kitchen and living room are divided by a walk-around wall. The dining room and kitchen are part of the same space. The master bedroom has a king-size bed and an ensuite bathroom.
This house is wheelchair-accessible. It can be built with either steps or a ramp to the front door and interior door from the garage.
The floor plan is primarily open with roll-through access to the dining room, kitchen, nook, and great room. The den and master bedroom have double doors for easier access. The laundry room and master bathroom are accessible. If desired, an elevator can be installed in the foyer. Upstairs are three more bedrooms and a common bathroom. While they are not fully accessible, Bedroom 4 does have double doors.
Multigenerational house design includes an attached apartment for semi-independent living. This house lends itself well to multigenerational or sharehouse living. The unfinished walkout basement could hold common space or apartments. The first floor has the master bedroom and two other bedrooms, plus an attached apartment. The second floor has a fourth bedroom above the main house and a bonus room above the garage, either of which could be developed as an apartment.
When President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law — the world's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities — in front of 3,000 people on the White House lawn on July 26, 1990, the event represented an historical benchmark and a milestone in America's commitment to full and equal opportunity for all of its citizens.
Read about the Disability Pride Flag and how to make it. This flag is P-squared for the public domain.
See Aconite's Don't Touch Me T-shirt and TOXIC button.
Enjoy some disability pride songs about activism and protest.
Araucanía is a historic region of local-South America belonging to the Mapuche people.
1557 -- The Mapuche leader Galvarino fought against the Spaniards, which led to them cutting off his hands. He subsequently manifested as a Berserker. On November 30, 1557, he went into battle with knives strapped to his arms. In Terramagne, he survived and contributed to the Mapuche remaining free. Today their nation of Araucanía shares borders with North Chile, South Chile, and Argentina. North Chile and South Chile are connected by the Pan-American Highway. Araucanía has a substantial population of Jewish immigrants dating from around World War II, a source of conflict due to Argentina hosting so many Nazi immigrants. It is notable for its development of advanced prosthetics, and for the Araucana breed of chickens.
This map shows the triangular shape of Araucanía. While much smaller than ancestral Mapuche lands, it remains a substantial area.
Explore the Disability Pride 4x4 Capsule Wardrobe by Basic Babe and Shrewd Dude.
Basic Babe is a T-American store which sells staple clothing for women. They're good quality, mostly neutrals but some other colors, in simple styles that wear well over time. They carry things like underwear, jeans, t-shirts, athleisure wear, plain blouses, a few simple dresses, and jackets. Their motto is "Basic doesn't have to be boring."
Shrewd Dude is a T-American clothing store for men that supports a wide range of formulas for capsule wardrobes. They carry everything from hats through clothes to shoes, mostly in midrange quality and prices. Style ranges from casual to business, with most of the items in the middle. Staff are trained to assist men, and they have a body scanner. So you can walk in, tell them what colors and dress mode(s) you want, set a budget, and they'll dress you for it. You can pick a capsule if you want to, but it's not required; the staff can suit one to your price range and clothing needs. It's an easy and relatively affordable way to fill a closet with essentials that look nice together, for men who don't like fiddling around with fashion themselves but want to look decent.
Penny's Pocket Parity has a booth with multicolored bohemian pants, scarves, and other garments with pockets. The ones with vrip seams are already sold out.
Play All is a T-American game company that makes games and game pieces with inclusive features. It was started by several Kraken members who retired from supervillainy due to various disabilities and went into gaming. So Kraken encourages it and provides some support, but it's not a wholly-owned subsidiary company. It is one of the most popular places to stash people who don't want to become supervillains or minions, because they have so many different types of jobs suited to employees with various abilities and special needs.
ColorADD is a visual-tactile code that uses triangles and slashes to identify colors. L-America barely uses it, but T-America does much more with it, so most people are familiar with it before they need it.
Feelipa is a visual-tactile code that uses squares, triangles and circles to identify colors. L-America barely uses it, but T-America does much more with it, so most people are familiar with it before they need it.
Differences between the (1) Medical Model, Rehabilitation, Community Assistance (service delivery system), Charity Paradigm and the (2) Independent Living, Disability Rights, Disability Culture, Disability Pride Paradigm:
Go Like This: Tips and Tricks from Occupational Therapy for New Disabilities is a series of T-American books about how to compensate for acquired disabilities. Each volume covers a different subject area. Volume 1 head, volume 2 arms, volume 3 chest, volume 4 lower torso, volume 5 legs. Volume 2 is Arming Yourself: Compensating for Upper Limb Shortcomings.
The One-Armed Bandit: Overcoming Limb Loss is a Kraken chapbook of essays and diagrams about coping with amputation. The pullquote on its front cover proclaims, "Yes, you can STILL be a minion!"
Touchy-Feely is a series of picture books with Braille text for vision-impaired travelers. Each book showcases a number of attractions within a given area. There are series that cover the fifty states, national parks, tourist-friendly countries, major cities, and so forth. They have a large-scale map and often regional maps showing the location of sites. Then the contents are organized geographically to help readers imagine where sites are in relation to each other. Each entry includes a variety of features such as a site map, an illustration of the destination, and a description of its highlights. These books are widely distributed through tourist offices, gift shops at famous locations, and libraries. They're also stocked in waiting rooms that have a lot of vision-impaired clients.
Tactile graphics can teach map skills. Various formats include road maps with lines, raised images of monuments, and terrain maps. These are good ways to keep vision-impaired people busy in a car or waiting room.
California attractions include roadside attractions, museums, native culture, beaches, parks, and other places. The Tull family has explored many of these.
In L-America, Braille books are ruinously expensive. Regular books typically run $50-100 while college textbooks cost around $500 ... or about ten times the standard cost. In T-America, more Braille materials are available because people spread out the cost. The government contributes a lot, but so do interested organizations. For Touchy-Feely California, all the featured locations chipped in to help produce and distribute copies, because they'll benefit from readers visiting them.
BiblioThecla: Romance for Worldly Women
This line of romance novels is edited by Thecla Kijek, who was born in Poland and immigrated to America as a tween. She felt that the genre needed more substance in order to appeal to women who usually avoid romances as silly and implausible. So these stories feature women and men who face genuine challenges and must use their coping skills to overcome those -- or learn new ones along the way -- in order to succeed in life and relationships. Each book comes in English and one foreign language suited to its setting.
bibliotheca in American
(ˌbɪbliəˈθikə ; bibˌlēət hēˈkə)
noun
1. a book collection; library
2. a bookseller's catalog
Голуба́я Любовь (Golubaya Lyubov)
Blue Love
While struggling with depression, Trista decides to travel around the world exploring the color blue. In St. Petersburg, Russia she meets Alexei, an artist who has lost his muse. Together they find new inspiration in each other.
Cathedral Mosque in St. Petersburg, Russia. Model: Aygul. (Russian)
Yukarı, Yukarı ve Uzağa (Yukare, Yukare ve Uzaja)
Up, Up, and Away
Fonda has always been afraid of heights. That's okay, because she loves traveling by boat and by train. While exploring Cappadocia, Turkey, she falls in love with Evren, a nonbinary person who makes hot air balloons. Can their love overcome their differences?
Cappadocia, Turkey. Model: Nina. (Turkish)
Beyken'bi Veyo
Heart-Leafed Moon Seed
Leah has lost boyfriends to a car accident, the Army, and other women. She decides to treat herself to a solo vacation to Finolhu in the Republic of the Maldives, but the cheap package delivers her during the rainy season. Discouraged by the storms, she gives up on tourist pursuits and lurks in the garden of the resort. There she meets the gardener Amil, who insists that -- like the lush tropical vines he tends -- Leah can recover from her cutting losses.
Finolhu, Maldives. Model: Nastya. (Dhivehi)
Roll 'Em is a T-American publisher of scripts for plays, screenplays, and other performances. They specialize in scripts for performers who have various disabilities. In addition to individual playbooks, they also publish some periodicals. The Rostrum is a magazine about how to write, direct, and perform scripts that feature disabilties along with short plays and skits with disabled leads. Phantom Power is a newsletter about superpowers and superdisempowers that includes tips on how to portray them, acting with powers, and skits with soup themes. Because T-American drama clubs in public schools are legally required to be inclusive, such materials are quite popular for student plays. Community centers, church groups, theatre clubs, and many other social groups also like them. Many of the writers, editors, and sponsors of Roll 'Em also have disabilities, although it's not required.
Cattle Annie's is a company that calculates demographics of different places for film productions. They also have contacts among agents and organizations to help casting directors find suitable actors to match the recommendations. For an added fee, they'll even host the cattle call and present the customer with a complete cast list for crowd scenes and the like.
We The People is a union of performers dedicated to representing diversity. Members can tag all the identities they have, enabling agents and casting directors to search the membership list for desired traits.
The Argosy of Assur is an ongoing webserial filmed by refugees, primarily from Syria but also other parts of the Middle East. It focuses on a fleet of refugees making their way through space, somewhat like Battlestar Galactica, but instead of a single menace hounding them, they encounter a wide variety of obstacles -- many of those allegories of things that the writers survived. While the core episodes have been produced by the same group of people, there are more by other teams, all counting as canon provided they follow the guidebook.
Validation Station is a television channel that specializes in material by and/or about any kind of marginalized group -- women, homosexuals, people of color, poor people, soups, etc.
Squeaky Clean TV is an organization that views television shows, movies, and other entertainment to identify triggers. Then they add those to a database which can be searched in whitelist (shows free of certain triggers) or blacklist (shows containing certain triggers) mode. They also have gentle entertainment lists in various genres They cover the most common content triggers (death, graphic violence, rape/dubcon, child harm, etc.) and physical triggers (shrill sounds, flashing lights, etc.), and they review as much of mainstream entertainment as they can. If you subscribe, you can add your own triggers and/or request a review of shows not already covered. They have subsidies for people with disabilities (epilepsy, PTSD, etc.) which make this an essential accommodation; some of those come from the government, some from organizations that care for a specific disorder, and then subscribers have an option to sponsor another person's subscription or to make a general donation.
Not in Hamshire is a fantasy show loosely but clearly inspired by both Robin Hood and Tolkien fandoms. Hamshire is a peaceful place inhabited by the Banta people, who are short and stocky. Bantam culture is homey and cheerful. They speak Vernac, the common tongue. They also use sign language, represented as the most widespread gestural language, for which ASL is used. The Banta are played by actors with disproportionate dwarfism, who must be less than 4 feet 10 inches tall.
Joarra Eistel is a Questrienne hired to protect Hamshire. (Her name is pronounced "jo-AR-ah.") She is missing her left arm below the elbow. She rides a gray stallion named Hrímfaxi. The actress who plays her, Hildred Ehrenberger, is a veteran who entered show business after a medical discharge from the Marines. Many horse-loving women have named their daughters Joarra or Hildred after watching Not in Hamshire.
The Quiescents are deaf magi who communicate and work magic through a mystical sign language called Enigmanx. Those who interact with outsiders usually use the common sign language too, shown in ASL. At first, their order consisted entirely of prosaic people who sacrificed their hearing to learn magic. Over time, however, they married within the order, and their children began to be born without hearing and with magic. Natural magi tend to be more powerful than those who trade hearing for magic. At this time, a half-Quiescent has about a 50% chance of being born a deaf mage, while a full-Quiescent approaches 100%. Quiescent children born with hearing and without magic can almost always develop a level of skill close to their natural peers. Quiescents are played by deaf actors using a constructed sign language called Archanan. It is the only known CSL in public use; it was invented by a group of Deaf gamers and licensed for the television series. Their gamemaster plays Cadmus, patriarch of the Quiescents. Cadmus' son Torquil is an active adventurer.
The Pallar are blind cave-dwellers with pale hair and skin. They are brilliant miners, and they also guide people through tunnels under mountains where there are no passes or weather has closed the high routes. Most Pallar are played by albinos, and all of them are played by vision-impaired actors. However, an interesting quirk of their culture is that they will adopt anyone who is blind or at least too vision-impaired to function in the sighted world. While scenes on the surface or in cave mouths are lit, those underground are pitch dark; the Pallar don't allow lighting in their home territory because some of them have eyes that are painfully sensitive to light. The only glimpses of their world have come when they're under attack.
Questria is a shortgrass borderland adjacent to a tallgrass prairie called Veland, both populated primarily by horse-riding nomads, with a few permanent settlements. The Questrial people are a subset of a larger nation. This is where disabled veterans go to provide a ferocious barrier against hostile neighbors. Many of them also go abroad as adventurers or mercenaries. They are respected and feared in varying porportions across other cultures. Questrians are quite popular among heroes who need extra muscle; they will also work for neutral or warring parties, but not outright villains. They are utterly undaunted by any fight, no matter how "hopeless" it may seem. Questrians are played by actors with various disabilities, mostly limb loss, paralysis, or facial disfigurement. Due to the demand for large numbers of disabled roles, background characters and bit parts are often played by actual veterans with some acting skill.
This zony shows the distinctive fringed saddlepad used by the Banta.
See disabled costumes for a superhero flying, a branching arm, a shark, and a gun leg.
