Current responses to access

I’m writing this after using just three of many possible examples in the three previous posts (NHS Physios and shopping centre security guards) who were apparently unable to stop themselves gesticulating directions to me even though I carry a white stick and explained what I needed from them.

 

While it seems that there is an increasing number of people who really don’t recognise what a white stick represents and what it might mean in terms of communicating (e.g. for directions etc), I think there is an even  larger body of people who either can’t or won’t think what not being able to see might mean.

 

In some cases, the tone of voice indicates a stubbornness, an irritation with being asked to do something different, but more often there seems to be some societal lack of thinking, or inability to think independently  with an associated  need to be told before they can act.

 

This has, I judge  been reflected in a shift in equalities practice in some organisations where the focus is on ‘diversity’ more than ‘equality’. It is typified by the expectation of disabled employees to ‘tell their stories’ and not only describe their access requirements, but also the personal impact of not meeting them. This is both worrying and also tiring.

 

I won’t ‘tell my story’ to order (whatever that means) – see a future post that expresses my disgust at that particular form of voyeurism used in the name of promoting equality. But it is tiring to continually have to explain my access needs and then to justify them with a full and detailed explanation (preferably told in an emotional way). It is as if it wouldn’t be enough to use a white stick, but an expectation might be to describe what it would be like for a blind person not to have one. Similarly, for those of us using screen readers to access our devices, it is as if people can’t manage to simply accept that a particular document format might not work, instead there is the increasing expectation that, only once they can  imagine what it is like to use a screen reader, that they can be expected to comply with the accessibility standard.

 

My experience is that this apparent need for increasing justification through detailed explanation actually doesn’t bring any significant changes in practice or awareness.