Built Accessible, Made Impossible  🔗 **Source:** [Built Accessible, Made Impossible](https://share.snipd.com/episode/6529a82e-4f94-4b65-8b12-553b79a5f958) ## Highlights - **Curb Cut Blocked By Anti‑Skate Pylon** - Michelle recounts a curb cut blocked by a large cement pylon that prevented her scooter use and forced her to detour in the rain. - The obstruction was likely added to stop skateboarders but made an already accessible route unusable for people with mobility needs. Transcript: Michelle So you didn't go inside until you actually went in their business. And there was a curb cut right there in front of their business, like just one, like 10 feet down the thing. And then there wasn't another one for about, I don't know, at least 50 feet, if not more, further down this plaza. And it was raining. Well, I'm guessing that it was to stop skateboarders because there was an incline decline there. And so I'm guessing skateboarders would go up that and then skate down the sidewalk. So what did they do? Is they put this giant cement pylon right in the middle of the curb cut to stop, I'm assuming, to stop skateboarders. What it did is it stopped me because I couldn't use the curb cut with my scooter to be able to get in. I had to go all the way down to the other end of the plaza. I used that curb cut and come all the way back up. ([Time 0:02:00](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a4ac93a2-dc15-4442-9950-19ce75e5a2a8)) - **Packages Left On Front Door Ramp** - Michelle describes delivery drivers routinely leaving packages on her front door ramp, which blocks the storm door and prevents her from entering easily with a cane. - She waits for neighbors or her partner to bring packages in even though ample space beside the ramp exists for safe placement. Transcript: Michelle Right. Whenever anybody delivers anything to me, they put it on the ramp. So now I can't open the door. Yeah. And if I open the door, I'm moving the things away from me where I can access them easily without going up and down the ramp with my cane, which I can do. But then I have to bend over to pick up. It's a little scary. So I always wait for somebody else either my neighbors to come home and i'll text them and say could you bring that in or now that nick's here you know he'll bring packages in all the time When i when i've ordered them but i shouldn't have to there's plenty of space next to the ramp that they could put packages that don't block the door so why are they blocking an accessible Entrance does not make sense to me at all. ([Time 0:04:15](https://share.snipd.com/snip/d087e634-c252-45c1-98d0-f79dd4790cb8)) - **Event Lifts And Booth Ramps Arrived Too Late** - Michelle shares event accessibility failures: a stage lift too small for her scooter and booths placed on platforms without ramps until day two. - These oversights forced her to use distant routes or miss being inside booths until organizers remedied them. Transcript: Michelle And I, it's frustrating for sure. We all understand that things break. It's when companies don't go back and fix them quickly so no matter what you do you still don't have access um or and this has happened to me uh where did this this happen this happened in Green in yeah in athens the elevator to the stage areas i there were only two places that i could go wheelchair bound in the auditorium for the closing remarks. I could go down take a little lift with my scooter all the way down and then go off the lift. The problem was the lift was too small for my scooter and it was too small for their own wheelchair. So even if they had put me in a wheelchair I still couldn't use that lift. So it was too small for a scooter, too small for a wheelchair. What was it for? I don't know. Or I could go all the way up to the very, very top of the back in an elevator, which is what I ended up doing, which was fine. ([Time 0:05:12](https://share.snipd.com/snip/7e7ade50-ec02-476a-83d0-7b6671dcd9d9)) - **Accessibility Requires Ongoing Care** - Michelle stresses accessibility is ongoing maintenance, not a one‑time checklist, and failures often arise when people stop caring after initial compliance. - She warns that token compliance can be undone by later decisions that reintroduce barriers. Transcript: Michelle Because it's really disheartening when you can't access something and you are left out because there's no way for you to get there yeah um you know most of a lot of people think that accessibility Samah Is often like thought that's something that's only um related to small group but also it is i i know it's not that that a case it's making sure to take care of everyone make feel everyone Included i agree with you like i think a lot of word camps or a lot of events they don't really think about how is things accessible for everyone i know sometimes also in word camps future Word camps i'm not gonna say there is a lot of like floors. I understand with a venue situation, this is the best option they can find, but also to make sure there is elevator, to make sure there is a volunteer if somebody have a question or to make A clear sign ([Time 0:06:56](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4d78fc43-ed90-4526-a54c-488d398a9734)) - **Try Simple Accessibility Simulations** - Samah suggests simple empathy exercises like muting a video and turning on captions to experience accessibility differences. - She also advises varying color contrast to accommodate visual sensitivity and readability. Transcript: Samah Like we can ask people like, hey, if you want to know how it makes you feel, watch sometimes a movie, turn a mute in it and put the subtitle. Is it relaxing for you? Is it distracting? Is it the right color? And also if you're like with accessibility make the colors different because also a lot of accessibility range of how you're seeing the phone seeing the colors um the physical accessibility And i understand and i remember you and i you told me a couple of stories i found they're really horrible while you're traveling also in airlines you're having endless and very exhausting Discussion about your battery ([Time 0:09:22](https://share.snipd.com/snip/db706220-525b-4a3a-a3dc-bf9ca9efd7a0)) - **Ask Experts And Use The Handbook** - Michelle recommends organizers consult accessibility guidelines and ask people with disabilities specific questions about dimensions and routes. - She notes WordCamp handbook sections exist and that outreach shows organizers are paying attention. Transcript: Michelle In planning. There is a page now, I think maybe more than, there's a section in the WordCamp handbook about physical accessibility. Joe Simpson Jr. Put it in there. But that doesn't mean, you know, there's a lot in the handbook. It doesn't mean that everybody pays attention to everything. Past years, they've contacted me to find out how high is too high for a countertop. Or how wide does a row need to be to accommodate wheelchairs and things like that. Which, even if something is Google-able, I don't mind if they ask me. Because I know that they're paying attention to it. This team didn't reach out to me, but I also was not able to go. So, I don't know if that had anything to do with it. ([Time 0:13:23](https://share.snipd.com/snip/7699983e-3f19-4be1-bfa1-649f44307e6d)) - **Accessibility Impacts Over A Billion People** - Samah highlights scale: about 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability, making accessibility broadly relevant. - She links physical and digital accessibility as necessary for inclusion across societies and ages. Transcript: Samah It's more. There are only like 7 million people. So almost, we're talking 25 or 30% of population around the world, they are living and struggling with physical disability and also giving feedback to make things better for everyone. Everyone is welcome. Everyone feel your right spot and you don't have to suffer. ([Time 0:16:59](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9a58335c-c7fe-41f6-ad2e-e200afe67595)) - **Temporary Conditions Make Accessibility Universal** - Michelle and Samah point out temporary and situational disabilities (sprained ankle, postoperative vision changes, strollers) increase the population needing accessibility. - They argue designing for these cases benefits parents, the aging, and anyone temporarily limited. Transcript: Samah So let's say that you sprained your ankle tomorrow and we're on crutches. Michelle Now you'd be somebody who has a temporary disability. I'm not, I'm not wishing that on you by the way. But maybe I will, I will relax a little bit. I'm sorry, I'll be convalescing on the beach. But there's temporary, temporary disabilities. There's people who have, you know, eye surgeries, and it takes a couple weeks for their eyes to get back to normal. There are people who suffer hearing loss temporarily from an explosion or other things, and it comes back. And again, you know, people break, break and and those kinds of things so there's temporary disabilities there are also we don't tend to call this a disability but when you are raising A small child who doesn't walk yet you are encumbered by that child is either in your arms or in a stroller that you're pushing and entrances ([Time 0:17:27](https://share.snipd.com/snip/1269dcd6-b24a-43ef-a4e5-81d33124bf44)) - **Improve Accessibility Even If Not Legally Required** - Michelle urges businesses 'grandfathered' from legal requirements to still proactively improve accessibility, like adding automatic door paddles. - She notes small fixes (buttons to open doors) remove repeated friction at entrances such as dollar stores. Transcript: Michelle Just because you can stay inaccessible doesn't mean you should stay inaccessible. So I wanted to make sure that just because you can doesn't mean you should. So everybody should kind of listen to that a little bit. If you know, even small, small shops, if they just take the time to put the mechanisms on to paddle open the doors, it's a great help. Like every dollar tree in in all of new york is not accessible in that one in that one area which ([Time 0:22:37](https://share.snipd.com/snip/f197b823-cc54-452b-a599-ea3ccb4aa2ae))