Focus on Accessibility

During the last several years the world and especially healthcare has focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) but many times DEIA or Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility has taken a backseat. This session will recognize the achievements, challenges, and rights of individuals with disabilities. It is an opportunity to come together, learn, and advocate for a more inclusive world that promotes understanding, celebrates diversity, and empowers individuals with disabilities. During this session accessibility and universal design look at making physical spaces, digital platforms, transportation systems, and information more accessible to people with disabilities. Coproduction and co-design play a crucial role in fostering understanding and compassion towards individuals with disabilities. The presenter will educate the attendees about various disabilities, their unique challenges, and the importance of creating inclusive ecosystems.

Many times, as healthcare organizations and communities design programs, events and even new or renovated spaces, individuals with accessibility issues are not consulted to co-design or coproduce the spaces. Sometimes some of the simplest things are missed which can be frustrating for individuals with accessibility impairments. Many times, the accessibility impairments might not be visible or even shared by patients and care partners. This lab will provide basic information for how to create an environment and points of interactions that will allow individuals with any type of accessibility issue to function with dignity in all encounters inside and outside our health and social ecosystem.

During the session, the presenter will share personal barriers to accessibility and will ask the attendees to share barriers to accessibility they might experience, or if they have witnessed an accessibility barrier. The presenter will define the difference between medical and social models of disability, ableism, and discrimination. This will lead into a discussion about “What Matters To You” as a person dealing with accessibility impairments and how people navigate the world.

The presenter will take the attendees on a journey through the barriers that they have encountered in physical scapes, on digital platforms, and navigating transportation systems. She will also provide information about the disparities and intersectionality of invisible disabilities or impairments.

During Q and A the participants will not only have time to ask questions, but they will be challenged to create solutions to the barriers they shared at the beginning of the session. They will be asked: “What are you going to do differently after attending this session in both the health and social ecosystem”.