Question

For this task you are required to produce a poster or flyer appropriate for display in a community service facility which identifies at least four different opportunities for community participation and social inclusion for people with disabilities, in your local area.

For each of the opportunities you have identified for community participation, describe the interests, abilities and requirements that are associated with the activities, as well as any other information that interested clients would like to know.

Also note if there are any cultural and religious needs that may impact on participating in the opportunity.

1. Identify four barriers you may come across for each opportunity identified. Detail a strategy to address and monitor the identified barriers.

Answer 1

Inclusion of people with disabilities into everyday activities involves practices and policies designed to identify and remove barriers such as physical, communication, and attitudinal, that hamper individuals’ ability to have full participation in society, the same as people without disabilities. Inclusion involves:

• Getting fair treatment from others (nondiscrimination);
• Making products, communications, and the physical environment more usable by as many people as possible (universal design);
• Modifying items, procedures, or systems to enable a person with a disability to use them to the maximum extent possible (reasonable accommodations); and
• Eliminating the belief that people with disabilities are unhealthy or less capable of doing things (stigma, stereotypes).

Disability inclusion involves input from people with disabilities, generally through disability-focused and independent living organizations, in program or structural design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.1

National Policy and Legislation

Three federal laws protect the rights of people with disabilities and ensure their inclusion in many aspects of society:

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, which was followed by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 in an attempt to restore the original intent of the legislation
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973external icon is a federal law that protects individuals from discrimination based on disability. The nondiscrimination requirements of the law apply to employers and organizations that receive financial assistance from federal departments or agencies. Section 504 forbids organizations and employers from denying individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to receive program benefits and services. It defines the rights of individuals with disabilities to participate in, and have access to, program benefits and services.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990external icon, as amended, protects the civil rights of people with disabilities, and has helped remove or reduce many barriers for people with disabilities. The legislation required the elimination of discrimination against people with disabilities. The ADA has expanded opportunities for people with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions, and increasing participation in community life.

ADA guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in several areas:

• Employment
• Public accommodations such as restaurants, hotels, theaters, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, libraries, parks, private schools, and day care centers
• Transportation
• State and local government services
• Telecommunications such as telephones, televisions, and computers

People with Disabilities and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,external icon commonly referred as ACA.

For people with disabilities, the ACA:

• Provides more health care choices and enhanced protection for Americans with disabilities;
• Provides new health care options for long-term support and services;
• Improves the Medicaid home- and community-based services option;
• Provides access to high-quality and affordable health care for many people with disabilities;
• Mandates accessible preventive screening equipment; and
• Designates disability status as a demographic category and mandates data collection to assess health disparitie

Universal Design

The intent of universal design is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications, and the physical environment more usable by as many people as possible at little or no extra cost. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities. The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State Universityexternal icon has developed seven principles for universal design:

• Equitable use: The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
  For example:

• Power doors with sensors at entrances that are convenient for all users.
• Flexibility in use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.
  For example:

• An automated teller machine (ATM) that has enhancements in the way it looks, feels, or sounds so that people with vision or hearing impairments can use it;
• A tapered card opening for ease in inserting or removing a bank card; and
• A palm rest to aid those with arm mobility or strength limitations.
• Simple and intuitive use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.
  For example:

• Including an instruction manual with clear drawings and no text.
• Perceptible information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of the current light, visual, or sound conditions or the person’s abilities to read, see, or hear.
  For example:

• Alarm systems that can be both seen and heard; and
• Routinely making captioning available in all television or video presentations.
• Tolerance for error: The design minimizes hazards and the harmful consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
  For example:

• Ground-fault interrupter (GFI) electrical outlet that reduces risk of shock in bathrooms and kitchens.
• Low physical effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably with minimum fatigue.
  For example:

• Easy-to-use handles that make opening doors easier for people of all ages and abilities.
• Size and space for approach and use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of person’s body size, posture, or mobility.
  For example:

• Counters and service windows are low enough for everyone to reach, including people who use wheelchairs; and
• Curb cuts or sidewalk ramps, essential for people in wheelchairs, but are used by all people, and also convenient for people pushing baby strollers.

• AccessibilityAccessibility is when the needs of people with disabilities are specifically considered, and products, services, and facilities are built or modified so that they can be used by people of all abilities. Here are a few examples of accessibility:

• Parking spaces are close to entrances
• Floor spaces and hallways are free of equipment and other barriers
• Staff and healthcare professionals can use sign language or have access to someone who can use sign language

• Reasonable Accommodations

  Accommodations are alterations that have been made to items, procedures, or systems that enable a person with a disability to use them to the maximum extent possible. An accommodation can also be a modification to an existing environment or process to increase the participation by an individual with an impairment or activity limitation. Braille, large print, or audio books are examples of accommodations for people who are blind or who have visual limitations otherwise. For people who are deaf or who have difficulty hearing, accommodations may take the form of having an American Sign Language interpreter available during meetings or presentations, or exchanging written messages. Communication accommodations do not have to be elaborated, but they must be able to convey information effectively.