Brenda Dugan's accessible date with my associate

September 28, 2013

Community Intervention

Accessible Date

Brenda Dugan

Myself and an associate had an outing at the North Georgia County Fair in Marietta.  Accessibility throughout the park was diverse. Some areas were congested due to the crowd of people at particular rides and vendor sites.  There were thick cables partially covered by mats that could be stumbled over easily if a person has some challenges walking. Because my associate's gait was slower than a non-handicapped person, it took longer to get to booths and attractions.  It was not easy  for her to have control of her own space because of clusters of people in many areas.  Often times someone would accidentally bump into her and she would bump into others as well . Children would run past her on their way to get on rides.  At one point she seemed as though she would lose her balance when walking through the crowd. Many people were at the fair and crowding was an issue in some areas.  Some people were bumping into each other as they were attempting to get to other locations. Space was further compromised when we purchased something to eat and needed to navigate to an area to sit down to enjoy our food. For this woman legibility would have been a greater concern if she was at the park without an escort.  There was a great deal of stimuli in that environment.  There were a lot of people, animals, food, bright lights, colorful rides, musical rides and sounds coming from a variety of games.  This event has significant meaning to her because it is an annual event that she has attended for many years and despite some inconvenience, she seemed to enjoy being there. The fair offers an overwhelming amount of sensory stimulation as a result of all of the attractions, bright colors, lights and sounds that were heard everywhere we went.  It was very easy for my associate to get distracted and she had to be redirected a few times.  There was no privacy at the fair.  It is designed to attract many people.  There was some opportunity for sociality at the fair.  Many of the vendors would make attempts to get people to come to their booth. When we would go to a booth, the person working there would take time to acknowledge the person who was with me. In some areas of the park it was more difficult to hear anyone speaking to you because of  people talking, music and loud sounds coming from the games and rides.

When we left the fair, we went to my home where there was more privacy. Legibility and accessibility was easier for my associate.  There was less crowding in my home so my associate did not have to compete for space.  This created  comfortable environment.  She was able to experience a sense of control because all of the attention and focus was on her.  This was meaningful to her because she was able to enjoy the arts and crafts in an environment that wasn't crowded or noisy. 

Going to the Fair

Kaitlin Lange

September 28, 2013

HS 3300- Professor Overstreet

Accessible Date Assignment- The Fair

            For my accessible date, I went to the fair and then back home to watch TV with my boyfriend. At the fair, we rode rides and ate a funnel cake. I found the fair to be accessible to be able to move around but it would be kind of hard. For instance, there were no stairs or anything to get around the fair but because it was so crowded, it would be hard to get through everyone to get from one place to another. The fair was not a very adaptable place for a person with disability to attend. If the person could not get to a table to eat, or get to a place in the park, it would be near impossible to reorganize anything to accommodate them. The fair would not be a comfortable place for a person with a disability most likely. The fair is very loud and has a lot going on all at once. For me, the fair held little to no meaning but for other people it could hold some meaning. It could be a place where they grew up and went to every year with their family. At the fair, there is no privacy. The most privacy you could get would be to go into a bathroom stall by yourself. The fair has a lot of sensory stimulation. Most of the rides have blinking lights flashing constantly, there is usually a concert or music playing, and there are people yelling for people to come play their games. All of this happening could cause someone with a disability to become overwhelmed, have a seizure, or more. The fair allows for a lot of sociality. There are so many people and while you wait in line for a ride or drink you usually end up talking to someone new.

            Once we left the fair and were at my boyfriends I realized how hard it would be to access my boyfriend’s house. All of the entrances have stairs and would not be wheel chair accessible. Also, once inside to get to a bathroom, you would have to walk up stairs. This was a good place for privacy because it was just us and his grandparents there. His house was a comfortable place because it did not have all of the people or noise and I could just relax. We had control over our environment at his house and it was more adaptable. For example, we could have taken ply board he had to make a ramp over the stairs for someone with a disability. 

            Overall this date probably would have been hard for someone that would have been in a wheelchair. At the fair, they may have been able to get around and see the fair, but they would not have been able to ride the rides or play the games unless they were at sitting level. Also, the loud noises and blinking lights might have been a little too overwhelming. Going back to my boyfriend’s house would have been more comfortable for someone in a wheel chair because it is quiet and somewhere to relax. The only problem would have been getting into the house and getting them to the restroom if they needed to go. Overall my date would not have been the best choice for someone with a disability.  

There's No Such Thing as Normal

For my assignment, I decided to ask a guy friend of mine, who is in a wheelchair, if he would like to go on a “friend date” with me. We decided to go out to eat at Sweet Tomatoes, then went bowling, and ended the “date” grabbing coffee at Starbucks.

Accessibility:

The accessibility as the restaurant was easy for my friend maneuver his wheelchair through because they had a wheelchair ramp and handicap parking so we were able to park close to the entrance. We picked this restaurant because the salad bar is very open and       spacious, so his wheelchair could fit through easily. It was also easy for Matt to adapt well at Starbucks because they have a wheelchair ramp, handrails and a larger table specially designed and labeled to be wheelchair accessibl

Adaptability:

The other customers in the restaurant eating didn’t mind my friend being in a wheelchair at all. I helped him with putting the servings on his plate because the salad bar items were a little high for him and the food items far bar were hard to reach. Doing this may have taken a little longer, but no one seemed to mind. I fixed our drinks for us because it is hard for my friend to hold a drink and wheel himself at the same time. However, he was able to easily fix himself a plate of rolls and other foods in another section of the restaurant because he places the food in his lap while he maneuvers his wheelchair with his hands.

Activity:

We chose to go bowling because it is all on one floor level so we didn’t have to worry about stairs or anything, and also because the layout was wide enough for a wheelchair to fit through. It was great to see that Matt had fun because he was able to just place the bowling ball on the side of his wheelchair and swing his arm without any trouble at all. They also have bumpers and the bowling balls were placed on shelves low to the ground so they were easy to grab.

Crowding:

The Brunswick bowling center wasn’t too crowded because we decided to go on a weeknight, and we didn’t hold anyone up since we got to go at our own pace. The bowling alley was also wide enough so Matt didn’t feel crowded or cramped in his wheelchair. Matt also didn’t feel crowded in the restaurant because it was so open that he was able to wheel himself around without getting in anyone’s way.

Sensory Stimulation:

All three locations offered infinite sensory stimulation. The Brunswick bowling alley is visually stimulating because it is decorated with  bright colors, televisions, arcade games and also the noise of the bowling balls hitting the pins. Brunswick also played music in the background. Sweet Tomatoes was decorated with posters of decadent food, had bright lighting in the food

 serving areas and had delicious smells of food.

Starbucks was also decorated with pictures of coffee beans and had the delicious smell of fresh coffee in the air.

Privacy:

We had good privacy at Starbucks because the coffee shop is an environment in which people can have personal conversations. We sat at a table that was more open than others because it was spacious enough for a wheelchair to back in and out. Sweet Tomatoes also had good privacy because no one could hear our conversation with the music and cooking food in the background
and it is a self-serve restaurant so a server didn’t
interrupt us.

Sociality:

We were close enough to other tables at Sweet Tomatoes to engage in a conversation, but I usually don’t talk to strangers while they’re eating. People would just get their food and then talk with their friends. At Brunswick bowling, we talked with people that were beside our lane to see who was winning and the techniques they had to offer us. It was a very open environment to social with others. Starbucks was also open as well to start a conversation with people because of its open layout, but I didn’t want to bother someone if they were studying or having a serious talk.

Control:

There is little one could control at Sweet Tomatoes because it is public territory. However, one could somewhat control how many times they wanted to bowl at Brunswick. They could stay on the same lane as long as they paid for it. I believe one could also have a little control at Starbucks by holding a table for hours on end.

Conclusion:

This experience gave me a whole new perspective on how people with a disability function in daily activities. I definitely have a lot more respect with people who struggle with minimal tasks everyday. This is a great assignment and I’m glad I got the opportunity to do it!