Melanie Bengtson

HONR 401

14 November 2017

Accessibility for all Individuals

In the United States, there is a prominent issue regarding barriers for those who are

diagnosed with a disability. People with disabilities constantly face multiple barriers throughout

their lives, whether they were born with the disability or it was acquired later in their life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are seven common barriers

that people with disabilities typically face on a typical basis. These barriers include attitudinal,

communication, physical, policy, programmatic, social, and transportation (2017). All of these

proposed barriers are aspects that can be changed because of the various stakeholders that have

dedicated their time towards bettering the lives of people facing these barriers. Throughout this

semester, I have been able to reflect on these key stakeholders, how they have been successful,

and what they could potentially do to improve their strategies towards social change.

More specifically in the Mankato area, there is a lack of accessibility for those who have

disabilities. One example that I am more familiar with is the lack of playgrounds that are

accessible for everyone. The Miracle League of North Mankato is an organization that has

dedicated their focus towards building the Fallenstein playground, which is a playground that has

play equipment that it accessible for people who require wheelchair assistance as well as other

equipment that takes sensory and emotional needs into consideration. This playground has not

yet been constructed, but it will become the first of its kind in this area and provide a safe and

welcoming environment.

The Miracle League of North Mankato also utilizes the only rubberized field in the area

to host baseball leagues for kids and adults of all abilities. This allows for an inclusive
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HONR 401

14 November 2017

environment for all athletes, regardless of physical ability. Inclusion and equity are a necessity

for the continuing advancement of bettering the lives of those with disabilities. The Miracle

League of North Mankato is committed towards providing an environment that is considerate of

everybody, and is inclusive so that children and adults can enjoy their favorite hobbies. The

organization firmly believes that everybody deserves a chance at play. Required

accommodations are not seen as a burden, and everybody supports each other at all times. The

Miracle League has excelled in the way that they intently follow their mission. Every year, a

very diverse group of kids and adults come to play, and the Miracle League always adapts to the

changing accommodations. Their congruence has helped them to gain more and more awareness

towards accessibility for those with disabilities.

There will always be an ongoing conversation regarding special education classrooms.

The United States currently has laws in place that advocate for special education students and

their deserved education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 was

created to ideally have services and accommodations for children who qualify for having a

disability. This includes early intervention and special education services (Department of

Education). There are still issues regarding the education of students with disabilities. For

example, IDEA requires that students be mainstreamed into classrooms containing students who

do not have learning disabilities. This becomes a problem because the students with disabilities

are often not given enough opportunities to participate both academically and socially. They are

often seen as outcasts in the mainstream classroom and not always given the proper attention that

they require to get a proper education (The Arc).

Melanie Bengtson

HONR 401

14 November 2017

Technology has been a key stakeholder with accessibility for those with disabilities.

Many people who have some sort of a communication disability rely on technology to

communicate with others as well as learn in a school setting. Having reliable technology is vital

for the wellbeing of those who cannot verbally communicate. It makes it so that people can

effectively communicate their wants, needs, and ideas; which helps us to find ways to be more

helpful to those with disabilities. The aid of technology is also useful to those who are not able to

use their hands. A man named Oded Ben Dov created an eye tracking technology initially for a

video game, but discovered that he could also use it to develop a smart phone that is able to run

off of eye tracking (Sydell, 2016). Focusing new technologies on being more accessible and

helpful for people with disabilities with help us to erase the barriers between people with

disabilities and people who do not have a disability.

Some of the biggest reasons these issues still persist are because of the lack of education

about people with disabilities and a lack exposure that would help people to feel more

comfortable and connected to people who are affected by disabilities. 67% of people report that

they feel uncomfortable when they are talking to somebody who has a disability (Ryan 2014).

Most people feel as though they are going to say the wrong thing, so they typically act very

awkward or they avoid the person at all costs (Ryan 2014). There is also a very unequal

relationship between people who are disabled and people who are not that causes a lot of

underlying issues that are difficult to overcome. For example, if someone were to help a friend

with a small task who doesn’t have a disability, it is just seen as a favor most of the time. If that

person were to do the same task for a person with a disability, it is often seen as something
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HONR 401

14 November 2017

charitable and causes a feeling of self-philanthropy (Diary of a Goldfish, 2014). We as a human

species tend to see people for their disability, and we tend to categorize ourselves as unequal

people. If more schools taught more about people with disabilities starting at a young age, more

people would start to feel more comfortable about treating people with disabilities more

respectfully and with more consideration. Kindness and equity will help our society to go a long

way with the inclusion of diverse populations.

Personally, I am very connected to these issues presented before. I am a Special

Education major, and I plan to be a teacher after graduation. I hope to be able to make a

difference for children who face obstacles in their lives and make their education something that

they enjoy and take pride in. I have taken the initiative to learn about and volunteer for

organizations that dedicate their time towards helping out people of diverse abilities. Fortunately

in the Mankato area, there are various organizations that are focused around people with

disabilities. In the past, I also took the Honors section of the class Sensitivity to Disabilities. In

this class, we were able to tour and learn about MRCI and how they provide a way for people to

transition into the workplace. We were also able to do a lot of critical thinking and reflect about

our perspectives towards people with disabilities.

In the future, I hope to volunteer for LEEP and continue on my path towards becoming a

Special Education teacher. I also hope to utilize what I have learned from this class to put my

passion into action and make a social change. I was already familiar with the social change

model, but I really found it helpful to have guest speakers explain how they have been able to

apply the social change model to a realistic version of our everyday lives. I have discovered my
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HONR 401

14 November 2017

values and passions, and I am committed to continuously learning more and helping as much as

possible. For the rest of this semester, I plan to use my research from this paper to have a deeper

understanding of what actions are being taken outside of my personal community and what

issues are still persisting.

In conclusion, this assignment has helped me to gain a lot of insight and helped me to

think more critically about an issue that I deeply care about. I have learned about the underlying

causes of the issues of accessibility, equity, and inclusion; and about how to use that knowledge

to make a change. Being able to immerse myself in part of the solution has been a very helpful

experience, as I got to see how much of an impact it makes just to be thoughtful of the people

who require extra assistance from time to time.

References

“Disability and Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 17 Mar. 2016, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-

barriers.html.

“Menu.” Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, sites.ed.gov/idea/.

“Public Policy and Legal Advocacy.” Education Issues, www.thearc.org/what-we-do/public-

policy/policy-issues/education.
Melanie Bengtson

HONR 401

14 November 2017

Ryan, Frances. “Two-Thirds of Us Are Uncomfortable Talking to Disabled People: We Need

Time, Money and Effort to Get over the Awkwardness.” New Statesman, 8 May 2014,

www.newstatesman.com/voices/2014/05/two-thirds-us-are-uncomfortable-talking-disabled-

people-we-need-time-money-and-effort.

Sydell, Laura. “For People With Disabilities, New Technology Can Be Life Changing.” NPR,

NPR, 21 May 2016, www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/05/21/478925944/for-people-

with-disabilities-new-technology-can-be-life-changing.