It might surprise you to learn that a basic lack of public awareness can be a considerable barrier to independent living for many people. Yet, without understanding, empathy, and patience, a lack of public awareness can become a huge barrier to independent living.
Sensory impairments
The lack of public awareness surrounding sensory disabilities is a massive factor in independent living. For instance, someone living with hearing loss might not be able to hear very well on the telephone, and most hearing people are unaware of this. Customer service hotlines and other services are usually designed with non-disabled people in mind since they make up the majority, but this can be challenging for those with hearing disabilities.
Most of America’s cities and homes are designed with fully sighted people in mind, and those with vision problems might struggle to get around or even to live independently in their own homes. Vision problems are more common than you think, affecting 12 million Americans in several ways, from complete blindness to vision impairment after correction with lenses.
For example, do all of the drivers in your community know they are required to yield to White Canes?
Physical disabilities
Anyone with physical disabilities might find living independently a challenge. For example, severe physical disabilities are likely to come with mobility challenges or difficulty getting around.
However, the general public is not as aware of this as you might think, and accessibility is still a significant issue. Most organizations are set up with wheelchair users in mind these days, but public awareness of wheelchair use is still problematic. The average non-disabled person is entirely unaware of what using a wheelchair entails or how it affects day-to-day life, such as needing priority at the elevator.
Less common physical disabilities are even more unknown to the public, but the more significant issue is the lack of awareness by organizations. For example, someone with an amputation has different accessibility needs than someone with cerebral palsy, and neither of these things are very well known amongst the people who design public spaces or apartments. Physical disabilities can also affect your ability to cook, clean, and dress, and the person may find they are restricted in the ways they can earn a living.
Neurodiversity and mental health
Many people don’t understand how neurodiversity and mental health affect living independently, and this is largely due to a lack of public awareness. For example, someone on the autistic spectrum may have completely different social needs to a neurotypical person; someone with a psychiatric condition may not be safe enough to live independently, and people living with severe developmental disabilities may not be able to live alone. Public awareness of these conditions is often reasonably high, but the implications of such conditions and the different accessibility needs people have are relatively unknown. Unfortunately, because the conditions themselves are fairly well known, the actual barriers to independence people face, and their accessibility needs are overlooked.
Improving public awareness of accessibility and disability would help improve people with disabilities' access to independent living. Many people with disabilities struggle to get around or undertake basic tasks such as grocery shopping, and increased public awareness of accessibility and other needs would improve this greatly.
As we come to a close of the 50th year of the ILM, we encourage organizations and governments to embrace and engage their communities, and consider working closely with them to identify public awareness programs that may remove barriers.
For ideas on Public Awareness campaigns that may benefit your community, visit the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy page.
Comments