#accessible design

It’s not for you.

“Why would anyone get a hairdryer holder, just use your hands to hold it.”

It’s not for you.

“Portable collapsible stools are proof of how lazy this generation is getting.”

It’s not for you.

“A chord assist for a guitar? Why don’t people just use their fingers like everyone else?”

IT’S NOT FOR YOU.

Fun fact! Not everything is about or for you!

Museum staff push for all-gender restrooms

The [Manchester] museum’s new restrooms don’t just appeal to trans and gender-nonconforming visitors, though, Davies told Hyperallergic. They also feature baby-changing spaces and three different types of accessible toilets, including a “Changing Places” toilet, equipped with a full-size changing bench and hoist so people with limited mobility can use the restroom or have their continence pad changed.

TL;DR - These are newly proposed blueprints for renovating the basement of an incredibly cool queer/BIPOC-run affordable housing co-op in my city, with the aim of creating an ACCESSIBLE community space and mutual aid hub!

If you have a moment, please take either a quick or a long look at these images, and let me know what stands out to YOU as good/bad/missing/in-need-of-change! Or just let me know what you need in a public space in order to feel welcome, especially as it pertains to wheelchair lifts!

ANY amount of feedback is so, SO appreciated!! ☺️

More (optional) detail, if you want:

I have one "BEFORE" blueprint, and three updated proposal blueprints for what the space could look like AFTER renovation.

In the long-term, the co-op is planning to install an elevator to serve all 5 floors of the building, including the basement. But in the short-term, with their current funding, the plan is to install a wheelchair lift that goes from outside the first floor, down to the inside of the basement.

The "AFTER" blueprints include widening the hallways by several inches.

I am going to recommend a changing table for the bathroom; ideally, an adult-sized changing table. Idk yet if they can afford to remove the shower that's there now.

I am also going to double-check with the designers that all the proposed door widths are wide enough for a large wheelchair to get through. In this current scale, several openings appear to be too small.

The goal of the community space is to provide a mutual aid hub - providing food, supplies, space to meet, and emergency preparedness for the community!

Thank you very very much!! :)

btw

Genuinely, if you have dyslexia or another learning disability that affects reading (or if you just generally find reading hard or unpleasant) try setting everything you can to one of these fonts

Evidence strongly suggests that are also easier/faster to read for neurotypicals and non-dyslexic people

Also if you're a student try writing your papers in this and then converting them to the required or standard font at the last second

Also tbh great for writer's block and writing fatigue

Font highlights

1. OpenDyslexic

OpenDyslexic is one of the most well-known dyslexia-friendly fonts for students. It’s free to download and widely used in schools across the world. The letters are weighted at the bottom, which helps anchor each character to the page, making them less likely to flip or rotate in the reader’s mind. This is especially helpful for students who experience letter reversal or movement while reading. Teachers who’ve used OpenDyslexic in the classroom often report improved reading stamina and reduced frustration among dyslexic learners. It’s easy to integrate into worksheets, presentations, and even web browsers, making it a versatile choice for modern classrooms.

Download the font here

Also you can download a browser extension that will change most/all text on the internet to display on your computer in OpenDyslexic. It's completely free and open source (which means it's permanently free). Download links:

For Firefox (this one will also work on Firefox's mobile browser) For Chrome For Edge

2. Comic Sans

You laugh but genuinely Comic Sans is the most dyslexia-friendly standard font. (x, x, x, x)

"One thing that can make a big difference for people with dyslexia is the font they read in. Enter Comic Sans, the dyslexia-friendly font. Studies have shown that Comic Sans is easier to read for people with dyslexia because the letters are more distinct and easier to distinguish from each other." -via DyslexicHelp.org, May 2024

If you can't have fun (and/or inoculate the people around you against the power of cringe), the other best standard font when it comes to dyslexia and accessibility generally seems to be Arial

EDIT: this post is out of date. The current version can be found here.

TL;DR - Any kind of feedback you can provide regarding what YOU want and don't want from a wheelchair lift experience would be super helpful!! -- AND/OR, I'd also appreciate any input you might have about what a community space would have to be like in order to be inviting and welcoming to you!

Any input - small or extensive, general or specific - would be SO appreciated!! I'm hoping to deliver this feedback in the next couple days.

More info under the cut:

Despite the bad review, I think this product is revolutionary for disabled people.

after all, we all know disabled people don’t carry bags and never go anywhere alone!

here’s where i had to balance my bag in the disabled toilets of one of my city’s biggest music venues x