It’s mid August and the election is fast approaching. I have always considered myself an independent (with a small “i”) willing to hear the voice of anyone with ideas that suggested they might do good for my city and state. Anyone willing to check my voting record will find that I have voted for Democrats and Republicans in the same election. I continue to be an independent, although I am finding it harder to hold that stance.

The political polarization is becoming increasingly frightening. Over and over, sound ideas are swept by aside in the name of party solidarity. I am obviously not the only one who thinks that the Democrats and Republicans are out of touch, witness the rise of the Tea Party. How did we come to the state where no one wants  to hear the voice of an opposing idea? I understand passion. I understand commitment to ideals, but can no one be right but you, or me, or the person we agree with? Is there no room to consider the other side, whatever that may be?

According to the United Cerebral Palsy’s State of Disability there are 54 million people living with disabilities in America. The United States has a generally aging population; 2005 Census statistics indicate that there are 78.2 million aging Baby Boomers in America. At any time, an individual can develop a temporary disability. Unintentional falls are in the top ten of the list of injuries leading to an emergency room visit or hospitalization.

What can an individual do after breaking a leg if they live in a home with the bathroom on the second floor? They can seriously limit their fluid intake and only use the bathroom once or twice per day. What does an individual do if they break a hip? Every year, thousands of Americans face this same question. It is not enough for disability advocates to argue for Visitability on a state-by-state basis. Visitability must become a national priority. Too often individuals become prisoners in their homes because they can’t safely navigate the steps. Visitability could liberate millions of people living in isolation from their friends, neighbors, and communities.

What is Visitability?

“It defies logic to build new homes that block people out when it’s so easy and cheap to build new homes that let people in.” — Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D. -IL)
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires access for people with disabilities for all new multi-family dwellings and a small percentage (5%) of single-family homes constructed using public funds. This law obviously does not address the vast majority of single-family housing in the United States. Visitability seeks to make new housing accessible by having it meet three basic conditions: one zero-step entrance with a wheelchair approachable route, hallways and doorways wide enough for safe navigation by wheelchairs, and one wheelchair-accessible bathroom on the main floor. Just making these three changes in the design of new homes is a cost-effective way for people to maintain their independence. Most people living with a disability will tell you that their biggest issue is living in a world that does not consciously accommodate their needs. A lack of easy access denies those who need it opportunities to interact, socialize, create, and enjoy friendships.

Current Options?

For people with disabilities and the elderly, options are available to help make a dwelling accessible, but these are costly and time-consuming. Constructing an accessibility ramp in Northwest Ohio can currently cost as much as $5,000 with the cost of labor and materials factored in. Installing a residential wheelchair lift onto a home can cost the homeowner between $3,400 and $6,500. If an individual lives in Northwest Ohio and can’t afford to construct a ramp, or install a lift, they may be waiting on a list for 18 months for a social service agency to meet their needs.

Entering a nursing home may be an option. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 16,100 nursing homes in America with 1.7 million beds and 86% occupancy. The number of current residents in 2004 was 1.5 million and the average stay was 835 days, a little over two years. If individuals are only staying in nursing homes for little more than 2.5 years, where are they going? For the most part, they are returning to homes that do not meet their needs. Individuals spend years residing in homes with dining rooms or living rooms converted to bedrooms, using portable commodes, and undergoing sponge baths. Is this how anyone wants to spend his or her life?

A Better Way

Designing homes with open floor plans, U-shaped kitchens with maneuvering space for food preparation, bathrooms with reinforced walls that support the installation of grab bars can add value for everyone, not just the elderly and people with disabilities. In March 2009, Representative Jan Schakowsky re-introduced the Inclusive Home Design Act (HR 1408) to Congress. For new homes built with federal assistance, this bill supplements the existing 5% requirement of fully accessible units by mandating visitability in all of the other units. If this bill becomes law, it will make subtle, but substantial changes in how America constructs new homes. Visitability is an important strategy for developing accessible housing. It can contribute to creating neighborhoods and communities that welcome everyone. There is a huge market of 78.2 million Baby Boomers who may soon need affordable and accessible homes.

Sources

Baker, James P., David B. Mixner, Seth D. Harris, State of Disability, United Cerebral Palsy Association, 16 September 2009
U.S. Census Bureau Public Information Office, Facts for Features, 17 September 2009
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Ten Leading Causes of Death and Injury (Charts), 15 September 2009
Wilkins, Dan, Manager of Public Relations, Annual Report, Sylvania: The Ability Center of Greater Toledo, 2007
Smith, Eleanor, Concrete Change: Visitability Defined, Disability Rights Action Coalition for Housing (DRACH), 2003
Martin, Charlie, Ramp Program Manager, Barb Manning (Interviewer), 15 September 2009
4 Medical Supplies, Vertical Wheelchair Lifts, 17 September 2009
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics, Fast Stats: Nursing Home Care, 17 September 2009
Department of Justice, ADA Title III Regulation 28 CFR Part 36
Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA), Visitability: An Inclusive Design Approach for Housing, University of Buffalo, 2009

A problem with my street this year made me wish that I did have some control over how City dollars are spent. Early in February, a small sink hole developed on our street in Central City Toledo. At this point, several neighbors began calling the City of Toledo Division of Streets, Bridges, and Harbors. Each got the same story: “We’ll look into the problem.”

Orange barrels in street.

This same dance continued over the next six months. No one came out to do anything about the slowly growing hole in the street after placing the orange barrels. The hole kept growing and the neighbors kept calling. Finally, at the end of July, while watching WTOL, my mother had an epiphany. Why not get Mika Highsmith involved.

Of course, not being very internet savvy, she drafted me to craft an email to Ms. Highsmith and WTOL’s Problem Solver program. I took a tour of the WTOL website and found Ms. Highsmith’s email. I wrote what I considered a clever message and even included photos on July 29, 2009.

On August 8, 2009, after I did not receive a response from the email, I decided to search WTOL’s website for a form for the Problem Solver program. After some searching (they need to work on that), I found the appropriate form and zipped off my information.

Here’s what happened!

Two days after submitting the form, Mika Highsmith called to see if she could come to the house and film a segment for the news at noon. Ms. Highsmith worked her magic and on Thursday a crew contracted by the City of Toledo came out and filled the hole.

Closeup of sink hole.

While the street work is not complete, drivers are not playing Russian roulette driving on the wrong side of the street and risking head-on collisions because they aren’t sure which side is safest.

My question is why couldn’t this process work without the intervention of the local press? The sink hole was an obvious hazard. Why did getting it fixed require the involvement of a local news station? Why isn’t there a process for getting small problems solved in the city more efficient? If someone has an answer, I’d love to hear it!

Repairs made to street.

Cheetah lounging at zoo.

Community participation in the event has grown from 25 organizations at the beginning to 100 organizations this year, with a waiting list of organizations interested in being part of the day. Even in this tight economy, The Ability Center covers the cost of this great community event.

It’s generally a busy day for me and all of  The Ability Center’s staff and I rarely get to see any zoo animals. However, this year I saw two cheetahs.

For many, the Annual ADA Zoo Day is an opportunity to connect with other members of the disability community and to find out about interesting new disability products. (Last year, I found a nifty sling that was perfect for my grandmother). Others view the event as an opportunity to educate the public about the rights of individuals with disabilities.

If you are interested in more information on this great event, you can visit The Ability Center’s website or contact me directly. To find out more about the organizations that participated this year, please visit this link.

I think Twitter and Facebook are the new telephone party line. You can listen and participate in the conversations of friends and colleagues on countless topics, some funny, some sad, others serious. Nevertheless, it’s all fleeting and fleeing.

Yesterday, I was writing an email to someone I’m working with on a project. It occurred to me that I could get my point across if I could give them the link to an article I found through Twitter.

I thought I remembered who posted the article; it’s someone I follow on Twitter and read on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I could not remember the name of the article. I spent ten fruitless minutes trying to find that article on Twitter and Facebook.

Now, I know that there are social bookmarking tools that I can use to save important articles and I do use them. However, bookmarking only works if you remember what you bookmarked! If you add retweeting into the mix, the source of the article could be anyone I follow. Still for all its fleetingness, I think social media is here to stay.

The drawings for the stories are jewel-toned and rich. The characters all wear traditional Japanese clothing. They are on fine, but very old parchment paper. The book itself has almost completely come apart at the seams; even so, the beauty of the drawings remain.

There are six stories in the book, but the images here come from The Fountain of Youth and the Gratitude of the Sambito.

I love old posters and old artwork. I hope you enjoy these images.

I recently completely overhauled my family website, themanningfamily.com. The website is a personal project that I took on to maintain connections with my four sisters. It looks like many family sites with photos of family outings, trips, and other interesting tidbits. The site also has a brief family history.

During the past week, a family member I had no knowledge of reached out to me to make a connection through that website. When I first received the email from my new “family member,” I was skeptical. I’ve used the internet long enough to be wary of contacts from strangers purporting to be relatives. After some investigation though, it turns out that my new visitor and I share a relative. Cousin D (at least I think she’s my cousin) lives in Florida and is the daughter of my grandmother’s brother. After some emailing and exchanging phone numbers and addresses, I have a new family connection made possible by the internet. This email contact prompted phone calls between several households in Ohio, Florida, and Georgia and a reunion of family.

This connection or reconnection prompted me to consider how Twitter, Facebook, and other social media tools are creating connections in real-time. Tweetups are occurring on a regular basis with individuals whose primary connection is through the internet. These meetings are for the most part social or business related.

How are activist groups using social media to engage membership?

After working for two weeks trying to get my original WordPress theme, Heartland to work, a light came on and I decided to change templates. I switched to Straightforward and suddenly there were no more problems.

The original theme is pink, so that’s why I decided to use it. Unfortunately, its 960 pixel fixed-width caused me many headaches trying to alter all of the DIV tags to match the 825 pixel width of my main website. I’m ready to start designing using 900 pixels for web page widths, but I don’t think I’m ready for 960 pixels.

What page size do you use for designing web pages?