A terrific op-ed by Mihir Kakara on ableism and the necessity for barrier-free buildings and streets and using enabling applied sciences.
My husband, who’s disabled and makes use of an electrical scooter, and I’ve discovered how typically folks simply don’t take into consideration what constitutes a barrier. Two examples: Recently, we ate at a really good restaurant in Old City. We had informed them we would wish an accessible entrance when the reservation was made. In spite of that, the doorbell for the facet entrance didn’t work (or couldn’t be heard). We had been exterior within the pouring rain for nearly 10 minutes. When I lastly acquired somebody to come back to open the door, many further chairs and different issues needed to be moved to make the doorway accessible. The employees had been appropriately apologetic after the very fact, nevertheless it didn’t change how we had been made to really feel. Secondly, this previous summer time, flying on a serious airline in Europe, we had been informed that the scooter was “too large” to placed on the airplane and must be forwarded to our vacation spot the next day. This despite the truth that I, at 78, can break down the scooter into its elements and raise it into our Prius on my own.
These experiences are infuriating and demeaning and don’t have to occur if we merely acknowledge that accessibility is an important truth of life.
Barbara Gold, M.D., Philadelphia
I’ve a critical psychological well being situation, so tales like “Malvern police fatally shot a woman during a wellness check …” hit me near residence.
These tragedies usually are not uncommon. According to a 2015 tally by the Washington Post, roughly one-quarter of the folks shot and killed nationwide by law enforcement officials within the first six months of that yr had been experiencing acute psychological sickness on the time of their demise.
There is an answer: Around the nation, many municipalities are adopting a disaster response mannequin that nearly all the time operates with out involving police.
One such program is CAHOOTS, in Eugene, Ore. CAHOOTS groups encompass a medic and a disaster employee. According to this system, in 2019, out of a complete of roughly 24,000 calls to CAHOOTS, police backup was requested only 150 times.
In Philadelphia, somebody searching for assist for a member of the family in a psychological well being disaster can name the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services’ Mobile Crisis Team as an alternative of 911. It might save a life.
Joseph Rogers, executive director, National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse, Cherry Hill
The “Penn State cancels appearance by Proud Boys founder after protest and ‘threat of violence’” article of Oct. 25 uncritically quotes the college president’s flawed assertion amounting to “both sides-ism” and sufferer blaming.
This is wholly incorrect framing — merely put, it’s Penn State directors that allowed this. Proud Boys are identified for violence and wrongdoing, because the 2021 revolt try and extra reveals. Proud Boys are additionally identified for white nationalist extremism by the FBI, and are categorised as terrorist teams by Canada and New Zealand.
In distinction to blaming college students and others who nicely know what Proud Boys are about, directors should acknowledge their failure right here by not barring the occasion understanding constitutionally unprotected and unlawful acts would imminently happen, and by not citing different examples of justifiably and efficiently canceling an occasion just like the above.
Proud Boys’ DNA is ingrained with intimidation and violence. They introduced that to the Penn State campus as social media amply reveals. The president’s declare that the Proud Boys occasion resistance “furthered … the visibility” of their “cause” fails beneath fundamental scrutiny.
Brian M. Villa, Philadelphia
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