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After profitable my first gold medal within the 1972 Paralympics, I went out with the swim group for a celebratory dinner. I’ll always remember the paradoxical sight of my teammates — all world-class athletes — being carried of their wheelchairs up the few steps into an inaccessible restaurant. Whereas removed from a uncommon prevalence on the time, the stark distinction between that second and our victory within the pool earlier that day made it stand out.
As I strapped on my braces and slowly made my approach up the steps, I mirrored on the irony of the scenario. As Paralympic champions, we had been sources of inspiration to tens of millions. We had been breaking down stereotypes and altering perceptions about what disabled individuals may accomplish. But whereas we had been celebrated by society, we weren’t accommodated by it.
Accessing many fundamental items and providers required herculean feats of energy and agility. Makes an attempt at taking part totally within the bodily world had been met with hurdles and obstacles. At the moment, it was clear that for the Paralympic motion, which strived to advertise incapacity rights by way of Paralympic sport, the work was not but finished. The truth is, it was simply starting.
Over the following 4 Paralympic video games that I participated in, we started to see the gradual shift towards extra accessible cities. The Paralympic motion performed no small half in that development. By placing a variety of disabled individuals on TV around the globe, it introduced the necessity for equal entry from the shadows into the highlight.
Joseph Wengier and his teammates on the 1980 Paralympics. Wengier is second from left. Picture Credit: Joseph Wengier.
The Paralympics additionally demanded host cities do higher, requiring meaningful and lasting improvements to the accessibility of cities’ infrastructure. Right now, whereas there’s definitely nonetheless a lot room for enchancment, disabled individuals have discovered options for many issues and are in a position to take part in society greater than ever earlier than.
But with the web taking an more and more central half in our every day lives, we’re seeing the identical exclusionary practices that we skilled — and fought in opposition to — all these years in the past reappearing in a brand new type. A recent study reviewed the world’s prime 1 million web sites and located accessibility points on the homepages of greater than 97% of them.
A restaurant web site that lacks help for keyboard navigation or doesn’t work correctly with display screen readers can stop an individual who depends on these applied sciences from ordering meals, just like the best way that lack of wheelchair entry can stop them from getting into the institution.
Now, with COVID-19 upending our every day routines, the shift on-line has accelerated. Increasingly companies are going digital, with their web site being the one strategy to schedule an appointment, purchase groceries or apply for a job. This makes the necessity for accessible web sites extra essential than ever. It’s not a matter of a minor inconvenience or an lack of ability to entry a brand new know-how or service. We’re seeing fundamental day-to-day wants shifting on-line and changing into much less accessible within the course of. It’s this slide backward that has compelled me to speak up and share my story.
As we go surfing to look at the spotlight clips of our favourite athletes’ performances in Tokyo, take to social media to congratulate them, or go to our favourite sports activities web site to learn the protection of the occasions, let’s demand that these companies make their web sites accessible in order that Paralympic champions can do the identical.
A latest picture of Joseph Wengier at his laptop along with his medals within the background. Picture Credit: Joseph Wengier.
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