Hello Thank you for sharing this experiences with us. Adriana 2013/1/24 Chris Corrigan <chris.corri...@gmail.com>
> I have done an Open Space for an indigenous organization on disability. > We had about 20 people in the room with all kinds of abilities and > limitations ranging from mobility issues to deafness to blindness to > cognitive impairment, to various degrees of paralysis or complete lacking > of limbs altogether. > > There was no way I could meet every need, but the group itself was > completely capable of meeting every need. We operated by Christina > Baldwin's principle of "ask for what you need and offer what you can" The > deaf woman read out the posters for the blind man. The quadriplegic > offered to zoom around the inside of the circle in her wheelchair with > paper and markers on her tray offering them to those who couldn't get up. > Those who couldn't write spoke their topics to those who could. It worked > great and everyone loved it. All the sessions met and they made it work. > > So…there you go. > > C > > On 2013-01-24, at 1:54 PM, Niels Schuddeboom wrote: > > Harold, > I would like to second Harrison's reply. I am not blind, but I do have a > physical disability and I recognize that it's most natural to have a > support structure emerging from the group itself. As a facilitator you can > have a positive influence in shaping a culture of what the Dutch started to > call 'Durf te vragen' = Dare to ask. In my experience: the more you take > special measures with the focus on people with a disability, the more you > have the risk of getting 'outsiders'. Good luck! > > Niels > @shakingtree > > PS. What I do in 2013, thanks to the facilitation world: > http://checkthis.com/qqnc > > 2013/1/22 Harold Shinsato <har...@shinsato.com> > >> Thank you Michael & Harrison, >> >> The need for the American Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 reflected a need >> for a change in consciousness to support those with disabilities. Despite a >> professional requirement to understand and look at Section 508 of the U.S. >> Rehabilitation Act when government contracts for software companies started >> to be directly impacted in 1998 because of the changes to that law to >> support digital accessibility, I still felt an inner "humbug" when I saw >> most of the best parking spaces left empty in public parking lots because >> they were reserved for the handicapped. >> >> The movie "Music Within" helped me understand. It's the true story of >> Richard Pimentel who lost his hearing in Vietnam and became an activist for >> the ADA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_Within. This movie depicted >> directly something you said, Harrison, when they showed how someone with >> cerebral palsy became the center of attention in a restaurant because there >> were no facilities to make it possible for him to come into the restaurant >> himself, and he had to be personally carried up the stairs. What was worse >> was the depiction of how his disability made him a target of discrimination. >> >> I really appreciate both having the faith, as a facilitator, that those >> without eyesight will be able to get their needs met and the community will >> support them and work it out. Yet I do wonder if there is also a need as an >> event organizer to do something to make it possible for those with >> handicaps to navigate the event without the need for them to be highlighted >> or stand out. It might be a bit confrontational to hear this - but even our >> community has challenges supporting the handicapped. There were no >> elevators or ramps at WOSonOS 2011 in Berlin to over half of the session >> locations, which made those with mobility challenges unable to attend those >> sessions. >> >> Michael, several of your suggestions seemed like they would help support >> the sight impaired. It might be a little extra work, but having someone >> transcribe the session announcements and times would help the blind, but >> would have other benefits. I've heard reports at some of my open space >> events that accessibility to the schedule wall was an issue especially >> right after the morning sessions are announced and posted. I've been >> thinking getting a larger wall would support that, but I also specifically >> heard that the event was overwhelming to those with social anxiety. I can't >> help but think having a way to find sessions by going to a website could >> support that - and enable a lot of the technology that is available now for >> the sight impaired. >> >> Harold >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On 1/21/13 2:56 PM, Harrison Owen wrote: >> >> I have never done an Open Space for Blind People… but I have done many >> OS’s with some or many blind people. And as near as I could tell, they did >> just fine. Their own coping skills worked, and the community pitched in >> (with a nice subtlety) – so I never saw or heard of a problem. But I did >> get one comment from a person of challenged vision… who thanked me for not >> making him a special, stand out person… just one more people. Needless to >> say it was not me doing/not doing anything. But you get the drift. Unless >> somebody has suddenly gone blind, they do make it in the world, and with >> the light touch of a caring community (and what else do you have in OS?), >> everything seemed to work out just fine.**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Harrison**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Harrison Owen**** >> >> 7808 River Falls Dr.**** >> >> Potomac, MD 20854**** >> >> USA**** >> >> ** ** >> >> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)**** >> >> Camden, Maine 04843**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Phone 301-365-2093**** >> >> (summer) 207-763-3261**** >> >> ** ** >> >> www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com%20/> **** >> >> www.ho-image.com <http://www.ho-image.com%20/> (Personal Website)**** >> >> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of >> OSLIST Go to: >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org**** >> >> ** ** >> >> *From:* oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org [ >> mailto:oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org<oslist-boun...@lists.openspacetech.org>] >> *On Behalf Of *Harold Shinsato >> *Sent:* Saturday, January 19, 2013 12:12 AM >> *To:* OSLIST >> *Subject:* [OSList] Supporting the blind at an open space event**** >> >> ** ** >> >> Some friends in Missoula Montana are holding an open space event about >> digital accessibility March 9 this year. >> http://accessibilitycampmissoula.org/ >> >> Looking over the records I found fewer posts about this than I expected. >> I saw posts about supporting 1 blind person, but they will have at least >> seven and I don't think they'll have enough volunteers to support one >> helper each. So they are thinking about some kind of ipad readers around >> the session postings. >> >> How has the community here provided accessibility to the blind, >> especially for the schedule wall? >> >> Thanks in Advance! >> Harold**** >> >> -- >> Harold Shinsato >> har...@shinsato.com >> http://shinsato.com >> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush>**** >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OSList mailing list >> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org >> To subscribe or manage your subscription click >> below:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org >> >> >> >> -- >> Harold Shinsato >> har...@shinsato.com >> http://shinsato.com >> twitter: @hajush <http://twitter.com/hajush> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> OSList mailing list >> To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org >> To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org >> To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: >> http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org >> >> > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > OSList mailing list > To post send emails to OSList@lists.openspacetech.org > To unsubscribe send an email to oslist-le...@lists.openspacetech.org > To subscribe or manage your subscription click below: > http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org > > -- Adriana Díaz-Berrio Ph.D. CRHA (514) 739 2268 www.diazberrio.com
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