Environment & Disability

"If I lived in a society where being in a wheelchair was no more remarkable than wearing glasses, and if the community was completely accepting and accessible, my disability would be an inconvenience and not much more than that. It is society which handicaps me, far more seriously and completely than the fact that I have Spina Bifida”

‪An Environment Built to Include Rather than Exclude Me: Creating Inclusive Environments for Human Well-Being

“Easy access to buildings would save huge amounts of time and stress. The good footpaths would mean I did not get tired so quickly and therefore could be out in the community doing what I wanted for longer periods of time. Good public transport is obvious.”

“Being able to do my own shopping is a great pleasure and an independence event [but] when a shop is only partly accessible and the specials are in an area where there is no accessibility then I have to go home without a moment of equality.”

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These are just some of the common experiences for those with disabilities participating within their communities and environments- but met with challenges and barriers due to environmental design. These accounts further support the need to address environmental and contextual components of occupational performance to best create, design, adapt, and maintain space that can benefit individuals of all abilities.