An Update and An Invitation to an Accessibility Challenge

Good morning folks,

Much of this is copied from my most recent Instagram post, for which I hope you’ll forgive me because I have limited energy at the moment.

Last Friday, I had surgery to repair the tendons and ligaments in my ankle from that fall way back in July. Since then, I’ve been mostly in bed watching silly television and sleeping as much as I can. I’ve been the recipient of some wonderful support from friends and family, but I’ll be honest, it’s harder than I wanted it to be.

I was debating whether or not to put anything "on main" about my surgery but the reality is that recovery is going to be a longish process and so far, I haven't been able to just "work from bed" as I had hoped because all my intention and energy is going into healing my ankle. Surgery was just under a week ago and I'm recovering but it's slow.

If you're waiting to hear from me, please be patient as it's hard to even read a lot of text, much less write, while I'm still doing the pain & meds dance.

Since my hand accident a few years ago, I've thought a lot about disability, mobility, and accessibility. While this is another temporary disability, it brings all of that starkly to mind again. Without full mobility, every movement has to be carefully planned.

One has to consider several steps ahead - if I am going through the trouble of getting out of bed and onto the scooter, what else do I need to do while I'm up? Can I manage to pee, do a sink "shower" and brush teeth, refill my water bottle and get that extra blanket in the five minutes I can be up before I have to elevate my leg again? Do I need anything from another room? Can I get the front of the scooter around that corner so I can reach something I need?

Carefully planning meds out so I don't forget which of the six things I'm taking I'm supposed to take next (yes, I'm writing it down) and timing it so I don't wake up in pain. It's a constant calculation of some kind.

Today I'm going to attempt to wash my hair and change the sheets. It will take at least one other person, a couple of assistive devices, and a lot of effort.

I don't say this to complain. I'm grateful to have help and the means to recover in relative comfort (and very good insurance which covered my very cute knee scooter). I say this in case you haven't considered whether your space is easy to navigate for someone who has to do this kind of planning just to be in the world.

When we were house hunting, "anything but a ranch" was on my list of wants. I wasn’t crazy about how they looked and didn’t know if I wanted to go all-in on that midcentury vibe. Surprise, we ended up in a ranch. And I'm so happy about that now because I will be able to access most of the spaces in my home without too much trouble once I'm a little more mobile. I won't be cut off from anything because of stairs.

All this to say, I want to present you with a little fun challenge.

Take a look around your home and your workplace today and think about whether someone with limited mobility or assistive devices can get around. Think about whether they can be included in the space, or if it would be a source of isolation. Then, if there's something you can rearrange to change that just a little, go for it! It doesn’t have to be a big change - maybe you don’t have the means to install a ramp by your front steps, but maybe you could email your HR department or boss to see if there’s a change that can be made at your office building. Maybe there’s a chair in the lobby at an angle that makes it impossible to navigate with crutches and it’s an easy fix.

People deserve access.

It takes a lot of mental energy to do the math of figuring out if a space is accessible - anything you can do to alleviate some of that mental load for someone who has different needs for access goes a long way to making the world more navigable (and therefore more inclusive.)

If you accept the challenge, I’d love to hear about what you found and what you changed! Think of it as a scavenger hunt where the reward is that everyone gets to feel welcome in a place.

Thanks for reading and for your patience if you’re waiting on something from me. Each day gets a little bit easier and I hope I’ll have more energy soon.

Lots of love,

J.