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Information Environment & Movement/Mobility

Issues Related to the Information Environment

Persistent cultural myths about people with significant movement and mobility limitations are routinely denied their sexuality and sexual experience. Stereotypes about people with these functional limitations abound, casting them either as innocent or undesirable.  As such, people with movement and mobility limitations are rarely the target group for educational workshops on sexuality and sexual assault.

Moreover, providers and community workshop presenters often fail to post advertising and outreach materials at a height that is accessible to people with limited movement and mobility. Many community workshops or support groups do not have a door-to-door pick-up service in order that would allow members of the community with limited stamina to attend workshops or groups.  When people with mobility and movement limitations search out supportive environments, they often find the meeting place for support groups to be inaccessible or that groups for women without disabilities don't meet all of their needs. 

Another frustration people with mobility and movement limitations experience is the lack of information about the path of travel to a location and the paths of travel within that location.  A lack of information about how to find your way in a building, can be frustrating and even traumatic for the person with limited movement or mobility. It also can be a disincentive to people with these limitations to attend future programs that are offered.

Examples of Problems

  • A teenager who has had one leg and partial parts of her arm amputated has never received sexuality education. An older man who has been talking to her in recent weeks has been really nice. When he begins to touch her sexually, she is confused and doesn't know what to do.
  • A community member who uses a walker calls a provider to inquire about a workshop that will be held in a location with which she is unfamiliar. She finds that the providers do not know enough about the travel from the transit station, into the building, and to the room where the event will be held. The provider does not offer to find out and get back to her.
  • A survivor is unable to bend over to grab a brochure from a low-lying coffee table in a doctor’s office.

Suggested Solutions

  • People with disabilities do have sex and are targeted for sexual abuse.  Workshops on these topics should encourage attendance by people with mobility and movement by stating that reasonable accomodations can be provided.
  • When providers offer sexuality, sexual assault, and violence workshops, ensure accessible locations and include that in all types of information about the event.
  • Place brochures and other informational material within an accessible reach ranges (no higher than 48 inches for a direct approach and 54 inches for a side approach).
  • Post notices on walls within 'a comfortable viewing zone'. 1 
    A profile drawing of a small child, a women using a wheelchair whose eye height is marked 48", and a standing woman whose eye level is marked 61". All three stand profile and side-by-side (one behind the other) and are facing a wall that is marked to be 6 feet away from them. View triangles are drawn from their eyes to the wall. The bases of the traingles are against the wall and represent their verticle viewing ranges.
    A Comfortable Viewing Zone (courtesy of Adaptive Environments)

  • Sighted people can read  5/8" height text with good color contrast from 6 feet away centered at 54" height.  If  there are multiple pages and memos,  then consider that from a 19" viewing distance, a viewing range of  48" to 67" above the floor can work for most people. See the diagram "A Comfortable Viewing Zone".
  • Providers should provide seating in long hallways, especially in places like schools where distances between events and facilities can be large.
  • Providers should understand distances by foot for traveling to programs that are offered. In general, urban areas do not have sufficient benches that would make it possible for someone with a cane or walker to travel further by foot. Providers should know the details of locations in order that participants can make informed decisions when they inquire about the exact nature of available access.

1Design for Accessibility: A Cultural Administrator's Handbook, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. http://www.nea.gov/pub/access_pub.html