It would be better, I think, to have a very clear idea of what would be neccessary before approaching people about things like funding etc.

Either way, thank you for your encouragement. I am so greatfull for this community, which is constantly broadening my horizons and giving me so much information I would have never known to ask for.

(For clarity, because I know cemeteries are different in other places: In Germany, there are usually flower beds on the graves. Each grave is seperated from the others as well as from the paths between the graves, usually by some kind of low stone
border.)

While we were talking, I got to thinking about what having a possibility to sit down at the cemetery, in front of the grave one is visiting, might meant to other people. For my mom, it is just about not wanting to “look down on” my gran while talking, but what about others?

People with invisible disabilities like chronic pain conditions might not get to spend as much time as they want visiting their loved one’s graves because they can not stand for so long. The same is true for people who tire easily, get out of breath or have other reasons for needing to sit down. A majority of the people who spend a lot of time at the cemetery are elderly people, who are more likely to have such problems. And even if we assumed an average spread of ages in the people who come to the cemetery, there would still be a high percentage of PWD, who might need a place to sit down.

Also, I know there are gardeners who can be hired to take care of graves when a person is no longer able to do so on their own, but for those who are still caring for the plants themselves, the watering cans are heavy when full, and can be quite a way from the plants that are to be watered.

How could one solve a problem like this? My first thought regarding the watering cans was to place some kind of pully or trolly at the water pump for those who might not be able to carry a full watering can. What kind of device would be best, accomodating the needs of different disabilities (What kind of handle would be good for people with rheumatic fever? Is pushing or pulling easier? What other capaicities need to be thought of?)

Regarding the possibility to sit down, my first thought was of putting up an open shed with fold out chairs for people to take with them and then bring back when they are leaving.

Aside from practical issues (they would have to be stable, good quality chairs; there might need to be cushions for people to actually be able to relax in them; they would have to be easy to transport, maybe have wheels attached to at least two of the legs) there is the question of whether these would actually be used.

I remember hating the way other students stared at me for the six weeks that I had to use a special chair after my (useless) operation on the ruptured disk. Would pwd want to “out” themselves by bringing such a chair to the grave? Would the elderly feel like they might “cause a scene”?

I would love to get some input from the much more knowlegable people here before I try to find the right people to address about putting some kind of plan into action. My eperiences have been mostly those of a TAB, so I am bound to make mistakes and miss things that should be obvious. Any and all advice, as well as any criticism, would be very welcome.

At first I just thought it weird, but now I’m looking back on it and wondering what else my library has for the blind – I hope that B-grade movie isn’t it!

When it comes to DVDs, I love using English subtitles, even with English language movies. And my hearing is fine – you just can’t catch everything.

As for finding transcripts – the first thing that popped in my head is a website where you can get proper subtitles for Bollywood movies (and maybe other foreign films). Second thing is websites like snpp.com and I forget the other one, but transcripts of X-files episodes. When I was really into the X-files, I read those a lot.
.-= Kaitlyn´s last blog ..Living at home does not make you a bum, Judge Judy. =-.

Takes time to learn about all the ways to think about possible accomodations. I try to be aware of this stuff and was still floored a few years back to learn of “captioning for the blind,” namely extra narrative along the lines of “Our hero is approaching the stairs and is looking around…”

I suspect I’ll continue to learn for a long time, which is why I always appreciate these kinds of posts…

I like how one of the links listed above had a link about making websites more accessible, something that doesn’t get addressed often enough. Having colorblindness, it’s a real pet peeve of mine. You don’t have to compromise your design to accommodate others online (and sometimes it’s for the best design-wise – if I never see a blood red with dark grey text site again, I’ll be a happy camper). But I can’t smirk too much, because I have some work to do to make my own sites accessible to folks with other visual disabilities, like providing descriptions for images.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to make my own blog (and other stuff online) more accessible to more PWD, and this led me to some things I hadn’t thought of. Even trying, sometimes it’s hard. I wish more people would try.
.-= urocyon´s last blog ..Being kind to your body, and nasty assumptions =-.