EDCON 2018: ACCESSIBILITY
separate from the legal requirements,
c) review language around/
definitions of terms such as disability,
accessibility, accommodations,
inclusion, and adaptive, d) consider
challenges we may have in trying
to make our programs accessible,
e) give some specific information
about certain conditions and
diagnoses that may require particular
accommodations, and f) facilitate small
group discussions where people could
take sample scenarios and brainstorm
solutions together.
I presented the workshop twice, and
both times had caring, engaged, and
thoughtful participants. People had
some challenging questions, to be
sure, which led to very interesting
discussions. It was important to
emphasize then as it is now that none
of these issues are black and white;
however, not only are we legally
required to accommodate in almost
all situations, but it’s the ethical and
welcoming thing to do, so I hope
we will continue to work to expand
our programming in order to do so.
Additionally, I’m not a lawyer, so if you
have a legal question about an issue
related to disability or accessibility, I
strongly advise you to consult a lawyer
who specializes in these issues. I hope
we will eventually develop a forum
where these discussions can continue,
and where more educators will have a
place to engage with these topics.
Due to time limits, the workshop was
geared towards circus educators
rather than towards studio owners,
who have responsibilities that overlap
but also are different (see below).
We started from a presumption that
students would be able to physically
access the space (which is not always
the case) and proceeded from there.
We discussed how to assess whether
a particular class/workshop would be
accessible for a student with a physical,
mental, or emotional disability, and
how we could make it more accessible.
Although I predominantly use the
word accessibility, I invite us to always
30
think about inclusion, which is not the same thing [see
"The Accessible Stall" podcast, episode 25, for a nuanced
discussion of this distinction]. For example, a child who
uses a wheelchair may be able to physically access a dance
class via entering the physical space, but if the instructor
doesn’t think carefully about inclusion, then the child may
find herself sitting off to the side in her wheelchair while
the other students dance through a routine that doesn’t
take different movement methods into consideration.
Further, although my focus in this presentation was on
disability and equal access, I invite us to be constantly
thinking about accessibility in its other forms as well.
although my focus in this presentation was on disability
and equal access, I invite us also to be constantly thinking
about accessibility in its other forms as well.
JANUARY 14, 2019
FABRIC DEPOT
Photos: (Above) LEGacy
Circus (Vanessa Furlong
and Erin Ball) at the St
John's International
CircusFest 2018.
Photo by Alick Tsui.
(Right) Jo Montgomery of
SANCA spots a student's
handstand. Photo
provided by SANCA
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