Design Activism: #RampFail #WheelJoy
In the studio and on stage, I live for free, beautiful movement. My body takes me to places I could not otherwise have imagined. Off stage, the world looks a little different. Where I can go, how I get there, and what it feels like are not entirely within my control. – Alice
The politics of disabled movement extend beyond the policies and laws that are supposed to guide how disabled people are treated in our society.
The United States is one of the few places in the world with laws to protect disabled people, but how the laws play out on a daily basis is in our hands. The decisions we make to enact or support these laws, as family members, business owners, citizens, and communities, play a large part in shaping the embodied experience of day to day movement for millions of people. More and more, as we fight for a just society that values all people, we are learning that ADA compliance has to be the beginning of the journey, not the destination.
Accessibility is not a minimum requirement; it is a human right, and the intention and aesthetics of accessibility are a critical measure of the value we have for all people.
We intend to highlight the best and worst our society has to offer when it comes to the experience of wheelchair users specifically. Join us as we continue and elevate our #rampfail and #wheeljoy conversations on our social media platforms. Share your pictures and stories.
Together we’ll see where we are, where we should not be, and where we can envision going forward from here.
#rampfail #accessibilityfail #ramp #slope #ableism
— Alice Sheppard (@wheelchairdancr) March 20, 2017
[Grey ramp w/ short entryway. The door when open to the right, blocking access from ramp] pic.twitter.com/a0wL1oGlBT
#wheeljoy In slow motion replay Alice and Laurel .@llcycore bounce around each other in a circle with huge smiles, strapped into wheelchairs, on a 14-foot diameter trampoline. pic.twitter.com/sgMLlC9NkV
— Alice Sheppard (@wheelchairdancr) November 1, 2018
#RampFail Part 2!
— Alice Sheppard (@wheelchairdancr) May 23, 2017
Join the Twitter Chat MAY 25, 3PM EST (8PM UK, 12 PM PST)
[Cement ramp leading to stairs]#accessibiltyfail #ableism pic.twitter.com/x8THTJtS1E
With all the #rampfail out in the world. Here is a clear example of #rampjoy. Almost 100 ft of sloped ramp, w/ 2 lanes to go up side by side w/friends, and flats to rest every 30 ft. Also, location of the recent dance film project I choreographed in #Edmonton at #UAlberta pic.twitter.com/ZpSBD572ZA
— Alice Sheppard (@wheelchairdancr) September 12, 2018