OS for people with disabilities (longish)

[Lisa Heft]

Thank you all for this rich discussion.

I live in a community (Berkeley, California, USA) where there is the
concept of *disability culture*.  Just like any of the other cultures I
see and don't see I wish to create a nutritious space for in my
facilitation work.  Just like any of my work I not only assume that
there are people in the room of cultures not obvious to me, but also I
wish to teach and practice and model diversity awareness by naming and
acting and offering things that would make people of all cultures feel
comfortable. It's just like having my basic Open Space signage in
Spanish and English for all clients and situations; not just the ones
where folks indicate there are Spanish speakers (Spanish being the
language in this region spoken by such a large percentage of people).

Hence, in my registration material for workshops I have a note that says
"Please tell us if you have any food or beverage restrictions" and "Is
there anything else we should know / any additional special needs?" and
"Note for people with mobility issues:  Our training site is wheelchair
accessible."

I note in my invitation to workshops that those who have trouble reading
can schedule an appointment with me to go over the material via
conversation.  In my Law of Two feet signage, I also put a wheelchair
and always use the subheading "Motion and Responsibility" and mention it
by saying "and because not all of us have two feet I also call it the
'law of mobility'."

I my openings (Open Space or any other event I facilitate or teach in)
when I let people know of the schedule I let them know where food and
water is (and I say it this way) "for those who need to take medication"
and I invite folks to take care of themselves.  I bring three wide
chairs (these are my very cozy collapsible back yard chairs) and mix
them in with the regular chairs in the room for people of larger size.
I bring pillows for the back and blankets for those who may feel cold,
noting that we all have different 'thermostats' (often those with
chronic illness or on medication or menopause have crazy thermostats);
again inviting participants to take good care of themselves.  I buy
special food for those with allergies or other food needs; not requiring
them to bring their own but treating them like anyone else in the
workshop where food is included.  When I open the circle for posting of
issues I also say "and for those of you with mobility issues I shall
bring the paper to you" and I walk around the circle with clipboards,
paper and markers in hand - anyone - not just folks with disabilities -
gets to use this option as not everyone is comfortable kneeling on the
floor.

As I also work in interactive learning (as many of you do) I include
materials (in my OSs and otherwise) for more learning modalities than
just for those who take in data for text.  I also include items for
kinesthetic learners, graphic learners, etc.  In doing so people with
various disabilities also take advantage of more diverse tools for
learning.

Then I let people take good care of themselves.

I find that by openly modeling inclusion and action regarding wellness
some people respond by talking openly about their health or disability
issues, some privately tell me they feel welcomed and included, and some
without these issues personally thank me for modeling greater
understanding of what might not be obvious when working with all kinds
of people.  That plus the way people with various disabilities openly
educate me and welcome my efforts and my errors as mutual learning gives
me some feedback for more changes, additions and inclusion in future
interactions.  Plus the whole room changes as you see people stretching,
moving around rather than just sitting while participating in
conversation, taking blankets with them and such.

As a side note, I also try to stay aware and monitor my own language for
universal understanding - less assumed "Americanisms" and less military
analogies (I often work internationally with very diverse participants
who often come from communities in war) - I don't use the terms "bullet
point" or "think tanks", for example.

And I try like heck (though it's hard for me, coming from a family
culture of affirmation through touch) to ask people before my hand
snakes out to touch them if it is okay for me to touch them.  This is
the hardest for me because my instinct and culture are to touch, so I
sometimes have to ask just *after* touching them because hey I did it
again! - but I have learned that so many people are survivors of
unwanted touch. People respond with a welcome to touch, or any variation
of more to less to no touch (though most say you bet please touch me I
love it!) - and they let me know they appreciate being asked.

For me it's all about listening and sharing and asking questions and
making mistakes and learning from them and thanking others for their
gift of teaching and sharing with me.

So I welcome you all to teach me more.

Lisa

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