<html><div>At 05:05 PM 5/10/00 -0700, you wrote:</div>
<div>>I facilitated an OS last week and a disabled person who's
disability was</div>
<div>>not evident came to me after feeling quite upset that a small
table had</div>
<div>>not been in the centre for people like her who cannot bend even
to pick</div>
<div>>up a sheet a paper and who does not want to ask others to bring
her a</div>
<div>>sheet, not wanting her disability to be known. She felt deprived
having</div>
<div>>not been able to participate and indicated that others with
similar</div>
<div>>problems had made the same comment. A young person with
the same</div>
<div>>complaint having a physical problem that limits kneeling
or bending</div>
<div>>movements to the floor.</div>
<div>****************************************</div>
<div>As usual, there is never one right way... and the solution offered
certainly seemed to work. Just for the record, the reason I have
typically chosen not to use a table is actually two reasons. First, is to
keep the space clear. Nothing but the folks -- as it were. But there is
also a practical reason. Every time I have used a table, a number of
people tried to use it, which meant that they stood around waiting for a
place at the table. If it was big enough so that all could fit in, it
also blocked people's view of each other -- more so. And the larger the
group -- the greater the problem, all of which tended to slow down what
in my view should be a pretty snappy process. So my way out is to invite
people to help each other. And they do. Funtionally, the job gets
done, but maybe even more important, the point gets made that
collaboration is the name of the game. All of us have some kind of
disability, and each of us will require some kind of help from our
fellows along the way.</div>
<br>
<div>Harrison</div>
<br>
<br>
<div align="center">
Harrison Owen<br>
7808 River Falls Drive<br>
Potomac, MD 20854<br>
USA<br>
phone 301-469-9269<br>
fax 301-983-9314<br>
website <br>
<a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~owenhh" eudora="autourl">www.mindspring.com/~owenhh</a><br>
Open Space Institute websites<br>
<a href="http://www.openspaceworld.org/" eudora="autourl">www.openspaceworld.org</a><br>
</html>