Access Review of Peoples Methodist Church

An assignment for the OT 160 class was to conduct assessments of buildings to see if they abided by the ADA.  One of these buildings had to be an assessment of a sacred place, in which does not have to abide by the ADA checklist, unless it is not private.  My group and I decided to do our sacred place assessment on the People United Methodist Church in Union, Maine.  Although sacred places, such as churches or other areas of worship don’t have to abide by the ADA, it is interesting to see that many do abide by these regulations and sometimes it seems that they are more accessible than facilities that actually do need to abide.  The Methodist church in Union, was a very welcoming facility and once we had contacted Reverend Geoge, he was happy to have us come in and told us to take our time and do whatever we needed.

My group and I upon arrival did an assessment on the parking lot, and the outside of the church.  During this process we found that there were a good amount of handicap parking spots, in which were just about as close as you could get to the building.  We also found that the pavement and ramps were all even, traction was good, and succeeded the ADA checklist.  The curb had no lip, which made for easy entrance.  Along with assessing the outside, we found that the entrance and exit doors abided by the ADA regulation, as it only took five pounds of force to open the doors.  After we did the outside assessment, came the upstairs where the services would be held.

In the upper level of the building, the part where the entrance went into, and where the service was held, there was a great amount of room.  Not only was there a lot of room in the lobby and in the worship, but there was also assistive listening devices available, braille and other volume controlled features.  Once entering we saw how evident was that the church was looking out for the best benefit for all and there was an abundant amount of handicap seating available within all of the other seating.  The only problem we saw was that the bathrooms all seemed to be downstairs and there wasn’t an elevator. Although we didn’t open every door, this is how it seemed.  Also another problem we found was that if someone who was apart of the church committee or wanted to go to a meeting at the church, they would have to go outside and around the building to the entrance into the meeting space, as that was only accessible inside by stairs.

In the end, we found that although the People Methodist Church didn’t have to abide by the ADA checklist, it seemed in almost all aspect they did.  I found this to be interesting, as we could use a place that doesn’t need to abide, but does because it cares about its people, to compare to a place that has to abide, yet still doesn’t.  I found this interesting in the aspect of business.  Although a church is not there for business, these places that are supposed to be abiding by the ADA are mostly looking for business.  Well what if, people that plan to go to these places and see they are not very accessible, yet their small home town church are, I believe this leaves a lasting impression; a negative one at that.

This assignment has furthered my education in the field of Occupational Therapy.  A way this assignment has made me a more rounded future ot, is by teaching me how to do a review.  With learning how to do to the review, came the process of the write-ups.  I found the write-ups to be interesting and although take time and effort, easy.  The write-ups I found interesting as they are made to have a final copy that is simple for the company to read so they can see how to further themselves.  Also this project has furthered my education as a inspiring occupational therapist, as I now go into places and look for “the good” and “the bad” in efforts for helping others.  In the end, this project has taught me how to do a writeup so others can understand it for their parts, but learning how to do the write ups has helped me as I now know how to help these people.  Also this assignment gave me the skills to assess buildings to ensure safety, and fairness to all.

Access Review at Flagship Cinemas; Thomaston, Maine

After the disappointing attempt to do our group review for the arts venue at the Farnsworth Museum, came our back-up plan; Flagship Cinemas.  I used to work at Flagship, so not only did I know the faculty their, but I also knew that although it abided by a lot of the ADA checklist, I also knew that there were a few things that seemed to be lacking.  I contacted the manager and instantly, they were grateful and very welcoming for us to come in and do the review; a lot better experience than the Farnsworth phone call.  So now that we had our arts venue all set, and the time we were going to all meet up to do the review, we just waited until closer to the time, in which we called and confirmed.  Once we had confirmed for March 6th we were ready to do our review!

Once we arrived at Flagship Cinemas, we started by assessing the parking lot and handicap accessibility.  We found that although there is a very large parking lot, and there technically aren’t enough handicap spaces for the amount of parking spaces, that really there are enough handicap parking spaces, as there were about 20.  Also while outside, we assessed the curb and the walkway accessibility.  During this accessibility, we were looking for the level of the ground, cracks in the pavement, and anything that could be a hazard or obstacle for those in a wheel chair, or blind and walking with a cain.  During this time we found that the walkway was fairly accessible, only problem that was presented was that there were indeed cracks in the pavement, that although weren’t serious, could prevent a hazard for all.  Now that the outside of the building had been assessed we proceeded to the entrance, in which we found was accessible but hard to access.  What I mean by the hard to access part, was that the door handles would present a problem for those needed to get the door open in a wheelchair as a door is supposed to operate at about five pounds of force, this door took 20 pounds of force.

Once inside the building we began to access the lobby; looking for the “moveable” space, benches for folks to rest, the evenness of the ground and traction of the floors, and looking for things that provided more information about the products and showings present.  We started by assessing the ticket and concession stand counters to see if an individual in a wheelchair was being treated equal to all others, in the sense; could they maneuver to and at the counter, being able to get concession or tickets?  We could that the counters at one of the box offices were lower and could be reached great by folks in a wheelchair, but the other box office and concession, although were accessible, would present a small challenge as they were somewhat high and there wasn’t space at the bottom for knee and foot space.  After the lobby we moved to the hallways and each individual movie theater.

My group and I found that the hallways were accessible in every sense, except the water found did not have a back bottom which would present a problem for folks with vision impairment and using a cain.  As for each of the movie theaters, they were accessible and the ramps in and out of each theater did not exceed the regulation slope for ramps.  The theaters all presented a form of handicap seating, and all had at least one space where folks in a wheelchair could sit right next the their families at the end of rows.  The only problem was, in some of the smaller theaters, there couldn’t be more than about 2 people in a wheelchair or there would not be enough room to get around them and move to the fire exits or other rows.  Also in these smaller theaters, the amount of maneuverable room where someone in a wheelchair could spin and move around was quite small.

In the end, we found that the accessibility at Flagship Cinemas in Rockland, Maine was an accessible building for each and every individual.  The only serious problem we found was that the doors to theaters and the entrance and exit were tough to open and required to much force to open.  Although it was our back-up plan, the visit to Flagship Cinemas in Thomaston, Maine would prove to be an educational and beneficial visit for both my group and the facility.

Access Review; or what would have been an Access Review

During the past month our OT class has been doing access reviews on sacred places and arts venues.  My group chose to contact the Farnsworth Museum for our arts venue, as that is an arts venue that has not been done in the past.  Although this seemed to be a great idea, it seemed to be an experience in which would be unforgettable.

The experience of trying to get into the Farnsworth was an interesting and questionable one at that.  The experience started when I got the number off their website and then contacted the front desk to further get the contact number to the manager.  Once I had all the information I needed, I decided it was time to call the manager.  After 6 or 7 rings, I got the voicemail, in which I left about a 2 minutes message quickly explaining who I was, why I was calling, what I wanted and my contact information.  After a few measly weeks of waiting for them to contact me back, I got anxious and decided I would call them back as maybe they didn’t receive my message; I would quickly learn I was wrong.  The manager this time picked up, and I stated who I was and instantly got cut off by, “oh yes, I got your message a few weeks ago.” In my head I was thinking to myself, well out of courtesy, why didn’t you call back, but ok lets proceed.  So I proceeded to tell him again why I was calling and what would be happening and how it could benefit his company as well as my group members and myself as we are learning.  But again, as I guess I should have gotten the hint from the “not” calling back, it wasn’t going to happen.  I believe his exact words were, “to be honest, we don’t need any one coming into our facility as it is very accessible and well to be honest we are now just opening, so we are very busy and don’t have time.” As this was very diminishing, it was alright as I just said, “ok well thank you for your time sir and I hope you guys have a good upcoming season!” In the back of mind I began to think to myself, for one they are not opening for another month as plainly stated on the hotline, two did I offend this guy by saying we could  “possibly” help out his facility, and three maybe there are things that aren’t really accessible and they don’t care to make them accessible.

I found it to be very interesting that, even thought I stated that we were doing this as a class assignment and there was no real  “enforcement” put forth, that they wouldn’t just enjoy having us come in and teach them, as well as ourselves about accessibility.  The way the manager came off I found to be a very unprofessional manner, and definitely not a way to run a business.  As for their accessibility, well maybe it really is good and they don’t need to waste their time by having a few college students come in and do an assessment, but that should be the least of worries.  The real worry should lie in the folks that may be affected by the accessibility that is not, as well as the business within the Farnsworth Museum.

Home Assessment and Access Survey

After doing the home assessments it is evident that if homes had to abide by the ADA’s regulations, many homes would not exist.  I did my home assessment on my parents house in Warren, Maine.  Their home was built around 1960 and although the house is old, it does meet some ADA standards, but like many homes then and now it did not pass in all aspects.  Some the good things with my home was that it had wide enough or more than wide enough entry ways, wide enough doors, railings on both sides of steps, and wooden floors.  But many of the more important ADA standards that make it accessible for individuals with disabilities, such as being stuck to a wheelchair, my home did not have a bathroom on the first floor living area, there were stairs required to go up to get into the home, and there also was not a easily accessible kitchen.  Although homes do not have to abide by ADA standards, looking over your home with the checklist in hand is a good tool and a good way to make sure that every person, disabled or not can visit and be welcome to your home.

This week in class we spoke with Kathy Gips, via Skype on ‘How to Conduct an Access Survey.’  Kathy Gips is the representative and professional of the ADA chapter of New England.  There are 10 ADA centers around the country that are professionals in the rules associated with the ADA standards.  She is a professional in the field of helping individuals and helping the community to be accessible to everyone.  In the Skype conversation we talked about the types of disabilities that can slow people down in our society such as wheelchair, walkers, crutches, blindness, and hearing impaired.  Kathy spoke on all these aspects of disability and spoke to us on how we can become a “professional” in the field of assessing the community and helping those who need the help.  She talked to us about assessing the places starting on the outside, starting with parking spaces, the curbs and ramps to the landscape.  Then once inside the building looking for special amenities to those with disabilities, but not just for them to use or easy access but that can be used by the general public, such as benches.  Looking for a bench in a building that involves walking, standing or waiting around a bench is great tool to attract to those with and without disabilities.  It can be used in a ways for disabled people in a sense that those with diabetes or asthma may need a place to rest.  Kathy also told us more on the tools we will need in order to make our assessment of the community buildings successful.  The tools she shared with us are; the ADA checklist, door pressure gauge, camera (although not needed, very helpful), clipboard and pencil, tape measure and a level.  Thanks to Kathy and the helpful information she shared, the visits we will be making in groups in the upcoming weeks, will become much easier and more positive.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be preparing to go to sacred places and arts venues with the VSA and ADA checklists in hand to assess the buildings in an effort to access them to all types of individuals.  My partner and I are planning on contacting the Farnsworth Museum as well as the Owls Head Transportation Museum.  After we contact and prepare the arts venue, we are going to go to a local church in our home town of Warren, Maine.

 

Wanda’s Home Equipped for Handicap

This week in OT 160, we were lucky enough to visit a home that has been specially equipped to fit the needs of an individual who is handicap.  My group and I went to Wanda’s house.  Once arrived at Wanda’s, it was evident there were many special amenities, but even though they need to have these special amenities, they were not in regulation to the Americans with Disability Act.  A persons individuals home does not need to abide by the Americans with Disability Act.  Some of the problems I saw at Wanda’s were the outdoor ramp was very skinny, and very steep.  Also the ramp on the other side of the house was not accessible.  Another problem was that a general home appliance store like Lowes will not supply special needs cupboards, so they need to be specially made.  Now although the cupboards are specially made and have space beneath the cupboard for a person in a wheelchair to be able to get their feet underneath, well there is not really enough room to get feet under.  The only other true problem within the home was the ramp from the den to the bathroom.  The ramp was very steep, making it a struggle for those in a wheelchair.

Many positive things within the house was the stove, sink, and microwave are all accessible as they are lowered.  The stove was on a lift/lowering system and that makes it much easier to cook on while in a wheelchair, but a problem with it is, she liked to use it as a counter and sometimes would leave plastic on it, which is very dangerous.  Also all the cupboards are accessible, which is good, but she could only reach the bottom shelf of each cupboard.  Another positive aspect was that all the floors were even and flat, making it easier to move around the house in a wheelchair.  Although the bathroom was small and condensed, it was an open floor plan making it easier to move around and perform functions.

Going to Wanda’s house helped me to realize all the little, and big things that have to be done to make a house livable for one in a wheelchair.  There are many things that people don’t think about, like the pipes to the sink must be moved to the sides and not in the middle of sink like normal, as they would block the sink usage for those in a wheelchair.  There are many things that need to be done in and out of a home to make the world accessible for those in a wheelchair, and we as people who are not handicapped need to be the ones to stand up and make sure that everything we can do, can also be done by those who are handicap.

 

Disability Simulation and Husson’s Accommodations

After doing the simulations of disabilities, it was brought to my attention not only the things that can hold people back with disabilities but also the people that can hold them back.  This week in class we simulated different disabilities and had to perform tasks as if we had the disability.  Although this simulation provided disabilities toward us, it is nothing compared to what those with the actual disabilities actually have to go through.  The two simulated disabilities I had to try and work with was being in a wheelchair and having to try and function with Macula Degeneration.  The act I had to perform while being stuck in a wheelchair was I had to find the accessible route from Commons third floor all the way to one of the dorms and try and do laundry.  Although this may seem to be an easy task, that it was not.  First of all it started out that you had to go to the other end of the school just to get an elevator.  Now not only this, but to get to the only ramp to go outdoors, you had to go through the campus center, in which was full of students.  Now as most people don’t think about this, but a difficulty to this was maneuvering throughout the people and trying to cope with all the people staring at you.  This is an everyday occurrence for those with disabilities and it is not fair.  Now the next obstacle was to be going through the door to go down the wheel chair accessible ramp.  Not only did the handicap button that is supposed to open the door not work, the door was barely wide enough to fit through.  This leads to the next problem with the campus of Husson University and their handicap accessibility, the poor snow removal.  Although it may not be a huge deal for those walking on foot, trying to wheel your self around through the snow, ice and slush does not go well.  It got to the point where I had to have my partner push as I also pushed on the wheels to even make it through.  Then once arriving at the laundry room in Carlisle dorm, came the issue of the dryers.  The washers are all on the ground and reachable from the sitting position as are 5 of the dryers.  But the other dryers are all out of reach and this presents a problem as campus life is busy and many people are using the dryers, so the chances of getting a bottom dryer are slim.

The next simulated disability I had to work with was wearing goggles that simulate a person suffering from Macula Degeneration.  I never realized how much you rely on your sense of vision until that moment.  My task was I had to walk from the third floor of Commons and go to the first floor computer lab and try and manipulate the computer and print off a schedule of the Bat community service bus.  It was very hard and I had to have my partner direct me and walk by my side the whole way.  Not only is all of the peripheral vision gone, but the small pinpoint in the center that you actually can see out of is very sensitive.  In order to be able to see, you had to have an adequate amount of light, but not to much.  If there was too much or too little light it was a total blur and nothing could be seen.  The three minute walk to the computer lab turned into 15 to 20 minute walk.  Once I arrived at the computer lab, there was no way I was getting onto the computer and printing anything out as I could barely see the keys to function.  I had to rely on my partner to direct my hand in the correct placement of the keys to try and type.

Although Husson stresses its accommodations to all people, it was evident after just simulating a disability that it did not accommodate.  Just my partner and I discovered that the elevators were poorly placed, the handicap buttons to open the doors did not work, the pavement going onto the ramp was poorly poured, the elevator floor buttons and doorways did not have brail, people stare and don’t mind their own business, the doorways are not wide enough and the snow removal is not properly done.  All or just one of these problems with Husson can and mostly likely would alienate a person with a disability and leave a poor, lasting impression on the individual.  It is my job as an aspiring Occupational therapist and as part of the student body at Husson University to talk with others and work on fixing the problems associated with the poor accommodations for those with disabilities at Husson University.

 

The ADA and VSA

Before taking the OT 160, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) meant to me such that it was an act put in place for individuals suffering from a disability to not be discriminated against.  I also interpreted the ADA as for those with disabilities to be able to perform daily functions throughout the community as if they were not disabled.  My point of view and my knowledge of the act as not differed much, just my knowledge of it has strengthened.  I now know the exact definition of the ADA, which is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits, under certain circumstances, discrimination based on disability (http://www.ada.gov/).  From taking this OT 160 course at Husson, I have also learned how much the act is an asset to the works of an occupational therapist and their patients.  This act (law) is very important to an occupational therapist as they must work with their patients and the community within to make sure that the patient can excel at life’s duties without problem.  An occupational therapist can work with buildings in the community to make sure that the buildings are handicap accessible and meet the restrictions of the ADA.  From an occupational therapist taking the time to help perfect the community, anytime their patient or any person with a disability enters a building within their community, they will feel like everyone else and no discrimination against them.  This law has great meaning to me not only as an occupational therapist but as an individual.  I have family members who are disabled and by knowing more thoroughly this law, I can help to further my family members, as well as all community members, and visitors to my area and further my education as an aspiring occupational therapist.

This week in class not only did we talk more about the ADA but we also talked about the VSA.  The VSA, formerly known as the Very Special Arts is a non-profit organization that provides educational and arts based opportunities for children and adults with disabilities.  Each state has their own regions for members to be apart of.  The chapter here in Maine, I learned from class that Husson University is a part of and works closely with the VSA of Maine chapter.  Through innovative and inclusive arts programs, VSA Maine promotes the creative power in people with disabilities (VSA). The programs that work to do promote this well being are, but not limited to; workshops for teachers and artists, mentoring for artists with disabilities, and art in schools.  The VSA also works with people in the community and occupational therapists to make sure that theaters, museums and such are accessible to those with disabilities.

 

http://www.ada.gov/

http://www.vsartsmaine.org/

 

Barth Time Construction

The Barth Time Construction was made by a therapist who used the system of color coded peices of paper to sert up a time clock of how an individual spends their time.  The therapist looked at and anaylized the time chart to see how the patient was spending most of their occupation and seeing what fields were too much or too little.  The insite from the amount of time could tell the therapist that the pateint was spending to much “play” time and could be an alcholoic, or that they were not getting enough sleep which could play an affect in their stress.  The directions of the time construction were to make a chart of your week before you came here, reach activity color code, select a colored strip, place it against time chart to show when you did activity, cut it to show how long you did this activity (each box is one hour), glue it in place and repeat for each activity you did the rest of the week.

My impressions of the Barth Time Construction are that the assessment is very usufel not just for the therapist but for the indiviual to see how they are spending their time and what they can do to be more productive.  Although at first the information was confussing, after time it was  clear and the project was underway.  Also when it came to school and home work there was not a specific category so as a class we decided to go with the purple, which was meetings and groups.  From the assessment I learned that it looks as if I spend a lot of time sleeping although it is much needed sleep.  Also I believe that I spend too much time watching tv or doing nothing when I really should be doing homework or studying.  But I beleive that this will change due to that was only the second week of school and not as much work was assigned.

I believe this assignment as well as knowing more about the Barth Time Construction will help me as an occupational therapist as I will be able to use this tool as well as other tools relating to it to assess clients and help to further them.

 

Introduction to Service Learning, Reflection and Assessment (POST 1)

My initial impression of this service class is that the class is going to be very interesting, thought-provoking, very involved with the community and help to further my self as a person.   In the online video provided by the teacher, service learning is stated as, “a teaching method that links community service to the classroom.”  I interpret this statement as meaning not only are you going to be helping people in the community grow, you are also going to be growing.  Also with service learning being hands on, it is going to take learning to a different level where an individual can make sense of the learning by applying it to real life experiences.  The powerpoint providing information about service learning states that an advantage of a service learning class is that it “improves students academic grades, increases attendance in school and develops personal and social responsibility.”Based on the readings from the first week and our first class meeting, I have learned that throughout this class we will be going out and being involved with the community in ways such as working in mentally disabled peoples homes.  We will also be going to companies and seeing if the company is being fair to those with disabilities or if they are breaking the rights act set in place.  An example of this is if a person with a disability is stuck in a wheel chair and needs to be on a 2nd floor to a work place and that work place is not wheel chair accessible.  An occupational therapist can work with the individual and the company to set up a plan.

I believe that although community service and service learning are related, service learning is more in-depth.  Community service could be explained as a volunteer providing a service or helping hand to the community and being done with the work once completed.  An example of community service could be going to work a few hours at a mentally handicap home for a few hours and being done with the work following the few hours.  Whereas service learning could be going into the community and working with the mentally handicap home.  Then after the giving to the community, the individual will analyze the time they spent and what they found about the people, the home and the surroundings.  The individual can then offer suggestions to the people in and around the home to make it better, safer or more interactive with the community.  Following the whole experience the individual will reflect on their experience and ultimately further themselves.