Tomorrow we gather to honour my curate, Sue at her thanksgiving service. 175 people have signed up. Our church fits around 140 – 150, and more will likely arrive. The hall across the road is our overflow space, livestreaming the service for those unable to fit in the church. It will be a big day. It should be. She was an incredible presence.
Over the last few months I’ve written about equality and equity, accessibility and usability, independence and autonomy, and survivors and victims. These are topics that people often confuse, yet the gap between them is where disabled people live. Those gaps are important. The difference needs to be discussed. This time, I wanted to discuss presence vs participation.
People often believe that if a space is accessible, it must be usable. These words sound similar, but they do not mean the same thing. Accessibility is the presence of something. Usability is the ability to use it safely, independently, and without barriers. The difference becomes clearer when you live with a disability and spend your life navigating the gap between the two.
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I walked into Monday’s meeting with my DDO and ADDO prepared. I was calm and willing to shine a light, not fight, on the meeting with the Bishop, especially after meeting with Tim Goode.
