In keeping with this month's query, i'd like to start a discussion on the assessibility of the meeting house for people with physical challenges and others concerned about safety issues. The outreach committee has made several recommendations including increasing the number of handicapped parking spaces, ensuring a safe passage from the parking lot to the meeting house ( options: putting in a sidewalk or in another way marking a walking path for pedestrians), installing an automatic door opener on the front door and one bathroom.  Please add your  observations and comments as we continue to make our meeting house safe, accessible and welcoming to all.

This Sunday as I sat in meeting, I watched a man walk across the grass area in the back. I'm not sure who is was, but he eventually found his way into the meeting room and sat in the back. He left immediately after meeting. I quess he managed to negotiate the swales if he used the back path!  I think it must be uncomfortable to be new, maybe late and not be sure of how to get into the meeting house. We need ways of directing people to the front entrance.

I came to meeting early because I am the greeter coordinator for the month. As I was walking up the driveway, I ran itno a mother and her two litlle children. her little girl was walking on the lawn and then started scrambling over the swales. Her mother called to her and the girl said "No mommey, I want to take the rock path" Both of us laughed, she was so dear and so energetic. Then in meeting, I began to think about access to the meeting house. Do we really want people to follow a "rock path"? Let's make access easy and well marked. Most of us need a smooth path, reserving the more difficult path for our agile 3 year olds!

Sorry about the font change. Not intentional!

I am following a thread of comments about the efforts to compost our leftover food.  Storm was describing her effort to reach the compost bin.She was scrambing over hill and dale and with what seemed an almost superhuman effort reached the bin. Her conclusion was this was way too hard to do and there were too many barriers for anyone to do this on a regular basis. So true!

Sometimes, people in our meeting might face the same type of barrier in opening our front door.. And we really can't reliably tell who needs our help. Sure, if we see someone with a cane or a wheelchair or see someone elderly we might rush to help, but what about those who don't have a visible sign? A young person with lupus, a mother with ms or someone with chronic fatique? How do we know they need help? How do we disern this? We can't. And people get busy in the foyer, we might not notice someone struggling. I don't think kindness is the solution, it can be too erratic. Not intentionally,of course.  Most people should be able to come into our building without any help, not having to rely on whether someone has noticed their struggle. That's not welcoming.

I agree about the education part. I taught a class on disabilities and thought I had designed well, and engaged my graduate students. There is a a young woman who lives near by and she is blind. She went to camp with my children, and she came to the college I worked at. She came to my office and told me she minded an activity I was doing with my students. She told me it couldn't possibly describe what it was like to have a disability.Oops! Even though I thought I was pretty savy, nope, I wasn't. I agree that we need to listen to those among us affected And to educate ourselves about this issue.

Phil's comment about racism is interesting. When I was teaching my class, I learned that the civil rights of people with disabilities is closely tied to the civil rights movement. Once the Supreme Court decided that seperate wasn't equal, the parents of children with disabilities came knocking on education's door. And building doors. Our meeting has levers instead of doorknobs on the doors because they are easier to use. One simple change means all people enter the same way. It doesn't matter if you are able-bodied or have arthritis in your hand, you can get in without asking for help.