Opening Doors – Everyone Is Included!

“Everyone is included…all people, all places, all ways” was the vision of inclusion expressed on a website (www.everyoneisincluded.com) created and maintained until very recently by Ed Rosenberg, a Cape May County resident. I thought of the website recently because it was Ed’s enthusiastic support in 2008 that sold the concept of a county-wide Disabilities Awareness Day for Cape May. Awareness Day was planned as a celebration and recognition of the importance of all our citizens to the fabric of community life.
Inclusion wouldn’t seem to be such a difficult goal to achieve. Who of us doesn’t like to hear that we are welcome and included in all places and all ways in the communities in which we live? But human nature being less than perfect, inclusion is still an ideal to be worked toward in many aspects and many arenas of daily living. We have only to consider that in the U. S., it has required ADA legislation to address the challenges to full community participation for individuals with disabilities.
In my experience, there have usually been two major explanations for the slow progress toward full community inclusion. One is that the nature and scope of the challenges that confront persons with disabilities may just not be recognized and considered. Individuals who disregard the need to reserve handicapped parking spaces for those who truly need them, and businesses that make no effort to make their establishments accessible are just two of many signs that a community is not making inclusion a priority.
Another explanation for slow progress toward full inclusion is that the cost to achieve this goal may be exaggerated and/or rejected as not being a good return on investment. In the job arena, an employer may be unwilling to make reasonable accommodation for an employee with a disability because the extent and the cost of the accommodation are overestimated. A business that serves the public may balk at accessibility modifications because the cost is not felt to be justified by the number of individuals they will serve.
It is estimated that there are 16,000 to 19,000 persons with disabilities living in Cape May County. Considering that these individuals have families, friends and caregivers, chances are that a good portion of our population already understands and longs for the ideal of a more inclusive community. The annual Community Disabilities Awareness Day is just one effort toward making that ideal a reality. Everyone is welcome, everyone is included!
So I invite you to come out on Sat., Nov. 12 and be part of the Third Annual Cape May County Community Disabilities Awareness Day being held at the Avalon Community Center on 30th Street at the beach from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fare Free Transportation is doing its part to make the event an inclusive one. That service will be available to all who call at least a week ahead to schedule a ride to and from the Avalon Community Center. Best of all, admission is free and refreshments will be provided!
And if you want to learn more and be inspired by other communities’ efforts to achieve inclusion for all their citizens, visit Facebook and key in “everyone is included” in the search box. You will discover that Ed Rosenberg is still keeping his vision of inclusion alive and updated and available to all who aspire toward that goal.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Autism Cares provides grants for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders during times of crisis or unplanned hardships. Families must submit an online application (www.autismcares.org). Financial Support Awards are granted on a monthly basis; applications must be submitted by the 22nd of each month to be considered for a grant in that month. Applications received after the 22nd will be reviewed the following month The maximum Financial Support Award per family is $1,000
• The Social Security Administration has announced that monthly SSI benefits will increase 3.6 percent in 2012. This 3.6 cost-of-living adjustment will begin with the January 2012 benefit payments. Increased payments for people on SSI will begin on Dec. 30, 2011
• A Breast Cancer Support Group sponsored by Cape Regional Medical Center meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Maruchi Room. of the Center. The Group is for those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, or a survivor. The program provides community resources, open discussion forum, coping tools, relaxation techniques and integrative therapy activities. No registration is required. For more information, contact Gloria Schultz (463-2599) or Bonnie Kratzer (463-4043)
• A new brochure, “The Truth About Vaccines: Protecting Your Child Against Serious Disease,”, provides information on many of the vaccination myths found on the internet and in the media. To obtain this free publication, contact the Cape May County Health Department at 465-1187
Pierson is the Coordinator of the Cape May County Office of Disability Services