Tag Archives: handicapped

The Acorn People – Ron Jones

“The Acorn People” is a novella based on the true experiences of the author, Ron Jones, who spent a summer shortly after his college graduation as a counselor at a youth camp. He’d had visions of spending his days basking on the beach with adoring children at his side, and he was not in any way emotionally prepared for what was to come. Camp Wiggins was a camp for handicapped children, and he had never worked with the handicapped before. In the first chapter, we see his initial reactions of revulsion. Some of the children smell, many drool, some don’t … Continue reading →

Oh, Those Handicapped Parking Spaces…

So you’ve been driving around the mall parking lot for what seems like a decade. Every space is full, and every time you’re about to snag a slot, some sleek hot rod gets there first. But oh, those tempting handicapped parking spaces! You wonder… what does it take to get one of those? It’s especially aggravating when you see able-bodied people pull into their “handicapped” space, and walk briskly inside the store. How did THAT person qualify? It’s a shame that some people abuse their right to use a disabled parking permit. However, I think that in most cases, individuals … Continue reading →

Disabled Does Not Equal Unable

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 required public buildings, schools, libraries, restaurants and office buildings to provide wide doors and ramps to allow accessibility for people who are blind, deaf or in wheelchairs equally. Interestingly enough, health clubs are rarely set up to allow the 49.7 million Americans (as of the 2000 Census) estimated to be in wheelchairs, blind or otherwise physically or mentally impaired. There are a handful of gyms that are accessible for wheelchair bound patrons, but many gyms have equipment placed too close together to allow wheelchairs to navigate around them. Fewer have Braille imprinted on … Continue reading →