The League of Women Voters of Leelanau County held an April public forum to present ideas on Universal Accessibility for residents and visitors of our County.
Universal Access is a fundamental right and a commitment to making our spaces welcoming for all people, beyond and inclusive of disability. We acknowledge the work of Ron Mace, a disabled architect, and his team for creating the principles that guide the implementation of Universal Access and Design.
The forum was well-attended. This is great news for the 9,968 people who are likely to encounter access issues in our communities. This number includes people who self-identify as having a disability plus the population over the age of 65, equating to 44% of our county’s population. It doesn’t include the significant number of visitors to Leelanau County during the summer months.
At the forum:
• Derenda LeFevre, a Certified Recreational Therapist and Disability Inclusion Specialist, provided a view of how our spaces have been built without people with disabilities in mind; the new understanding of disability as a direct result of the barriers in the built environment; the principles of Universal Design; and statistics of the disabled and aging communities in Leelanau County.
• Dee Glass, a long time Leelanau County resident who has been instrumental in establishing some well-known community projects including the Leland Village Green, The Children’s Center, and Samaritan’s Closet, spoke about the importance and availability of nursing care in the community. Her daughter, Merri Lynn Bouckaert, spoke about the challenges in determining the accessibility of restaurants, parks, and event venues.
• Deb Kuhn, mother of Trevor, spoke about her adult son who has significant disabilities and the supports and challenges they experience as a family navigating disability services and access in Leelanau County.
• Kim Boose, retired educator and community advocate, shared her recent experience at a totally accessible playground in Port Washington, Wisconsin. The Possibilities Playground incorporates “thoughtful design (that) integrates play experiences for children with physical, cognitive, or developmental disabilities into fun social interactions between children with and without disabilities.”
There are at least three pending playground proposals in Leelanau County including Suttons Bay Township’s Herman Park, Leland Township’s Grove Park and Leelanau County’s Myles Kimmerly Park. It is important that the principles of Universal Access be applied to these playground designs in order to provide access to all in our community.
The audience responded with interest and enthusiasm, sharing personal stories about recovering from stroke and facing diminishing abilities while continuing to participate through accessible design. This discussion also provided an important opportunity for people to find support among members of the community. We want to continue the discussion.
If you are a community member with a disability and/or interested in advocating for Universal Access, please contact: [email protected].
To view the presentation please visit www.lwvleelanau. org.
Derenda LeFevre, Certified Recreational Therapist, Lake Leelanau Kim Boose, LWVLC Member, Retired Educator and Community Advocate, Cedar Nancy Duck, President of the League of Women Voters of Leelanau County, Leland
