Access is for everyone - Connect With Caz

Access is for everyone, inclusive of a wide range of needs. Access does not limit itself to disability, instead it centers the needs of the most historically represented. The most historically underrepresented are often, but not always, disabled people.

Some causes of access needs* include:

Communication – written, spoken; visual and auditory; multiple languages; non-verbal; plain language; code-switching
Mental / Emotional – content notes, breaks, safer spaces, peer support, addiction support
Cognitive – pacing, remembering, understanding, masking
Education – vocabulary, “you don’t know what you don’t know,” skill sets, informal education vs academia, cognitive biases, Plain Language or Easy Read
Physical – mobility, dexterity, size, transportation
Sensory – noise, lights, scents, chemicals, food and beverages
Time – scheduling, time zones, travel time, processing time
Care – personal, elder, child, breastfeeding, support animals
Financial – poverty, low minimum wage, low disability benefits, marriage penalty, unpaid or poorly paid labor
Technological – high speed internet, adaptive and assistive devices, knowledge curve
Social – social norms, moral codes, etiquette, enculturation, social capital
Cultural – sensitivity to past and current injustices
Legal – immigration status, abortion care, birth control and sex education, need for anonymity, end to end encryption
Integrative – keeping safe under the rise of fascism, the crumbling of our infrastructure under late-stage capitalism, the impacts of the climate emergency

*”Access needs” can be defined as what is required for a person or people to have their needs — perhaps in a class, at an event, on transport, etc. — fulfilled in a way that provides the same access as others, while using an approach different from what is considered to be standard.

Access Justice Framework Table of Contents

What are the The 10 Principles of the Access Justice Framework?

Access is for everyone.
Providing access is not about tokenization or virtue signaling; it is about equity.
Access needs to be the default, not an add on. It is a right, not a privilege. It is not a special need.
Access friction is real and is not a reason to avoid providing access, nor to discriminate.
Access is about more than accommodating and assisting: it is about adapting the world to fit everyone.
Barriers to access come from systemic oppression such as ableism, not from disability.
Access is about inclusion of us – Nothing About Us Without Us – in leadership, governing, and decision-making.
Time, money, energy, and safety are all access issues.
Access, when equitable, is a form of justice.
As the world changes, so do access needs. Access adapts.

Learn more via Access is for Everyone with the Access Justice Framework.

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