This art project proposes that listening to each other’s experiences of spaces and places could afford us a way to be more empathetic and generous towards each other and our environment – especially when we might hear that we have more in common and are more dependent on each other than we are often led to believe. A few weeks ago, I experienced this idea in practice when visiting the nature reserves of the Kalmthout Heath (one of the oldest and largest nature reserves of Flanders). Despite my complicated past with wheelchairs, I fell in love with an electric all terrain wheeler. Although it had very few custom-made options and could thus not be adapted to all my bodily needs, the staff at the visiting centre were immediately prepared to listen to my experiences and ask how they could best help me. As a result, I enjoyed a comfortable walk with relatively little pain, during which I felt included with the other visitors. After the tour, the staff generously appreciated my feedback on how the wheeler could be equipped with more custom-made options. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they had already been saving for a transfer assist device and that the comfort of physically disabled visitors was an important and shared concern going beyond accessibility. There is no greater feeling of inclusion than striving for a common cause. I conclude that, only through listening to each other’s experiences, we can realise that disability needs and inclusion should always be approached as matters of commonality and interdependence.

References:

De Picker, M. (2020). Rethinking inclusion and disability activism at academic conferences: strategies proposed by a PhD student with a physical disability. Disability & Society, 35 (1), 163-167. 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2019.1619234

Heylighen, A., Bianchin, M. (2018). Building justice: How to overcome the inclusive design paradox? Built Environment, 44 (1), 23-35.