Heather has always had a problem with depth perception (it’s
common in people with Down Syndrome), but it’s become worse these past few
years. Because she can’t tell if a curb is three or nine inches high, she seeks
out curb cutouts, which she calls “ramps.” Curb cutouts exist because a navy
veteran and lawyer from Kalamazoo, Jack Fisher, pushed to make cities more
accessible for disabled veterans returning from World War II. Three decades
later in Berkeley, California, a movement led by college students and disabled
activists brought about the first curb cutouts in that city in 1972. Curb
cutouts not only benefit the wheelchair-bound veterans they were intended for,
but also people with walkers, canes, strollers and wagons, and postal workers with
heavy packages. And people like Heather, who can’t negotiate curbs safely. This
phenomenon is called “the curb cutout effect:” accessibility meant for disabled
folk that unintentionally helps so many more.
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