Tag Archive: community activities

Housing and Community Adaptations to Accommodate People with Disabilities

Tim Mechling June 14, 2021 Community Projectscommunity activities, community projects 0

As a community project, you could take on the issue of public spaces not being able to accommodate people with disabilities. Many people take for granted the ability to get from place to place easily and access community resources without trouble. For individuals with disabilities curbs, stairs, obstructions, narrow passageways and a lack of ramps can be barriers to getting around the community. Signs, traffic signals and walkways must also be considered as necessities for individuals with disabilities.

Changing the Physical and Social Character of Your Community

Community projects can be created to ensure that individuals with disabilities have access to buildings, bathrooms and passageways used by the public. Access to employment, education, and other amenities goes hand in hand with physical access to community spaces. By creating barrier-free environments for people with disabilities you are changing not only the physical space, but also the political and social components of a community as well.

How Do You Ensure Access for People with Disabilities?

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) which passed in 1990 is there to ensure that people with disabilities have the right to accessible amenities within their communities. ADA guarantees physical accessibility as well as counteracts discrimination in employment and the delivery of goods, services, programs, and education for individuals with disabilities. One area of concern is ensuring that individuals with disabilities can exit buildings safely in the case of emergencies such as fires. If elevators are not functioning properly, can people in wheelchairs exit a building safely? Creating ramps, accessible emergency exits, wider access, and automatic doors, your community can become more accessible for people with disabilities.

Renovations for Accessibility

To increase accessibility, one can recommend bathroom renovations in Perth. For example, public washrooms can be made wider and be made wheelchair accessible. For community centres with pools, showers can be made wider and support devices can be put in place such as bars and seating. Other things to consider include the height of hand driers, sinks and soap dispensers. There are also some great eco-friendly options for these projects as well. Reusing and recycling to make ramps and other things can be great for our environment and for the disabled.To seek out information on bathroom renovations, see PerthRenovationsGroup.com.au to find out more.

Why Ensure Access for Individuals with Disabilities?

In most cases the ADA states that it is the law to ensure access for people with disabilities. Ensuring access is also a matter of respect and providing fair opportunities for all. People with disabilities are smart, capable and talents. These talents would be wasted if they were denied access to community resources due to physical constraints. Ensuring accessibility also makes sense economically and financially in the long run. It can increase the number of customers for a business and therefore increase sales and profits. Adding to the diversity of a community is always a positive thing. Also, when areas become more accessible for people with disabilities they really become more accessible for everyone in the community.

How to Coordinate a Community Clothing Swap

Tim Mechling June 2, 2021 Community Projectscommunity activities, community clothing swap, community refresh projects, helping the community 0

Old is new again when you coordinate a clothing swap in your community. The idea is that you bring your old clothes that you would donate to charity and donate them to the community. This community event isn’t about making money. It’s about helping out each other. Families are able to swap clothing that they no longer need and pick up items that are just right for them. Coordinating a clothing swap is easy when you follow these steps.

Find a Host Location – There is no reason to spend money booking a venue for your clothing swap. Instead, reach out to your local public school, church or community center about using the facility for a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Any of these locations should have foldable tables and chairs available for you to use.

Coordinate Snacks – Any event that has food is going to grab the attention of people in your community. Consider enlisting volunteers to donate beverages or packaged snacks – like a bake sale – for your event. You can each check with the local pizza shop to see if they would be interested in giving you a discount on pizza donated for the cause. The money collected from sales can be donated to the facility you use for the event or you can donate it to your local community fund. It is important that you use the funds as a way to give back to the community. If your neighborhood needs something specific, like new lights in the park, then focus your sales on raising money for that cause.

Distribute Flyers – You cannot have a successful clothing swap if you do not promote it. Hand out flyers around your neighborhood and see if your local school system is willing to send flyers home with the students. The flyers should state that visitors can bring any clean, gently used clothing to the swap. When they arrive, distribute the clothes in piles based on gender, clothing style and size. Attendees can wander around to the other tables and scope out items they might want to take home. Remember, there is no charge with the clothing swap. It is simply an opportunity for people to get rid of old clothes and potentially find something new.

Invite Local Venders – A great way to draw in a bigger crowd is by inviting local venders that sell their own items. This includes your favorite consultants for companies like Arbonne or Pampered Chef. These vendors can have cash and carry items on their tables and offer gift certificates as part of a free drawing. You could even incorporate a quarter auction as part of your event if you want. This is the chance for people to sell products and attendees to win a product for a fraction of the cost. Be sure to invite a mix of vendors so you have many items to choose from. You can choose jewelry representatives, home goods consultants and even local fitness consultants. If you need more ideas, you can read it here.

Donate Remaining Clothing Items – When the event is over, donate the remaining items to your local clothing drop box or goodwill. Be sure to thank all of your volunteers and those who helped make your event a success.

A clothing swap is a great way to bring your community together and help refresh your wardrobes. If you successfully pull off one then you will want to consider holding them on a quarterly or semi-annual basis.