My first month with L’Arche NC has flown by at lightning speed! I am so grateful for my time here thus far, and have been thoroughly enjoying the chance to get to know what work with L’Arche looks like. While getting acclimated I’ve been absorbing tons of new information; an endeavor which has come with its fair share of exciting, disheartening, overwhelming, and hope-filled realizations. I’ll be sharing here some of the most impactful things I’ve learned so far.
First, I am learning the reality of accessible spaces in our world. During my first week, I started to look for places to feature in our social media series, “Accessible Triangle,” a series where we post exciting, accessible locations to visit in our area. As soon as I began sifting through my own ideas for features, this reality came creeping in: they are all inaccessible. I then tried a google search: still, most are inaccessible. I began paying attention to the places I was driving past and walking by on my off-hours. Again, so many of the places which sparked an initial “that could be neat!” are inaccessible. I have never had to think through this lens before, and as soon as I started paying attention I was shaken by how few and far between they are.
Beyond the accessibility of our physical spaces, I’ve been spending time with resources such as the amazing “Hidden Voices” podcast (produced by the Georgia Council on Development Disabilities and L’Arche Atlanta), which has illuminated so many other issues of advantage and accessibility in our country. These include the housing crisis, the Medicaid waiver process, challenges with adaptive technology, the stark drop in support for persons transitioning out of high school, and the difficulties people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) face in finding employment and meaningful work. Perhaps most alarming in all of this has been realizing how easy it would be for me to never learn any of it. As a temporarily-abled woman, most of these challenges have never crossed my mind before I intentionally stepped into L’Arche last month. I’m finally beginning to understand the necessity of intense advocacy for any of these issues to receive real attention on a larger scale.
As I’ve been caught in this whirlwind of information, I’ve been immensely grateful to be viewing it all through the lens of L’Arche. Our virtual events and collaborations with other L’Arche communities have brought me so much joy and hope; our community is actively journeying towards being a center for friendship, meaningful days, and genuine support to people in our area. The challenges our world poses for people with I/DD may make things feel daunting and overwhelming, but it is a beautiful thing to be in a community that’s able to say with open arms “yes, things are messy, and together we can get through it and thrive.” I know that I still have much to learn when it comes to I/DD and L’Arche’s work, but my mind is open and I am grateful to be here.
A photo from our #accessibletriangle visit to 21c Museum & Hotel.
