Disability Advocate Rebekah Taussig on Built Environment Barriers You Might Not See

Three-plus decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act was
passed, the built environment remains a maze of obstacles.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more
than one in four Americans live with a disability. Despite what
many think, disability isn’t a rare experience for only people on
the edges of society — and planning for it has collateral
benefits that improve quality of life for everyone.


Rebekah Taussig, advocate and author of Sitting Pretty: The View
From My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body, has been navigating
the world from her wheelchair since she was 6 years old. She
recalls feeling like everyone else created their own narratives
for her life.


In this episode of People Behind the Plans we sit down
with Taussig before her keynote address at APA’s National
Planning Conference. She explains how storytelling has allowed
her to reclaim the narrative of her own life and help others
understand how isolating, cumbersome, unjust, and unsustainable
our cities and our culture are for people with disabilities.
Listen to hear her vision for a world designed with everyone in
mind — not just those considered “average” — and some
communication tips for planners trying to build support for their
visions.


Episode URL:
https://planning.org/podcast/disability-advocate-rebekah-taussig-on-built-environment-barriers-you-might-not-see/


This episode is sponsored by AARP