Schools as Restricted and Exclusive Spaces

Schools can be viewed as excluding and restricting those with a disability. As a volunteer at an elementary school, I observed the difficulties a student had to endure in order to attend his classes because he was temporarily disabled (leg injury). The school, like many others, lack the resources needed to accommodate children with physical disabilities, thus restricting them from certain spaces within the school. York University is also a place which excludes students and faculty from accessing all the buildings easily. There are many classrooms throughout York that aren’t easily accessible for someone in a wheelchair. Also, there have been plenty of times in which the electronic doors dont work. These challenges imposed on those with disabilities, affects the experience one has at school, or in any particular place. Although the environment is created for the able-body, constructing spaces that include the vast majority of society, rather then excluding individuals because of a disability is long overdue. Spaces and places need to be constructed with the whole society in mind.