Participate in our campaign on Friday December 3. For access to our social media kit, click here (or use the link below).

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1X7J1f4pqsC7dcAd5DQqHSrrQ3oWyfpo…

 

STATEMENT
 

The United Nations designated December 3rd as International Day of Persons with Disabilities to raise awareness about disability issues and activate support for greater equality. This day is a great opportunity for us to act toward making our world more accessible for everyone.

The Committee for Immigrants and Refugees with Disabilities of the Houston Commission on Disabilities, in partnership with the Living Hope Wheelchair Association would like to invite you to join our 2021 campaign, Don’t take my space, put yourself in my place on Friday, December 3, 2021. We invite all of Houston to remember that blocking accessible parking spaces, ramps, and walkways impedes mobility for people with disabilities. As the holidays draw near, we challenge everyone to break down barriers, not create them.

It is important to be fully compliant with the rules and regulations for accessible parking. The proper stall sizes, markings, and slot locations should be taken into consideration and observed. Blocking parking spaces, ramps, walkways, or curbs can be incredibly limiting and even life threatening for people in wheelchairs. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), accessibility to buildings starts in the parking lot. In order to be compliant, the parking lot will need to have a minimum number of accessible spaces (1 accessible space for every 25). Commissioner Ismael Garcia, from Living Hope Wheelchair Association, states, “It is important to respect these spaces and that people and stores don’t create more barriers by blocking them.”

To celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities we have created educational materials to remind drivers to respect accessible parking spaces. We hope that you will join us in celebrating this important occasion by using our hashtag #DontTakeMySpace (English) / #noOcupesMiLugar (español) throughout the 2021 holiday season and beyond. We also invite you to use the United Nations hashtag of  #IDPwD (UN), and the Who Health Organization’s #ADay4All.

For more information, check out the following resources: https://www.lhwassociation.org/