Scavenger Hunt!
How many times have you walked in your neighborhood or gone to your church? Unless you just moved, you’ve probably done this more times than you can count, right? But how many times have you looked around your neighborhood, church, or school and been able to see what a person with a disability might see? Last week we learned how things like too-high water fountains can be frustrating for someone in a wheelchair. Today, challenge a friend (or your youth group) to a scavenger hunt and see how many of these disability-friendly and unfriendly things you can find.
Kids 6 and Under
Disability-Friendly
- Colored or bumpy stripes on stairs (This helps people who can’t see well know they need to step up or down.)
- Something to hold onto to go up or down stairs
- Parking spots painted blue for people who use wheelchairs or have trouble walking
- Lots of bumps on the ground between a sidewalk and the street (When a sidewalk is not higher than the street, these bumps help people who can’t see know when they are about to walk into the street. Hint: Grocery store parking lots are a good place to look for this.)
- A door you can open by pushing a button
Disability-Unfriendly
- A sidewalk with big cracks or tree roots growing in it
- A sidewalk with no ramp to the street at places where you need to cross the street
- Doorways that are not flat across the bottom (If someone is in a wheelchair or has trouble picking up their feet when they are walking, it can be hard to get over big bumps without getting hurt.)
- Toys left on a sidewalk (This can make it hard for someone in a wheelchair to get by. Someone who can’t see could also trip.)
- A very noisy room (This can be unfriendly for kids and grownups with disabilities. When things are too noisy it can be hard to hear important words. It can also be too much for kids who don’t know how to pay attention to just one thing at a time.)
Kids 7-10
Disability-Friendly
- Doorknobs you can open easily without using your thumb (Some people don’t have strong thumbs and so grabbing a round doorknob can be too hard to do.)
- A park where kids in wheelchairs can play, too
- A water fountain or sink that is only three feet off the ground
- The route a person in a wheelchair would use during a fire drill at your school or church
- A place where someone in a wheelchair can sit with friends who don’t use wheelchairs at a lunch table or during church
Disability-Unfriendly
- A basketball hoop blocking a sidewalk
- Outside steps that have no ramp nearby
- Shopping carts blocking a handicapped parking spot or the blue striped area next to it (A lot of people need that space to be able to get in and out of their car.)
- A store aisle that is not wide enough for you and a friend to walk side-by-side without bumping into anything
- Cabinets under a sink (People in wheelchairs need room to put their legs under so they can reach to wash their hands.)
Kids 11 and Up
Disability-Friendly
- Books in large print or audio format at your school or church library
- Braille or audio instructions on a vending machine (Hint: Think about checking vending machines for bus or train tickets.)
- A cross-walk signal that uses both light and sound to let people know when it is safe or unsafe to cross
- A Braille menu from a favorite restaurant
- A button on a gas station pump that a person with a disability can push to call for help filling their gas tank
Disability-Unfriendly
- A car without a handicapped sign or handicapped marked license plate parking in a blue handicapped spot
- An automatic door (or elevator door) that doesn’t stay all the way open for at least 3 seconds (Get out your stop watch!)
- A handicapped accessible bathroom stall that is too small for you to stand in the middle and stretch out your arms without touching the walls, the door, or the toilet area
- Grab bars in the bathroom that do not look strong enough for someone to hold on to
- Tables in a restaurant or cafeteria that are too close for someone in a wheelchair to make it through
