Okay, this is super preliminary, but since we’ve been talking about zoo accessibility I wanted to launch a project I’ve been planning for a couple months.
One of the hardest things about visiting zoological facilities when disabled is the lack of knowledge ahead of time, right? Often the information on the zoo’s website about accessibility doesn’t contain everything folk need to know to plan a visit. I think we can probably help fix that, even if it’s with just crowd-sourced knowledge!
This is a google spreadsheet for recording accessibility information for various zoos. It is super unfinished right now, FYI. That’s partially because I need to fill in more of it from my own experiences, and partially because there are things I didn’t note or experience - which I’d love for y'all to chime in about.
Categories for the spreadsheet so far include rentable assistance options, service dog information, accessible bathroom locations, mobility, vision, auditory and sensory issues (or accommodations), food allergy options, and general notes. I’m also including the information each zoo website provides, and guest assistance phone numbers, so all the information is in one place.
To add to this crowd-sourced zoo accessibility resource:
Send an ask to the blog, or comment on the appropriate cel on the spreadsheet (if the facility you want to comment on is already listed).
Provide the name of the zoo/aquarium/sanctuary and the approximate date you visited.
Tell me your experiences / information, and what categories they belong in.
Feel free to submit photos, if that’s useful info! I’m going to see if I can find a way to host them and link in the spreadsheet.
I’ll take information as it’s submitted and integrate it into the sheet. If the zoo you’ve visited isn’t on the list yet, I still want to add it! This resource is going to stay US-based, however. (I just don’t have the capacity to manage an international one).
Obviously, I can’t personally verify everything people submit, so this is very much a resource and not a definitive guide. Date stamps are crucial important for keeping track of what’s recent and what might have been updated since someone visited.
Let’s make zoo, aquarium, and sanctuary visits more accessible for everyone!
Okay! I think I’ve got almost everything that was added (via ask, reblog, or spreadsheet comment) integrated! Had to take a bit of time off for health reasons, but happy I can come back to it again.
I’ve added a bunch more categories based on your suggestions and contributions, including: parking, multi-lingual support, ride/show/transit accessibility, sun exposure, food & water, low/no cost entrance, support staff policies, options for SDs (bathroom spots, etc), behind-the-scenes accessibility, elevator locations, bench frequency/locations… it’s getting huge but I think it’s super important information.
I’ve done a bit of formatting to try to make the spreadsheet less visually overwhelming. Topics aren’t in any particular order, although I tried to group related concepts together. Grey columns are for information copied from the facility website, and white comments are for the most important part of the spreadsheet: your comments and feedback! That way what’s shared officially can be differentiated visually from what people have contributed.
Hey!! I really love the work that you do and I was wondering if you were able to share something for Ontario residence!
It's totally okay if you do not feel comfortable I'm just trying to get the word out there because I work in healthcare and I also have disabilities so this is really important to me!!! Thanks 🙂
P.s. apologies about the pornography I made the post on my side blog which I can't ask you from😭🤧
Another year, another fuck Canada day. Instead of spending money on colonial festivities, support indigenous people today! I am two-spirited and Wetʼsuwetʼen.
I currently live off a minimal disability pension that usually doesn’t cover my expenses for the month. I have medication I haven’t taken for two months because it isn’t covered, and I have heavy debts I’ve taken on to continue to afford groceries, essentials, and rent.
I am going to school this fall to hopefully work in a position that will allow me to have full-time hours despite my disability, but I need to financially survive until the end of the semester next spring.
P*yp*l & etr*nsfer: ezekielmith@gmail.com
If you’re indigenous to Turtle Island, drop your payment info in the reblogs!
More than 15,000 hotel workers are seeking higher pay, better benefits, and working conditions. This includes an across-the-board $5 an hour raise, as well as affordable healthcare and better pensions. They also are seeking a ban on the use of E-Verify, which is used to deny employment to undocumented workers and workers involved with the criminal justice system. You can follow what is happening at their Twitter.
hey netizens! i’m not sure how many people are aware, but youtube’s been slowly rolling out a new anti-adblock policy that can’t be bypassed with the usual software like uBlock Origin and Pi-Hole out of the gate
BUT, if you’re a uBlock Origin user (or use an adblocker with a similar cosmetics modifier), you can add these commands in the uBlock dashboard to get rid of it!
reblog to help keep the internet less annoying and to tell corporations that try shit like this to go fuck themselves <3
Where do I copy-paste these to? “My filters”? “My Rules”?
‘my filters’! if you look closely you’ll notice the format is different between the two pages. the (website)(##)(additional text) format goes in filters
ALT
Anonymous
