Accessible YOUniverse Ramping the Divide
Heather Tomko, the founder of Accessible YOUniverse, decided to mark the 29th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act with The inaugural Ramping the Divide Summit: Accessibility in Pittsburgh. The event took place Saturday at Ascender in East Liberty. “The purpose of the summit is to bring the disability community in Pittsburgh together to talk about what the city does well and to see where there is room to grow and identify the priorities of accessibility in the city,” said Ms. Tomko. The group talked about the barriers they face as well. “Each group worked on solutions for a barrier they identified,” she added. “We talked about what we need to do to eliminate the barriers.”
Illustrator Emily Marko created a graphic using key discussion points as the afternoon wore on. “This has brought people from diverse backgrounds and disabilities who wrestle with the same issues together,” said Paul O’Hanlon. “I mostly came because this could be worthwhile and something could happen — there are good ideas here and good energy,” he noted. Dave Tinker, the vice president of advancement for Achieva, said transportation is key for people with disabilities. “The bottom line here is what can we do to make transportation more accessible — this can’t be understated,” he said. Among those participating were Mark Steidl, Dave Hale, Alisa Grishman, Jeff Parker, Sally Stadelman, Amanda McCoy, Josie Badger, Monica Alberts Still and Lee- Anna Upperman, Cori Frazer, and Kendra Vaughn.