Excluding people from the community, requiring them to enter segregated facilities to meet their needs, as opposed to meeting their needs in the community, reduces the individual's quality of life, as well as the overall quality of the community as a whole. Expanding each person's circle of friends, supports and connections, enhances their quality of life and enhances their capability to contribute to society using their abilities. Many of us believe that when some people are excluded from the social fabric of our communities, that fabric contains a hole. When the fabric contains a hole, the entire fabric is weakened. Fifty percent of all people will have some type of disability during their lifetime, and almost everyone will know or care about someone who has or will have a disability.
Disability is a natural condition of the human experience.
It should not be viewed as a deficiency, but as having specific needs. Each person's needs make up the community's needs and each person's contribution adds to the richness of the whole community. The overall quality of a community is dependent of the quality of life for each individual who makes up that community. Creating accessible communities that are able to meet a variety of needs, not only benefits those who have disabilities or those who will acquire disabilities, it benefits everyone in the community. Things like curb cuts, help the delivery person, the caretaker pushing a baby stroller, the couple moving into a new home, as well as the person who uses a wheelchair.