What is your connection to this community?
“Growing up in Northeast Ohio with parents who had careers in public service, I feel I was always uniquely positioned to be well-informed and understanding of circumstances that were different from my own. When I was a teenager, my younger brother (who was 4 at the time) was diagnosed with autism.
I partnered with a program called 4 Paws for Ability, where I helped with obedience training and socializing a puppy named Huxley for about a six-month period. Also, my senior-year capstone project was to research and explore the benefits of children with developmental disabilities and animal interactions.
What does access mean to you?
“I think access is about bridging gaps and, like the cover illustrates, opening doors so everyone can live their lives to the fullest. Access goes beyond inclusivity in the readily-understood sense (city infrastructure, housing, public spaces, digital platforms, community-based services, health access, etc.) but also social, cultural and recreational inclusion as well. Navigating the world can be challenging for people with special needs and their families, but I’m encouraged by the work being done to make every opportunity accessible for all people.”
What do you hope people take away from the cover you created?
“I hope this cover allows for anyone who interacts with it to really think about the infinite number of entrances we could have illustrated, and to see how each opened door brings endless new possibilities for accessibility.”
