First, those of us with limited mobility need to manage the negative consequences of walking too far without pausing to sit and rest. See Effective Self-Care for Those with Limited Mobility for suggestions.
If we want to make our public spaces and community life more limited mobility friendly, we need to educate others and advocate for specific changes. The HMD Alliance has developed a series of action kits for your use:
- Designers of public spaces
- Disability advocates
- Educators
- Healthy / walkable / livable cities planners
- Media
- Policy makers
- Providers of services
- Organizers of public activities and events
- Researchers
- Seniors / active aging advocates
- Transportation services
For all types of advocacy or activism, please make use of the following resources (giving credit to this website):
- Fact Sheet on Limited Mobility
- Background paper: “Accommodating Hidden Mobility Disabilities”
- Slide show: “Understanding Hidden Mobility Disabilities”
Areas of accommodation for persons with limited mobility include the:
- Distance to be walked: A “short distance” is no more than 50 feet (15 meters)
- Length of time standing unsupported: A “brief time” is 1-2 minutes
- Ability to sit and rest at frequent intervals