Editor’s note: This is the second in a series exploring accessibility in Fond du Lac, featuring input from readers and local experts. While the first topic focused on local residents with physical disabilities and mobility aids, this installment will explore conditions and disabilities such as dementia, autism, PTSD and invisible disabilities.
FOND DU LAC – Small things like adjusting lighting and sound can make a big difference in creating a local space where everyone feels welcome.
Fond du Lac businesses, organizations and event planners have already begun efforts to accommodate the sensory, communication and other needs of community members, regardless of ability, but there is ongoing room for growth.
How can Fond du Lac meet the diverse needs of its residents, particularly those with neurodevelopmental, cognitive, intellectual and invisible disabilities and illnesses? Hear from community members and local experts.
Readers’ suggestions include preserving Fond du Lac’s natural and tranquil resources;
Last month, Streetwise asked readers what they thought about accessibility in Fond du Lac and what they would like to see from the community.
Iraq War veteran Brian Yoho said there are few places where people with post-traumatic stress disorder can find peace and quiet to clear their heads.
For the past 15 years, his chosen haven has been Hobbs Woods, where he visited with his dog, Chance, until his death earlier this year at age 16. He said the walks saved his life.
“When the opportunities were smaller, we would go to Hobbs Woods sometimes six times a week,” he says. “The trail has been improved a bit, but for the most part it’s been left in a terrible state and very difficult to access.”
He said he wants elevated walkways to be installed and maintained as rain and water flowing from higher ground to lower ground makes roads muddy and impassable and even new roads get washed away.
It would be nice to see public garden parks inspired by English and Japanese gardens elsewhere in the Fond du Lac area, Yoho added.
“I’ve always found gardening to be therapeutic,” he says, “and maybe a local veterans’ group could help maintain the garden.”
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Part of inclusivity is making sure everyone has a part in the conversation
Treffert Studios is an expansion of the services of the SSM Health Treffert Center, a partnership between SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac and Moraine Park Technical College, and is designed to be adaptable and sensory friendly for both patients on the clinic side and visitors who utilize the community space side.
After more than a year of working with staff with neurodevelopmental disabilities and other community members at Treffert Studios, Jeremy Chapman, medical director of child psychiatry, said he and other staff are learning more about what it takes to be inclusive, which includes more than just hiring people as staff.
“It’s very hard to get complacent and have these people just be here, and we don’t want that,” he said. “So the inclusion that we’re learning about doesn’t just mean putting someone on the payroll and putting them in a chair. You have to include them in decision-making and give them authority and leadership, and we’re starting to do that more.”
Depies added that he and other staff members have learned a lot from each other, including employees like behavioral health technician Spencer Depies. Depies cited Treffert Studios as an example of a workplace that’s not just accessible, but also provides a positive space because of its culture. Treffert Studios embraces its namesake, Dr. Darold Treffert’s, approach of constantly growing, understanding everyone’s position and creating an environment where they can succeed, Depies said.
“There are a lot of good businesses out there, but I think what separates good businesses from great businesses is looking at what they can actually improve and using that as a driver — how can they better serve their customers and the people around them and add value?” he said.
Additionally, making your business or workplace inclusive also benefits people who may not have known they needed certain accommodations.
This phenomenon is called the “curb cut effect,” named for the curb cuts in sidewalks that are designed with wheelchair access in mind, but which also benefits everyone: parents with strollers, travelers with luggage, joggers, and more.
“It starts a conversation about how we can make the workplace better for everyone who works here, whether that’s sensory options or changing the culture of the workplace,” Chapman says. “It gives a voice to people who might not have had one before, and in doing so it opens the door to a lot of potential benefits.”
Meg Paddy, director of community-based behavioral health for SSM Health, said she has noticed this effect when implementing Treffert’s approach of focusing on strengths, not limitations, which she said works not only at the Treffert Center and its autism services department, but also at Treffert Academy, which serves all children of all abilities.
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Comprehensive solutions take into account different needs
Jacqueline Jackels, manager of the Fond du Lac County Aging and Disability Resource Center, said what businesses can do to become more accessible and inclusive is to seek education about why accessibility is helpful, who their target demographic is and who might not be available.
Accessibility could mean implementing early morning sensory-sensitive hours, as some grocery stores do, or showing consideration for people with dementia who live in the area and still attend local businesses, she said.
Paddy said thinking about inclusivity for neurodiverse people also involves considering how organisations can embed understanding, acceptance and support around inclusive practice.
“We need to look at creating an enabling environment across healthcare and across business and really look at a comprehensive approach and not just think there’s one solution for every scenario,” she said.
This includes interactions with schools and workplaces as well as community engagement and advocacy to understand acceptance of all people within the community.
Many accommodations are sensory, such as providing quiet areas in waiting rooms or spaces with adjustable lighting, while others support communication differences, such as clear labelling in simple language, providing visual aids to find different key landmarks in the space like toilets, and training staff to use multiple different communication modalities effectively.
Over the past few years, SSM Health has introduced sensory-friendly vaccine clinics in Fond du Lac, which include a sensory-friendly environment, fidget tools, private rooms and other personalized amenities.
More recently, the Fond du Lac County Fair partnered with Treffert Studios to add a sensory room to this year’s fair, a quiet, calming space with a variety of tools for anyone who needs a place for self-regulation and sensory processing. This is in addition to designated times at the carnival when rides run without lights or music.
Sarah Kaiser, Treffert Studios supervisor, said collaborations and events such as the county fair and local sensory-friendly Truck Touch events have been huge successes.
“We may not have had as many people come (to the fairgrounds) the first year, but the families that did come were so appreciative and made the fair a lot more enjoyable,” she said. “Maybe it was just so people who were panicking could come here and calm down, and then be able to go outside again.”
Kaiser added that many small businesses, communities and organizations in the Fond du Lac area are ready to start looking at their practices a little differently and focusing on their strengths and what they can do for their communities.
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What resources are available for people with disabilities and their families?
ADRC offers resources for individuals and caregivers, including benefits, youth and transition programs, and dementia care specialists who act as advocates for individuals and families living with dementia, memory loss or cognitive changes in Fond du Lac to remain as active and independent as possible.
One benefit for dementia and Alzheimer’s sufferers is the Memory Café hosted by the Fond du Lac Public Library on the fourth Thursday of each month, a relaxed gathering where people going through similar life changes can share stories and concerns without feeling embarrassed or misunderstood.
In addition to a mental health clinic, Treffert Studios offers a community space with creative opportunities including art, music, video games, and video and audio streaming. The studio works with businesses to support neurodiverse staff and clients, and a soon-to-launch professional development program called Neuroworks will offer neurodiverse young people self-paced courses to set them up for success.
Neuroworks is a paid course, but the studio accepts local donations with the goal of providing financial assistance to interested students.
Arc Fond du Lac offers educational and social activities and empowerment programs, including the new Achieve-able program, which includes one-on-one coaching on personal skill development.
We want business owners’ perspectives on making their facilities barrier-free. Contact Streetwise Reporter Daphne Lemke at [email protected].