Discrimination, stigma, and stereotyping are just some of the challenges that disabled people face every single day. Beyond this viewpoint problem that society has, individuals with disabilities often struggle with a built environment that excludes them from everyday activities. So, don't you think it's high time that we change our lens on disability?

To transform into an all-inclusive society, we need to address the barriers faced by individuals with disabilities. The change will come only when we work hand in hand with the disabled community to break down these hurdles.

While walking on the sidewalks, you may have noticed small, colorful bumps where the sidewalk meets the road. What are these bumps? Why are they placed so strategically at the edge of the sidewalk, at crosswalks, and near public transportation? What purpose do they serve? Are they there to increase the grip on the road? Or, do they serve some other purpose? Let’s find out!

First and foremost, detectable warning tiles and surfaces were designed to assist individuals with disabilities to safely navigate public spaces, and then, in 1991, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandated the use of detectable warning tiles in public areas throughout the United States.

Individuals with disabilities must navigate a world designed for people with vision and mobility, and one tool that helps to make the world more accessible is navigational bar tiles. These directional tile surfaces consist of raised bars that align with the direction of pedestrian travel. These navigational directional bar tiles help people to locate the entrance to light rails, trains, and bus stops.

A companion to detectable warning tiles, navigational and directional bar tiles serve an essential purpose of guiding individuals with disabilities in the flow of traffic.

While the quality and durability of the detectable warning dome tiles are absolutely vital, they are only as good as their installation process. Let’s talk about installation processes.

Installation is when two or more materials are adhered together to form a strong bond. In this case, we have the detectable warning dome tiles that will be bonded to the substrate, the underlying substance or layer, with an adhesive. All the materials might be of the highest quality, but if the installation process is poor, then the integrity of the other materials will be compromised.

One result of population growth within cities is something called urban expansion, which is the unrestricted growth of housing, businesses, and roads without any specific planning. Urban expansion influences cities’ social and environmental dynamics, causing a number of disadvantages, including longer commutes, higher transportation costs, pollution, and loss of countryside.

Tactile paving, now known as detectable warning dome tiles, was first developed by Seiichi Miyake in 1965 to help people with vision impairments navigate public spaces.  Major cities and transportation networks throughout the world use detectable warning dome tiles.
 

Creating a bike lane city infrastructure requires the coordination of the appropriate government agencies, resources, and construction logistics. It’s a time-intensive ordeal; however, the benefits are many for cities that are suffering from intense air pollution, overcrowding, and congestion. Bike lanes alter the city infrastructure and also improve the health of inhabitants.

Portland State University noted that when five major US cities incorporated protected bike lanes into their city infrastructure, bike ridership increased 170 percent.

Over the last few years, more and more urban designers and architects are incorporating radius shapes as part of their exterior designs. These new shapes bring modern life to an intersection rather than the classic rectangular ramp pattern we are all accustomed to. These specific radius tiles are made-to-order and manufactured with the same nano-engineered polymer concrete material as the standard TekWay ADA Dome Tiles to ensure long lasting durability and functionality. 

To make the world more accessible, the ADA established a certain list of reasonable accommodation that businesses, organizations, and companies can do to better serve individuals with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation opens the world to everyone.

Legally, a reasonable accommodation refers to an adaptation to a job, such as day-to-day job tasks or modified work environment, that allows a qualified individual with a disability to work. An accommodation is considered “reasonable” if it doesn’t cause an unreasonable amount of work or money to make happen.