How accessible is Fond du Lac? Readers share opportunities for accommodating autism, PTSD and more.
Editor's note: This is the second in a series examining accessibility in Fond du Lac. The series will use input from readers and local experts. The first topic covered physical disabilities and community members who use mobility aids, while this story covers conditions and disorders such as dementia, autism, PTSD and invisible disabilities.
FOND DU LAC – Small things like lighting and sound adjustments could make a world of a difference in creating a local space that's welcoming to all.
Fond du Lac businesses, organizations and event planners have already started making an effort to accommodate community members' sensory, communication and other needs, regardless of ability, but has continuous room to grow.
How can Fond du Lac accommodate the variety of needs in its diverse population, especially neurodivergent individuals and those with cognitive, intellectual and invisible disabilities and disorders? Here's what some community members and local experts have to say.
Reader suggestions include upkeep of Fond du Lac's naturally quiet resources
Streetwise asked readers last month what they think about accessibility in Fond du Lac, and what they'd like to see in the community.
Brian Yoho, an Iraq War veteran, said there are few places for people with post-traumatic stress disorder to find peace and quiet to clear their heads.
His haven of choice for the last 15 years has been Hobbs Woods, where he would visit with his dog Chance until Chance died earlier this year at the age of 16. He said those walks saved his life.
"We would go to Hobbs Woods sometimes six times a week during (Chance's) youth," he said. "While there have been some improvements to the trails, it's been allowed to reside in a mostly sad state during that time, making accessibility very hard."
He said rain and water flowing from high to low ground causes paths to become muddy and unpassable for much of the year — with even new paths washing away — and he would like to see raised pathways installed and maintained.
Elsewhere in the Fond du Lac area, Yoho added it would be nice to see a public garden park, something inspired by English and Japanese gardens.
"I've always found gardening to be therapeutic," he said. "Perhaps local veterans' groups could even help maintain it."
Inclusivity involves making everyone part of the conversation
Treffert Studios, as a partnership between SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac and Moraine Park Technical College that expands the SSM Health Treffert Center's services, was designed to be adaptable and sensory-friendly for both its patients on the clinic side and any visitors who utilize the community space side.
After working with neurodivergent staff and other community members for more than a year at Treffert Studios, Medical Director of Child Psychiatry Jeremy Chapman said he and other staff have been learning more about what it takes to be inclusive, including more than just bringing people on staff.
"It's very difficult to avoid becoming complacent and having those people just be here, and we don't want that," he said. "So inclusivity, what we're learning, is not just putting someone on your payroll and then having them sit in a chair. We have to include them in decision-making, give them agency and then leadership whenever possible, which is what we're starting to do more."
He added he and other staff have learned a lot from each other, including employees like Spencer Depies, behavior health technician. Depies used Treffert Studios as an example of a workplace that's not just accessible, but also offers a positive space because of its culture: it takes the approach of its namesake, Dr. Darold Treffert, in constantly growing and understanding where everyone's at, creating an environment in which they can succeed, he said.
"There's a lot of good businesses out here, but I think the difference that separates the good and the great is actually looking at the things that we could improve on and using that as fuel: how can I serve my customer or the people around me better to add value?" he said.
Additionally, making businesses and workplaces inclusive also yields benefits for people who may not have known they needed certain accommodations.
This is a phenomenon often called the "curb cut effect," named after curb cuts in sidewalks that were designed for wheelchair access but were useful for all, including parents with strollers, travelers with luggage and joggers.
"Whether it's sensory options or just changing the culture in a workplace, you open up a discussion about how we can make our workplace better for everyone who works here," Chapman said. "You empower people to speak up that might not have spoken up, and you open the door for a lot of potential benefits when you do that."
SSM Health Director of Community-Based Behavioral Health Meg Puddy said she had noticed this effect when implementing Treffert's approach of focusing on strengths rather than limitations: it not only works for the Treffert Center and autism services departments, but also the Treffert Academy, which serves all children of all abilities.
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Inclusive measures take many different needs into account
Fond du Lac County Aging and Disability Resource Center Manager Jaclyn Jaeckels said something businesses could do to be more accessible and inclusive is seek education on why accessibility could be helpful to them, who their target population is and who may not be able to patronize them.
Accessibility could look like implementing early morning sensory-friendly hours like some grocery stories have done, as well as being understanding of someone with dementia who resides in the community and is still visiting area businesses, she said.
In thinking about inclusivity for neurodivergent individuals, Puddy said that includes looking at how establishments can root their understanding, acceptance and support around inclusive practices.
"We have to consider creating environments across health care, across business and consider not just that there's one solution for all scenarios, but really looking at an all-encompassing approach," she said.
This includes interacting with schools and workplaces, but also beyond, to community initiatives and advocacy efforts to understand acceptance for all in the community.
Many accommodations are sensory, including having a designated quiet area in waiting rooms or having a space where lighting can be adjusted. Others support communication differences, including clear signs in simple language, having visual supports available to find different key markers within the space — such as the bathroom — and training staff to be able to be effective and navigating multiple different modalities of communication.
In the last few years, SSM Health introduced sensory-friendly vaccine clinics in Fond du Lac, involving a lower sensory environment, fidget tools, private rooms and other individualized accommodations.
More recently, the Fond du Lac County Fair partnered with Treffert Studios to add a sensory room to this year's fair as a calm, quiet space with several tools available for anyone who needed a place for self-regulation or sensory processing. This was in addition to a designated hour in the carnival where the rides ran without lights or music.
Treffert Studios Supervisor Sara Kaiser said collaborations and events like the county fair and a community sensory-friendly touch-a-truck event have been huge successes.
"We might not have had a lot of people attending (the room at the fair) this first year, but the families that did were extremely grateful about it and it just made it so much more enjoyable," she said. "Perhaps an individual who is having a meltdown had a place to now come to and calm down, and then be able to go back out there."
Kaiser added a large number of small businesses and communities and organizations in the Fond du Lac area are ready to look at their practices a bit differently and start to focus on the strengths and what they can do for the community.
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What resources are available for people with disabilities and their loved ones?
The ADRC offers resources for individuals and caregivers, including benefits, youth and transition programs and a Dementia Care Specialist, who acts as an advocate and assists individuals and families living with dementia, memory loss or cognitive changes to continue to be active and independent as long as possible in Fond du Lac.
Also beneficial to those with dementia or Alzheimer's is the monthly Fond du Lac Public Library's Memory Cafe the fourth Thursday of the month, a relaxed gathering for sharing stories and concerns among others experiencing similar life changes without feeling embarrassed or misunderstood.
In addition to a mental health clinic, Treffert Studios offers a community space with creative opportunities for art, music, video games, video or audio streaming and more. The studio has been working with businesses on supporting neurodivergent staff and customers, and an upcoming professional development program called Neuroworks will offer neurodivergent young adults a self-paced course to set individuals up for success.
Neuroworks is a paid course, but the studio is open to local donations with a goal of providing financial aid for interested students.
The Arc Fond du Lac offers education and social and enrichment programs, including a new Achieve-able program with personal coaching on individual skill development.
We're looking for business owners' perspectives on making their establishments accessible. Contact Streetwise reporter Daphne Lemke at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Accessibility in Fond du Lac: Accommodations for mental disabilities
