I came across a conversation recently that made me stop for a moment. It wasn’t about whether access matters, most people agree that it does. It was about what happens after that, and who is actually responsible for making it happen.
That’s where things start to feel off.
What I keep seeing is access being treated like something that only needs to be figured out when someone asks for it. And even then, there’s hesitation. Delays. Questions about cost. Sometimes it even lands back on the person who needs it to figure out how to make it work.
That’s where the system breaks.
Access isn’t something extra. It’s not an add-on or an upgrade. It’s part of being able to participate in the first place. Without it, people are already starting at a disadvantage before anything even begins.
When the responsibility shifts onto the individual, it changes everything. Now it’s not just about showing up; it’s about explaining, asking, following up, and sometimes even covering the cost just to be included.
That’s not access.
That’s permission.
And not everyone is going to push through that process. Some will. Some won’t. Some will decide it’s not worth the time, the effort, or the money. So what ends up happening is access becomes inconsistent. It depends on the person, the situation, and how much they’re willing or able to take on.
That’s not something that can hold long term.
If access only happens when someone steps forward and then has to help figure out how to fund it, it means it was never built into the system to begin with.
That’s the part that needs to shift.
Access needs to be planned. It needs to be part of the budget, part of the structure, part of the expectation – not something that gets negotiated after everything else is already in place.
When it’s built in, the conversation changes. It’s no longer “can we make this work?” It’s already there.
And that removes the pressure from the person who needs it and places the responsibility where it should be.
If you’re seeing this come up in your space – events, workplaces, services – it’s worth looking at how access is actually being handled. Not just whether it’s offered, but how it’s planned and who is carrying the responsibility for it.
Because access that depends on someone else stepping forward, asking, and potentially paying for it is not something that’s going to work consistently.
If you’re ready to shift how access is built into your organization, I provide training to help you get there.
