Title of the source for your Critique Essay

The Pandemic Highlights the Importance of Walkable and Wheelable Neighbourhoods

Reverse Outline

Write a reverse outline of the source you have chosen for the Critique Essay. If a main idea is developed across two or more short paragraphs, note a paragraph range as needed (e.g., paras. 3-5).

• para. 1: The features of walkability and wheelability of a neighborhood are essential. These features are measured of how a certain neighborhood cultivates various methods of transit and allot spaces for all people. Neighborhoods that are walkable and wheelable have built environments or structures, such as curb cuts, sidewalks, and pedestrian traffic signals, which are inclusionary and are good for all kinds of people. However, the majority of the neighborhood don’t have walkable and wheelable features, which can be a problem for certain people, especially old people and people with disabilities.

• para. 2: Most neighborhoods don’t have walkable and wheelable features and if neighborhoods have these features, usually they are substandard or not preserve. For these reasons, they create barriers and discourage the participation of people, particularly handicapped people and people of old age. In this context, barriers (e.g. crosswalks, sidewalks, streets) have negative implications for those living with disabilities. Hence, walkability and wheelability features are important and even a margin of improvement on these features could help people to mobilize.

• para. 3: On the other hand, the officials of a neighborhood could take action to make neighborhoods inclusionary, such as including people living with disabilities in research and planning. This initiative would give more emphasis on the importance of walkability and wheelability features in a neighborhood and a better understanding.

• para 4: Due to the pandemic, the lack of walkability and wheelability features have become visible and people living with disabilities have been affected inordinately. Moreover, due to the precautionary actions that people need to take because of the pandemic also added to the burden of disabled people, such as the difficulty of communication for deaf people caused by masks. Clearly, the pandemic made the insufficiency of walkability and wheelability features more visible, which highlights the importance of these features to the public.

• Para 5: Canada’s measures, such as policies and accessible acts both at the national and local levels have been helpful in the establishment of necessary infrastructures towards more inclusive neighborhoods. The uncovering of barriers due to the pandemic provided an opportunity to involve more professionals to create an inclusionary environment where walkability and wheelability features are well constructed and properly maintained. With the incorporation of disabled people into the research, and the will of the government and the public to create a more accessible environment, the feasibility of providing an accessible environment to all in Canada will be guaranteed.

Argument Breakdown

Break down the argument of the source.

Issue: The lack of walkable and wheelable features in neighborhoods

Thesis: The importance of inclusionary walkable and wheelable features of neighborhoods.

Reasons and Evidence: Research finds that when neighborhoods have damaged infrastructures, people with disabilities are four times more likely to report difficulties.

Full Summary

Write a full summary in the form of a paragraph of about 100 words.

The lack of walkability and wheelability features in neighborhoods is widespread. However, due to the pandemic, the insufficiency of the said features becomes more clear and visible. It also emphasized the importance of these features, especially to people living with disabilities. The barriers that were exposed by the pandemic are the norm in most neighborhoods but the pandemic paved the way to involve more people with experience to create more solutions. Moreover, the involvement of disabled people in research and planning helps create more opportunities to make their opinion heard. In a nutshell, the article emphasized the importance of walkability and wheelability features for disabled people that was highlighted by the pandemic. 

Brief Summary

Write a brief summary where you identify the source and the main message.

The article “ The Pandemic Highlights the Importance of Walkable and Wheelable Neighbourhoods” written by Hailey Thomas Jenkins, Atiya Mahmood, and Muhammad Qureshi explains the essence of accessible environments in Canada. The article’s main message is the importance of having walkability and wheelability in neighborhoods, especially for people living with disabilities.