Really, what is accessibility? Think about it. What does it mean for a building or place to be truly accessible?
Many people think they are knowledgeable on the subject. They think it means all buildings having a wheelchair ramp, and restaurants having a couple of open tables where a wheelchair can be parked. Accessibility, according to Wikipedia, is “the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible.”
Most facilities and businesses really want to be compliant. They often truly believe that the ramp, special table, or electric cart is enough. But, how often is the “accessible” table positioned too close to the neighboring tables? What about the grocery store with the electric carts up front? It often has aisles that are too narrow to navigate the wide electric cart through. A young woman we know chooses to shop at night when the store is less crowded as it is the only time she can successfully navigate the narrow aisles. This is dangerous, however, as she is out at night when crimes is more likely to occur in the parking lot.
Recently, a safety walk was conducted at the University of Missouri. The participants were students and professional graduates. They walked the campus at night when lights can be dim, and hazards often not seen. By actually sending teams of walkers, the university was doing more than just standard paper trail compliance.
Sometimes, problems with accessibility can be related to abuse of the system by persons who are not disabled. Disney has been involved in a lawsuit because of changes made t0 their procedures involving visitors with disabilities. One problem was that customers who were not disabled, were sometimes faking disabilities. They were also getting their whole families moved to the front of the line. These scammers were actually limiting accessibility for all visitors, disabled, and non-disabled.
What are some of the worst offenses you’ve seen in a place that claims to be “accessible”?