I had three thoughts when I saw this.
First, I thought, "this is why even a cursory knowledge of physics is important."
Second, I thought, "this is why people with disabilities should be included in every aspect of construction planning."
And third, I thought, "this probably represents the state of affairs re. disability access in the U.S. fairly accurately."
Friday, May 15, 2009
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5 comments:
I'm not sure that it is an accurate representation of access in the US, since my understanding is that businesses have a set of pretty strict ADA regulations they have to abide by - e.g., there must be an accessible entrance, any services provided must be accessible to all, ramps must rise no more than 1" per foot, etc. That said, I admit that, not being differently abled myself, I might not notice unless it were something egregious.
I'd love to think that's more of an exception than a rule, but I've seen too much construction fail of all types to feel that way. Also, I agree that disabled people really need to be included in all aspects of architecture and construction planning.
I need a handicapped accessible apartment because I can't do steps. When I looked at my apartment I made the comment that the rooms were awfully small and the manager so nicely informed me that was because the halls, doors,etc. had to be wider for wheel chairs. My thought is wouldn't that mean that the rooms should be large enough to get around in a wheel chair? Also when an apartment is listed as handicapped accessible, a lot of the time there is a tub/shower combo, and not a walk in or wheel in shower. Also the kitchen sinks still have cabinets under them. The apartments are listed as handicapped accessible because there are no steps, and because of the wider hall ways and doors.
I think this particular example is not - hopefully - a typical one. However, what this is representative of is the feeling, "right, we need to make this accessible" without actually thinking about what it would mean to make a building truly accessible. Anonymous's comment is a perfect example of this. ADA regulations don't cover everything, and most businesses are not wheelchair accessible (nor are they required to be).
On use of the term "differently abled" - I really like this post.
Talking about businesses being handicapped accessable, I know of at least one store that a person in a wheelchair can get into, but they would never be able to get around in the store, because the merchandise is so crowded together that a person even has a hard time walking around in it. I have been tempted to call and ask to speak to a manager and ask if a person using an electric scooter or power chair would be able to get around in the store without knocking stuff over. I kind of like to be a pest.lol.
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