Handicapped Accessiblity is Just Good Business

You would think that all businesses would see to it, that they are accessible to all people but this is still not the case.  Older buildings sometimes are very difficult to get up to code.  When I used to work as a developmental therapist for a major mental hospital, our day program was located in the basement of an old church.  Many of our clients had physical disabilities and just getting them into the building and down those stairs was horrendous.  Finally, after years of complaints we were finally able to move to better digs where everything was on the first floor.  Just goes to show you that places you would expect to be accessible for the handicapped are not!

This is such an important topic, and yet so difficult to get some people to understand why it is.  We all need to make our voices heard when we get someplace and are unable to either get in or use all their facilities.  I call before I go to a restaurant or other public facility and ask if they are wheelchair accessible. One time I got to the restaurant and there were three steps, small ones but steps all the same.  I reminded the manager that I had called and he said it was accessible, he and his staff would be happy to lift my heavy scooter into the restaurant.  I like grand entrances, but not this type.  My other favorite is when I get someplace and I can enter easily, only to find half way through dinner or a meeting that the only restrooms are down a full flight of stairs, and "sorry, we don't have an elevator!"  IF you have MS there is a chance you also have a very testy bladder, as I do, so I quickly turned my scooter around and high tailed it to a McDonalds down the street that not only had restrooms, they had accessible ones.

I am trying to think of what I can do to help these establishments understand why it is not only important to be accessible, but also to give accurate information when they are asked if they are.  Perhaps not racing out to another facility to use the restroom would make them notice, at least whoever it is that has to clean up would notice!

It is times like these when we must maintain a sense of humor as well as our commitment to getting things to change.  Thanks for reminding us that we have work to do.

Denise

I face this problem on a daily basis and it seems that nothing ever changes. Thanks for putting this out there.