We have already discussed the obstacles to traveling with a wheelchair-bound individual that I call “showstoppers”.  A showstopper is something that completely prevents an action from taking place or requires such major modification that the original objective is not realized.  We were thinking about some of the other issues, not showstoppers, we have faced periodically and how we worked around them.  That led us to decide a Blog entry that deals with “others obstacles” would be appropriate.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is now 25 years old.  The legislation along with the regulations written by the enforcement arm of the federal government have eliminated so many obstacles to wheelchair patients.  The ADA has also raised the societal consciousness about access for handicapped people immensely.  Still there is a strong need for those tasked with compliance to think more like a handicapped person when making decisions about implementation of accessibility. We contend that every business and government entity that must comply with the ADA should have one or more handicapped persons or caregivers on staff to give practical interpretation of design alternatives.  Most businesses could gain so much in customer loyalty by simply taking an attitude of “we will make it work for you” instead of hiding behind the more general regs of the ADA.  The “other obstacles” we will discuss frequently fall into this category.

Restaurants have not been a source of great stress in our travels but they are not perfect either. Have you ever stepped into a restaurant that has more booths than tables and the tables are all full? Cheryl does not leave her wheelchair at restaurants for reasons explained in earlier Blogs. Booths do not work for us. Or how about a certain pizza chain that has tall tables with bar stools and a lot of booths?  A wheelchair traveler can be forced to wait for seating while other patrons walk in and are immediately seated.

Another comment about restaurants is the size of their tables.  A small table generally causes the wheelchair person to be uncomfortable.  The reason is the designer of the table was not considering the size and footprint of the wheelchair even after a chair has been removed from the table.  We have sat at many tables that were not wide enough for Cheryl to get up to the table without her feet contacting someone else seated at the table.  The alternative is for her to sit farther away from the table than a person would normally do while eating.

Here’s one that most people would never even think about.  We have seen a number of places that have ramps, walkways, and bridges that allow for wheelchair access.  But then the provider chooses aesthetics over practicality when constructing the access way.  For example, instead of concrete or asphalt for a pathway, brick pavers are used.  I dare you to roll in a wheelchair on a path that is essentially cobblestone.  It will literally feel as if your tooth fillings will jump out of your mouth from the bouncing and jostling.  Now imagine how a person confined to that wheelchair who has some pain and sensitivity in their body feels on a washboard path.  Got the picture?  The only workaround I have for this problem is to scout the terrain before attempting to push the wheelchair.  At times, I have taken much longer routes with Cheryl and her chair to avoid “lovely” but dysfunctional paths.

A similar obstacle is the use of plush carpeting.  This doesn’t happen often but we have seen hotels with deep pile carpeting in the hallways or in the rooms.  I suppose that gives the customer the feel of a high end hotel but why is it necessary in wheelchair accessible areas?  The carpeted hallways is especially exasperating when the wheelchair accessible rooms are a long distance from the elevators.  Some type of carpet are easy for us to navigate, like berber or indoor-outdoor but the deep pile stuff is not.

Another version of the carpet obstacle is places that have tile or marble floors (which we like!) and their rugs.  Often a business will place heavy, deep pile rugs in the areas where the wheelchair must travel.  This is done for aesthetic value since there is obviously no practical value.  In fact, I have even seen people who are ambulatory trip over the rugs when they step from the tile/marble floor onto the rug.