Steven Edwards
03-14-2002, 12:01 PM
Here is a message I sent to the South Carolina SCI Research Board. They are talking about it and letting some lawyers review it to check for legality, but I thought some of you might find it interesting. Any and all comments are greatly appreciated.
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It's a little more than a paragraph, but it covers pretty much what the idea could encompass. The opening story was one I posted over at http://www.sciwire.org/ in the Life section to get a general feel of others with disabilities on the matter.
And without further ado...
Imagine the following:
You go shopping at a store and notice a ramp by the entryway. "Allrighty then, this store is handicap accessible!" you think to yourself. Eagerly you scurry up the ramp to get inside. The doors open. You pause for a moment in delight of everything the store offers and head on in to where the aisle branches left and right. You want some of the new clothes being offered to the right and start down the aisle. You round the corner and are faced with a big sale table squeezed so tightly between racks of clothing that your chair can't fit through either side to get around it. Sure, you can back up and go around the other way -- passing things you could care less about buying -- to get to the other side. So you do that and get to the other side and find that the other path is not much better; there is another sale table that you can only narrowly fit through. You finish your shopping and leave.
Now, how willing are you to go back in that store? Have you ever left a store because you could not get around easily in it? Do you make mental notes of which stores are more handicap friendly?
My proposal:
While most stores these days certainly follow the guidelines and spirit set forth by the ADA to allow access to those with disabilities, they will also inadvertently make minor interior changes that greatly impact the ability of disabled shoppers, particularly those in wheelchairs and those with other mobility impairments, to traverse the store -- oft times leaving the person with a negative shopping experience and a lower desire to become a frequent customer.
Create a list of commonly overlooked accessibility hazards -- like putting sale tables in the middle of the main aisle or leaving too narrow of a space between the wall and an item rack -- and allow stores to voluntarily ask for an accessibility consultation. The consultation would consist of an approved person going to the store and thoroughly navigating through it, pointing out problematic areas and offering suggestions on how to eliminate them. Many of these problems are easily overlooked by those who do not deal with disabilities on a day-to-day basis and have very simple solutions, such as moving an item rack only a few inches.
The cost of such a consultation could be a donation to the state research fund. Incentives could be the stores being listed or mentioned in materials published by the research board and, possibly, an annual prize or honor could be bestowed upon the store with the best record. Stores that receive a consultation could be awarded stickers or displays that pronounce not only their willingness to be more disability friendly, but that they are a proud supporter of research to help those with disabilities.
-Steven
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It's a little more than a paragraph, but it covers pretty much what the idea could encompass. The opening story was one I posted over at http://www.sciwire.org/ in the Life section to get a general feel of others with disabilities on the matter.
And without further ado...
Imagine the following:
You go shopping at a store and notice a ramp by the entryway. "Allrighty then, this store is handicap accessible!" you think to yourself. Eagerly you scurry up the ramp to get inside. The doors open. You pause for a moment in delight of everything the store offers and head on in to where the aisle branches left and right. You want some of the new clothes being offered to the right and start down the aisle. You round the corner and are faced with a big sale table squeezed so tightly between racks of clothing that your chair can't fit through either side to get around it. Sure, you can back up and go around the other way -- passing things you could care less about buying -- to get to the other side. So you do that and get to the other side and find that the other path is not much better; there is another sale table that you can only narrowly fit through. You finish your shopping and leave.
Now, how willing are you to go back in that store? Have you ever left a store because you could not get around easily in it? Do you make mental notes of which stores are more handicap friendly?
My proposal:
While most stores these days certainly follow the guidelines and spirit set forth by the ADA to allow access to those with disabilities, they will also inadvertently make minor interior changes that greatly impact the ability of disabled shoppers, particularly those in wheelchairs and those with other mobility impairments, to traverse the store -- oft times leaving the person with a negative shopping experience and a lower desire to become a frequent customer.
Create a list of commonly overlooked accessibility hazards -- like putting sale tables in the middle of the main aisle or leaving too narrow of a space between the wall and an item rack -- and allow stores to voluntarily ask for an accessibility consultation. The consultation would consist of an approved person going to the store and thoroughly navigating through it, pointing out problematic areas and offering suggestions on how to eliminate them. Many of these problems are easily overlooked by those who do not deal with disabilities on a day-to-day basis and have very simple solutions, such as moving an item rack only a few inches.
The cost of such a consultation could be a donation to the state research fund. Incentives could be the stores being listed or mentioned in materials published by the research board and, possibly, an annual prize or honor could be bestowed upon the store with the best record. Stores that receive a consultation could be awarded stickers or displays that pronounce not only their willingness to be more disability friendly, but that they are a proud supporter of research to help those with disabilities.
-Steven