Recently, I was in a restaurant that had had a major renovation within the
past year. It looked lovely, and was easily accessible, until I went to use
the single-occupancy restroom, which had been renovated as well. The
tiles were gleaming, the sink was wheelchair accessible, the soap
dispenser and towels were easy to reach, the toilet was a good height.
Then I noticed that there were no grab bars on the walls near the toilet. I
was surprised. The owners had done such a good job with everything else,
why were there no grab bars? Upon leaving the restroom, I found the
manager and asked about it, saying, “You have done a beautiful
renovation, with almost everything wheelchair friendly. Can you tell me
why there are no grab bars in the restrooms?” She looked at me with a
quizzical expression on her face and told me she did not have an answer.
But she did say that no one has complained, or even mentioned the lack
of grab bars.. After further conversation, she assured me that she would
notify the owner and they would “get it done.” While I am fairly sure that
they will get it done, the bigger question for me was, “why hadn’t anyone
mentioned it?”
In my years of working with Destination Accessible, and speaking with
people with disabilities, as well as their families and friends, I have
discovered that people with disabilities are hesitant to complain about
anything because they don’t want to be considered, “complainers.”
People have told me that they feel that they are already “looked down on”
and don’t want to give people any more reasons to think of them as
“trouble.” How sad is that?
We are all used to the “See Something, Say Something,” campaign that
began shortly after 9/11, and continues today. The idea of reporting
possible danger when we see it, is certainly ingrained in my mind. No one
complains about people doing this because we are OK with “Better safe
than sorry,” if the thing we were concerned about turns out to be OK.
I would like to suggest that more people, and not just those with
disabilities, consider a,” If you don’t see something, say something
campaign.” If you don’t see a push-button assist (or non-working assist)
door opener, tell someone, If you don’t see an accessible entrance, tell
someone. If you don’t see grab bars, an accessible sink, soap and towelsthat are easily reachable, a coat hook that is not reachable, in what is
supposed to be an accessible restroom, please tell someone. If you don’t
see Braille elevator options, or clear signage in a building getting people
around hazards, tell someone. If you don’t see accessible emergency
evacuation routes, tell someone, If If you don’t see a door that is easy to
open, tell someone. If you don’t see an accessible path to your seat, tell
someone. If you don’t see a handrail where one would be helpful, tell
someone. These are only some of the many things you might notice.
There are also things that you should tell someone about if you do see
them. If you see a “lip” between one room or area and another that is
difficult to get over, tell someone. If you see a restroom door that opens
“in” rather than out, making it difficult to manage with a walker or
wheelchair, tell someone . If you see a step that is too difficult for you to
manage, tell someone. Again, these are only some of the things that
individuals with disabilities, may find difficult.
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), July 26, 1990 is the law that
was created to protect people with disabilities from being discriminated
against. For those with disabilities, it is supposed to make life easier when
visiting public places. There are many parts to the document, with
specifics about parking spaces, entrances, restrooms, seating, steps,
service animals, etc. People who don’t need these accommodations
usually don’t notice when something is not working for those of us that do
need them.
It is not complaining to tell someone who is in a position to do something
about it. It is everyone’s right to be accommodated. You don’t have to do it
in a complaining way, Be polite and explain why you are telling them what
you are telling them. Our experience is that most people want to be
helpful. If we don’t let them know how to do that, we cannot expect them
to do it!
If more people explain their needs to businesses, hopefully businesses will
begin to address those needs.
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