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| Had to take these stairs to get to the "Washroom" |
I went out to eat the other day, and while I was there I had to use the restroom, which was up a few stairs: not a full flight, probably somewhere between 5 & 10 steps. I typically use a cane for support due to inflammatory arthritis from a rare disease called sarcoidosis. Still, I figured I would be able to manage this, even though stairs usually hurt my joints more than regular walking.
I looked for a ramp afterwards, because
there had to be a way for someone who cannot do stairs at all to get there,
right? Right. I did not find a ramp;
instead, what I saw was this.
If you
can't tell what this is, it's an industrial wheelchair lift.
Like a motorized dumbwaiter more than an elevator, one that requires a second person with a key to operate it. So if someone in a wheelchair
has to go to the bathroom, he has to first get staff's attention, and say (like
a child in kindergarten), "excuse me, I have to go to the
bathroom."
Chances are that staff
person won't have the key, so she'll have to go find the key, or find the
person with the key, who will likely finish whatever she's doing before
attending to this customer. Then there's
the big production (which draws the attention of half the restaurant) of opening
the lift and maneuvering the customer into it (or staring while the customer
maneuvers himself into the tiny space). These
units often beep loudly while in motion (drawing the attention of anyone left
in the restaurant who isn't already looking).
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| Right side: stairs Left side: disability spectacle |
After using the facilities, the customer then has to either wait until
someone makes eye contact from the main floor, or yell out to find someone
(drawing everyone's attention, once again), and repeat the painful process once
again.
This
is not acceptable.
It may technically be
compliant with ADA regulations, but it is not right. It robs a person with a disability of the
ability to do something as simple as going to the bathroom by himself. It not only takes away his independence, but
robs him of his dignity, making him a spectacle for everyone to watch. And it takes a long time, which is not always
something one can afford when waiting to use the bathroom. This may be legal, but it is not good enough.
I
had to use one of these lifts once, while I was in Washington, DC to meet with my US Senators and House Representatives to discuss legislative issues related to health care. Those days on Capitol Hill require a LOT of
walking; I would not be able to participate if not for my mobility scooter. If this lift situation had arisen on my way
to a meeting, I would surely have brought it up. Who am I kidding? If this had happened on my way to a meeting,
I would not have made it to the meeting.
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| I'd found the sign indicating an accessible exit, but all I saw at first were stairs. |
I had to wait over 15 minutes for someone to come with a key to operate
the lift, and it took another 10 minutes for me to get down - and that's after
spending a good 10 minutes trying to find an "accessible" exit, 5
minutes by the lift, trying to get anyone's attention/help, and 5 minutes with
a kind passerby who tried pressing every button (and several combinations) to
try to get the lift to work for me.
I
decided right then that I'd never go through that again. I would sooner take the 20 minute path back
to the elevator, through the basement, onboard the tram, through another
basement corridor, to the exit in another (attached) building than go through that
again. If I were in a restaurant
with a lift like that, I'd sooner use the bathroom in the coffee shop across
the street. Better yet - I won't be in
that restaurant again.
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