Accessible?

Sometimes my MS seems to be a continuous series of things I can't do anymore and places I can’t go anymore.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. The ADA prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in American life.

It’s been over 25 years since the ADA was signed into law and unfortunately progress has stalled. I’ve seen things that confirm this for me. When a place, particularly a business, claims to be wheelchair accessible, a lot of times it really isn’t – it is only accessible to the minimal required standards. They think that just because there isn’t a step to enter the establishment it is accessible. False!  The doorway may be too narrow to accommodate my power wheelchair, the door may be too heavy or awkward for me to open on my own or there isn’t an automatic door. Public restrooms often don’t get it right either.  Many times there isn’t a support bar next to the toilet that is an ADA regulated height.

The thing is: ADA is not an accessibility guideline, it is a law. Using your accessible bathroom for extra storage doesn’t cut it. At an accessibility conference in Melbourne, Australia in March of last year, the main speaker (who was in a wheelchair) had to be carried on stage because there weren’t any ramps. At an accessibility conference, the stage was not accessible. You can read more about this story here.

Over the Christmas holiday, my husband and I planned to take a short trip to Monterey, California. We reserved an ADA accessible room at a fancy hotel and confirmed they had the accessible features most important to me: a support bar next to a heightened toilet. After we checked in, we went to our room. There was a support bar next to the toilet but the bathroom was very tight; the huge marble sink was perpendicular to the toilet making it impossible for me to line up my power wheelchair for a transfer. Before heading to the main desk, we checked out the restrooms in the lobby on the Bay side of the hotel. These were not configured well for my use. We then went to the main desk and spoke with the manager. The only thing he could do was transfer us to a new room on the inland side that was not accessible but had and accessible bathrooms in the lobby. So every time I needed to use the restroom I had to go to the lobby. This would have to do. We ended up cutting our vacation short because of this inconvenience. Sadly, I was not that surprised, merely disappointed.

People need to do more to understand what accessibility means for all. And to live up to the law that guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life.