I will give them credit for putting a button on the door, but probably it would make a lot more sense without the two steps in front. I would love to say this is an oversite, but I have seen a number of examples where there is a button on the door, with steps to get in. Could they not have made a slope to the sidewalk to allow wheelchair entrance? Why have the button on the door? Are there people who get up the two steps and say "What??? Now I am supposed to open the door??? This is ridiculous!!". I guess one could make the argument that they are trying to prevent people in wheelchairs from drinking and driving. (Note: For those who come up to me at a cocktail with me sitting in my wheelchair and tell me "Careful...you are not supposed to be drinking and driving...ha ha ha.", that is not original. I have heard it before.)
I think my favorite is a couple of hotels I have stayed at over the years in Toronto. The first hotel had four entrances and each one had a button on the door, which again I will not critic them for doing. The odd part was that one of the doors with a button led out to a staircase. Apparently that was the built in amusement ride that came with my hotel reservation.
The other hotel was a smaller boutique hotel. As I pulled up in the Wheel Trans bus, we noticed there were two steps to get in, with of course a button on the door, but a sign saying disabled entrance in the alley way. Probably makes sense. Send the people in wheelchairs into the side alley. How big a degenerate would a mugger have to be to mug someone in a wheelchair? The interesting part was that the door in the alley way did not have a button to open it. You had to buzz to get someone to let you in, which was good because you needed the person to move the extra luggage, because of course the hallway leading from the disabled entrance is where you should store people's luggage wen they are leaving.
While some adaptations may not make sense, there are some businesses that get quite creative with making the best of the facilities they have. I think the most creative one I had seen was a Second Cup at the World Exchange Plaza here in Ottawa. I entered the store via the entrance in the mall and noticed that there was about five steps going up to where you place your order. The counter to place your order was on one floor and the place to sit and eat was on another. I then noticed a disabled symbol on the table next to the stairs. While my initial reaction was that it was just another bizarre adapation, I then realized it made sense. The reason why the table was reserved for someone in a wheelchair was that there was a buzzer to ring so that the person behind the counter could come and take their order. While it may not be ideal, I did find it was a great example of making an effort to work with the facilities you have to be more accessible.
What were some examples of good and bad adaptations you have seen when it comes to making locations more accessible? Feel free to share in the comments below.
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