Robert LaCrosse
April 20, 2008
Instructor Joelle Ruby Ryan
ACS 250 #26449
Blog Entry #5: Disabilities
I took a different approach with this entry. Instead of imagining the barriers faced by disabled people I took a disabled friend out for the day and made note of the numerous obstacles that were faced throughout the day. We started at her house and ran several errands. This included going to both lunch and dinner at different restaurants. This approach allowed me to learn a lot about my friend and she was really impressed that we would actually study something that has such an impact in her life.
We started the day leaving her house. I helped build a deck and ramp system in front of her house to help her get in and out of the house, without this modification to their house she would not be able to enter or exit her home. We went to a mall to pick a few items up. This required using their modified van, which is not only modified for loading and unloading a wheelchair, but it was also fitted with special hand controls to allow her to drive. Even with this capability she is a nervous driver and always afraid that she may never get used to using the hand controls even though it appears from my perspective that she is a great driver.
These modifications to the home and vehicle alone were very expensive and not something that this couple would have spent money for had they had the option of not spending this money. Both are on fixed incomes and as retired people they do not have the ability to make additional money to cover these expenses. What they did was a necessity and not an extravagance.
Once we reached the mall we were able to park in a handicapped space. While this was nice, I will keep my legs and use them to walk from further spaces. The handicapped spaces are helpful to people in need of closer spaces at public places. Even when most handicapped spaces are not used it is necessary to have more than enough just to be sure that there are enough spaces for the people in need of these spaces. This was a bit of a revelation to me since I worked in many malls in many cities and never have all the handicapped spaces been full. I always thought that was a waste of prime space, boy was I naïve.
We did some shopping at the mall. While this is not one of my favorite pastimes I made due and shopped along. It was evident that many stores are not set up to allow a wheelchair to move around and shop. In fact most stores had a limited space available for us to pass through. Some stores were helpful with the shopping experience, we even had one where the sales clerk waited on us and made the experience very pleasurable. The unfortunate side of this is that most of the people steered clear of the “old lady in the wheelchair”. Apparently old ladies in wheelchairs do not have money or they are hard to wait on; whatever the case, this was closer to the norm than the few good visits we had.
After shopping for a good portion of the day we decided to get some lunch. We went to a fast food restaurant that had good handicapped parking and a special table that accommodated a wheelchair. I never knew these tables existed, but I learned that many places have tables just for such an occasion. We had a good lunch, not my choice of foods, but never-the-less a good lunch.
After lunch we went grocery shopping. Again, we had a good experience. The store supplied a motorized shopping cart that was really helpful. The only issue was getting to it. Once parked, I had to get the motorized cart and bring it to the van. Without my help she would have used her wheelchair to get to the motorized cart. Then she would transfer herself to the motorized cart and drag her wheelchair back to the van. She would then struggle to get it in the van and go through this same process in reverse when she is ready to leave. The only other issue was the height of some of the shelves, but with my help we were able to get passed that obstacle. Other than these issues the grocery store was a great experience.
Without my help trip to the grocery store is out of the question. She only makes this trip on her own if she is picking up a couple specific items. Stocking the pantry is not an option. I asked how she gets past this on a daily basis and I was surprised to learn that she uses a company that shops for her and charges her a fee plus the cost of her goods.
We ended the day with dinner at a nice restaurant. This was difficult because we had problems finding a seat that would accommodate a wheelchair. Because of this we waited longer for our table which was a problem for her husband who is diabetic. Once situated at the table we had a great meal and a great end to an eye-opening day for me.
I learned that many of the things I take for granted are difficult for my friend. She makes modifications to almost everything she uses on a daily basis. Not only is this inconvenient, but it is also quite a financial burden on their household finances. Even simple issues such as using the restroom are huge tasks that can be extremely challenging.
The solution to making this problem a non issue is an enormous task. This most common issue was ability to navigate public places. If this could be addressed the mobility issue would change drastically. Some of the other issues may not be as easily remedied such as the height of shelves in grocery stores. It is not reasonable to keep everything as low as it would be necessary for a person in a wheelchair to have access to it. In these cases it would make sense for the stores to have someone available to help. Not only is this good customer service, but is only human to help others.
This was a great learning experience and I am thankful that I have friends that are willing to let me be a part of their lives and use their everyday activities as a learning experience for myself.
