Access. What does that mean?
Does it mean a lift, a ramp, barrier-free, or does it simply mean that there has been given some way for a person with a mobility disability to get in a place?
Take, for example, my Saturday night. A new "hot" restaurant opened in a trendy DC area neighborhood. We lucked out with a babysitter (grandparents were in town for a visit) and took the opportunity to meet with friends to go check it out. When we arrived, there were stairs on the front entry. Our friends went in and ask about a ramp for the steps so I could get in. The restaurant said they didn't have one and would have to see if they could get me in through the back. A manager escorted us down the sidewalk, up a small, dark, narrow ally, around the corner to a sea of trash, gross liquid spillage, dumpsters, boxes, and stench.
That was my "access".
He told me they were still working out the kinks because they had just opened a month ago. WHY IS ACCESSIBILITY ALWAYS AN AFTERTHOUGHT?
If this were the entrance for all patrons, this restaurant would be open for no more than a week. Who in the world would like to start a nice dinner maneuvering through dumpsters, trash and the stench of rotten decomposition? Yet, this is my access, and I guess that should be good enough?
The manager said they were not required to have a ramp on their steps (it is in a historical area), and they were told the back was good enough. I asked him if he thought the back entrance of his restaurant was in fact good enough for people coming to his restaurant given the fact that I dodged dumpsters, trash, and boxes just to enter. By the way, the solution here is to simply get a portable ramp that can be placed down over the stairs, as needed, for the patron to enter. I suggested this to them (one that could hold at least 600 to 700 pounds to take into account patrons in power chairs) and I hope they will listen.
Disabled folks get the backdoor treatment on just about everything. And I am sick of it. It is an afterthought, a makeshift set-up, a "just make do" scenario over and over and over again. Should my husband have picked me up and carried me in instead? Is that access? In my high school, there was no accessible entry to the front of my school (until I made them change it) so when I returned from a life-changing injury, I was stuck with the back door entry away from my friends, teachers, and community. But, I had access, right?
The problem is also that what is supposed to be a date night, often turns to an advocacy session for me and others with disabilities. Yes, I use a wheelchair, but I am married, I have friends, I like trying new restaurants, I like going out at night, and yes I would like access that is better than your nasty back door entrance!
The disability community has been fighting for decades for access, and now, in 2019, it appears that the backdoor treatment is supposed to be enough. But, I would argue, that this is far from access, and we should continue to fight to break down barriers, both physical and psychological, to ensure that consideration is given to people, regardless of how they get around in this world.
Access: What Does it Mean?