Mobility Impairments in a Shopping Center Environment - Essay Example

MALL PAPER INSTERT HERE INSERT HERE MALL PAPER Accessibility is an important issue facing people with disabilities in the United s as well as around the world. Accordingly, the inaccessibility of many social spaces, such as restaurants, sidewalks and malls, pose the greatest impediment to the full inclusion of people with disabilities in modern society. Clients who live with assistive devices are just like everyone else and often visit the mall for shopping and/or social functions. Seeking to understand the various challenges that face those with mobility impairments in a shopping center environment, the following explores what it is like for a wheelchair-bound client to go to the mall to shop, eat and socialize. What kind of impediments does one face in this environment? The following will explore the ramifications of this experience and reflect upon the challenges found in this exercise. Following a concise overview of the important challenges that one faces as a disabled person in this environment, recommendations for change will be made which will facilitate the independence of shoppers with disabilities in this mall. As a wheelchair-bound client visiting the mall for the first time, I simulated a shopping experience with my partner. Accordingly, we engaged in numerous activities such as transferring in the parking lot, entering the mall through the main entrance, shopping for clothes, trying on clothes in the fitting room, finding and then visiting the restroom, taking the escalator, buying a meal in the food court and then eating the meal at one of the tables in the food court. Although they may seem mundane for the average able-bodied person, the challenges associated with this experience for someone who was simulating the experience of a person with a disability were immense. Accordingly, each task posed a variety of important, yet unforeseen hurdles to the completion of our task at hand. First and foremost, finding a parking spot close enough to the entrance of the mall was a challenge an one which we were not prepared for. While many persons with disabilities have special parking privileges and reserved parking spots at the front of the mall, some do not and we found parking to be an initial challenge. Since we were simulating the experience of being disabled, we did not have a reserved parking pass either. Entering the mall in a wheelchair also posed an unforeseen challenge as there was a small slope between the parking lot and the curb and the result was that entering the main entrance of the mall proved to be more challenging than anticipated. This was an important early challenge which began before even entering the mall to begin the simulation. Manoeuvring around the mall proved to be another challenge as different items were on different floors and accessibility was hindered by the fact that one must take an escalator to access the different floors. Importantly as well, the clothing aisles proved to be narrow and less than ideal for a full-frame wheelchair user. When we decided to try on some clothing we were interested in purchasing, the fitting rooms were less than adequate for a wheelchair user. Accordingly, the narrow doors, coupled with a cramped environment to change, made being in a wheelchair a real problem when it came to trying on clothes and provided us with a new sense of empathy for wheelchair users who must combat these challenges on a day-to-day basis. Importantly though, this challenge appeared to be minimal when we ventured out and visited a restaurant. Accordingly, visiting the food court posed another series of challenges. Importantly, the food court did not appear to be appropriately equipped for people with disabilities and we encountered a series of challenges in the food court. First and foremost, the food court was on the lower floor of the mall and in order to get to it, one had to take the escalator. This entailed another conflict for a person in a wheelchair. Buying a meal was a challenge as the showcases where the food was displayed were high and the counter people were far from a person in a wheelchair. Following this, sitting at the table was challenging since the tables were not properly equipped for a wheelchair user and we had to sit on edge of the table. How did we feel about the inaccessibility of the mall? As a disabled individual, I faced a variety of challenges regarding the accessibility of the mall. The conflicts that I encountered made my visit challenging and less than enjoyable at times. Entering the mall, getting in the changing room, trying on clothes and ordering food (not to mention actually sitting down and eating it) were all challenges which I encountered while visiting the model. If I were truly a disabled person I would have serious concerns about the accessibility of this building. At times, I was frustrated, felt devalued and discouraged by the inaccessibility of the mall during my time there. Importantly, I did not feel that the mall valued me as a customer and my experience there discouraged me from shopping. I was frustrated and upset with my experience there and if I were disabled, I may consider shopping elsewhere. Or perhaps write a letter to the directors of the mall to explain how the inaccessibility of this building made me feel devalued as a customer. As a disabled individual I would be discouraged by the experience I had and would feel like less of a valued person. Reflecting on my experience as a disabled individual, I now have a much better appreciation for the challenges that people with disabilities face on a near daily basis due to limited mobility and the important challenges posed by such routine activities as leaving the house, parking the car and going to the mall. Life is not easy for people with disabilities and something as routine as going shopping or having a meal poses a whole bunch of new challenges which can be tackled through a series of measures to increase the accessibility of the mall environment. With a lack of accessibility being the major impediment to my enjoyment there, I feel that certain things could be done to improve the accessibility of the mall. Accordingly, the first steps which can be made to increase the accessibility of the mall environment for the average wheelchair user should begin by addressing the exterior of the building and the incline between the entrance and the parking lot which makes accessing the front doors for a wheelchair user more than a challenge. Furthermore, a little bit of construction work and ingenuity could easily rectify the important concerns facing disabled people in this mall. Wheelchair-friendly design could include a little less pronounced slope at the entrance as well as elevators, as opposed to escalators for a person in a wheelchair to get around. Increasing the space between clothing racks as well as re-evaluating the size of the changing rooms to make them more accessible, would also do much to ensure that the mall is doing an appropriate job catering to people with disabilities. People with mobility impairments face important challenges in the food court which remains surprisingly inaccessible. One way to improve the accessibility of this space is to lower the counters where food is served as well as provide tables in which a seat is vacant so that someone in a wheelchair can comfortably have a seat and enjoy his or her meal. These measures are nothing major and can easily be implemented through a little time and effort. The accessibility of this mall rightfully depends on it. With respect to wheelchair design, less bulky and wide wheelchairs for the average-sized wheelchair user could be devised in order to make the manoeuvring of the wheelchair a more smooth and comfortable experience. Fundamentally, the mall exists for the purpose of shopping and spending money. Anything which makes a certain segment of the mall clientele feel uncomfortable or devalued hurts the profitability of the mall. As a result, the managers of the mall should embrace the opportunity to make the mall more accessible and should be welcome to suggestions on how they can improve the functionality of the mall for all people, whether they are disabled or able bodied. Importantly, legislation here in America makes it the law to do so. People with disabilities face many hurdles in society and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) of 1990 was created to ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society. Covering a wide variety of instances of possible discrimination, the ADA is one of the most recent pieces of legislation which aims to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities in American society (Bernbach 1996). References Bernbach, J. (1996). Job Discrimination: How to Fight, How to Win. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks. Read More