What were they thinking?!?

At lunch today, we were talking about writing and blogs. I said that I wrote even when I didn't have anything to say. Guess I'll pull out my soapbox just a little today.

Why is it that even new buildings that are supposed to be handicapped-accessible don't make the grade?

A couple of years ago, I had major foot surgery and for a few weeks was either in a wheelchair or using a walker. During the wheel-chair period, I attended a day-long meeting at the then-2-year-old downtown meeting/convention/etc. facility. The hallways were all carpeted - very difficult to maneuver in a wheelchair. The distance from the meeting space to the nearest restroom was about 50-75 yards down one of these carpeted halls. After turning three corners to get into the stall area of the restroom, it was impossible to get the wheelchair into the handicapped stall without backing it in front of other stalls and into the handicapped one. In subsequent visits to the restroom, I opted for the first regular stall, and just hopped into the space.

This afternoon, we went to the art museum. The 2-year old addition to the building is where the entrance is located. It is at the far end of the long building from the parking lot. The door is about 30 yards from the nearest point where a handicapped person could be dropped off - no problem for someone in a wheelchair with a companion to push, but for someone on crutches or a walker or with a cane or in a cast-boot, it's a long way to walk. And, as the fates would have it, just as we started to walk to the door, a heavy rainshower opened up, and we were soaked when we got to the door.

For the walking impaired, getting inside the building is not much help. The entry and lobby area are floored with roughly-cut "flagstones". It would be very difficult for anyone with mobility problems to locomote on this surface. A wheelchair would give an incredibly bumpy ride. And I don't even see how any woman in high heels could get across this floor without a sprained ankle.

What were they thinking?!?!?

Any one who attempts to design a public building should have to live wheelchair-bound or walk with a cane or walker for a week, and try to maneuver through this world. It's obviously that the designers of these public buildings had no clue as to what a handicapped person really needs to make access possible.

Today's picture is one of John's - the Delta Queen exiting the Pickwick Dam Lock on the Tennessee River.