My Soapbox Arguement

Discrimination Against Disabilities

Picture this: you are a person in a wheel chair and you need a new dress for a date that you have. You decide to shop at Fred Meyer. All of the dresses in your size are in the middle of all of the other racks in the women’s department. There is only about a two and a half foot clearance between the racks. How are you going to get to the dresses? You actually will not be able to without help. The crowded racks limit where and how you are able to shop, hence, you are unable to pick out your own clothing because you are in a wheelchair. People without these disabilities can get to the rack because the can maneuver around the obstacles but, you can’t. This is a problem not just for you but for all disabled people with mobility issues. An entire group of people are being discriminated against because, the American Disability Association
I am a daughter of an amputee and because of this I see obstacles as whether it is accessible or not. Many public places are not accessible to people with disabilities. The American Disability Association (ADA) has been working with the Federal Government to try to change the problems of discrimination and lack of accessibility but making changes has been an up hill battle all the way. I was under the miss-guided assumption that, there were regulations for all public facilities. However this is not true. After hours of research I found only some buildings constructed after certain dates have to comply with the new federal building codes. Because there is not a regulation in place for all public buildings, concerning access and maneuverable space, then crowded shopping aisles, at any public shopping venue should be considered a form of discrimination.
I was always under the assumption that if a building was accessible to all of the public, then it was regulated by the ADA. However, this is not the case. Aisles, bathrooms, checkout counters, parking spaces, golf courses, amusement park ramps are all regulated by the ADA, but racks at department stores are not regulated. If the structure is not fixed in place then it is not regulated. If Federal Legislation and the ADA can regulate the space between check out counters and bathroom stalls, then the ADA should change the standards. The legislation should be rewritten to include regulation of space between clothing racks, remodeling bathrooms without sufficient room, and remodeling buildings without elevators.
Just because a building or business has a handicap sticker indicating that they are handicap accessible does not mean that they are in compliance with the ADA and state codes. Places like Jo-Anns Fabrics actually get in trouble for not being in compliance with the ADA and Federal building codes. They were forced to close and remodel in order to be in compliance. This should set the standard for all businesses. Any business that is not in compliance should be shut down until they address the issue because discrimination should not be tolerated.
Some would argue that employees of businesses are there to help people with any problems they may have, including, if they are disabled and that is why the businesses do not consider the inaccessibility issue as discrimination. Unless the store has a person waiting in all access areas, during all hours of operation, specifically assigned to helping people with disabilities, then accessibility is an issue that needs to be addressed. I know from experence, getting help in any department store difficult, but for a person with disabilities it is exceptionally difficult.
Former President Bush adjusted some of the legislation pertaining to the ADA. However, upon reviewing his adjustments I did not find anything dealing with access. The new legislation that was put into effect dealt with discrimination in the work place and in the hiring process. Now that President Obama is in office, there is an amendment to the Disabilities Act as part of his agenda. Perhaps with all the changes that we can make under his leadership, the regulations for public buildings too can change. It is a time to look past discrimination for everyone. “Yes We Can” provide equal access to shopping for people with disabilities. We can address these issues in Fred Meyer and other department stores.