Reply #10: Ah, yes..ye ole planning department has NO CLUE [View All]

I remember my husband complaining about street makeovers where they'd planted TREES right in the middle of the sidewalk!

As for the "Mall" and the one "accessible" store..go to that one store and ask the manager WHO DESIGNED/AUTHORIZED the accessible feature (albeit out back). Explain to that one store that you want this info because their store is the ONLY one that has a ramp feature in the entire complex and you'd like to talk to the one who designed the ONLY ramp feature. You want to know from that builder WHY there aren't other ramp features (code or no code) in the whole mall and who "authorized" installing the one he did and why no other authroizations were given for the other stores..

Next step after, hopefully, getting an answer from this builder is to go to the City Planning Dept. to file a complaint (in form) about that mall that has no access for neither assistive vehicles NOR strollers. IF THEY blow you off THEN you go to the District Attorney and consider a suit. Try to get the problems resolved pleasantly first; sueing should be the last resort.

Going to the Planning Dept. is the first step to lodge a complaint for those sidewalks and that elevator, parking garage also.

In our community when the streets had poles or trees smack in the middle, hubby went to the planning dept.(we also had access to a great district supervisor) to let them know there was a problem. The planning dept fixed the problem by adding extra space/a 'go arond' space for each place with that configuration.

You are exactly right when you bring up the point that not only wheelchair users but people pushing strollers cannot navigate these barriers! That should be used to make the point also when filing a complaint.

If there is an "Independent Living Center" in your area, try going to them to gather support for the problems you face. ALSO, if you or anyone reading this post, have a particular "diagnosis": Cancer, Arthritis, MS, Polio, MD, Brain/Spinal injury et al..contact the associations for those conditions and try to gather support for these issues that way.

Finally, husband is sitting here with me rattling off directives (faster than I can type :))..telling me to tell you all that there's POWER IN NUMBERS.

If you have to, take $5 and put an ad in the newspaper to invite other disabled persons in your area to meet to discuss the issues they have surrounding ADA, etc. It is often easier to file complaints when there is more THAN ONE PERSON doing it for the same reason. "Finding" one another is how we, in our community, "got it together" and began to get things done.

On the face of it, this may seem like a lot of work..but it is WORTH IT. Nothing ever gets done without busting a sweat/stepping out and taking a stand once in awhile. No one else will do it FOR US.

*As a footnote: Sadly, a friend of ours took a tour of Washington DC. once--maybe it's been improved since then(?). He came back and told us it was THEE WORST city for persons using wheelchairs. He wanted to see the Viet Nam memorial and had to have a few strong Vets pick up his chair WITH HIM IN IT, they lifted him over the barriers to a place where he could then move along to view the wall. He said there were NO curb cuts, no ramps..not much of anything. His disgust was WHY wouldn't WASHINGTON be a MODEL of "accessibility"<----(boy, that has levels of meaning doesn't it)

Go get 'em China! Best, SB :hi: