When an Invitation is Not Enough | Accessibility [CC] 

I don't often comment on videos, but I wanted to say, this Interior Design student wants to thank you for your videos! As someone who is not physically disabled or wheelchair bound, I think it can be a lot harder to understand just how much ADA (or lack thereof) can affect someone. Your videos have definitely opened my eyes to something I thought I understood, but was really missing the more personal part of the picture!! Keep the videos coming :)

I went to a blindy camp recently (for blind and vision impaired people), we stayed at a " fully accessible" backpackers. Long story short no braille anywhere in the building, including in the lifts. So those of us with useful vision were peering at key cards, corridor signs, and lift buttons all weekend. And those without the necessary vision to read those signs were reliant on others all weekend. Some of the orginisers had stick-on braille dots for the lifts, and....... other guests kept peeling them off, even with a sign there saying to leave the dots there because there were blind guests. It was definitely frustrating.

Why is there so little enforcement and by extension, compliance with rules that require spaces to be wheelchair accessible?

i had that experience today. i just got a wheelchair for my birthday and started using it part time for long distances, i use a cane most of the time. Well today was my first time really going out with it, my fiance and i went to the mall. i couldn't even shop in my favorite store, i wouldn't even have gotten past the entrance of it weren't for the help of two customers on their way out because of the placement of singe display racks. the employee was nice and tried to mice everything he could for me but he would've had to rearrange the whole store for me right be able to browse comfortably so i just left increasingly saddened. i sent an email to the company to voice my sadness, even though i was told it wasn't worth it by my roommate. At least then they'll be informed of a disgruntled customer right? On the bright side i got to watch and record my fiance and his coworkers go through pepper spray training and u wouldn't have been able to stand there and record all of it without my chair. So that's something good. Also my fiance wants to do it again.... and people think I'M the strange one lol.

I totally agree with you Annie, I've been using my chair full time for about the past 8 years, and have found that the ADA, is only unforced by the FBI and then only if enough people complain. As for wheelchairs all places are suppose to have everything 36 inches apart so we can navigate, plus outside doors are only supposed to have a 5 lb pull to them, and the ramps are not allowed to be greater then 5 percent grade. So to get around a lot of the obstacles, I have had too go to physical therapy, and learn wheelchair skills for climbing stairs, curbs, door ways, and how to do some nice things in a very safe way. Good Luck to all of you put there!!! Thanks for the Great Video!!!

My favorite thing is when places put potted plants or seats or random crap in front of their automatic door switches. :D :D :| >:O

I went on a trip to my state Supreme Court last month. I was actually surprised by the amount of ramps there. However there was a guest exhibit showing off some of the more controversial cases. We walked in the room and immediately there were blue flashing lights. Luckily nobody in the group had Epilepsy but after the tour I made sure to tell the tour guide they may want to reconsider moving the exhibit with flashing lights or at the very least warn people before the doors open. You think being the Supreme Court they'd see that possible lawsuit a mile away!

I stayed at a house that we rented for a family reunion that said they was accessible, but they also said that with not a lot of confidence in their voice. I go there, and I could not see what was supposed to be accessible about this house. We brought our own portable ramp, I couldn't fit into any of the bathrooms in my wheelchair, there weren't even any bars slapped onto the walls, and the beds were those extra high "fancy" beds, so I had to sleep on the couch, which for me ended up aggrivating the physical pain that I have. So did navigating the bathroom. Like I said, I don't know what was supposed to be accessible about this house, but literally nothing was.

Accesibility for me is more about plans than places since what I have is week hands and chronic pain there, plus if I used them to much, it hurts too much. So I can eat outside, but a lot of plans people like to make are a no for me, such as go biking, painting, playing certains sports, and when I was in highschools none of my friends would acommodate to my disability at gym and I'd be alone walking because I'd fail if I didn't do so. Which is so much bullshit, tbh... But how ableism affected me during school is another topic, Iguess

hey annie , i wore shopping at Harrods in london ( i got severe epilepsy and balance problems ) and wore really excited for this , the problem is i never got to the clothes because i fell and broke a leg in the lift which wore quite embarrassing but also a funny story lol

I needed a wheelchair for a while some years back and definitely found that a few of my favorite mall shops were WAY hard to navigate in the chair. There's just not enough space to get around :( And I'm glad I had that experience, 'cause it certainly created an awareness of how totally shit some places are at accommodating wheelchairs and other devices.

My dorm building has automatic door buttons for wheelchairs. But only on the inside.

I ran into the exact same situation with a hotel. I was placed so far away from any door or elevator that getting to and from my room was impossible. When I brought it up to the attention of the hotel, they just told me that they are ada compliant.

YOU HAVE QUICKLY SHOT UP TO ONE OF MY FAV RU-vidRS! as well as watching your lighthearted videos and having a laugh i am also learning so much so thank you!

Once I went to a shopping centre with a friend, and dear lord the council had decided to host a free concert there. Like a literal concert with loud /loud/ music, and so many people attended. And honestly, my autism often doesn't get in the way when I go out in public, but that time it was utterly overwhelming and in the end my friend had to navigate me out of the building because of it. I just kind of sat back wondering how people could have even thought that was okay? It's not like it was in a public park out of the way, this was a major shopping centre with the only cinema in the entire city, and people with the same - or even more severe - problems as myself could very well have been working in any of those several stores or restaurants, with no way of getting out of work. And the music was loud no matter where you went in the building. It was absolutely baffling. Thankfully my friends are really tuned in with my disabilities, so I don't usually get invited to places which are badly accessible for my mobility issues or my autism, but yeah that moment really stood out for me as just so ridiculous.

One of my horror stories: I was traveling by public transit, and had a very short time between one bus and the other, and I needed to use a restroom. I walk with a cane on most days. I spotted a hotel nearby and hobbled over to it, and.... THEY ONLY HAD A REVOLVING DOOR FOR AN ENTRANCE. I asked one of the valet's if there was a regular door somewhere, and they said it was all the way on the other side of the building. Being in a hurry, I couldn't hobble all that way, and had to painfully and clumsily stumble through the revolving door. Ugh!!!!

This happens to me all the time! I also find that Yelp reviews are practically useless because it might say accessible but it may be only on the outside or vise versa.

My favorite is the whole parking situation when you are going different places. When you get somewhere and there are not any handicapped parking spots. I have a car that has a side ramp, so I need the extra space for that and my wheelchair. Normally if this happens I just double park and so far have only gotten one ticket for it!

One of my neighbors has a friend who's in wheelchair, but he lives on the 4th floor and the building doesn't have an elevator and so every time he comes to visit, they carry him up the stairs.

I've been catching up on your videos. I have to say I feel sad that a lot of us are not educated about Accessibility.

I'm loving that jacket!! You rock it girl!!!

I use my chair part time and most places that say they're accessible are very hard to get around because their cramped or the terrain just doesn't work for my chair

You know what I find really frustrating medical building and offices that aren’t accessible!! I have back issues and my dad is in a wheelchair for long distances. My dad is paralyzed on the left side of his body. So I’ve can’t push himself and we can’t afford an electric chair. Trying to get him into medical office especially specialist offices is frustrating. They don’t normally have push buttons for doors and once inside there is no space for the wheel chair to go. So my dad either has to transfer to a chair or I have to be moving him every time someone needs to get around him. It’s a medical office it should be accessible to everyone!!

Celiac is not considered a disability, but if you have it, you know it is. So many times I have wanted to go out and eat with friends, but couldn't. Either because they don't have Celaic safe, gluten free meals and or they won't let you bring your own food into a restaurant. Since being dx'd with CD, I feel isolated and have lost contact with almost all my friends. I also have a mixed connective tissue disease and working on getting a motorized wheelchair. When I told my friends about the diseases I had, they took to backbiting instead of supporting me. Being sick is so frustrating and lonely. Thank you for sharing

Here's a good story , one time a friend of mine was having a going away party at a bar invited me that's all good. But what he failed to take in to account was he booked the party on the second level of the place I'm mean sure I can move on my knees a bit but it's a pain of course luckily I didn't go to the party and find out was over Facebook message, but still I was like what the hell man I was pretty choked. Another time I was downtown with another group of friends who can walk and sorry forgot to mention that I am in a wheelchair myself , anyway we were down town going to a pool hall and we didn't realize that it just was stairs going down to the place. Really stupid set up so I had to ask the manager at McDonald's if I could leave my power chair there while I played pool and he said yes but man that was a stupid amount of work for an hour's game witch I didn't really care about I just went along with it, so I definitely have been there same with sex shops again no ramps so stupid.

What she is saying is all true. As a long time wheelchair user I understand her point. However you learn to adjust. New buildings , remodeled buildings , and all medical buildings should be 100% ADA accessible. That's without a doubt. Logically we can't expect the rest of the world to remodel to accommodate us. When possible all public buildings should do their utmost to make things accessible. Not all places are possible, historic areas in particular are going to be difficult to use. So are outdoor venues. We are responsible to make sure we have the equipment we need to access the place we want to be. I carry a folding wrap in my car. I ask pointed detailed questions before I even leave home. Don't assume , make sure.

Very informative. Thanks for the vids. I thought I had subscribed to your channel before but I hadn't so I just DID! :)

While I'm not sure exactly how to say what I want to say without the fear of offending someone (Not sarcasm by the way

The last hotel I went to was incredibly kind and accomodating, and I had a ground floor room with an extra low sided bath and walk in shower, additional grab rails and assisted rail toilet and bed guard, zero stairs to and from carpark&entrance and two extra wide fire doors: between lobby and corridor, and one into the room... But neither fire door was power assisted. I wasn't in a wheelchair or using my crutches this particular week, but without my partner, I couldn't get in or out of my room AT ALL because the fire door was too heavy.

Wow, an eyeopener! I broke my leg once and i had issues to follow my normal routines like taking the bus. Asking for help felt weird and most of the people didn't even care about it asking if I need help :( Thanks for sharing this video!

The problem at my school is that all the doors have the switches so close to the door that if you hit the switch door opens right into you. I don't want to complain too much, but the fact is if it's that close it's useless.

In the uk. Two places off the top of my head are awful for wheelchair users. A big name stationery store is so packed with stuff you can literally not get in ( including prams/ buggys) . We also have a cinema that was built like 5 years a go. They have like a viewing box for wheelchair users but the wall that stops you falling out covers half the screan if you're sitting down.... they apparently thought wheelchair users would stand??? One of the biggest cinema chains aswell. Oh yeah and the brand new hospital huge hospital dose not have one disabled changing space ( toilet with a hoist)

I go to a public high school and our math and science building lacks an elevator completely. Some kids just can't go to classes up there and miss months of class. No one that is permanently wheelchair bound is enrolled in our school because while it is public, you choose to come ("magnet" art school) and what good is a school that refuses to let you go to classes by being unwilling to build an elevator or wheelchair lift?

I'm tired and frustrated of going to a doctor's office or a hospital and the exam rooms are too small for my wheelchair and the bathrooms are impossible to use because the door isn't automatic and is too heavy to open on my own and the stalls aren't very big. Those are places that above all other places you'd think would be accessible. So it's mind-boggling that they aren't at all! And I have a small standard wheelchair and I'm small for my age(45 years old 5 ft and 115 to 118 pounds) . If a small person like me can't fit how is an average-sized or bigger person supposed to fit?

from my ASL classes, I have learned being deaf and HoH is not a disability according to deaf and HoH beings. They are a language minority

Ada means nothing unless it's enforced

Actually THIS is how I ask when calling. First, yes Are you accesssiblle? They will of COURSE as you noted, say YES. THEN you must ask, "Ok when you say accessible do you mean that there is a ramp in the back of the establishment where you take the garbage in and out?" NO REALLY! Over half the time THAT is what they mean. Also ask if the bathroom is accessible, no ACTUALLY accessible. What one of my own stories, here's this one: paidiraiompair.dreamwidth.org/11756.html

If you have specific needs you should be more direct when asking.

I would love to take you out on a date, Anniee! :)