Tired Of Property Developers Cutting Corners On Accessibility, Architect Illustrates How It Impacts People

This is the one that makes me angry. I have a friend whose husband is wheelchair bound. Her van has a side loading ramp to get him in and out. Many times we were sitting in parking lots with thawing and melting groceries trying to locate the owner of a car that thought the striped place at handicapped parking was an additional parking space. If I ever see you parked here...have no doubt I will call the police and have your car ticketed or towed. And if you have a motorcycle, be prepared to search for it because I will relocate it to the most inconvenient spot I can find.

The city should just take these bikes and auction them out to the highest bidder, with the previous owner not getting anything.

I ride...but I never do this. In fact I have moved other bikes that have (when I can, some bikes lock so you can't move them either)....generally where they get blocked in.

Kick it over.

Oh, so this is why that slots are bigger than standard slots. Nice to know, I always tought it was cause their cars where bigger (for carrying the wheelchair and other needed stuff)

Thats one reason. Another is, you can block the view of screen and keypad from bystanders more easily with your own body - so security.

The only problem is they are impossible for those with other mobility issues to use as some of us don't have the flexibility to bend close enough to operate ... it's a balancing act that is still to be perfected

these are convenient for short people too

While the drive through now cannot be reached from a normal car because of the MINE IS BIGGER SUV arms race. Dammit, a few of us are not compensating for (ahem) other shortages.

Yeah um sorry bout that but ........ thank you?

Oh, dangerous spots. I remember those spots from way back when I just got my chronic diseases. Back then my diseases weren't as bad as they are now.. Now I am in a wheelchair. 2 years of crutches, followed by (to date, with no progress in sight) 11 years in a wheelchair. Oh, the memories and obstacles in my memory and still to this date. It isn't always easy!

Local town put little troughs to drain water from gutters...right across the path every few feet. Nearby they use 3 grooves in the pavement instead, no horrible drop and scream for wheelchair users

I suspected for a long time now that many of those that I saw are too steep. Thanks for confirming. It really needs to be fixed. It's a risk both for the person in the wheelchair and for anyone passing by (walking) or standing at the end of the ramp.

Yes! It can be so hard or impossible to go up these ramps. Especially if you don't have a lot of strength. And going down ramps that are too steep can be dangerous too. You have to lean back as far as possible. If you even are able to do this.. If you encounter them, you just have to be lucky to have someone with you that can help you get up such a ramp and help you stay safe. I hate them with a passion!

I though it was because they just want us dead sooner

Difficult to go up, and dangerous to go down. Big NOPE!

My physical therapist office even has massive holes on the sides.its wheelchair x games

yeah, WTF is with housing laws that allow <5 stories high buildings to not have elevators? And its not just disabled...anyone that had kids (or more than one toddler at a time, chaos forbid...) will be hard pressed to move the baby carriage up and down, srsly.

Most residential buildings in my country are like this. It makes me so sad...

This is rampant where I live, even new builds are being allowed with no disabled acces's - even to the ground level.

For three years I worked on the fourth floor. Stairs only. My legs were as big as tree stumps.

If only every blind / visually impaired person was able to have a guide dog.. but it can be very expensive!! And there is much/strict training required. And then you have those people (haven't seen it yet on the list, maybe it will be further down) who will pet the guide dog and thus distract the dog, while it is working! Even though their harness (I guess in all cases) clearly states: Don't pet me, I am working. Some people just can't resist to pet a working dog. If it happens too often this can get very dangerous!

These excellent illustrations should be required reading for architects, developers, and city planners worldwide. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted. One of the ADA-mandated accessibility features is the sidewalk curb cut (what is lacking in the illustration above). Curb cuts have been omnipresent in cities since the 1990s. I live in the Los Angeles area; there are curb cuts at virtually every intersection. But negligent officials have been unbelievably slow in installing curb cuts everywhere they are needed. One well-known affluent municipality in the area has had the mandated curb cuts for many years. However, there is a very small triangular sidewalk “island” at a point where three large streets intersect. Curb cuts were installed on this island ONLY ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. This little island is located at the southern edge of the city, the less affluent side of town, where none of the city bigwigs live.

In my town, one of the City Council members (who is legally blind) fell into an open manhole.

it gets better...my apartment building has an elevator with a nice, lovely buttons panel...that is a touch screen. No physical interface for anyone who has even remotelly bad eyes, because its dim like all f***s. Looks nice, but...just why?

Omg public buildings with the automatic open buttons are my favorite. Trying to hold wheels steady while opening door and pushing myself through. Super fun to add a ramp and gravity to fight

That's a door k**b. A door lever is the one that should be better universally.

My grandpa is an amputee and they advertised the town home as wheelchair accessible... the bathroom is wide enough he can get through-- without the wheels...

Levers not Knobs

I was once wheelchair bound, thank god not permanently. This did happen, but not only at bus stops. The advantage for me was after my arm healed (but not before) I was able to spin around and carefully climb or drop curbs on my own. Those who have no use of their arms or use electric wheelchairs cannot do this...

well isn't that just like the stupid people we put in charge to be dumber than a kindergardener

I saw a disabled car park, leading to a gutter/ step up. that was 30 cm high. ( I measured it ). To make it worse the "step up " was broken, and full of moss. Moss is important because in my area it is *very* slow to grow. So the gutter was broken for a long time.

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Why didn't you take photos of any of these. You seem to have exaggerated everything.

Wow, I never thought of that. Thanks.

My legs wobble inexplicably when I go down steps, they help me too.

They're also handy for the rest of us when carrying a heavy or awkward load.

Disabled ramps?

Awesome that's great