Jillian IlanaApril 07, 2021

Accessible For One Does Not Mean Accessible For All

Jillian IlanaApril 07, 2021

When able-bodied people think of accessibility, they are most often thinking of the person in the wheelchair. Think about it. Buildings are required to install ramps and special elevators for the person in the wheelchair, and they should. In public restrooms, one stall and one sink are designed to be wheelchair accessible. Yet, I cannot use the handicap-accessible sink. It is too high or too far to reach. It is designed for a wheelchair to slide under to give the person the ability to use the sink. It is not accessible for a little person.

Why am I bringing this up?

A few posts back I wrote about how my father’s worst nightmare came true: my gas pedal extender fell off while driving (Click HERE to read). Well, it happened again. I was driving a different rental car, a newer version of my older car that I drove for the past seven years, and had a family friend put them on. For almost an hour we made adjustments until we were certain the car would be safe to drive. A few days later, shortly after pulling out of my driveway, I went to hit the gas and the pedal extender slipped right off. Luckily, nothing and no one was hit and I was able to maneuver the car to a safe stop, but it was still just as terrifying. I specifically chose this car because I knew the pedal extenders would fit. Yet again, I realized this was not the case. My neighbor, who is an engineer, tried to put the pedal back on and said he could not because of the design of the car’s pedal.

Before I go on I want to reiterate the fact that I know it is a privilege that as a disabled person I am able to drive with accommodations and for that I am extremely grateful. But…

what if those accommodations cannot be made?

At dinner that night, my mom, our family friend and I discussed possible solutions to the problem. Our friend, who is a lawyer, asked if the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) could apply. While I wanted and wished I could say yes, my response was, “I don’t think so.” I went on to explain that when complying with the ADA, from my experience, it feels that the little person is rarely, if ever, considered. From there the conversation evolved into a larger discussion about the expectations vs. reality of accessible design.

My mom, a former lawyer, pointed out that when modifications for the disabled are made, they are typically designed to address one specific need. For example, having Braille installed on the elevator buttons. But again, those buttons are often too high for little people to reach. When designing adaptive cars, manufacturers will design models that can be driven by hand controls but not ones with closer pedals for people with shorter limbs.

She went on to explain that while the ADA mandated that public spaces be accessible, it is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) who helps determine what design standards are followed. ANSI is a private non-profit organization that “oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States.” The standards the institute accredits must meet certain requirements for openness, balance, consensus, and due process. They are why most handicap accessible accommodations look the same in public spaces.

My question to ANSI: Why can’t the buttons on the elevator have Braille labels and be lowered? Then everyone, average height or little, seeing or vision impaired, would be able to access the correct floor. Why can’t the handicap-accessible sink, in addition to be raised for the person in the wheelchair, be turned sideways so that the faucet is closer for the little person? That way anyone, able-bodied or disabled, does not have to feel humiliated when they cannot access a sink in a public restroom. I know a sideways sink works because in my former home we had our upstairs and downstairs sink turned sideways so that my average-height family and I could reach. Why can’t there be more than one solution to solve a problem?