Mission Statement

The goal of the Accessible City site is to help urban students and their parents advocate for resources and navigate the urban arena. We seek to do this by providing resources in form of websites, youtube videos, and case studies on urban establishments.

Websites

Below are a number of website that compliment our mission statement:

Having a school environment which fosters inclusion for both academic and social reasons is extremely important. The urban collaborative (http://www.urbancollaborative.org/) focuses on urban special education and is extremely useful for it's information on bullying and students with disabilities. Simply put, it is impossible to have an inclusive social setting where students with disabilities are being bullied www.urbancollaborative.org/pdfs/Bullying.pdf

One of the most fundamental aspects of a students day is traveling to and from school. But for too many urban students with disabilities, this daily activity can be a struggle. This website is useful because it provides parents and students with information about ensuring safe routes to and from school http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/local/4317/4359

In addition to the day to day affairs of urban schools (www.urbanschools.org), students with disabilities and their parents need to be focused on a student's transition.  This particular part of the website is great becasue it provides valuable information on transition services available to urban special education students www.urbanschools.org/pdf/OP_Trans.pdf 

Not everyone might be aware of all the rights that are guaranteed to them from the Americans with Disabilities Act, which covers employment, transportation, education, public accessibility, among other things.  Here is an overview people can use to familiarize themselves with the rights under the ADA: http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm#anchor62335

Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability to the access to and enjoyment of community services and business.  Here is some information on the accessibility requirements for businesses and service providers: http://www.disability.gov/community_life/accessibility_guidelines_&_standards/businesses_&_service_providers 

The American Association of People with Disabilities is the "largest national non-profit cross-disability member organization in the United States."  They offer programs and resources and advocate for people with many different disabilities.  Here is the AAPD homepage: http://www.aapd.com/site/c.pvI1IkNWJqE/b.5406299/k.FBCC/Spotlight.htm

Videos

Here are a number of videos that you may find useful:

In order for people with disabilities to be able to self-advocate, the must first know their right. A good place to start is the video "The Americans with Disabilities Act in Practice": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBjvNYmUdjs

The 20th anniversary of the ADA just passed, and while much progress has been made in disability rights, more more will be made heading into the future. Here is President Obama's ADA Anniversary Public Service Announcement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ7ZGXNYNlk

Andy Imperato of the American Association of People with Disabilities discusses the mission and activities offered by his organization and gives insight into all the AAPD does for people with disabilities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_OkbrBdSRg

The Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program allows students with disabilities from around the world to spend a year studying in the United States and living with a host family. The video profiles the program and demonstrates the ability of these students to travel, live in a foreign country, and be successful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzDMQU-FrvY

In order to stay driven and be successful, it is important that people have a goal to strive for. This clip shows how individuals with disabilities can succeed in college, and it gives students in high school a chance see that others like them can be great. This gives them an attainable goal to work towards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZHP2TPkZEk 

This video is important because it allows us to see what life is like for children and parents with disabilities outside the United States. The video profiles Cely Oliveira who is working in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to help children with disabilities gain access to the care that they need. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6OMfQw0Aro

Case Study 1 - Wawa

                                                               

The Good

1    Curb cutout/ramp for wheelchair access
2    Aisles are wide, easy to maneuver a wheelchair
3    Windows and over head lights provide good lighting
4    Good counter height at the checkout, accessible to those with and without disabilities
5    Plenty of open space, easier for everyone to navigate
6    Good height of products on shopping aisles


The Bad

1    Deli counter is high, can’t reach in a wheelchair
2    Deli system is confusing, difficult for someone with a cognitive disability
3    Series of doors at the entrance is difficult for a wheelchair
4    Hot coffee is difficult to reach, dangerous for someone reaching from a lower angle
5    Soda fountain is high, not accessible to someone in a wheelchair
6    Back corner is small, difficult to navigate

Narrative

    Travel virtually anywhere in the Philadelphia area and you will almost always encounter one ubiquitous establishment – Wawa. Fast, delicious, and affordable, Wawa appears to have a winning combination when it comes to convenience stores. However, the question remains whether these establishments are providing the necessary accessibility to individuals in the community with disabilities. To find out, I ventured several hundred yards down the street to my neighborhood Wawa, on 6608 Ridge Avenue.
    As a widespread chain, I expected Wawa to employ universal design in much of their layout. This was the case. There were a number of aspects of the store’s set up which increased access for individuals with disabilities. To start, there was a curb cutout leading up to the door, which would allow a person in a wheelchair to enter the store form the parking lot. Next, the general set up of the store was very accommodating. There was lots of light – both from the windows as well as light bulbs – which makes things easier for those with vision impairments. Additionally, the store has a significant amount of open space, making it easy to navigate. This also included the aisles, which were sufficiently wide for an individual in a wheelchair. Finally, the shopping aisles and the checkout counters were all an appropriate height, making them accessible to all individuals.
    Despite the numerous bright spots, there were a number of features that made the store less accessible to all individuals in the community. This started at the entrance. There are a series of doors, which an individual must open (none are automatic), and the space is relatively confined. Individuals in wheelchairs would have a lot of difficulty opening and holding the door for themselves. The next issue is with the floor plan. Although for the most part the aisles are a good width, there is one back corner where the aisle is tight and it would be very difficult to navigate in a wheelchair. Additionally, there are some height issues. The deli counter is too high and a person in a wheelchair would not be able to reach their order without help. This also applies to the soda fountain in the back of the store. Perhaps the most dangerous feature of the store is the coffee station. The counter is not particularly high, but coffee is laid out in two rows, and reaching across a row of hot coffee would be difficult and dangerous for someone who is coming from a lower angle. The last drawback is the deli system as a whole. To order a sandwich, you use the computer screen, take the receipt, pay with your receipt then retrieve the sandwich. Although seasoned Wawa veterans are familiar and comfortable with the procedure, the system could be confusing and intimidating for someone with a cognitive limitation.
    Creating a store that’s accessible to individuals with disabilities isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also the law. The key law relating to accessibility is the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but there were a number of precursors to this landmark legislation. This started with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, particularly Title VII, which barred employers from discriminating on the basis race, color, religion, sex, or country of origin (FindLaw, 2010). This law served as a steppingstone to extending these rights to individuals with disabilities. Next came the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, which mandated that buildings with certain federal funds be accessible to and usable by “handicapped persons” (FindLaw, 2010). Following the Architectural Barriers Act was section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974. This law was paramount because it extended civil rights to persons with disabilities and impacted both education and employment (Hulett, 2009, p. 56). Companies that employed more than 15 people could not discriminate based on disability. Finally, ADA became law in 1990. Act III is most relevant for our purposes, as it referred to public accommodations provided by private enterprises. The law mandated the public buildings must be accessible to those with disabilities. This applied to new buildings and old buildings must remove barriers “if this can be done reasonably and without great expense” (Hulett, 2009, p. 66). This body of legislation, culminated by ADA, means that public spaces and work environments must be accessible to individuals with disabilities.
    Overall, Wawa measures up well with these laws. There are some challenging aspects but an individual with a disability can enter the store, shop, and checkout with minimal difficulty. The two potential areas I could see for challenge under ADA would be the system of front doors and the coffee placement (should an accident occur).  In general, both with Wawa and other establishments, the biggest thing that’s needed for a more inclusive community is universal design. Laws like ADA have a tremendous benefit but things won’t be ideal until stores think in terms of universal design with everything. Whenever they put up new shelves, rearrange the aisles or build a new store they need to think about what they can do to make things as assessable as possible for everyone. There is a new Wawa opening up across the street from the one I surveyed, I look forward to looking it over and hopefully they’ve done a better job of implementing universal design.

                                                                   References

FindLaw (2010) Civil Rights Law. Retrieved from http://public.findlaw.com/civil-rights.html

Hulett, K. E. (2009) Legal Aspects of Special Education Law. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson

Case Study 2 - KFC/Taco Bell

 KFC/Taco Bell, 1865 W Hunting Park Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19140

1.    Big windows – lots of light for vision impaired
2.    Thick bullet proof glass between customers and cashiers – may be difficult for individuals with hearing impairment to order
3.    Soda machine – relatively high off the ground, may be difficult for individuals who use wheelchairs to pour their drinks
4.    Counter – good height, accessible for people in wheelchairs
5.    Railings used to form line to order – difficult to navigate with a wheelchair
6.    Hallway to bathrooms, which include:
a.    Railing next to toilet
b.    Sink is sufficient height
c.    Mirror and hand dryer too high
7.    Entranceway, doors are heavy and not accessible
8.    Good space between tables
9.    Very narrow space between tables
10.    Very narrow space between tables
11.    Curb-cut between parking lot and sidewalk leading to entrance
12.    Ramped sidewalk instead of steps
13.    Accessible parking spot, but it is the furthest spot from the entrance
14.    No wheelchair accessible tables in restaurant

Narrative

    The location I chose to analyze for this assignment was the KFC and Taco Bell establishment across the street from Simon Gratz High School, which is where I work.  The address is 1865 West Hunting Park Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19140.  Although this is not the community in which I live, it is the community in which I work and in which many of my students live, and I have been there several times this summer for lunch.  In making the floor plan of the KFC I found some aspects of the layout that are accessible for people with disabilities, and others that might make it difficult for customers with disabilities to access the restaurant.
    As for aspects of the restaurant that do make it accessible for persons with disabilities, I will start on the outside.  There is a small parking lot, and there is one accessible spot in it (#13 on the floor plan).  Next to that spot is an open spot that no one can park in and leads up to a curb cut in the sidewalk (#11).  By not allowing cars to park here, it gives easy access for a person parking in the accessible parking spot to get up to the sidewalk without having to worry about another car being in the way.  Also on the outside, even though the restaurant is set at a slightly higher elevation from street level, the sidewalk leading up to the main entrance has a slight incline, like a ramp (#12).  There could have been steps leading up to the door, but instead it has this ramp, which makes getting to the entrance of the restaurant  more accessible for people in wheelchairs, or anybody who may have trouble with stairs.  Therefore, this sidewalk does seem to be in compliance with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Barden v. Sacramento, in which they required that all sidewalks be accessible (Disability Rights Advocates).  Overall, I would say that the outside of the KFC is acceptably accessible.  The only thing I can think of as a negative is that the one accessible parking spot happens to be the spot furthest from the entrance, however it may have been designed this way to allow it to be closer to the curb cut to get onto the sidewalk.
    Inside of the KFC, one thing I noticed was that there are several big windows on three of the walls, and these windows let in a lot of natural light (#1).  This abundance of light may make the restaurant more accessible for individuals with vision impairments.  Also inside, the main counter where customers order and pick up their food is relatively low (#4), making it accessible for people in wheelchairs or people who might not be able to see over a higher counter.  Although there were issues with accessibility with some aspects of the bathroom of the KFC (#6), one thing that was good about it was that it had a railing next to the toilet which people could use to assist themselves in sitting down and getting up from it.  Also, the sink is at a low enough height that it is accessible to all customers.  Finally, the last positive I found was with the spacing between some of the tables in the dining area (#8).  This area would be very easy to navigate for people using wheelchairs.
    Just as there are elements of the restaurant that make it accessible for people with various disabilities, I also found several that made less accessible for people with certain disabilities, and in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, “Title III mandates that facilities of public accommodation—both existing and new—be accessible to individuals with disabilities,” (Hulett, 2009, p. 65).  I already mentioned that the only negative that I could find on the outside of the building was the location of the accessible parking spot, however this might have been due to its proximity to the curb cut in the sidewalk leading up to the main entrance.  However, once at the entranceway, customers may run into their first issues with accessibility.  The entranceway contains two sets of doors (#7), both of which are pretty heavy.  They are pull-to-enter/push-to-exit doors, and they might be pretty difficult to open and go through for some people.  By allowing these doors to open automatically, either by electric eye or by a manual button an individual could push, the KFC could make its doors more accessible for people to enter and exit.
    Inside of the restaurant, there are also several issues with accessibility.  The first of these is that, due to the neighborhood that the KFC is located in, there is a thick layer of bullet proof glass between the costumers and the cashiers (#2).  While this bullet proof glass helps ensure the safety of the employees of KFC, it may make it difficult for individuals with hearing impairments to understand what the person on the other side is saying.  Customers with hearing impairments might have trouble hearing the cashiers.  Also, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1943 provides that businesses provide adequate accommodations for employees with disabilities (Hulett, 2009, p. 54), and at this KFC employees with hearing impairments could have difficulty hearing the customers due to the bullet proof glass.  Due to the nature of the neighborhood that the KFC is, I am not saying they should remove the bullet proof glass to make the ordering process more accessible.  However, they could install a two-way microphone system that would allow both customers and employees to hear each other.  This is something that I did not notice while in the restaurant, and if they had it they would be able to solve the accessibility issue while maintaining the safety of its employees.
    Another issue inside of the restaurant is the height of the soda machine (#3), which sits on the end of the counter where customers order.  While the counter was a good height to allow all people to see over it, the soda machine on top of it is a bit high, and may make it difficult for people in wheelchairs to reach up and pour their drinks.  If this soda machine was stand alone instead of positioned on the counter, it could be positioned at a lower height and be more accessible for all customers to fill their cups.
    What I thought was one of the more glaring accessibility issues in the KFC was railing positioned in front of the counter (#5).  The railings are there to facilitate the forming of a line for customers to stand in to order, however they are pretty narrow and difficult for customers in wheelchairs to navigate.  In fact, while I was in there for lunch one day, there did happen to be a patron in there who used a wheelchair.  Lucky, he had family members with him, so he did not have to navigate through the narrow railings because they ordered for him.  However, I imagine that it may have been difficult for him had he been on his own.  If the restaurant removed the railings and instead used signs to inform customers where to form the line, it could make this part of the restaurant more accessible.
    I mentioned earlier that the accessible elements of KFC’s bathroom (#6) were the railing next to the toilet and the height of the sink.  However, the bathroom also contained a mirror that was positioned on the wall high enough above the sink that a person in a wheelchair might not be able to see themselves in it.  Also, the automatic hand dryer was high on the wall as well, potentially making it difficult to reach and dry one’s hands.  To make the bathroom more accessible, KFC would simply need to lower the heights of both the mirror and the sink.  Finally, although one section of the dining area had sufficient space between tables for all people to navigate, two other aisles (#9 & #10) are very narrow and could potentially make it very difficult for people in wheelchairs to navigate.  As KFC wants to maximize the amount of seating for its customers, reducing the number of tables to make this area of the floor more accessible would not be in their best interest.  However, since the area indicated by #8 on the floor plan does offer sufficient open space, it may be acceptable that the other aisles in the dining area are narrower.
    One final issue I had with the accessibility of the KFC was that none of the tables are wheelchair accessible (#14).  Since the chairs themselves are built into the floor, one is not able to slide them away to make room for a person in a wheelchair.  Therefore, an individual using a wheelchair would most likely have to sit at the end of the table, making for a more awkward eating situation.  This seating arrangement may be in violation of the ruling in Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America v. The University of Michigan (http://www.ada.gov/umichstadium.htm), it which it was decided that the University of Michigan’s football stadium did not provide enough seating accessible for people with disabilities, and they were required to install more.  In KFC’s case, if they took the fixed chairs out of the floor and replaced them with regular chairs, a person would be able to slide it away to sit at the table.

Works Cited

Disability Rights Advocates. (2000-2010). Barden v. Sacramento.  Retrieved from http://www.dralegal.org/cases/public_entities/barden_v_sacramento.php.

Hulett, K.E. (2009). Legal aspects of special education.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America v. The University of Michigan. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov/umichstadium.htm.