If at all possible, provide access for disabled
Less than ideal access remains the reality at numerous public buildings. While this is unfortunate, we urge all building owners to work to find the best possible options.
In the early years of the 20th century, large public spaces such as auditoriums, meeting halls or gymnasiums often were located on the top floor of new buildings. In an era when societal expectations confined people with physical disabilities to their homes, the public had no hesitation about the need to climb several flights of stairs to attend meetings or performances.
Times have changed dramatically — and for the better. We now expect universal accessibility to public spaces. We further expect that a person’s need to use a walker, cane or wheelchair should not limit their ability to enjoy public places. This sea change in attitude has existed for the nearly 30 years since the federal Americans with Disabilities Act outlawed discrimination on the basis of disability.
Reality does not always meet expectations, however. The fact remains that many older buildings can’t be retrofitted to become seamlessly accessible to all. Unless we would find it desirable to demolish every older building and replace it with new construction, some bumps will continue to exist on the road toward universal accessibility.
Recently, Day columnist David Collins brought to the forefront this less than perfect situation when writing about the newly renovated il Pomod’Oro restaurant in the Flanders section of East Lyme. The restaurant’s dining room is reached only via a short set of stairs, making it difficult at best for anyone with mobility challenges to access. Those in wheelchairs would find it nearly impossible to enjoy the restaurant, although a sign at the bottom of the stairs invites customers needing help with access to make an inquiry — presumably with the intent that restaurant employees would help carry a physically challenged customer inside. That’s not an acceptable alternative.
While it’s easy to understand the public might be puzzled how a newly and extensively renovated public facility can remain inaccessible to the physically impaired, East Lyme building officials say it’s not unusual for building owners renovating older properties to seek and be granted state waivers for accessibility. If property owners didn’t have this option, many older buildings, including those in downtown areas where doors open directly onto sidewalks and access to inside space is via at least a couple of stairs, would be ineligible for renovation for new public uses.
There is an inherent conflict here, not only between expectation and reality, but also between two sets of lofty goals: the desire for universal accessibility for the physically disabled and mobility challenged on one hand, and the desire to reuse, preserve and revitalize existing structures on the other hand.
It does not appear that either il Pomod’Oro’s owner or East Lyme building officials intentionally set out to skirt access requirements. Indeed, the restaurant’s owners are now working to design and build a handicapped-accessible ramp for the building, albeit after Mr. Collins provided some unwanted attention about the lack of access. Even if a ramp happens, however, the situation is likely to be less than ideal given that the parking lot is in the rear of the building and the path between the lot and front door is along two narrow driveways.
Yet less than ideal access remains the reality at numerous public buildings. While this is unfortunate and we urge all building owners to work to find the best possible options for making their public spaces accessible, bulldozing existing buildings to make way for new construction is also not a desirable or financially viable course of action.
In the end, compromises between the conflicting goals of total accessibility and universal rehabilitation of older buildings will need to be made. In every case building owners and inspectors should work toward the goal of providing access, while recognizing that it is not always possible.