ADA, Why Comply?
In an effort for full disclosure, I have to admit that this blog entry was inspired by events from this past weekend. I was out playing Ultimate Frisbee with my family. My son and I were beating my wife and 2 of my daughters handily but being of a pretty competitive nature, that did not decrease my efforts to continue playing at 100%. (I’m sure you can see where this is going by now) Well, in an effort to intercept a very high pass, I left the ground, missed the Frisbee, and landed, bending my knee backwards. Needless to say, I am now on crutches.
So now, being disabled myself, I have been noticing the difficulties in maneuvering the plethora of floor plans I am faced with each day. When I thought of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance before, I always thought of wheel chairs. I now see that complying with the ADA specification is not only a consideration for the wheel chair-bound, but a courtesy to people who are temporarily disabled or just mildly disabled.
Maneuvering tight spaces with crutches is not only difficult, but it also is a lot more work than maneuvering open areas. Also, reaching items that are very high or low is also very difficult (and this can be a difficulty even for someone with arthritis). Without the ability to move easily, even seeing things can be difficult if you can’t get close enough. I am sorry to admit that it took me living through it to realize that ADA compliance benefits many more than the small population that I previously thought it did.
Even if you are not required to abide by the ADA specifications, it would be courteous to many people if you were aware of the specs and implemented even some of the recommendations. There are many online resources and you can look in this blog’s archives for several articles on ADA compliance. Many of the specifications are very easy to comply with, so why not take a look and make access to your facility or exhibit more pleasant for those of us who would really appreciate it.
Chris Meyer
President
CD Meyer, Inc./point2explore
point2explore is product line of customizable touch screen kiosk programs including interactive games and informational programs. point2explore products are currently running in over 50 museums and have been used in corporate events across the country. Visit our web site at www.point2explore.com.
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