Ride, Don't Walk

I was the first partner to use the wheelchair. My first step was to get into the elevator to ride it down to the second floor of the Carpenter building. The elevator was wide enough for me to enter but I had to turn around when I was in it, if there were to have been more people, that action would have been almost impossible because to turn around, there is a great deal of space needed. Next I had to go into the bathroom and enter the handicap stall and turn around. The door was not ADA approved because there was no automated door button and the door opened into the bathroom but was incredibly heavy and difficult to open. The sink wasn't too hard to approach and use. Then I had to exit the bathroom which was again very difficult due to the weight of the door. The coffee stand on the first floor was my next destination. The ordering stand was much too high and was slightly awkward to order from. I was only able to see the cashier's head. The stand where there were napkins was accessible, but with reach. The wheelchair accessible exit to Daggy hall was a ramp that was much too steep and I crashed due to the incredible steepness. The Daggy hall ramps are also much too steep and when I left the building the front wheels would tip up which made me almost fall completely backwards. I then returned back to the fifth floor to return the wheelchair.

Through this exercise I realized that using a wheelchair is very difficult and time consuming. I had to go around main entrances to be able to enter a building at all. I would have to wait for elevators to enter a different floor. Many things were out of my reach and/or my knees would be in the way. Many of the ramps I had to use were definitely not ADA accessible and were very dangerous due to the steep slope. It was hard for me to stop because of the speed I was traveling. I crashed twice which isn't safe for handicapped people. By doing these tasks I have realized the difficulty of everyday life while being in a wheelchair. Many places are not ADA approved and there should be changes so that anybody can enter and use any space or area.