We started our first date outside of Memorial Student Union right after classes around 4:30pm. We were craving Starbucks, but from where we were situated, we could not see any accessible entrance or any indication of where there was one, and we couldn’t roll up stairs in a wheelchair. So, we decided to walk to the Starbucks on 9th street, and it just so happened to be closer to Peace Park, where we wanted to get to know each other in a secluded and quiet area. A good idea in theory, but rolling across Lowry Mall is as bumpy as a 30 year old roller coaster, except you get less thrill and more of a headache.
As if Lowry Mall wasn't bad enough, the sidewalks in Columbia are abysmal. There is a huge divot in the sidewalk on the way to Starbucks that would pose problems to someone in a wheelchair, potentially causing them to tip over due to uneven ground. When we arrived at Starbucks, the door was 36 inches wide, so fitting through it in a wheelchair would be fine. The counter at Starbucks was low enough to where a person in a wheelchair could order comfortably without a wall in front of their face, and the bathrooms were ADA accessible with a wide door, spacious one stall restroom, and bars to hold onto.
Getting our coffee went smoothly, so on we went to Peace Park a little down the road for some quiet time. Peace Park had several sidewalks to roll and walk on to talk about anything and everything, but there was no space to put a wheelchair because the benches that were sitting on concrete didn’t have space on the side to fit one. Although the views were beautiful, I wish there was space for a wheelchair to sit so we didn’t have to wear ourselves out walking before dinner. Luckily the sidewalks to get to Peace Park and the sidewalks inside of it were very smooth, so it wasn’t uncomfortable or bumpy for someone in a wheelchair to roll around for a little bit.
After chatting for a little bit, we realized that our personalities clicked very well. We both decided to continue the date; our plans were dinner and a movie, a classic date. We both are home bodies, so the couches at Ragtag provide a homey atmosphere, and the ambience at Uprise Bakery is relaxed enough for us to enjoy each other’s company without sensory overload. More cobblestone awaited us on our walk/roll to Uprise Bakery, so the journey was a little bumpy and annoying. There were few ADA accessible ramps to get onto the sidewalk, and where there were, the sidewalk surrounding them were cracked, so it was difficult. Getting inside Uprise wasn’t an issue as the door was 42 inches wide, but ordering at the counter was kind of awkward because it was 43 inches high. Despite the tall counters, the tables were movable, tall and wide enough for someone in a wheelchair to fit under it comfortably. The dinner went well, and the food was very good.
When it was time for the movie, however, we were surprised to not find an ADA accessible bathroom. They told us that there was one in the movie theater, so we had to travel a little bit to find it. The bathroom was big, had three bars to hold onto, and had a plastic covering over the pipes to avoid burning the legs of a person in a wheelchair. After using the restroom, we went into the movie theater. They only provided two chairs for wheelchair users specifically, but the furniture in the first couple of rows in the theater we were in were easily movable, so we could still sit next to each other to watch the movie. I have to say, though, that sitting that close to the screen is not ideal. All of the entrances to get into the theater were technically ADA accessible, but the hallway near the bathroom was very narrow and hard to navigate. The other theater was not ADA accessible because it requires you to walk down a couple of stairs to get into it, so we are limited to seeing movies in the bigger theater.
After the movie we wanted to see if there were any records in Hitt Records, but after glancing inside, we realized that a wheelchair was incapable of moving through the rows of records comfortably, or at all, and the records were situated too high for a person in a wheelchair to sift through. Overall, the dinner and entertainment part of our date being located in the same place was very convenient, but there are still ways to make Uprise Bakery and Ragtag more ADA accessible. Hitt Records was not ADA accessible at all, but it is probably because they had limited space to start with. The streets of Columbia need a lot of help, and there is a lack of ADA accessible places to have alone time.
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