Accessible Date Assignment (Doris & Sylvia)

We went to Downtown Vancouver on February 13th at 2:00pm for the Accessible Date assignment. We took the bus at Robson Street and headed to English Bay. Our trip included a walk along English Bay to Robson Street, shopping and making observations of the facilities for disabled people, watching a movie at Scotiabank Theatre, and having dinner together at Robson Street.

First of all, we met at Harbor Centre and parked our cars at Harbor Centre and Scotiabank Theatre respectively. After we bought our movie tickets at the first floor of Scotiabank Theatre, we walked to Robson Street and took the bus. On the bus, we saw that there were lots of signs and facilities for disabled people. For example, the sign “priority seating for people with disabilities & seniors” was in the front of the bus.

 

Most people sitting in the front were seniors.

We got off the bus at English Bay. Walking along English Bay, we found that there were lots of facilities for disabled people. For example, the curved roads makes it easier for wheelchairs to move.

Also, along English Bay, we noticed lots of signs like “Seawall Access”, washrooms for disabled people, wheelchair access at Starbucks, and slopes designed for wheelchair at along the beach.

After walking along the beach, we went back to Robson Street. During the trip, we observed some facilities for disabled people as well. For example, there was a big table at Starbucks which gives priorities to disabled people.

Other than that, we could see automatic doors almost everywhere. It provided much convenience for those who were in wheelchairs. All they needed to do was press the button and the doors would open automatically.

There were also reserved parking spots and elevators for disabled people. However, what we felt was inconvenient for wheelchair is the upward slope of Robson Street, as they would need to make more effort to make the wheelchair move forward.

When we arrived at the cinema, what we noticed was that there were elevators for wheelchairs.

Also, inside the theatre, there was special seating for disabled people at the front.

The movie we watched was called Warm Bodies. It is a paranormal romantic zombie comedy based on a novel. The zombie falls in love with a human girl and becomes normal again. The zombie group was isolated by humans as they were regarded as a threat to human beings. However, they start to have emotions and heartbeats again after they learn what love is. Although it is not appropriate to compare disabled people with the zombie group in the movie, it reminds me that we should not separate people into different groups based on their physical conditions. We are the same as long as we have sentimental emotions, heartbeats, and thoughts.

Lastly, we had dinner together on Robson Street. At first, we were thinking of a Thai House restaurant, but the stairs were not suitable for wheelchairs.

 

Then, we decided to have dinner at a Malaysian restaurant called Tropika. Although the tables there were not very large, there was still some space available for a wheelchair.

During the date, there were a few inconveniences such as stairs in the restaurant and looking for elevators at the theater, we also found there to be a lot of facilities for people with wheelchairs, such as smooth curved walkways, and designated seating on the bus so we could all enjoy our social lives together.