Cripping the City - Richmond

Start: Richmond Center skytrain station
Transportation: 403 from richmond center, duration 27 mins
Destination: No. 6 and Entertainment Way

The Bus

The trip starts in Richmond Center Skytrain station. We picked this place because it is the center of Richmond and it is accessible to basically everywhere in Richmond and Vancouver through Canada Line. We started with taking the bus 403 from Richmond Centre to the Cineplex Movie Theatre, and the entire trip took about 30 mins. The buses in Vancouver is fully accessible to people with wheelchairs. It has the special designed suspension system that can lower the bus and a automatic folding ramp for wheelchair access. The Inside the bus very spacious, however there are only two space in the front of the bus to “park” the wheelchairs.  The designed area on the bus is equipped with seat belts to secure the wheelchairs in order to prevent any movements when aboard. The bus is designed for both able bodies and disable bodies; the special suspension system and the designed area for wheelchairs give the full access to people on wheelchairs.

The Meal

We designed a classic date, dinner and a movie, then somewhere private. Dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory right across from the movie theater. The restaurant was spacious and a has wheelchair access. Although the ramp is relatively narrow, it is accessible. The restaurant’s design is focused on the ableism, the wheelchair ramp is on the side of the restaurant with a narrow entrance. I can see restaurant has made the efforts of including disability into their business. It has automatic accessible doors with a push of a button. However, only only one of the doors will open, which can be problematic for larger wheelchairs. The insides of the restaurant is spacious and has wide walkways. We were seated at one of the booths along the side of the restaurant. There was a steep that leads to the booth, which will be off-limits to a wheelchair. The booth is designed with large dividers in-between and nice romantic lighting, it is an ideal space for a romantic dinner.  Although the restaurant is wheelchair friendly, there limitations in terms of where is accessible.  In the center of the restaurant, on the leveled floor or beside the entrance. Chairs and tables will be moved for to make place for the wheelchair when having dinner. Although it is accessible, this design eliminates the privacy aspect of the date for a person with disability. We are in a public space, however people would want their dinner table space to be more private in order to have a conversation. It will be hard to have a nice romantic time, when you are sitting in the center of the restaurant with very limited privacy.

The Movie

The Cineplex Movie Theatre is the largest movie theater in Richmond. It has wide steps leading up to the entrance on both sides. It has made an effort in designing a wheelchair accessible entrance beside the stairs. However, the wheelchair ramp is very narrow and it is behind a large post around 1 meter thick. It took us awhile to find wheelchair ramp. In addition, the front entrance door is also wheelchair accessible, it has automatic opened doors with a push of a button, only the same problem with the restaurant occurred, the door only opens on one side. Moreover, the button is relatively small in terms of size, it may took some efforts for people on wheelchairs that have difficulties with moving their lambs. Inside the movie theatre, it is very spacious, and instead of stairs,the elevated platforms are constructed,so that both able bodies and people on wheelchairs can get easy access. Inside the individuals theaters, a problem is discovered. It is all steps along the side of the theater and only a of about 1 and half meter space is cleared on both side of the theater with bars around it. We assumed this is the place for wheelchairs. This design is a big disappointment because it is a very bad seating area to watch a movie and the disability aspect is isolated out of the normal seating area. Therefore, there is no way that an able bodied person can enjoy a nice movie with a person in a wheelchair. The overall special design can include both able bodies and people with disability however it is minimal for this kind of public facility. No additional effort is required to gain access to the theatre and watch the movie since watching a movie is meant to get relaxation.

Private

We decided to go somewhere public and yet private for to end the evening. The first thing that came into mind is coffee shop. We first went to Blenz beside the Richmond Center skytrain station. When we got to the coffee shop, it is filled with problems. At first, we cannot find the ramp to get up to the one step that leads to the coffee shop, and after walking around the entire place, the ramp is located far away from the shop. Secondly, there is only one disability parking spot near the coffee shop. Lastly, automatic opened doors are nowhere to be found. The inside of the coffee shop is also relatively narrow and a wheelchair cannot get into it without knocking over a few table and chairs. The only way possible to get coffee is for the abled-body to grab the coffee and both of them drink their coffee outside in the cold. The first attempt to a private setting was a failure. We decided to try the Waves across the street. In Waves, although automatic opened doors are not present, but it is a double door. A wheelchair can gain access to the shop only with the staff or other able-bodied person’s help. Interior of the coffee shop is relatively spacious, plenty of room for a wheelchair to get around.
Somehow disability seems excluded from the private sector of any coffee shop we tried. The two coffee shops are the ones we visit frequently yet never noticed there is any problems. It is safe to say that they are designed for the “normal body”. Coffee shops are intended for a private setting where you can have conversations, create deeper connections and linked to sexuality , and yet disability is excluded from these establishment.