Madi and Tracey's Accessible Date on The Drive

We began our date by meeting up at the SFU Burnaby campus. As this date was meant to impress, leaving campus was essential. Waiting at the bus loop to catch the 145 several buses passed by without stopping as they were already full. After about 10 minutes we were able to board a bus down the mountain. All the buses which stopped were fully wheelchair accessible, however were we to be heading down at a busier time than early afternoon, accommodating a wheelchair would likely require several passengers to leave and wait for the next bus.

After a bumpy ride down the hill we arrived at the Production Way Skytrain station. When first turning the corner we were greeted by stairs leading up to the main level of the station. To find an accessible route we needed to walk a bit further past the stairs and loop around up the long ramp. The station was very spacious and smooth to navigate to purchase any fares. Directly opposite the escalator was an easily visible and conveniently placed elevator providing access to the platform. The elevator was not particularly large and if more than one sizable wheelchair tried to access it at the same time it might require waiting to make a second trip up. While the newly constructed turnstiles are not yet functioning, there is a wider accessible one for any person commuting in a wheelchair.

                             

Once on the train there was a great deal of space around the door area for a wheelchair to be placed. After a short ride we arrived at our final destination for the remainder of our date -- Commercial Drive.

Photo credit: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/411f2/dc80f/

Our first goal of the evening was to find some sustenance and libations. We walked a few blocks up Commercial to St. Augustine’s pub. The sidewalks were well maintained with curb ramps at all the crossings we passed. The entrance to the pub had wide double doors however only the door on the right was set to open. Any larger wheelchair would need to have someone remove the lock on the second door in order to navigate the entrance. Once inside the tables were well spaced and easily would have accommodated a wheelchair. There were tables around the windows with tall, bar-stool like chairs which would be unsuitable, and if it were busier this may have been the only seating available.

                        

While it was not warm enough for us to kick back on the outdoor patio, we did note that there were several stairs leading up to it. In order for a person in a wheelchair to access the patio they would have to trek back out through the main entrance and head around to the street level opening of the patio, and again in the reverse should they need to use the washroom. The patio was also quite narrow and would be difficult to navigate without rearranging the tables and chairs.



The washrooms inside were spacious with a large fully accessible stall. We did notice that the sink level was quite high and would be awkward to maneuver from a wheelchair’s height. Still, overall the St. Augustine Pub was a fairly accessible location for the dining portion of our date.

After we had a chance to eat and grab a pint, we were energized and ready to take off for some entertainment. Our initial idea was bowling; this would give us a chance to talk, have fun and get to know each other better. As per our previous experience, most bowling alleys are now equipped with bowling ramps that accommodate for individuals that use wheelchairs. There is a small bowling alley a block or so away from St. Augustine's pub. Upon arriving at the bowling alley we noticed there were stairs in front of the entrance, without an accompanying ramp nor any alternative entrances, making our date here impossible. 

Our backup plan was to go to a movie at the Rio Theatre, this was just up the street and they accommodate for wheelchairs. They have large double doors and areas in the front or back for wheelchair seating. Although we noticed that despite being marked as wheelchair accessible the bathroom door and stalls are too small to accommodate a wheelchair. This means our date would have to go around the corner to use the accessible bathroom at the Starbucks, which is very inconvenient when one is trying to minimize the time missed from the movie. Although this is not ideal we decided to go ahead with the movie and be sure to use accessible bathrooms before heading into the theater.

                                               


With our movie being completed, our final task of the night was to find a little intimacy. Madi's house is not far from the Rio theater and would have been a good place to enjoy some privacy. Unfortunately it is not accessible to wheelchairs,  there are stairs at the entryway with no alternative entrance and a very small bathroom. Tracey's house was both far out of the way, and still entirely inaccessible to wheelchairs.

As an alternative to heading back to either of our places, we decided to grab a hot beverage from JJ Bean. This location was accessible, although if it was busy it would be difficult to maneuver past the other customers. We took our drinks to go and walked to a nice little park just off Commercial Drive. At this point if we wanted a rest there was a bench that was fairly accessible. It was just off a paved path on the grass which would not be a problem in most wheelchairs. 

After we had concluded our date we spent some time reflecting on the challenges involved in our society which caters to the able-bodied when you are in a wheelchair and trying to create a relationship. Two things in particular stood out to us as significant from our experience. Firstly, there is little room for spontaneity when trying to plan an accessible date. For our purposes we were fine to leave the inaccessible bowling location to find another plan, however, when truly trying to impress someone in a wheelchair it could be embarrassing to have to relocate mid-date due to accessibility. Secondly, the fact that both of our homes were inaccessible was truly eye-opening. Were this to turn into a long-term intimate relationship this would be a very large obstacle to overcome and the convenience of being able to enter any home is something we take for granted. Overall, we did feel that there are many options for accessible dating -- it just will require planning ahead, open communication and creativity.