Cripping Columbia - A Date

Cripping Columbia - A Date

This is just the sign of the place in which we chose to have our date, Quinton’s. We chose it because of it's location, downtown and it is in walking distance so we would not have to use public transportation.

These are both of the Automatic door buttons that are provided by the restaurant.  The first one is located on the inside of Quinton’s right next to the door before you walk out. It is easily accessible to somewhere who might need it before exiting the building. The second one is located outside next to Quinton’s outside Today’s specials menu. But due to the menu being kind of large; it could be easily missed if one is not searching for it.

This is just the sticker on Quinton’s window we saw bright as day while entering and exiting on our date.

 

We originally chose Quinton’s because they are known for their balcony and we wanted to see if they also had an elevator oppose to just stairs, but unfortunately they do not have an elevator so it would be very difficult for someone in a wheelchair to enjoy the balcony part of the restaurant on a date here.

Sitting at Quinton’s is very selective. This is one of the many booths that line the walls inside and they are not accessible to someone in a wheelchair, they are too high up to sit even at the end of the table.

This is one of the tables in the middle of the restaurant in which our date would have had to sit at; there are only three in the restaurant.

The restrooms at Quinton’s are accessible for our date and there is plenty of room for them to get in and out without a problem.

Although the toilet was accessible to our date, the washing area was not. As you can see in the top left hand corner, the soap dispenser is way too high for someone in a wheelchair and the sink was also a little high up. This could be a really bad situation for someone in a wheelchair.

Overall Accessability: D

We chose Ragtag Cinema for the entertainment segment of the date. Our rationale for choosing Ragtag is that they offer interesting films not usually available for viewing in Columbia. Getting there was a bit of a challenge (see section about sidewalks), and after heading up a fairly steep hill for two blocks we arrived.

Ragtag Cinema does not have automatic doors, but there is a ramp that makes entering rather easy. When one enters they must go through the dining area to the box office, and the tables are spaced plenty wide for a wheelchair to roll alongside another person walking. 

  

Moviegoers request tickets for their particular film that can be shown in one of two theater spaces.  Both are located on the same level, so there is no need for elevators or other accommodations to enter. While the theatre our movie was being shown in did have multi-tiered seating, there are three rows on the same level that you enter. The seating in nontraditional for a theater (couches and stand-alone chairs), so it is very wheelchair friendly. This is an added bonus because there is not a designated wheelchair area, so the couple is free to sit pretty much anywhere in the first three rows. We feel the most convenient place is on the end closest to the entrance/exit. The wheelchair accessible bathroom is located on the same ground level, and this too does not have an automatic door.

Ragtag Cinema also has a video rental store connected to the exit, so we explored the space to see if browsing for videos after our movie showed would be accessible. The aisles between the shelves are wide enough to fit a wheelchair, but it would be really cramped and hard to grab movies from the ground level. This could be improved upon in our opinion because the space could make navigation and turning uncomfortable, especially if there are a lot of people browsing for films.

Overall, we were happy with Ragtag Cinema. We could utilize every service they offered without any special accommodations. Our recommendations would be to install automatic doors and increase the distance between shelves in the video rental store.

Overall Accessibility Grade: B+

For the end of our date, we decided to go to a friend’s apartment, University Place Apartments, which was close by for some privacy.  University Place is within a mile from downtown Columbia; this makes it a great and available option for our date since we couldn’t have access to a car.  This apartment complex is actually tucked away between University Street and College Avenue and not many people know that it’s there so it was lucky that one of our friends lived there.

There were steps in front of University Place but they do have a ramp on the far side of the entrance, it was hidden behind some bushes so we didn’t see it as we walked up the sidewalk.  Our group talked about how awkward it would have been for us in a wheelchair to not have noticed the ramp and had to be helped by our date to get the down the stairs since this was a friend’s apartment and we didn’t actually live there.  As you can see it has a muddy spot and when it rains the entire ramp is completely underwater but luckily for our date we had clear and sunny skies.  Since the ramp is out of the way and rather isolated, it would be a good place to stop and have a conversation or other activities before going into the building and up to the friend’s apartment.

 To our surprise, we found that University Place had automatic doors at their entrance.  Not just the outer door but the inner door as well which made getting into the building much easier than it would have been having to open the doors by hand in a wheelchair.  There was actually a third door that was locked and the magnetic keypad to unlock it was just in reach if someone was in a wheelchair but this door was not automatic.  It kind of sucked how you had to either wait for someone else open the door or attempt to open it before it locked again.

When we got through the locked door we immediately found the stairs on our right and to our left was the two elevators.  The elevator was spacious enough for a wheelchair and a couple of people to fit without getting cramped.  University Place Apartments was a very accessible apartment complex but they could have done some renovations on the ramp to keep it from flooding whenever it rains.

Overall Accessability Grade: A-

There would be no challenge for an able-bodied person walking to Ragtag. However, for a non-power wheelchair user, especially a new user who has not yet attained adequate upper body strength, it could have be a challenge. The first obstacle would be maneuvering through the construction on 9^th Street.

The opening to the sidewalk was large enough to fit a wheelchair, but it was an extremely tight corner with an uneven surface.

The walk from 9^th to Hitt Street was entirely uphill.

This could have been tiring for any non-power wheelchair user, especially new users. This could also cause a potentially awkward situation. Being a hetersexual able-bodied female, I would feel conflicted on whether I should ask my disabled male date if he needs assistance. I would not want him to feel in anyway emasculated by underestimating his strength, but I also would not want to seem callous for not asking.  If the roles were reversed, I might feel embarrassed, or too proud to ask my date for assistance.

The sidewalks from Ragtag to University Place Apartments were atrocious. Many of them were cracked and uneven. They were also narrow, so walking and rolling side by side would not have been possible. Since one would have to walk or roll in front of the other sustaining an intimate conversation would be difficult.  

At the intersection of Hitt and Elm Street there is a divot between the sidewalk and the street. Since it had rained recently it was filled with stagnant water. This would not be an obstacle for an able-bodied person for all they would have to do is step over the puddle. Those in a wheelchair do not have this luxury. They must roll through.  By doing this they would surly get their shoes, pant or long dress/skirt wet, and if his or her date is standing close enough it could get them wet as well. This could have agitated one or both persons, especially if they were wearing nicer attire, and put a damper on the date.

While on a date with a wheelchair user one would need to remember to cross the street at an intersection with a curb cut and not wait to cross in the middle of the sidewalk. We made this mistake walking to University Place Apartments. By doing this we had to loop around to reach the apartment complex. This is not a huge problem, but it is inconvenient and takes away from the time about to be had upstairs.

Throughout our date we found that most of Columbia is fairly accessible but some places were more accessible than others.  In certain locations we wouldn't be able to check our hair or makeup on our trip to a bathroom or couldn't have stayed at a location if they had been busier.  We also found ourselves stepping off a curb or over a puddle or cracked bit of sidewalk before realizing that in a wheelchair we wouldn’t be able to do that.  It made us pay more attention to how the built environment around us is not as accessible as it seems and how some establishments are more conscientious about accessibility than others.