Roaming throughout downtown Columbia, we were able to experience a great date while enjoying the best BBQ in Mid-Missouri, painting pottery at a hands-on clay working studio, and having private time at Lakota coffee shop, one of the best coffee places Columbia has to offer.
Shotgun Pete’s
Our date started off at Shotgun’s Pete’s BBQ Shack. This restaurant is located downtown and the vibe is very easy going. Meals are fairly inexpensive and reasonable for a first time date. There were two doors when entering the restaurant. The first door was wide creating no difficulty, but the second door was somewhat cramped. This could problems for those who have a wider wheelchair
.
The restaurant itself was very accessible. There was enough space for a person in a wheelchair to get around without feeling uncomfortable. The only restriction was the booths that the customers eat in. Getting into a booth may be difficult for a person with disabilities, but there was one booth on the end that had a table in the middle and a chair on the other side. This would be accessible for a person in a wheelchair, but arrangements to get there early may have to be made, considering that is the only booth with a table and it might be unavailable.
Another thing to note would be the lighting. Of course they do not offer braille menus but on top of that it is so dimly lit in there that if you are not near the front it could be a tad difficult for one with partial blinds to really read the menu for him/herself.
There was great lively music playing but because it is a BBQ house it gets a little loud and that again can be a barrier for anyone on a date especially one who may have cognitive disability and is exceptionally sensitive and frazzled by overbearing sound.
Sadly we were not able to visit the bathroom because they were having technical issues with it. It is a one stall bathroom per gender and according to the staff it is “handicap” accessible. We all know what that means.
It is unfortunate that somewhere where such good food is served there lacks accessibility for all. They do make sure the bar is low enough for them to take your money though, go figure!
Lakota Coffee
We chose Lakota Coffee Company and Roasters for our private time on a date. Going to Lokata was new to all of us. When arriving there, it was a little crowded with being a Friday afternoon. To us Lokata seemed like a knock off starbucks expect with no wifi. Getting wifi there was a hustle on our date. But we dealt with it and enjoyed the time spent on our date
Lakota doors were not automatic, but wide enough for accessible wheelchairs. The companion on the date might have to help with open the door when arriving and leaving.
Walking around and sitting at Lakota was very easy when on a date with someone in a wheelchair or may have a disability. They have many two seated tables, bar stools along the wall, and a higher bar where you might order or pay for your coffee which are not accessible to someone in a wheelchair being too high to sit at or reaching to pay.
The restrooms at Lakota are accessible for our date and was more then enough space for the wheelchair user to come in and out without having troubles with room space. With the bathroom being accessible, the sink was low enough but the mirror was high. Due to the mirror being high the wheelchair user couldn’t use it. However it did have handrails accessible and the smell was better than many.
On another note it was quite loud in the shop because they grind their own coffee beans. That easily could be problem because on top of their customers chit chat and the Jazz player outside a blind person could become extremely overwhelmed due to sensitivity of sound.
The Mud Room
Soon we were ready to get our hands dirty! In the back of a open parking lot all alone, there was The Mud Room. As far as outside accessibility goes the outside provides very little obstacles. There is a slight issue with the entrance because of construction work nearby. It has blocked the corresponding side of the street so people would have to work around that. There is also a slight step up to get from the pavement to door. Other than that the door was a bit larger than the required 36 inches to make it usable for handicap users. However, it is not automatic so there could be possible difficulties for those in power chairs in opening it if pride won't allow for assistance or if there was multiple disabled people on the date.
When asked about the shop’s accessibility one of the employees noted that they actually get a diverse group of customers. That group includes deaf children of a local organization, elderly people in handicaps and walkers and people who are just wheelchairs users due to physical disability. She herself has a son who went through a period in a wheelchair and using a walker after an accident so she brought up many flaws with their space and how it can be accessible.
For instance , it is a very tight space when it is a busy day so it can be very much a hassle for an able bodied person even more so for one with a disability. Another would be the tight hallway area leading up to the bathroom has caused issues in the past. She would like to see more of the blind community come in because it would help them with ideas on how to manipulate the space.
On that note the single stall bathroom was very spacious and had a low leveled mirror, sink and, stool for one to use but lacked handrails. Too bad the decor was so bland. I could definitely see turning that tight square corner into the bathroom being a difficulty for people with larger wheelchairs or even new users of the chair.
When the hearing impaired community drops in their area interpreters accompanied with them usually but according the the employee if someone pre books a session and it is a smaller party they have a friend of the shop who is fluent in ASL come and assist.
I did notice however that they do kiln in store so that could cause some issues for a blind person with hearing sensitivity. Lighting was great. Of course thats the only way to see the great work.
As far as the actual space goes, we did notice that the space is quite compacted with a various sorts of fragile items. It is pretty much a pottery barn. But it was almost uncomfortable how close and congested everything was. There was an array of objects that easily could have caused a sense of hesitation. When we asked about the crowd that comes through we were told that there is a wide range. From kids to adults but it is never usually overly crowded unless it is a group there and in that as there would probably be a wait.
Although there were about 3 or 4 pretty large tables for seating it is easy to see how someone in a wheelchair would feel a need to wait for a reduction in commotion in order to participate. There is also a fairly large couch in the front and some kids chairs which are lower to the ground with miniature stairs. Away from the tables there was wide open space more than large enough to maneuver.
It may not be the perfect location for something so popular but it was great!
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