A woman from Western New York won’t eat at a local restaurant again. Jill Turchiarelli is a wheelchair user. This summer, she attended a Special Olympics fundraiser at Tully’s Good Times.
On Aug. 8, Turchiarelli took paratransit to the restaurant. The fundraiser involved bringing a coupon and having a portion of your bill donated to Special Olympics. She wheeled in to meet her party of nine friends and waited to be seated. They were led to a pair of high-top tables at 6:15 p.m., which were too high for Turchiarelli to reach from her chair.
Turchiarelli’s friend Nicole Shields asked for a table to be moved. Staff said they couldn’t be moved. However, Shields said that three of the tables had been moved so that they could all sit together. Shields asked to speak to a manager who said the tables couldn’t be moved and Turchiarelli would need to wait another hour.
Waiting was not an option. Turchiarelli had to be ready for her paratransit bus, which was scheduled to arrive between 8:00 and 8:30. The group ordered their meals, and Turchiarelli ate off a chair.
Unfortunately, experiences like Turchiarelli had aren’t uncommon. Many disabled people can’t enjoy the same businesses as non-disabled people. Inaccessibility continues, although Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability in private businesses.
For example, in my hometown, the movie theater is not accessible. Two of the auditoriums are not accessible. The wheelchair lift was unreliable for years as well. Despite improvements in 2020, the theater is not fully accessible.
Growing up, there were several occasions where someone had to carry me up and down the stairs so I could watch a movie. As I grew up, this became difficult and embarrassing. It was frustrating that I couldn’t enjoy a movie at the theater downtown.
I eventually stopped going to the local movie theater. I decided to go to Cinemark instead. Cinemark is fully accessible. Unfortunately, it is a half-hour drive from my house.
The financial repercussions for companies not accounting for the population of disabled people worldwide are potentially devastating. Disabled people’s global buying power equals a market the size of China. This amount is equal to $13 trillion. This shouldn’t surprise anyone, considering disabled people are the world’s largest minority.
Accessibility is the law. It is past time to put an end to inaccessibility when it comes to businesses. By remaining inaccessible, businesses lose valuable customers who contribute trillions of dollars to the global economy.
Sources:
Alexiou, Gus. “Retailers Lose Billions by Not Signposting Product Accessibility – New Report.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 June 2022, https://www.forbes.com/sites/gusalexiou/2022/06/30/retailers-lose-billions-by-not-signposting-product-accessibility–new-report/?sh=7a14e6814b07.
Caprino, Kathy. “The World’s Largest Minority Might Surprise You, And How We Can Better Serve Them.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 Apr. 2016, http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2016/04/14/the-worlds-largest-minority-might-surprise-you-and-how-we-can-better-serve-them/?sh=737aa3ca496f.
Fritz, Anita. “Greenfield Garden Cinemas Now Fully Accessible.” The Greenfield Recorder, Newspapers of New England, Inc., 12 Aug. 2020, http://www.recorder.com/Greenfield-Garden-Cinemas-now-fully-accessible-35695072.
Watkins, Emyle. “Woman with a Disability Had to Eat off Chair during Special Olympics Fundraiser at Tully’s Good Times.” WBFO, NPR, 20 Oct. 2023, http://www.wbfo.org/local/2023-10-19/woman-with-a-disability-had-to-eat-off-of-a-chair-during-a-special-olympics-fundraiser-at-tullys.