The responsibilities of co-owning a business have been an eye-opening
experience for me. My partner Crystal Bader and I started Latitude
Artist Community some six years ago. Until then, I had worked for
nonprofit human service agencies, and although Latitude provides
services within the social services spectrum, we organized as a
for-profit small business. This has allowed insight into the
administrative responsibilities and financial risks that we as business
owners accept.
Successful businesses keep abreast of relevant trends and
technologies that impact their interests. Latitude emphasizes service
to a population, which includes those considered to have a disability,
which puts us in the position of recognizing the magnitude of
accessibility-related needs in our community. Lexington is well behind
in providing an accessible environment for its citizens. The
information required to address accessibility needs is decades old.
Admittedly, Latitude failed its customers/clients early on by
disregarding this most relevant of information and not using it to
improve the lives of those we serve. Yet, the responsibility also rests
with regional disability-related organizations, universities and
businesses who should have advocated long ago on a community level for
significant changes in Lexington’s approach to creating an accessible
environment — but chose not to.
Recently at an LFUCG Services Committee meeting, two key
components that will enable us to address these concerns more
effectively were endorsed. The first is an allocation for the funds
needed to finally create an accessible city government building. The
other is the creation of a Disabilities Commission, which will advise
Lexington’s city council on matters related to a variety of disability
issues, including accessibility. To their credit, all council members
on the Service Committee enthusiastically endorsed both measures.
Many of us have a vague awareness of our responsibility to
create accessible exterior and interior environments and fear exploring
the topic. In some cases, people have likened their reluctance to visit
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Web site to opening a can of
worms, hoping to avoid responsibility for creating an accessible
environment by maintaining their ignorance. What can be said about ADA
requirements is that they are usually based on minimum standards.
Businesses can often be made more accessible with as little as the
addition of a ramp and the rearrangement of table and counter space.
A great local example of this can be found at Ginger’s Barber
Shop on West Maxwell Street, where owner Ginger Walker installed a ramp
given to her as a Christmas gift by friend and client Tin Do. According
to Walker, Do had heard her remark on more than one occasion that she
needed to accommodate three valued customers who use wheelchairs. Do
hired a carpenter to make a portable ramp that has been in place during
business hours for the past ten months. Accessibility alterations are
good for all people and Walker mentioned other customers, some who had
recent surgeries, who appreciated the ramp. Although Walker cannot
positively assert that her business has increased due to the addition
of the ramp (though in many cases business does increase), she
certainly sees the ramp as an asset.
Now let me pose a few questions to you. Who benefits from an
accessible community? Did you know that 36,000 of us in Fayette County
have a sensory, physical or cognitive disability, and we are faced with
an aging population of which as many as 50 percent will likely be faced
with disabilities? Do you want to be able to live comfortably in your
neighborhood, to be able to frequent local shops, visit your neighbors
and have access to a variety of community experiences?
I will tell you that anyone reading this who questions the need
to work toward building accessible communities can contact me to set up
an (in) accessibility tour of downtown Lexington. This will quickly set
you straight on why you should consider the needs of your customers who
have disabilities. To be honest, I would not be aware of accessibility
barriers were it not my job to assist people with disabilities who want
to navigate the exterior and interior spaces of what is, for them, a
generally hostile environment. But it is my job, and that’s why I know
from experience what a substantial number of us have to endure to
accomplish the most basic tasks in our community.
