MERIDIAN — Twenty-nine years to the date, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Since, it’s helped provide access for millions of Americans, but still, more work can be done. That’s why Access Vans is changing the design of their handicapped spots.
“If you’re not in that life it doesn’t affect you, and when you realize how badly it affects the people that are trying to park there, it’s maddening,” said office manager Sandra Wilkinson.
Sometimes handicapped spaces and the striped, access aisle, spaces can be taken by drivers without proper identification. Those spaces are vital spaces for people with disabilities, even if they’re blocked for just a few minutes.
“At Access Vans we sell wheelchair accessible vehicles, most of them have the side ramps that come out, that’s where they get out, that’s where the wheelchair will come out of the vehicle and will have room to turn,” said Wilkinson, “when that’s not available someone will be stuck in their car or stuck in the rain trying to get into their car.”
Honoring the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Access Vans are upgrading their spots, along with seventeen other dealerships in the country, as part of a push by BraunAbility.
“People are going to see this, it’s not going to blend into the background, it is not the normal signs you see every day, it is jumping out at you,” said Wilkinson.
ADA provides rules and regulations for businesses to make them more accessible, and while plenty of places follow the law in place, Access Vans says this new design is even safer by adding sand in the paint, which traditional handicapped spots aren’t required to do.
“Snowing or raining, anything with the paint on the parking lot is so slippery, and people will go down, and it is super unfortunate, so we added sand to all this paint, so it has got more traction and its a little safer."
For more information about the parking space changes, you can contact BraunAbility or Access Vans.
