Why I Normally Don't Tell People Their Place Is Not Wheelchair Friendly

Many readers of my blog asked me if I tell the people that their place is not wheelchair friendly. My answer is often "No". This video explains why.

Sri Ananda Restaurant

Some of my friends understand simple spoken English but have problems reading English. So I decided to try to use video to make my post. I am not sure if it is good to do this. Please give me your opinion.

Island Plaza

Island Plaza is an old shopping mall. I used to go there more than twenty years ago. At that time, it was not a friendly place for disabled people (I was assisted by helper). I visited the place recently (July 16, 2014) and found some new facilities for wheelchair users. Here is my short report.

If you go there by car, you can find two disabled persons’ car parks at the basement / lower ground floor of the building. (See photo above.) Wheelchair signs were clearly painted on the pillars and the wall next to the car parks. The width appeared to be correct to me. 

However, the route from the car park to the lift lobby is rather hazardous because of a very steep ramp. This ramp is more for supermarket trolleys than wheelchairs. (The supermarket is located next to the lift lobby). This slope / ramp had been there for a long time and I think improvement should be made to make the gradient right for wheelchair users. (See photo below.)

The lifts / elevators were the same old ones I used to use. I think this plaza needs new and more disabled friendly lifts.

I was very happy to find a clear signage at corridor indicating the location of an accessible toilet. 

The toilet is completely new. It is spacious and expensively done. But it has two basic problems. One, it does not have a mirror. Two, the basin will post problems for people who use side-transfer to move to the toilet bowl. (The space beside the toilet bowl should always be left empty.) Here is the layout of an accessible toilet in accordance with Malaysian Standard. (For detail information about accessible toilet please follow the link HERE.)

The following drawing illustrates the side-transfer method. 

The following photo shows how this toilet can be further improved.

Before I left, I took a quick look at the porch in front of the main entrance. I was searching for a step ramp but could not see any. A step ramp is necessary here because not all wheelchair users will enter the building via the basement car park. Those who come in taxi or by buses would need a step ramp to reach the main entrance. I hope the building owner will install one soon. It does not cost much to have one. (For more information about step ramp, please click the link HERE.)