Wheelchair access
 

Well, once again we have a guest coming to join us at our Meredith Neck cabin for a few days, and once again we are struggling to find activities that he can participate in. He uses an electric wheelchair, and most restaurants, shops, and tourist places around the lake are not accessible! Even many of the handicapped parking spaces are only a space wide--so he can't lower his van's lift to exit his own vehicle! It's past embarrassing--so I'm putting this issue to the forum community: please let me know of accessible public places that you are familiar with. We'd like to show our friend a good time!

The Plymouth Walmart has maybe four extra wide handicap parking spots directly in front of the entrance, and it is not too unusual to see people navigating the store on-board their electric wheelchair or electric scooter. They look like they kind of enjoy it too what with the big store and plenty to look at?

www.watervillevalley.org, "the town at the end of the road," has maybe four or five miles of smooth asphalt paved and granite curbed sidewalks that are all handicap accessible-electric wheelchair, even throughout the winter, plus the www.wildcoyotegrill.com is handicap accessible via the elevator, upstairs in the www.wmacwv.com

The Winnipesaukee Playhouse is fully accessible and our handicap parking spots are extra wide. We don't perform as regularly in the off season as in the summer but depending on when your guest is coming we might have something on. Our wheelchair seating is available for purchase online but we do recommend calling the box office as we prefer when available to talk to people regarding the wheelchair seating so as can make sure everything goes smoothly.

American Disability Act of 1990
 

Prohibit businesses from not allowing access for disabled folks. If you find a business that do not have wheelchair access please report to the local Disabilities Rights Center. http://www.drcnh.org/

There is a center in every state. Your friend using the wheelchair should know this and exercise which rights.

I agree with notifying the authorities, but also there are many handy cap people parking in the van accessible parking areas and I caught myself being handy capped parking in the wrong place. Bad, bad on me and I have corrected that mistake.
Sorry that didn't pertain to the question asked and I'm sure many more members will add more good suggestions.:)

Whoa, gross misrepresentation of business' obligations re:accessibility under ADA!
 

The laws and regulations take into account that it would be impossible for many existing small businesses open to the public to make themselves fully accessible to the disabled. Note the use of terms like "flexible requirements" and "readily achievable," e.g.:

"The ADA strikes a careful balance between increasing access for people with disabilities and recognizing the financial constraints many small businesses face. Its flexible requirements allow businesses confronted with limited financial resources to improve accessibility without excessive expense."


"The ADA requires that small businesses remove architectural barriers in existing facilities when it is 'readily achievable' to do so. Readily achievable means 'easily accomplishable without much difficulty or expense.' This requirement is based on the size and resources of a business. So, businesses with more resources are expected to remove more barriers than businesses with fewer resources."


http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/smallbus...m#whoiscovered

I think the mt. Washington cruise ship is accessible . great time of the year for a cruise

BrownstoneNorth,

I don't think anything was misrepresented.... The American Disabilities act does require all business to make accommodations to people with disabilities...

Now the extent of the accommodations are what are flexible..... Sometime it is not feasible to completely retrofit a space to totally conform to the ADA... This can be for a variety of reason, financial, Architectural constraints etc.

The bottom line is business have to show that they are not purposely segregating a portion of the public. They have to show that they are making reasonable accommodations to allow disabled people to access their facilities.

Now with that said there are many place, that are not making the reasonable accommodations.... Broad Hopper, is simply pointing out that contacting the Disability Rights Center is the right thing to do when you find someone who has a disability is not granted access...

The Disability Rights Center can then look into the mater... And maybe there is a legitimate reason, but maybe their is not, and something simple like a restaurant reducing the number of tables to provide easy access to people in wheel chairs needs to happen... or lets take the polar caves for instance... They aren't accessible to people in wheel Chairs... And to do so would destroy what nature has created... Hence I don't think that the ADA is going to require that lifts be put in at the polar caves...

The bottom line is there are still many places that could easily be made to have better access, especially to those in wheel chairs... and the best way to get places to comply is to report them to the authorities.... If the Authorities have decided that a business has adapted to the best of their ability then the issue is closed quickly... If not the Authorities will make sure the corrections are made....

Back around 2000, a lawsuit forced the AMC to modify the reconstruction of the Galehead hut up in the White Mountains to include a wheelchair ramp and chair-accessible restroom stall doors, to the tune of around $50K it was said. Some time after the rework was completed, a pair of handicapped people, assisted by a crew of 12, managed to haul themselves up a boulder-strewn mountain trail over four miles long to get to the hut, something to my knowledge has not been done since.

It seemed to many that forcing ADA compliance for a location that itself is for all practical purposes inaccessible to the handicapped is a gross misapplication of a one-size-fits-all law. It was argued that anyone who had the courage and raw strength to move a special chair over an extremely rugged mountain trail would have no problem at all getting up the front steps of a mountain hut nearly 4000 feet above sea level. But the "law" prevailed.

I've nothing against standards that make reasonable accommodation for the handicapped, but sometimes the over-militant advocates force absurd results.

Accessibility
 

LIfeforrelaxin,

I'm sure that Broadhopper did not intend to mislead the OP or other disabled persons, but the fact is that the law absolutely does not "prohibit business from not allowing access for disabled folks," which is what his post states. For the reasons cited in my previous, urging a disabled person to report a small town business in the Lakes Region of NH because it doesn't have wheelchair access is not helpful and would simply waste a lot of people's time.

Somalicat,

Seconding Surfnsnow's recommendation of the Mt. Washington cruise ship, and confirming that it is indeed wheelchair-accessible.

I don't know about Meredith, but several establishments in Wolfeboro are accessible, while others are not and could not reasonably be made so (steep steps, narrow aisles, awkwardly placed and/or tight bathrooms, etc. -- most of these places have very little room to work with).

I'm pretty sure that the Downton Grille on Main Street, which overlooks the Lake, and Wolfe's Tavern at the Wolfeboro Inn, are accessible restaurants. As for stores, I'd suggest just wandering the sidewalks, which is pleasant in and of itself, and popping into those that are accessible and might be of interest to your friend.

The Wright Museum is fascinating and definitely wheelchair-accessible:
http://www.wrightmuseum.org/about/who-we-are.html

I'd also recommend the Cotton Valley path (starts at the base of Railroad Avenue) -- flat and accessible and, in my experience, bikers are more considerate about making way for people in wheelchairs than they are for walkers. :-)

(It sure would be nice if all establshments with websites specify whether accessible but, alas, most do not.)

DickR makes a good point. Certainly, no one in business would want to discourage disabled people from patronizing their establishments but some times it is just not possible.
For example, many older and historic buildings have narrow halls doors and stairways which just couldn't be renovated without major expense and changing the character of the building.
Things are changing for the better, though, because all new construction has to be ADA compliant.
Easy for us to give advice because we aren't in their shoes..........but I would suggest that anyone with those issues should check ahead for access info and try to be understanding if a business has a good reason for not being able to accommodate them.

I heard the Fed didn't want to make the WWII Memorial accessible to disabled Vets this week.:fire:

Yes, if you have a problem and need help, I think it would be nice to ask the business first, rather than reporting them.

FWIW

If your guest is traveling with a companion, I doubt anyone will object to them disembarking at a safe and convenient spot near the door, even it is is a Fire-Lane. Just don't leave the van un-attended. My wife used to work for an 'assistance' agency and that's what she was told to do if the van spots were taken or the weather was bad.

The legal principle is something like 'competing harms' but if anyone says anything just try to look pitiful and ask them to help you.

Lakeside Deli and Grille
 

Please stop by the Deli during your stay. We have a ramp and also we make the front lawn available as well by removing a section of the fence rope so it's easy to enjoy the view at one of the picnic tables.

Handicapped accessibility
 

Thanks to Chef Brown from Lakeside Deli--I **really** appreciate your on-the-site reply!! We hope to stop by this weekend!!:D

As long as we're plugging our business'.....The Village Kitchen in Moultonborough also has a wheelchair ramp and extra wide parking right at the front door.
And, in case our low prices put you in shock, we have an in house defibrillator and all of our waitstaff has CPR training........we don't like to lose our customers :laugh:

Yes!!
 

the Forum should be used to plug our business! The forum should be a positive thing and not so much a negative as it so often turns into. Thank you SAMIAM!

Wolfeboro
 

I'd like to THANK the town of Wolfeboro for their placement of "Benches" around town so that people can sit down and rest every now and then. I'm going to be 72 next month and have circulation problems and can only walk so far before I have to stop and rest.

So far, I have resisted applying for a "Handicapped" tag for my car. Don't need welfare YET....but I sure appreciate the "Benches". :) NB

PS: While sitting in front of Blacks on one of those benches the other week, I had the pleasure of having a two tone green 1931 Duesenberg Model "J" convertible (Dual-Cowl Phaeton) pull up and park right in front of me.

That car is worth more than a Million Dollars. :) :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duesenb...2.80.931937.29

Scroll down...

It's past embarrassing--

I fail to see what you'd be embarrassed about not like you make all the laws. I can see feeling bad for the person not embarrassed.

In addition to the already mentioned four miles of smooth paved asphalt and granite curbed sidewalks in the downtown area, www.watervillevalley.org also has the Livermore Rd and attached Forest Service trails in the WMNF which are used by hikers and mountain bikers, but could be used by wheelchairs because they are smooth packed sand and soil, and wide enough for a pickup truck.

Small business and employees
 

It is great to see small businesses and employers stepping up to the plate and show great examples of working with those with a disability. As the population ages and the demographic shift in the area to retirement and assisted living, it makes good business sense to cater to those who needs access. Right now local businesses shine while I have reported many chain stores and services not complying to the spirit of the ADA.