For my inclusion in the community I decided to focus on the retail clothing store H&M. The H&M that I went to and created a floor plan for is located in the Willow Grove Park Mall at 2500 Moreland Road in Willow Grove, PA. I chose to do my inclusion project on H&M, because I wanted to focus on a place in which younger individuals with disabilities like my students would like to go. Also, in listening to your introduction of the unit, I felt that the point that you made about Hollister was interesting and wanted to see if one of my favorite clothing stores had accommodations in place for individuals with disabilities.
H&M is a clothing retail store for men and women that focus on fashions tailored to the 18-30 demographic. Their clothes may be categorized as “hip” and appeals to a sub-mainstream culture that prides itself on being different. The H&M in the Willow Grove Park Mall is a rather large bi-level store located in the back corner of the 1st and 2nd floors of the mall complex.
Upon entering H&M you notice that is an aesthetically pleasing place to be in. Unlike other clothing stores like Hollister or Garage, H&M lighting isn’t dim or dark. There is plenty of light to see the entire store and music is played at a comfortable level. The entrance to the store was very wide so that allows for greater accessibility for an individual with a disability. The entrance did not have a door so that eliminates having to have a handicap accessible automatic door at the entrance.
Another positive attribute that H&M has in regards of accommodations with people with possible physical disabilities is it’s wide aisles. This allows for individuals with physical disabilities to be able to navigate the store easier and more efficiently. There is enough space to move around if you have a wheelchair or any other type of walking support mechanism.
In terms of accessibility to the actual merchandise, a nice touch that H&M has for individuals with disabilities is the placement of merchandise on tables as well as hangers and racks. The placement of merchandise on tables gives individuals that aren’t able to reach higher levels equal access to obtain clothing that is on the floor.
H&M also had negative aspects to its floor plan in terms of accessibility to merchandise. Although some clothing was placed on tables most of the Men’s and Women’s clothing were placed on racks that were at shoulder height and some that was higher than eye level. This placement of merchandise can cause limited accessibility to merchandise for individuals with disabilities.
The clothing that is placed on racks and hangers also cause an issue with mobility with individuals with disabilities. The racks are placed so close together that it can become an issue to navigate for a person with a disability especially one in a large wheelchair. The merchandise should be spaced more efficiently to provide plenty of comfortable space to move about the store. Merchandise should also be taken down from such high levels. Additional spacing would probably cause the store to take some merchandise off the store floor, which they probably would be opposed to doing.
Toward the back of the store there is an elevator, which provides accessibility to the second floor for individuals who cannot use stairs. The back of the store also has fitting rooms, which include a larger stall for individuals with a disability. Throughout the store are plenty of large print signs to accommodate for deaf and visually impaired to navigate the store and know the price of merchandise.
One of the main reasons why H&M and other retail stores have so many accommodations for individuals with disabilities is to be in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. The access to retail space applies more specifically to Title III of the act, which focuses on public accommodations and commercial facilities. Title III states that no individual can be discriminated against with regards to their enjoyment of goods in a place of public accommodation which includes stores, hotels, dining, etc. This act also prohibits discrimination at the local municipal level in places such as schools and courthouses. This mandate was put to trial in the 2004 case of Tennessee v. Lane in which the plaintiff George Lane argued that he was denied access to a courthouse that was placed on a second floor of a building with no elevator access.
A pair of Apple store customers, Nicole Brown-Booker and Jana Overbo against Apple, Inc, recently challenged this law in a 2007 case. In the case of Brown-Booker et al v. Apple Inc. et al, the plaintiffs alleged that the Apple Store wasn’t properly accessible to individuals with disabilities. In 2008, another retail giant, Target was involved in a class action lawsuit against the National Federation of the Blind. In National Federation of The Blind v. Target, the National Federation of the Blind claimed that Target’s website wasn’t accessible to the visually impaired and that it limited them from operating the website independently. As a result of the lawsuit, Target had to revamp it’s website and place $6 Million into an account for the plaintiffs of the class action suit.
Overall, I believe that our society is making great strides in accommodating for individuals with disabilities in public spaces. Based on the floor plan of just my local mall, there is obviously more work that needs to be done to ensure greater inclusion into the environment. Individuals with physical disabilities have ramps and easier access to public places, but I still worry about those individuals with intellectual disabilities. These individuals should be thought of as well and be provided with greater services that would help them fully utilize and navigate public spaces. Services such as greater customer service would help to alleviate some of these issues.
Bibliography
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990#Title_III_-_Public_Accommodations_.28and_Commercial_Facilities.29
Brown-Booker et al v. Apple Inc. et al. (n.d.). Disability Rights Advocates. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from http://www.dralegal.org/cases/private_business/nfb_v_target.php
Disability Rights (n.d.). National Campaign To Restore Civil Rights. Retrieved August 15, 2011, from http://www.rollbackcampaign.org/issues/item.disabilityrights2143
No comments:
Post a Comment