Oooooo now doesn't this sound like a really interesting title for a posting? See, I know how to grab your attention, BUT before your eyes just glaze over let me tell you what part M is all about. Basically its the regulations that cover new buildings making them accessible for everyone. Legislation is there to make sure both you and I can get to where we want to go, find a loo we can use and all that sort of thing. Now lets talk toilets!
IKEA looks as though they have spent a tidy sum building a brand new restaurant and cafe in their Gateshead store, its very spacious, bright and accessible. Opposite they have put the loos, only trouble is you cant get into the disabled loo. OK that's not quite right, but you do need help and on both occasions I had to ask some passing person to hold the door for me. Why you ask? Well there looks to be 3 problems. 1. There is no handle on the front of the door so you cant pull it open. 2. where they have tiled the floor there is an inch to bounce up on going in, and 3. the door is SO HEAVY you cant hold it open wide enough or long enough to bounce up the inch in the first place. The door is so heavy it doesn't swing too behind you, but there is no handle on the back of the door either so you cant even try to pull it shut.
But you know how it is, eventually you make it, use the facilities and head out. Ah but this time you cant get out. Actually I had a bugger of a job getting the door open, like I said it was SO heavy, nothing to grab hold of and so on. What I did was push the door with my left hand, and grab the door frame with my right,... and OUCH there go 2 broken finger nails!! Again some kind passing individual held the door open so I could get out, but honestly you could get stuck in there for ages!! I should have taken a photo but you know what, I'm still constantly surprised by the ineptness of society to get things right. I mean we are talking about a toilet door here , not the Physics of the Universe, no its a bloody toilet door!!! Hello IKEA are you listening?
No of course not, but I have a few letters of complaint to do, so they can go on the list.
WHat I hate about IKEA is the layout. At least over here it is set up as a maze, with no pap to know how to shortcut over to desks, or whatever you are looking for. From a marketing standpoint, they get you to pass by AAALLLLLLLLLLLLL of the merchandise, but with a manual wheelchair, my shoulders got to tired to want to purchase anything once I find it.
ReplyDeleteThey did have great h/p parking, but a escalator as the main method to change floors (the elevator was kind of out of the way). I never did check out the restrooms.
LOL ! It isnt as if they are short of door handles!
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It's very fortunate for the people with disabilities here in the UK that the government is very compassionate towards them in that they are given access and use of buildings through the implementations of building regulations part m. They are being protected from against public discrimination in any form.
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