When you are dependent on a mobility device, whether it is a walker or scooter or wheelchair, getting into places is a major concern. The ADA has helped in that regard, but often the letter of the law is fulfilled but not the spirit. Yeah, it’s accessible, sort of. Thanks a bunch people. Do you want my business or not?
Recently we had a supermarket open in downtown Seattle, in the basement of one of the buildings. This is an exciting developement, but previously if you lived downtown, and a lot of people do, you had to go to Lower Queen Anne or Capitol Hill or First Hill to find a supermarket. But it was in the basement, so was it accessible?
Lift at Kress Grocery
Well, the answer is yes and no. There is a lift and you can use it by yourself, sort of. The picture to the left is the lift upstairs. The door open automatically, but not conviently. For instance, the lift was downstairs when I wanted it. I found the button to bring it up over on the wall to the right of the lift. When the door to the lift is open you can’t get around it to get into the lift. So you have to quickly push the button to open the door, and then get around it to get into the lift. It’s a race unless you have somebody else there to push the button for you. And you have to keep contact with the button while you are bringing the lift up.
Once you get into the lift you will find it claustrophobic. It is just barely long enough and wide enough for my scooter. I had to take my backpack off the scooter to where the door would close and we could go down. Friday was definitely crowded and didn’t care for it one
Obstacle course at Kress Grocery
little bit.
Once you get downstairs you are confronted with an obstacle course. You have to back out into a narrow hall, turn a little and go down a corridor. At the end of the corridor, you are confronted with the view to the right. Yes, you’re right, they store the shopping carts right in front of the corridor to the lift. The scooter fitted through the space, but I wouldn’t want to try it with a really wide wheelchair. For that matter, a wide wheelchair wouldn’t fit in the lift.
The store itself is nice, if small, but is obviously more for city dwellers who don’t cook much. Lots of stuff in the deli, and stuff you can just throw in the oven, but not a lot of ingredients. If you want those things, you
The inside of the lift
will need to go to Capitol Hill or Lower Queen Anne.
So, the rating for accessibility on my scale is C-. This means the letter of the law is followed, but the accessibility is either a pain in tush and/or requires the help of another person. For myself, if I can’t do it myself I consider it less accessible than if I can do it myself. I hate trying to get into a place that has the accessible entrance marked, but if you are in a scooter or wheelchair you have to have somebody else open the door for you to get in.
In addition I marked the store down for accessibility because I think low vision or blind people would have difficult with the escalator, and also there are no instructions for operating the lift. Things could be better, but they could be worse. For me it is as close to go to Lower Queen Anne where the stores are more accessible than this place, and have more of what I want. Sorry, Kress Grocery, I hope you make it where you are for other people, but I don’t think you are for me.
