Comments on: In the Chair http://meloukhia.net/2008/03/in_the_chair.html this ain't livin' Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:41:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: brendan http://meloukhia.net/2008/03/in_the_chair.html#comment-920 brendan Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:38:25 +0000 http://meloukhia.net/2008/03/in_the_chair.html#comment-920 i think it's a mistake to frame it as a business concern and not as a politically correct concern. it's an awful business concern. if i'm missing out on every single person in a wheelchair who might shop at my store around here because i keep my aisles tight together and don't have access, there's still no way it's going to balance out the added costs. in a best case scenario i'm going to have to lose a fair amount of inventory to widen aisles - aisles are as close as they can possibly be because square footage costs an arm and a leg, and if i want to make wider aisles i have to rent a larger space. in the case of many, many businesses around here, the issue wouldn't simply be adding a $5,000 ramp, it would be some serious retrofitting that would cost quite a bit more than that. i've spoken with business owners who have priced it out pretty consistently every year, and every year it winds up being much more than they could possibly afford. that's not to say it shouldn't be done. it's not to say the differently abled don't have a right to enter and use these businesses easily. but it is to say that it only legitimately makes sense as a civil rights issue when you're talking about most businesses. as a business issue it's a foregone conclusion. i think it’s a mistake to frame it as a business concern and not as a politically correct concern. it’s an awful business concern.

if i’m missing out on every single person in a wheelchair who might shop at my store around here because i keep my aisles tight together and don’t have access, there’s still no way it’s going to balance out the added costs. in a best case scenario i’m going to have to lose a fair amount of inventory to widen aisles - aisles are as close as they can possibly be because square footage costs an arm and a leg, and if i want to make wider aisles i have to rent a larger space. in the case of many, many businesses around here, the issue wouldn’t simply be adding a $5,000 ramp, it would be some serious retrofitting that would cost quite a bit more than that.

i’ve spoken with business owners who have priced it out pretty consistently every year, and every year it winds up being much more than they could possibly afford.

that’s not to say it shouldn’t be done. it’s not to say the differently abled don’t have a right to enter and use these businesses easily. but it is to say that it only legitimately makes sense as a civil rights issue when you’re talking about most businesses. as a business issue it’s a foregone conclusion.

]]>