I recently posted this TikTok video showcasing what I call an accessibility façade. An accessibility facade is a space that appears to be universally accessible at first glance, but upon further inspection, there are one or more barriers to access for a disabled person. Accessibility facades can happen in the built environment, online, or in social settings. In the case of my video, a local dining establishment added a beautiful back deck with customer seating. They also added a beautiful new ramp. During construction, I assumed that this ramp was included because of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) code, intended to give access to patrons who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids. And yes, the ramp does help wheelchair users, people with strollers, and anybody trying to carry something heavy. The problem exists once you approach the door. What is glaringly obvious to a wheelchair user or anybody (like myself) with a motor disability, is the lack of a push-button opener. Those blue or silver large square buttons that automatically open heavy doors when pressed ♿️ . There is no such button near this entry door. And the door is heavy! I have trouble opening it with two hands! Of course, anyone who cannot open the door will likely be helped out by another patron, but that is not a guarantee, especially on a slow day. So while the restaurant looks fully accessible, there is still a major barrier to access: the heavy door. A great example of the accessibility facade.
The original video has just shy of 200k views and 5,000 likes, but that is not what interests me. (Actually, yes it does - it’s proof that disability inclusion content can go viral!) But what I find fascinating is the comments section: it’s just so…enthusiastic! There are almost two hundred comments, most of which fall into one of two categories.
Category 1: Actually, this building is to code. “To code” being shorthand for meeting the minimum of the extensive requirements for brick and mortar establishments as outlined in the ADA.
Category 2: Ahhhh You’re missing the point! Even if it’s code compliant, the opener is necessary! Push button openers create universal access. Many of these comments also mention or hint that the business owners are ableist to overlook people with disabilities in their design.
Here’s what’s gets me: they’re both right! And they’re both wrong (to an extent). Category oners are correct - according to the ADA, depending on the size and seating capacity of the establishment, not all doors need to be fully accessible. The place in question is a relatively small restaurant. So, technically, only one of their doors needs to be fully accessible. The front door facing the street meets all ADA requirements, so the back door does not need to. Technically. In practice, though, the back door abuts a large and busy parking lot; most patrons actually use the back door to get inside. So, while those in category one are correct in theory, they miss the larger practical piece behind why the code exists in the first place.
Those in category two are also correct - push button openers are hugely helpful for disabled people like myself (not to mention those with strollers or heavy items in hand), and a necessity for anyone who uses a motorized wheelchair. These openers have become widely accepted as best practice for new builds, and they are amazing access tools. However, as I mentioned above, a push-button opener is not legally required in this instance (or in most instances, for that matter). ADA code does not require universal access at every door, and that’s partially because it’s a written code. It is the bare minimum standard, the floor and not the ceiling. Business owners should consider any and all barriers to accessing their establishment, but most not-currently-disabled people simply don’t know that door weight can make or break my ability to get inside. We don’t know what we don’t know, and lack of disability inclusion education (both in schools and in our cultural media landscape) leaves people without disabilities making decisions based on ADA standards. What seems like common sense to a wheelchair user can be completely outside of another person’s radar - how can they solve for a problem they don’t know exists? This particular business created access with the wheel-chair ramp (which is properly angled, with railings, in compliance with ADA standards. But they also missed the mark by not including a push button opener.
The fact that people care enough to argue in the comments means we are getting closer to the realization that ADA code is not enough; we need people to implement building codes in ways that makes practical sense. The disability facade exists not because people are individually ableist, but because our systems, spaces, and processes were almost exclusively designed for “able-bodied” folks up until 1990. I am not advocating for an overhaul of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Rather, my hope is that the current push for disability inclusion gains steam. If organizations, schools, and individuals continue to see the value in designing for universal access, then accessible features like push-button openers will become normalized. As I’ve mentioned before, each of us has the ability to make a small piece of our world more accessible for people with disabilities. But awareness of the barriers to access must come first! Education is always the first step to awareness, and awareness is the next step to inclusion.
Links to TikTok Videos: 1. The Accessibility Facade 2. The Accessibility Facade Part 2
Erin Ryan Heyneman is a disabled educator, writer, creator, and speaker. Erin is a Commissioner on her city’s Commission on Disability. Find the rest of her work, as well as speaking and workshop information here.
I appreciate your point about the heavy doors, as well as your overarching point that the code needs to be more practical and updated, generally speaking. Well written and informative article!