Wheelchair accessibility in Halifax: Grandfather is alive and well

This article was originally posted on the website of the James McGregor Stewart Society. Re-posted with permission.

KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – This restaurant, Lemon Grass, has a nice accessible entrance on the left:

Last year it became Man Bean, and the accessible entrance was renovated out of existence. Man Bean, which gets nice reviews, now has a portable ramp.

Going from a nicely accessible entrance to make-do is exactly the reverse of what should be happening.

Just as a guess, the renovations didn’t have to meet accessibility standards because of some combination of exceptions: change-of-use, square footage and building age. But going backwards is a new phenomenon and seems just plain wrong.

“We’re all out of lobster, so we brought you a peanut butter sandwich.”

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One Comment

Erica Lewis

November 20, 2018 at 7:57 pm

I can understand businesses that were never accessible offering a compromise in the form of a portable ramp because it may be either impossible to make it fully accessible or very expensive. However, it’s a slap in the face to take away accessibility that was already there. It’s send the clear message that not only are wheelchair users an afterthought, sometimes they’re not a thought at all. Personally, I find the need to ask for the ramp to be put down rather humiliating and awkward, not to mention that I don’t have a mobile phone to call the business. No way am I going to shout into the doorway from the sidewalk or flag a passerby to intervene.

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