ADA Compliance

Me: Are you two… taking pictures of the Exit sign?

Person #1: Hahahaha

Person #2: I like this guy. He’s like the… “see something, say something” type.

Me: Ehh, not so much. I was just seeing you taking photos of the sign and I’m like… folks. I am right here. If you need photos, I’m your guy.

Them: HA

Me: No seriously why are you here?

Person #1: We’re assessing the library for ADA compliance.

Me: Oh-ho-ho-ho.

Me: If you’re looking for problem areas you found the right Loudbrarian. I know this building upside down and backwards*.

Person #2: I doubt you could tell me anything I don’t already know.

Me: Get a load of THIS:

Me: If you have a stroller or are on crutches or a wheelchair, you’re not getting to the sci-fi/fantasy or general fiction A-L without staff assistance.

Coworker: Well, even though there’s an elevator for general fiction M-Z and multilingual fiction, Patrons would still need staff assistance because the doors to those elevators are locked.

Me: I rest my case.

Person #2: Yeah we know about all that. The main issue is getting into the building.

Me: …is the wheelchair entrance not wheelchair-y enough?

Person #1: HAH

Person #1: Not at all. The ramp is too steep, the railings are too low… that rear entrance needs to be blown to bits and rebuilt from scratch. It’s atrocious.

Me: How much would that cost?

Person #2, shrugging: Dunno. Maybe half a million?

Everyone: Y I K E S

Me: And to think we could have saved all that if we built the building with accessibility in mind.

Me: Welllllll that’s not fair. The library was built from 1925-1927, so. When was the ADA? 60s? 70s?

Person #1: 1990.

Me: Jesus Christ that’s not even 30 years ago.

Me: We are just… fundamentally awful.

Person #2: Now now, don’t think like that. We’re making progress! That’s why this is my job!

Me: And how many thousands of years of human civilization did it take us to realize we should build buildings for everyone, not just able-bodied folk?

Person #1: Wow we are awful. Cuz any one of us could join that population at any time.

Me: Exactly.

Person #2: Well, this was fun and uplifting. Gotta go look at the other rooms now…

*I once built a scale model of this building in Minecraft. Ask nice and maybe I’ll put up pictures!