One to smile about

[NecessaryCatharsis]

About four months ago I was in a small town a couple hours away and went to a macs (all purpose convenience store). There was a man siting outside, in the freezing cold miserable snowy day, in his wheelchair. He asked me to buy him a coffee and gave me some money. Unfortunately he was also some kind of mentally retarded and I couldn't communicate with him well. So I went in and asked the cashier if she knew what milk, sugar, whatever he wanted. She said 'whatever, he'll drink anything. You don't have to get him anything if you don't want, he's out there every day bothering customers until he gets a coffee, we should just make him stop.' Ok, you callous bitch, I want coffee everyday too, and he gave me money, he's not begging. So I asked her why he doesn't come in, can his wheelchair not fit in the door? No, there is no curb cutout on the sidewalk, he can't get his wheelchair up. I asked her for a corporate phone number, so I could call them and ask why, but she said macs doesn't have one(?) and they lease the space anyway, so it's not their problem.

So I wrote a letter to the town council, and got a lovely form letter back a couple months ago 'thank you for bringing this to our attention, we are concerned about your views yadda yadda go away, sincerely'. So I figured nothing would ever happen. I was there today, and there is a wet cement sign on the brand new curb cutout! I asked the cashier about it and she said it was some new bylaw town council had passed. Good on them! And four months is pretty fast for government work.

[Deserted]

Holy crap! Your government actually did something right?!

[Akasa]

I agree whole heartedly with the above. He wasn't begging, he was asking for someone to use his money to buy his morning coffee!
I would be so pissed at the cashier!

[LillFilly]

That's so awesome! I suspect if it was not an old enough building that it was required to be built to code/retrofitted for the ADA act.

In my hometown, there were several historic buildings where stores were located that didn't have to be ADA compliant because it would mean changing too much of the original building and so they were grandfathered in; some of the stores were up steep stairs.

I remember at my mall people asking why all the entrances weren't automatic for the handicap (not required unfortunately); apparently, those doors are EXPENSIVE and the one set we did have broke every other week from people bashing it/kicking the button.

[Seshat]

apparently, those doors are EXPENSIVE and the one set we did have broke every other week from people bashing it/kicking the button.

Sadly, I really believe that.

[wolfie]

About four months ago I was in a small town a couple hours away and went to a macs (all purpose convenience store). There was a man siting outside, in the freezing cold miserable snowy day, <snip>I was there today, and there is a wet cement sign on the brand new curb cutout! I asked the cashier about it and she said it was some new bylaw town council had passed. Good on them! And four months is pretty fast for government work.

I suspect a good portion of the 4 month delay was waiting for the weather to warm up to the point where concrete would set properly.

[Greenday]

I suspect a good portion of the 4 month delay was waiting for the weather to warm up to the point where concrete would set properly.

To be honest, I'm surprised that lawmakers were able to get together and put forth a law in four months AND get people to actually comply with the law in that whole time span.

Proof small acts of kindness can make a world of a difference.