The wheel deal
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Restaurants in the city of Prague don’t want Jeanette Dodd’s patronage. Most of them, in fact, would prefer that she visit some other city. Or just stay home. That’s just an impression, of course. But Dodd maintains that this “is the least welcoming of European cities.” You see, Jeanette Dodd uses a wheelchair to get around. Prague, in turn, has a well-earned reputation for casually dismissing the basic rights of disabled people. Much of the public transportation system remains off-limits. Only 24 of the 50 metro stops allow wheelchair access. And many restaurants are several steps below or above street level. If not, their restrooms often occupy a basement space. “If I see a flight of stairs, it might was well have a sign saying ‘no access,’ ” Dodd says. What really boggles her and others is the scant consideration of a disabled person’s needs. An oft-played scenario: “Where is the disabled lift?” “Well, you just go up these stairs …” Yes, there are hotels, banks and other businesses that install wheelchair assistance — at some expense — up or down a flight of stairs instead of at ground level. “It’s almost like people don’t think,” Dodd says. Indeed, František Domian, manager at the newly opened U Slavíků in Vinohrady, admits, “We weren’t really thinking of [disabled access] too much” when constructing their space. Yet the restaurant ended up with relatively smooth access from the street (only a single step of 10 centimeters, or 4 inches), and a toilet specifically reserved for guests in wheelchairs. But such accommodations are the exception. More often, you see impassible conditions or chicanery. One restaurateur who requested anonymity told how he placed a ramp at the entrance to satisfy codes, then removed it a few weeks after the grand opening. And signs proclaiming accessible toilets or seating areas many times fail to disclose woeful oversights. For instance, only the women’s restroom at Old Town’s Rugantino has an accessible stall — with no room to turn a wheelchair around, no grip bars for support when a guest attempts to lift herself from chair to toilet, and a rickety toilet seat. This is despite laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, gender, language or disability. Paragraph 369 of the 2001 construction law requires every new public space being built or undergoing reconstruction to provide barrier-free access to people in wheelchairs. (The language is similar to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.) But, says Milada Burčiková of the advocacy group Pražská organizace vozíčkářů (Organization for Prague Wheelchair Users, or POV), “This doesn’t have to be done in case there are serious reasons for preventing it — a part of the law that’s being frequently abused.” Establishments housed in historic buildings may appeal to the Heritage Office for an exception. And many times the people charged with inspecting construction work are unfamiliar with regulations. “It happens very often that restaurant operators find a way around the law,” Burčiková says. Some do their best to meet legal requirements, in spite of the additional cost and only occasional wheelchair traffic. Vacláv Fara of C’est la Vie shrugs off the usual restaurateur complaints about cost or the difficulties of reshaping dining areas for a handful of guests. “It’s just a matter of making the entry wider and building accessible toilets,” he says. Capua, a pizza joint in Letná, built front steps that, with a few twists, transform into a ramp. The cost of this unique mechanism was somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 Kč ($465), but manager Milan Valenta can’t say the work boosted Capua’s bottom line. “Morally, though, it was the right thing to do,” he adds. “It should be that way, as a matter of respect.” If only the rest of Prague felt that way. City codes bar restaurants like Red, Hot & Blues in Old Town from posting advertising placards outside because narrow sidewalks don’t allow room for both a sign and a wheelchair. Yet, when the city repaved Jakubská, it was with curbs so high that no wheelchair can climb to the sidewalk without some muscular assistance. “There’s a lot of tokenism,” says Thomas Dodd, a Prague resident and Jeanette’s brother. “It isn’t going to change overnight, but it would be nice to see some progress.” The POV’s Burčiková suspects that full implementation of the law and the necessary attitudinal shift will take many years. Meanwhile, her organization lists wheelchair-accessible restaurants, but it’s only partially accurate. Red, Hot & Blues made the list, but its bathroom is too narrow. Rugantino’s, also listed, is a shambles. Kampa Park indeed offers wheelchair-accessible facilities, but only in the main dining area. Meanwhile, Hergetova Cihelna — gradually sloping sidewalks, no steps, specifically constructed toilets on both levels — was somehow omitted from POV recognition. More : praguepost.com |