Parking
Providing a spot for everyone
Situation Room
Scenario 1: Parking and the pizzeria
Anthony operates a pizzeria in a shopping center with accessible parking near the entrance.
One day during the lunch rush, a customer asks Anthony to call the police because they believe that someone has parked illegally in an accessible space in front of the pizzeria—they tell Anthony that they saw someone park and walk right into the store nearby and that person didn’t look disabled at all. The complainer says that the car has an accessible parking tag, but the person is probably misusing it.
Think about it. What needs to happen?
Anthony informs the customer that not all people who use accessible parking have obvious disabilities that can be seen. He also shares that his own father has an accessible parking placard because he has difficulty walking more than 200 feet without resting, so the ability to park closer in an accessible spot makes it easier for him to shop independently.
The takeaway
Many disabilities are non-apparent, and we should not jump to judgement when a person has accessible parking credentials but is not using a mobility device, such as a wheelchair or walker. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects the rights of people with disabilities, many of which are non-apparent. Individuals with a broad range of limitations benefit greatly from accessible parking.
Scenario 2: Tracy and the tent sale
Tracy has a small shop where she sells women’s fashion and accessories. She decides to have a pop-up “tent sale” in the parking lot of her store to attract more customers. Tracy sets up a large tent in the parking lot near the entrance and creates displays with shelving and tables of merchandise under the tent. A lot of customers show up for the event.
Ellen, a frequent customer who has a disability, arrives and notices that the tent has been set up over the accessible parking spaces. There are no other accessible parking spaces in sight, and the parking lot is full of excited customers. Frustrated to miss out on the sale, but having nowhere to park that is close enough due to her inability to walk long distances, she turns around and heads home.
Later in the day, Ellen tells a friend about her disappointment. The friend happens to know Tracy through the Chamber of Commerce, so she texts Tracy to share Ellen’s story.
Think about it. What needs to happen?
Tracy reads the text after closing time and feels badly about what happened. She realizes that it would have been easy to set up the tent so it didn’t block the accessible parking. It’s too late for this year’s sale, but she mentions it at the next staff meeting, and edits her planning document so next year the accessible parking will not be blocked. She also texts her friend and asks her to tell Ellen that she is sorry about what happened and to let her know that next year it will be different.
Even after the friend passes on to Ellen what Tracy said, Ellen is still miffed. Ellen wishes more business owners were more considerate about parking lot space. She wishes they realized that if they must put a tent on top of accessible parking, they could use temporary measures, such as traffic cones and temporary signage to define accessible spaces.
A year later, when the pop-up sale happens again, Tracy and her staff are thoughtful about the tent’s location and make sure to place the tables with plenty of space between them. Ellen decides to give the sale another try and is delighted to find available accessible parking. Tracy keeps an eye on the accessible parking during the sale and notices that several patrons park in those spaces.
The takeaway
Accessible parking is very important to many of your customers. Eliminating features such as accessible parking, even on a temporary basis, is not only a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but also unwelcoming to customers who rely on parking as close as possible to spend money at your business.
The scenarios, including all names, characters, and incidents portrayed on this page are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, or products is intended or should be inferred.