This year will mark the 25th anniversary of
the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was signed in July 1990. As a part of
that Act, titles II, and III specified building accessibility requirements. The
latest notifications for those requirements came in 2010. A small excerpt for
those requirements is as follows:
Each facility or part of a facility altered by, on behalf of, or for the use of a public entity in a manner that affects or could affect the usability of the facility or part of the facility shall, to the maximum extent feasible, be altered in such way that the modified portion of the facility is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities if the alteration was commenced after January 26, 1992
These requirements, along with the others at ada.gov, are outstanding, but are they enough? And who is defining what is accessible? Granted, this Act covers a wide variety of disabilities ranging from disabilities to mental health to physical impairment. Indeed even the category of physical impairment has such a wide variety of disabilities. One could argue that it is hard to put on appropriate paper regulations to cover all disabilities. I am not arguing that point; my argument is that after 25 years, have we made that much progress? Is doing the minimum enough? I.e., if I can get into the building with a ramp, but I can't get into the restroom, is that accessible. According to the regulations, the logical answer would be 'no,' but because some person with a disability could use the restroom, the place is deemed accessible. I am not asking for significant structural changes, just little ones that could benefit all.
That being said, I was recently at The Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL. Gambling is a shared passion in many cultures; it is not discriminatory. All races, religions, and ethnicities may participate in gambling in some form or another. On my visit to the Hard Rock, I was no exception. I enjoyed my 2day getaway. I did a large amount of gambling, but more than just what hand I had in blackjack crossed my mind as I was gambling. As I often do, I found myself thinking like an advocate.
Several things crossed my mind at once; however, most of them had to do with accessibility. As I was sitting on the casino floor, I realized how inaccessible the table gaming area was. If someone were in a wheelchair and by themselves, they would be faced with a few problems. For one thing, most of the tables are too high to see your cards from a wheelchair. Most of the tables are too high because there was on the lower table, which was reserved for people in wheelchairs. However, seeing as the casino floor contained well over seventy-five tables, one has to wonder if there could have been more effort put into the accessibility question in this part of the casino. If I were grading the table game area, I would have to give it a D. They were willing to move chairs for my companion and me, but the height of the tables presented a big enough problem that moving chairs around did not compensate for it. Although I would give the table gaming area a D, there are other hotel areas a casino to consider.
Apart from the table gaming section, the casino floor itself has an overwhelming number of slot machines. The slot machines are spaced out well enough that a person in an electric or manual wheelchair can navigate most areas without incident; this does not account for people standing in the way or not paying attention to their surroundings. Once selects a slot machine, there are two types to contend with. The old fashion slot machines set further forward from the platform, or the newer slots developed as if they are perfectly fit into their spots on the gaming floor. As a wheelchair user myself, I was forced to avoid the more recent slot machines, but I enjoyed the older slot machines with creative maneuvering. For this portion of the casino, I would have to give it a C+ grade for accessibility.
After one is done enjoying the gaming floor at the Hard Rock, there are many other activities to participate in places to see. The dining at the Hard Rock is exceptional. There are so many food choices that one could not be disappointed, and happily, most dining areas are accessible. Along with the dining area, there is a great pool. The pathway to the pool is complete a well designed so that there is no problem navigation around the pool even with all the vegetation. The dining and pool area gets a grade of a B. Because although the site itself is more comfortable to navigate, there is one glaring problem. To access any of the pool areas, there are no automatic doors. I did not visit any of the shops to include them in the grade would not be appropriate.
The final area to discuss is a handicap accessible room. Was the room handicapped accessible? For the most part, I would have to say the answer would be yes. While the bed and the TV are close to each other, this is not a problem that cannot be worked around. The room I was in came with a shower chair in the shower if you did not bring your own. The shower in an of itself was large enough so that a physically disabled person can be assisted. The only considerable problem was the fact that there was only one queen size bed in the room, and the ground took up a large portion of the room. This can be worked around but maybe an issue that the casino developers might look into improving upon. For the room overall, I would grade it with a B.
Overall, accessibility needs to be re-examined in general. It is a shame that after twenty-five years that there is still not greater accessibility in society. In terms of Hard Rock, however, they do a reasonably respectable job in attempting to address the issue of accessibility. Overall my final grade for the Hard Rock Hotel, a casino in Hollywood, Florida, is a B.
Thank you for reading, and until next time, fear nothing and regret less.
