Assignment 7A

Testing the Hypothesis Part 1

Providing increased accessibility for those with who use wheelchairs to assist with mobility

• Opportunity: In the year 2016, 3.6 million Americans relied on wheelchairs to assist with mobility.
• The who: individuals with physical disabilities that require wheelchairs
• The what: Wheelchair users are not able to enter businesses that do not have proper wheelchair accommodations.
• The why: Some businesses do not feel the need to appeal to this portion of the population because they are either unaware of the lack of accommodations or they do not care to go out of their way to accommodate wheelchair users.
• Testing the who: There are over 3.6 million Americans over the age of fifteen that use wheelchairs to assist with mobility. There are about 2 million new wheelchair users every year in the United States. The "who" is not only the individuals in wheelchairs but the people who often help to assist them.
• Testing the what: 98% of public transportation buses are equipped to handle and accommodate wheelchair users. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers are required to provide accommodations for those in wheelchairs, schools are also required to make these accommodations. However, businesses and private establishments are not required to accommodate wheelchair users. This results in wheelchair users believing they are not welcome at these businesses and feeling ostracized.
• Testing the why: Businesses lack accommodations for wheelchairs because they either do not believe that they need to have these accomodations or that the portion of the population that uses wheelchairs is not  high enough to warrant changes to the layout of their businesses. Some business owners simply do not understand that the entrances, exits, and layout of their establishment is not wheelchair accessible, so they cannot make a change. Wheelchair users need increased accommodations so that they can enter more businesses and feel as normal as possible, rather than feeling ostracized by not being able to comfortably move around a store or restaurant.
• Interview #1: For this first interview, I talked to my boyfriend's sister. She is paralyzed from the waist down and has to use a wheelchair on a daily basis. She told me that she does not feel welcomed by businesses that do not have ramps or elevators for wheelchair users. She already has to transfer from a car to her wheelchair everywhere she goes so being able to comfortably move around in any restaurant or store would make her life easier. She exemplifies who needs increased accessibility what increased accessibility would entail, and why this accessibility is vital. 
• Interview #2: I then interviewed my boyfriend, who actively assists his sister in some of her daily activities. He attested to the lack of wheelchair accessibility in local businesses and described situations where they were turned away because of his sister being in a wheelchair. He is part of the "who"that would benefit from this opportunity. He also reiterated that many businesses are simply not aware that they should make these accommodations because of their ignorance about updating their businesses to assimilate individuals with wheelchairs.
• Interview #3: The next person I interviewed was a business owner that lacks wheelchair-friendly entrances and exits. He told me that he was not aware of the issue and would strive to make these changes. I told him that there are over 3.6 million wheelchair users in the U.S. and he was astonished at this number. He now understands the "what" and "why" of this opportunity. 
• Interview #4: I decided to interview a business owner with the proper accommodations for individuals that use wheelchairs. When I told them how many Americans travel in wheelchairs, they stated that they were fully aware of this statistic and they strive to make their business more accessible for those in wheelchairs. They told me that they believed in inclusion and did not understand why many businesses do not try to implement simple changes to update their entrances and exits.
• Interview #5: This last interview was with a customer at a local business who was completely unaffiliated with the business. I asked her if she was aware that this business was not wheelchair-friendly. She answered by saying that frankly she had never really thought about what those in wheelchairs would do when faced with the task of entering the building. By the end of the interview, she admitted that she felt very ignorant about the subject of disabled individuals in general and even more uncomfortable with the topic of accommodations.
• Given your interviews, what do you know about the opportunity that you didn't know before?
• I was aware of the problems with wheelchair accessibility in local businesses but I was genuinely surprised at the lack of knowledge about the issue from business owners and patrons. My interviews with a random customer and the business owner without a wheelchair ramp really shocked me. These individuals had never thought of the needs of this whole population of people. 
• I learned that this opportunity is even more important than I originally predicted. My interviews with my boyfriend and his sister just reiterated how lonely it can feel to not be able to do normal things like other people can. It breaks my heart that many people feel  this way.
• The ignorance and nonchalant nature of the Interview #3 and Interview #5 was also appalling. This made me realize that more education needs to happen so that people understand the changes that need to be made to their businesses to promote access to those in wheelchairs.