Nice article in the Enterprise about Kenny Cieplik and his efforts to highlight wheelchair accessibility. The article also includes a mention of me:
He has joined forces on handicapped-access issues with local blogger and activist Mark Belanger, who came across Cieplik on a blog and followed up. Cieplik and Belanger both use their blogs to try and get local merchants to make their businesses more accessible.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Belanger.
It’s nice to now that I’ve been promoted to “activist”.
The piece has a few pictures of the Flat Iron Cafe – who also wrote about the article. The restaurant has two levels – one at street level and the other maybe three feet higher. Two ramps allow full access to both.
Bumpkin Jr.
In this week’s Gazette, on page three, is an article and picture about the Future of Middleboro Trust’s efforts to raise money for Project Lifesaver by selling puzzles. The puzzles have a picture of Middleboro Town Hall and the Veterans Memorial. But the really interesting thing is the credit on the photo – budding photographer and fifth-grader Jake Belanger. The Flat Iron Cafe, South Shore Computer Repair, Maria’s, and Mary Barry Massage Therapy are all carrying the puzzles.
Update – Kenny & Co have posted on this and included a nice ‘atta boy
Not long ago, I wrote a Gazette column and several posts about Kenny Cieplik and Company and their blog The Traveling Wheelchair. As part of the prep work, I learned that the group had had a meeting with the Middleboro Town Manager Charles Cristello, OECD director Anna Nalevanko, and Building Commissioner Bob Whalen to discuss accessibililty issues. The TM agreed to send out letters to a list of businesses to ask them to voluntarily comply with ADA(Americans With Disabilities Act). The list, I believe, only included businesses with minor barriers such as a single step. Kenny & Co aren’t asking for the moon.
I asked to be kept in the loop on this and the town has been kind enough to do so. I’d like to thank the above-mentioned people for assisting Kenny in this and keeping me informed – something they didn’t have to do.
Here is a reprint of the letter in case anyone is interested.
If any business owners have any feedback, I would love to hear from them. Obviously I would love to hear “success” stories – how you responded to this letter. Maybe you were already compliant – I like to hear that too. Any feedback you have good or bad on the issue of ADA compliance – particularly as it relates to Middleboro would be of interest to me.
There is nothing I would like better than to get a couple of businesses that could give me material for a “good news” Gazette article on the way local business and government stepped up when asked to do the right thing – even when it didn’t necessarily add to the bottom line.
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