Coffee for One at Starbucks?

 The Assessment Overview:

If I were in a wheelchair and visiting some of my favorite places, how would my perspective change? For this week’s assignment, we had to choice a disability or impairment and visit a local establishment to evaluate it according to the eleven key concepts to the physical environment (Hutchinson, p. 214). I chose to visit one of my favorite places – Starbucks. Below are a slideshow and an evaluation of eight of the eleven physical environment characteristics. 

Free picture slideshow personalized with Smilebox Accessibility: The first thing I noticed is that there is only one handicap parking space. If I am in a wheelchair and arrive when someone else is utilizing that space, I really do not have anywhere else to park. The second thing I observed was that both entrances are manual doors. There is not an automatic button to push like with some doors. Therefore, if I am in a wheelchair, I must rely on someone else to open the doors for me. Furthermore, the side entrance does not have the concrete slope that makes it easier to get a wheelchair to the door. The only way to get in the side door in a wheelchair is to come to the front entrance (pictured) and wheel yourself to the side entrance and wait for someone else to open the door for you. The ease to view the baked goods on the top shelf, the napkin area and the merchandise are not as accessible as they could be. The bathroom door is also a manual door which means that if you are in a wheelchair, someone will have to open the door for you. Comfort: There is only one designated wheelchair accessible table in this location. However, there is a larger table that is wheelchair accessible (not pictured due to it being in use). The designated wheelchair table is right next to the counter and is also close to the trash can. It is not in a very comfortable area. When sitting there today, I almost felt exposed and conscious of where I was sitting. Crowding: Related to comfort, is the crowding issue. Because the only designated wheelchair table is closest to the counter, if this location gets really busy, it becomes very crowded. It is not very large inside so the more people that congregate around the front counter and the merchandising area, can create a crowding effect on someone sitting at this table. Privacy: Because of the location of the designated wheelchair table, there is not much privacy to be had. If you are able to sit at the larger table in the back of the location, it is a bit more private. Also, there is typically music that is played in the store. Sometimes it is background music – mellow and soft, but other times it is loud. When it is mellow and soft that enhances the privacy; however, when it is loud and you have to talk loudly to be heard; then there is not much of a sense of privacy. Control: This space really does not allow for much control to someone in a wheelchair. In my opinion the design of the space causes the person in the wheelchair to be dependent on someone else. Someone has to open the door, someone has to help if you are buying baked goods or merchandise, etc. Adaptability: I do not know how much it would cost Starbucks to install at least one wheelchair accessible door at the entrance and for the bathrooms. However, this would approve the accessibility and show adaptability on the part of this company. Something that could be done now is to rearrange the merchandise so that so much of it is not on shelving that is too high for a disabled person to reach without asking for assistance. Activity: One of the reasons why this Starbuck’s location is my favorite is because it is rarely very busy. There are moments when a crowd will come in, but for the most part it is not too bad. However, the table I normally sit at is in the back of the store. Today, I sat at the designated wheelchair accessible table. I noticed every customer that came in. It was hard to focus on what I was working on because of the activity around me. Sociability: If you are sitting at the designated wheelchair accessible table, it can be quite easy to social with those that come in. However, if you have a larger social group and you cannot get access to the large table in the back, there are only four other small tables and two section of plush seating. If you and your social group are not able to sit together, this makes being social difficult. Overall, I found this experiment to be really thought provoking. It is interesting how you notice things when you are asked to view things from a different perspective. I think that this location can definitely and should improve on its accessibility. ~Nicole Vincent Human Socialization March 20, 2012 Reference: Hutchison, Elizabeth D. (2011). Dimensions of human behavior: Person and environment (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage.