An Open Letter to Restaurateurs and Restaurant Staff

February 27, 2016 udcom

I love eating out! I really do. Eating out lets me experience flavors, sights, and sounds from around the world. If the staff and restaurant have made for a good experience, I leave feeling satisfied, enriched, and even a little bit pampered. But, as an individual who uses a wheelchair, I find that many of you have a bit to learn about how to make people like me feel welcome in your establishment. Unsure about how to do this? Fear not! I am here to help with a list ofTop Five Things Restaurants Can Do To Make Individuals Who Use Wheelchairs Roll In. So, let’s get right into it.

Universal Design (UD) is an approach to design that increases the potential for developing a better quality of life for a wide range of individuals. It is a design process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012). It creates products, systems, and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.