I was diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy when I was 3 years old, and I started using a wheelchair when I was 9. I have found over the years there are so many businesses that are not wheelchair friendly, meaning they did not have a way for me to get into a store or restaurant.
I am a 19 (almost 20)-year-old college sophomore, and I love spending time with my family and friends. We often go in town Rehoboth for dinner or into Lewes to shop, but while most stores and restaurants have ramps or lifts, a few do not, and it is very upsetting when I have had to stay outside waiting for family members or friends while they shop because I could not go with them.
One goal everyone has is to be included in every aspect of their life, whether it is being on a sports team, or being included in a social event, or even having access to a ramp or lift to get into a building. Because many stores are not accessible, my family has resorted to boycotting them, not because their product or service is bad, but because it is not fair for one able-bodied person to have access and a disabled person not to.
Striper Bites, a restaurant in Lewes, was not accessible because they had two steps to get into the main dining area. For a while, I could not enjoy their food because there was no way into the building, but after a suggestion of purchasing portable ramps, the business acquired two small ramps so they could accommodate their customers who use wheelchairs (or have a hard time climbing stairs).
It is small things like ramps that make a difference for people like me.
With summer coming up, I urge all businesses in Lewes and Rehoboth to make sure all buildings are accessible to all customers!
Alyson Fisher
Lewes
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