Accessibility for disabled: Alliance, inspector help local businesses improve

JOLIET — Ruben Franchini has friends in wheelchairs, and he kept them in mind when he built El Fresno Plaza last winter. Accessibility for the disabled plays a big part in where Franchini and his friends decide to go out for an evening. "When we go to a bar and look for a place to go, they'll say, 'No, I don't want to go there because they don't have handicapped washrooms,'" Franchini said. Not only did Franchini include wheelchair-accessible washrooms, he even built two "area of refuge," rooms with fire walls that could be useful for a disabled person trapped in the building if there is a fire. "I hope it never happens," he said. But he noticed the refuge rooms in buildings in Chicago and thought they'd be an asset for his retail and office building at 720 N. Collins St. in Joliet.

Franchini's kind of thinking fits well with the Accessible Cities Alliance strategy to make commercial buildings in Will County more accessible for people with disabilities.

Initiated by the Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living, the Accessible Cities Alliance includes business people as well as advocates for the disabled.

Co-Chairman Val Rand is an owner in a regional chain of Hallmark stores. He also recently has had to use crutches to get around because of an arthritic condition. He sees things from both sides. For example, just getting through the front door of a business can be a challenge for someone in a wheelchair or using crutches, Rand said. But installing an electronic door designed for disabled access can be tough on a business budget. "We small merchants cannot afford to put in electronic doors," Rand said. "The mechanical doors are expensive to install and repair." Still, Rand said, new designs for lighter doors are coming out all the time, and businesses can find affordable answers that make their businesses more accessible. Accessibility will matter even more as the American population ages, Rand said. Stores like Hallmark do a large share of their business with older customers who may have disabilities.

"We're going to be funding a campaign to create awareness (about accessibility) out there," Rand said. "Everything begins with awareness."

The city of Joliet this year hired Kevin Gahr as a building safety inspector specifically for disability issues.

Gahr started inspecting businesses Nov. 1. So far, he has visited more than 350 businesses, and less than 40 percent were considered 100 percent accessible. But Gahr said the program is designed to give businesses reasonable time to make improvements. It's a three-year program requiring businesses to take care of outdoor problems such as parking and access ramps in the first year. Year two is devoted to interior issues, including chairs and tables. The third year is devoted to bigger-ticket items, including bathrooms and elevators. Gahr said he takes a friendly approach. "I try to explain to them that Joliet has over 17,000 handicapped people," he said. "They like to shop where they know they can go into the business."

Newer buildings typically have fewer problems than older ones, he said, because most buildings today are designed for disabled access.

The nine-unit building includes a Laundromat, boutique and travel agency, along with Franchini's R-Signs Service. R-Signs is on the second floor of the two-story building. Franchini installed an elevator, which came in handy when one of his employees returned to work in a wheelchair after an accident. "He came to work the other day," Franchini said, "and I said, 'See, it's like we built it for you.'"