Injustice

T and I and her dogs (Annie and Billy) popped into the café in Avenham Park the other day. There was an event on so it had reduced capacity. The tables were crowded and I noticed that many of them had been occupied for ages, going by the empty cups and plates. T wasn’t bothered, the dogs were puzzled and I was seething at the unfairness of it.

But more importantly is the fact that we and everyone else were able to pop in. As some of you will know, I help to run Damson Poets in Preston and our natural home for years was Richard Lowthian’s Ham & Jam  Café next to the Guild Hall i.e. in the city centre. And that is the crucial point. Because apart from it being in the centre it was accessible to all.

Damson Poets at the Ham & Jam Café

Unfortunately the café had to close and we have had to move out to the Continental down by the river (and they have been brilliant for us) but it’s the down by the river that can be a problem. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been round the city centre looking for a venue that would suit one of our basic requirements which is that it should be accessible for all.

All the places in town that would open for us in the evening are up stairs on a first floor and thus cannot be reached for wheelchair users or those with other issues. The Harris was approached but quoted a ridiculous fee for a poetry group.

This is a total injustice and it doesn’t seem to be addressed in future plans for the development of the city.

If future café owners or the Council want to solve this problem they should take a note of the following from the ‘Able Amsterdam’ website:

The entrance
A wheelchair-friendly restaurant starts with an accessible entrance. Wheelchair users should be able to roll in and out of the restaurant without any obstacles or help from others. This means:

Wide doorways (min. 80 cm/ 32 inches, preferably as wide as two doors).

Automatic doors. If they’re not automatic, doors should at least be lightweight enough to allow someone to push or pull easily while moving in their wheelchair.

There should be no steps leading up or down to the restaurant.

The entrance floor should be smooth, i.e. no threshold.

Variety of tables and seating arrangements
Manual wheelchairs are usually lower to the ground, while electric wheelchairs are higher. To suit the needs and comfort of different wheelchair users, you’ll need to provide a variety of tables and seating arrangements. Keep in mind:

Include a mixture of lower and higher tables.

Tables with 4 legs are preferred to tables with 1 leg in the middle. Four-legged tables are easier to roll a wheelchair under; tables with one leg can make this difficult.

Avoid tables with an ‘apron’ or overhang underneath as this gets in the way of a wheelchair.

Tables and chairs should be moveable.

If you have a bar, make part of it lower so that manual wheelchair users can enjoy a drink there too.

Not all wheelchair users stay seated in their wheelchairs at a restaurant. Some people will choose to transfer to a chair. For this reason it’s also a good idea to have a variety of chairs (some with arm rests, some without, some hard seats, some soft) to allow customers to choose what is most suitable for them.

an accessible Amsterdam café-restaurant

Space

The restaurant should be spacious enough for wheelchair users. This means:

The pathway to the entrance, the seating area, the counter, and the toilets should be wide enough and clear of obstacles.

Furniture should not be placed too close together.

There should be a variety of wheelchair-friendly seating options, not just one specific corner or area of the restaurant.

Lifts or ramps where needed

If your restaurant has multiple floors or seating levels, include a lift or ramp where needed.

Ramps should be at a safe incline. If your ramp is too steep, it becomes dangerous or impossible to use.

Lifts should be wide enough for wheelchair users.

If your restaurant has a lift, get an evacuation mattress so that you can quickly and safely evacuate wheelchair users in an emergency.

An accessible toilet
A wheelchair-friendly toilet is a must. For more information about the features of an accessible toilet read a detailed checklist to designing a wheelchair-friendly loo.

I highly recommend hiring a professional to advise you on accessible toilet design.

Remember that the space in an accessible toilet is there for your customers, not for storage.

A mobile payment machine
Make sure your restaurant has a mobile payment terminal so that customers paying by card can do so at the table (rather than at a high, out-of-reach countertop).

Signposting
If you’ve got an accessible restaurant, flaunt it!

Consider including a wheelchair sticker at your restaurant’s entrance.

If your restaurant has an accessible route, make this clear by putting up signs.

Signposting the toilet door with a wheelchair icon is especially important so customers know it exists and where to find it.

Labelling the toilet door also makes it clear to other customers why e.g. a male wheelchair user needs to enter the women’s toilets to use the accessible facilities (or vice versa).

Go through your restaurant in a wheelchair yourself
To really understand your restaurant’s accessibility, experience it for yourself. Borrow or rent a wheelchair and navigate everything a customer would use. It’s not the same as using a wheelchair full-time, but it’ll give you an idea of the challenges and improvements that need to be made.

Most of the above is not that difficult is it?

I mentioned the Ham & Jam earlier and the following poem is a mash up of a few of the poems I wrote for staff who worked there and were leaving at the end of their contracts. Most of them were from abroad and enjoying their youth. The reason it is here is that when you get a venue that is accessible, central and very friendly then it works. It was a disgrace that it was forced to close through no fault of their own.

At the Ham & Jam Coffee Shop
(for all the staff and Richard)

was not a shop
it sold more than coffee
and the Ham & Jam bit
was not what it seemed

but more about that later
after reminding you
about the chats we had
as you bought me a mocha
when you’d learned to cope
with all our accents
even Geordie

and you’d show maps
of your own home towns
or news of your travels
of a trip to the Highlands
London or the Lakes
which you’d say are almost
as beautiful as Preston

but not as beautiful
as the applause
and the hugs from friends
after you read poems
on World Poetry Days
in a world wide language
that didn’t need learning

now I’ve no idea
if you’ll be reading this
in Queensland or Paris
or Sri Lanka or LA
but when you’re in a café
with light shining through
its plate glass windows
and someone serves your cappuccino
you can tell them the stories
of your time at the Ham & Jam Café.

Thanks for reading, Terry Q.