# Compilation video shows the utter absurdity of what "accessibility" means to some. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 16, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839 "2011-10-16T20:15:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/21 "2011-10-19T00:18:30Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Yep. No apologies, either. > Roddy :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/22 "2011-10-20T05:08:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > :rolleyes: OK, and right back at you, chum. I know we’re in MPSIMS, but you have a history of complaining about accessibility issues like this in more serious forums. If you indeed have a genuine interest in improving accessibility, you don’t do your case any good with junk examples like this. You post this as comedy, but does anyone think that you really regard these as a harmless lark? Have the courage of your own convictions, at least. And if that compilation is as true to life as you said in the OP, I would believe it better if you supplied your own examples, instead of this lame crap. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/23 "2011-10-20T05:40:37Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > OK, and right back at you, chum. > > I know we’re in MPSIMS, but you have a history of complaining about accessibility issues like this in more serious forums. If you indeed have a genuine interest in improving accessibility, you don’t do your case any good with junk examples like this. You post this as comedy, but does anyone think that you really regard these as a harmless lark? Have the courage of your own convictions, at least. > > And if that compilation is as true to life as you said in the OP, I would believe it better if you supplied your own examples, instead of this lame crap. > Roddy There may have been a few examples in that compilation that stretched the truth, or fudged some shots, in order to make the video more _enertaining_ or flow a bit better, but there are plenty of examples in it that are inarguable in their authenticity _and/or_ their humor. Junk? Far from it. Entertaining video accurately portraying _the nature_ of accessibility problems, as well as humorous/ridiculous handicap-signs and their translations; all of which is set to music? Yes. And give me an effin break, I provide my examples all the time. And what happens? I get hammered about being a “one-trick pony”. I guess I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. ETA: Ambivy. (cause I wouldn’t want you to not know who wrote this). ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/24 "2011-10-20T10:12:10Z")
Eh, it was funny, with enough obvious truth to make me shake my head. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/25 "2011-10-20T13:08:59Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > OK, and right back at you, chum. > > I know we’re in MPSIMS, but you have a history of complaining about accessibility issues like this in more serious forums. If you indeed have a genuine interest in improving accessibility, you don’t do your case any good with junk examples like this. You post this as comedy, but does anyone think that you really regard these as a harmless lark? Have the courage of your own convictions, at least. > > And if that compilation is as true to life as you said in the OP, I would believe it better if you supplied your own examples, instead of this lame crap. > Roddy If you have a problem with another poster, take it to the Pit – as you admit you should. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/26 "2011-10-20T13:12:08Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > OK, and right back at you, chum. > > I know we’re in MPSIMS, but you have a history of complaining about accessibility issues like this in more serious forums. If you indeed have a genuine interest in improving accessibility, you don’t do your case any good with junk examples like this. You post this as comedy, but does anyone think that you really regard these as a harmless lark? Have the courage of your own convictions, at least. > > And if that compilation is as true to life as you said in the OP, I would believe it better if you supplied your own examples, instead of this lame crap. > Roddy **Roderick** , if you feel the need to lecture **Ambivalid** , please take your complaints to the pit. You are not the judge of what he should or shouldn’t post. Ellen Cherry ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/27 "2011-10-21T03:39:09Z")
Sometimes you just have to laugh, and some of those were damn funny. There _must_ be an explanation for the ramp with the steps. Please, somebody tell me, there must be. ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/28 "2011-10-21T04:46:26Z")
Makes me feel for those stuck in a wheelchair. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/29 "2011-10-21T06:14:08Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > If you have a problem with another poster, take it to the Pit – as you admit you should. > > **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator I’m not seeing the problem. He didn’t personally attack Jamie and the OP of this thread, in it’s own words (and in italics!), called this the “truest” examples. As noted, many of these are lacking context, are poorly translated or worded or are photoshopped. Is it not OK to point that out? ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/30 "2011-10-21T09:19:38Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > I still think the whole compilation is funny, but I’ll point out one where it’s almost certainly a case where the compiler thought a sign was funny simply because he/she didn’t know what was available - the sign at 0:45 at a beach. Electric wheelchairs specifically for beach use **do** exist and are presumably what is being referred to; I’ve played around in one in San Diego. They have great big baloon tires. Go look at it again. Look at the wording of the sign. If you don’t get why that wording is both ridiculous and offensive, go look again. And keep looking until you get it. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/31 "2011-10-21T10:57:15Z")
Night before last we spent in a ‘handicap access’ room at a microtel. OK - lots of floor space, great for wheelchairs. Had the flashy light system for fire alarms, doorbell and telephone. Lovely huge bathroom with assorted grab bars. Bathtub with a fold down seat. Not easy to transfer into without help if you couldn’t move your legs over the edge of the bathtub solo … oops. Lovely Sealy pillowtop mattresses. I seriously lust after one. Needed a footstool to get up onto the roughly 36 inch off the floor mattress. Would literally be impossible for someone to get onto bed from a chair unassisted. :dubious::smack: _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/32 "2011-10-21T14:56:09Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > Go look at it again. Look at the wording of the sign. If you don’t get why that wording is both ridiculous and offensive, go look again. And keep looking until you get it. Meh. Minor issue with missing punctuation. I wouldn’t be offended if I saw it. Or are you suggesting “physically challenged” is derogatory? ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/33 "2011-10-22T03:45:20Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > Meh. Minor issue with missing punctuation. I wouldn’t be offended if I saw it. Or are you suggesting “physically challenged” is derogatory? It’s ridiculous, at best, but more to the point, what the hell is a physically challenged wheelchair? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/34 "2011-10-22T04:36:05Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > It’s ridiculous, at best, but more to the point, what the hell is a physically challenged wheelchair? I bet on No Parking signs I bet you can’t figure out if towing is at the car owner’s or the property owner’s expense either. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/35 "2011-10-22T12:53:02Z")
\*_Moonchild_, people who’ve got chairs are a whole lot less stuck than they would be without them. The chairs let them get out and about…and take funny pictures! ETA: Not to say that accessibility doesn’t need more work, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/36 "2011-10-22T13:20:21Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > There’s a restaurant in China named [Translate server error.](http://boingboing.net/2008/07/15/chinese-restaurant-c.html) Along those lines one of my favorites is a sign that, in the Welsh translation, was an out of office reply. > **[BBC News - E-mail error ends up on road sign](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7702913.stm)** > > An automated e-mail response reading in Welsh: "I am not in the office at the moment" is mistakenly put on a road sign. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/37 "2011-10-22T15:14:52Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > It’s ridiculous, at best, but more to the point, what the hell is a physically challenged wheelchair? Like I said, they left out some punctuation. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/38 "2011-10-22T15:24:34Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Night before last we spent in a ‘handicap access’ room at a microtel. OK - lots of floor space, great for wheelchairs. Had the flashy light system for fire alarms, doorbell and telephone. Lovely huge bathroom with assorted grab bars. Bathtub with a fold down seat. Not easy to transfer into without help if you couldn’t move your legs over the edge of the bathtub solo … oops. Lovely Sealy pillowtop mattresses. I seriously lust after one. Needed a footstool to get up onto the roughly 36 inch off the floor mattress. Would literally be impossible for someone to get onto bed from a chair unassisted. :dubious::smack: > > _sigh_ LOL! I’ve been in a room like that (although the bathroom was fine - roll-in shower). When I was last in the Westin in Ottawa they were proud of their “Heavenly Beds”, which they had (I suspect they still do) even in their “accessible” rooms. Seems to me even somebody that could still walk but had mobility difficulties would have difficulty getting into one of those &^#%@!! beds. I had great fun getting into it from my wheelchair and getting out again without dropping hard enough to break me or my wheelchair. I did manage it by sort of half boosting/half throwing myself using the bedside table; that was a few years ago and I’m not sure I could accomplish the feat again (and don’t intend to; I’ll go someplace else next time I am back east). ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/39 "2011-10-22T23:28:33Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > LOL! I’ve been in a room like that (although the bathroom was fine - roll-in shower). When I was last in the Westin in Ottawa they were proud of their “Heavenly Beds”, which they had (I suspect they still do) even in their “accessible” rooms. Seems to me even somebody that could still walk but had mobility difficulties would have difficulty getting into one of those &^#%@!! beds. I had great fun getting into it from my wheelchair and getting out again without dropping hard enough to break me or my wheelchair. I did manage it by sort of half boosting/half throwing myself using the bedside table; that was a few years ago and I’m not sure I could accomplish the feat again (and don’t intend to; I’ll go someplace else next time I am back east). I have taken to writing out a very detailed explanation as to what the problems are with the handicap access \ I try to use. I figure if corporate doesn’t get feedback, they can’t know what is wrong with their efforts. Honest, if I could figure out a way to market myself as a consultant and get paid to travel to locations and use the handicap access facilities and write a report I would, but with no particular degree in an engineering or architectural field, I doubt any corp would take me seriously. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839/40 "2011-10-22T23:43:25Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I have taken to writing out a very detailed explanation as to what the problems are with the handicap access \ I try to use. I figure if corporate doesn’t get feedback, they can’t know what is wrong with their efforts. Honest, if I could figure out a way to market myself as a consultant and get paid to travel to locations and use the handicap access facilities and write a report I would, but with no particular degree in an engineering or architectural field, I doubt any corp would take me seriously. _sigh_ I think that is exactly what more people should/need to do, in regards to accessibility issues with businesses, etc. I commend you for doing so in the face of the seeming disinterest corporate heads seem to show. You aren’t the only one doing it and the more that do, the more serious these issues will be taken. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compilation-video-shows-the-utter-absurdity-of-what-accessibility-means-to-some/599839.md?page=3)