Mélange Accessibility for All Magazine October 2021 | Page 53

To Table of Contents there . The result will be less rooms , because we want bigger rooms and to make sure that everything is fully accessible . No matter who shows up , wheelchairs , scooter , or whatever they may show up with , there ’ ll always be a room for that person . We are installing an elevator system in a 109-year-old building that never had an elevator , and we ' re actually taking it all the way to the roof top bar .
We invest in technology companies that serve people with disabilities and we ' re bringing a lot of technology into the hotel that ’ s going to make people comfortable . We ' re working really hard to try to think of everything . We ' re coming up with something very creative with the bar , a three-sided bar . Not only will it have the usual tall stools that you ’ d find in regular bars but one side of the bar will be lowered . Someone in a wheelchair can come straight up to the bar and feel comfortable , and if their companion is not in a wheelchair , there will be a chair right next to them at the low level . The second aspect is the floor , which will be modulated so the bartender won ’ t be looking down at the person in the wheelchair but will be at eye level with them .
If somebody checks in and they have hearing limitations , there will be an iPad right there at check-in , at the restaurant , bar and at other places in the hotel , where , with one push of a button , within seconds , they ' ll have a sign interpreter available to them . If someone drives
into town , and they ' ve had their service dog in their car for hours , there ’ ll be an area immediately at the front door , so service animals can have a place to relieve themselves .
For family members with autism , we are taking that to another level . What was once the school ’ s basement will be a fitness center , a conference room and a meditation / sensory room . It is nice for families to know that for a family member with autism in a new environment , located in the same building is a sensory room for their use .
We ’ re catering to every type of disability . We ’ re taking a lot of pride in the online reservation system where there ' s going to be questionnaires to gauge how we can make your stay more comfortable . All considerations will be there . If you have someone who is allergic to a specific type of pillow , if they want to tell us what room