Last weekend, I brought my 8-year-old daughter to a very large museum. Though my daughter is healthy, I knew that she would get tired walking through the galleries, so I decided to borrow a wheelchair from the coat check for her. (I’d recently used one at the airport for my mother, who is elderly and frail.) We had a lovely time looking at art and returned the wheelchair a few hours later. My question: Was it OK for us to use it? We didn’t need the wheelchair, but it made our visit more comfortable and pleasant. –Mom
I am in agreement with Mr. Galanes’s response and share it in in its entirety:
“I think it was a mistake to borrow a wheelchair for a child without mobility issues. Still, questions of accessibility are sometimes judgment calls, so let me take you through my reasoning, then you can decide for yourself.
Some people with disabilities need the features of accessible buildings: wheelchair ramps, for instance, or accessible bathroom stalls. But those amenities aren’t reserved for them. Assuming that no one else is using them, anyone can walk up the ramp or take the larger stall.
Likewise, it seems reasonable that your mother, whom you describe as “elderly and frail,” might need a wheelchair in an airport. But your daughter didn’t need one to get around the museum. The reality is this: Your museum plan was too ambitious for a young child.
It would have been better to plan a shorter visit that was more appropriate for her age and stamina. If another person who needed a wheelchair tried to borrow one while you had it, that person may have had to wait. You also may have sent your daughter the unintended message that the needs of the disabled are less important than your convenience.”
