Sunday, March 16, 2008
Bank's decision deserves thanks
Shanna Flowers
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Thank you, HomeTown Bank, on behalf of the Antoinette Kimbles of the Roanoke Valley.
By backing off its short-sighted construction plans for a new branch on Electric Road, HomeTown will make the disabled feel welcome along with everyone else conducting business in the lobby.
That's understandably important to people such as Kimble, who has been in a wheelchair for two months. She said she banks at Woodforest National Bank inside Wal-Mart, where the teller windows and automated teller machine are low enough for wheelchair users.
But in her short time using a wheelchair, Kimble, of Roanoke, said she has become acutely aware of the issues confronting the area's disabled.
"I'm learning a lot of things that need to be accessible, like sidewalks and stores," said Kimble, 55, who was zipping along Fourth Street on her motorized wheelchair Friday afternoon.
She said she uses a wheelchair because she tires easily when she walks any distance and cannot stand long.
We able-bodied types don't think the height of a teller station is a big deal. For us, it isn't.
But think about trying to cash your check or sign a deposit or withdrawal slip sitting at least a foot lower and several inches out from the teller, coupled with having a physical disability. Puts a different perspective on the issue, huh?
Kimble appreciated HomeTown's reversal from an earlier proposal to relegate wheelchair users to a special room off the lobby.
Citing security concerns, HomeTown had proposed high teller windows in the bank's lobby to prevent would-be robbers from jumping over the counter.
The bank had planned to serve wheelchair users in another room. Roanoke County building officials wisely rejected the idea.
Not only would that have been segregating a segment of customers, but the plan was also a potential violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The act requires "equal enjoyment" of public facilities.
"Separate is not equal," Kimble said firmly.
But to their credit, bank officials agreed late last week to end the needless conflict by agreeing to place one 30-inch-tall teller window at the end of a row of 40-inch-high windows.
"It sure makes a difference," Kimble said.
The bank accessibility issue was disputed largely out of public view, unlike the complaints a few years ago about the inaccessibility of some downtown businesses.
Accessibility issues should be important not just to the disabled but to everyone, Kimble said.
"This is the age where everybody is living longer," she said. "You've got to be prepared for that."
Shanna Flowers' column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
