The Traveling Wheelchair

66 Central Square
Bridgewater, MA 02324
Phone: 508-697-0903
http://www.bridgewaterma.org/Government/Health/index.shtml

After visiting  Bridgewater Town Hall and Memorial Building – Bridgewater Selectmen Office, my friends and I headed to the Academy Building, which is where the offices of the Bridgewater Board of Health, Bridgewater Water Department and Bridgewater Inspectional Services are located.

We parked in a handicap parking space in the parking lot, located in front of the building. We saw steps leading to the front entrance, so we looked for a sign that would lead be to the handicap entrance. Located at the front entrance, there is a Bridgewater Lions Club drop-off-box that looks like a mail box, for people to donate used eyeglasses and hearing aids.

We saw a sign that states: “To obtain the Handicap Lift Key kindly go to the dispatchers desk at the Bridgewater Fire Department located at 22 School Street”. My friends and I were confused after reading this sign; we could not believe that the Town Officials of Bridgewater would inconvenience a person in a wheelchair, by asking them to travel to the Fire Station to obtain the Handicap Lift Key, when they could easily have the key inside this building.

We looked around and were happy to see a wheelchair accessible ramp that is located on the right side of the building; this ramp leads to a side entry door; the entry door is not automatic, but a nice woman came to help me open the door. 

Once inside, we saw the handicap lift; this lift leads to the basement; it is the kind of lift where a platform unfolds over the stairs; the lift will bring a person, along the side of the stairs to the basement level of the building.

We then proceeded to the office of the Bridgewater Board of Health, which is the only office on the first floor. We met a very nice man in this office. We asked this nice man why the sign, asking handicap persons to go to the Fire Station to obtain a key to the handicap lift, was still posted in front of the building, when they have a wheelchair accessible ramp. We told him that if we had not looked around the building and saw the ramp, we would have headed to the Fire Station. He told us that the sign should have been taken down many years ago.

He then told us that the lift was built to take persons in need to the basement in case of a disaster. He said that Bridgewater is a HOST town in the event if a disaster were to happen, in the area of Plymouth. The lift would only be used in case of a disaster; it would be used to accommodate persons in need to the basement level, where surgery would be performed. The basement level is only used to organize and plan for disasters. This nice man said that he would ask the appropriate person to remove the sign, posted out front.

We were then introduced to Jeff, an assistant to one of the selectmen. We explained that the front sign posted is misleading and he assured us, with certainty that the sign would be removed and a sign will go up to stating where the handicap entrance is lacated. Jeff was very kind, sensitive and respectful.

We explained to Jeff that we stopped by to see how wheelchair accessible the building is and asked if there was a second level to the building.

Ruthie, another nice town employee approached us and joined in on our conversation. Ruthie told us that the offices of Inspectional Services and the Water Department are located on second level. Ruthie said that there is NO ELEVATOR to the second level; she went on to say that on many occasions, there have been persons in wheelchairs, mothers with baby carriages and persons with physical disabilities who have come to the building to do business on the second level. Ruthie told me that she would come downstairs and process the necessary paper work for those who can’t access the second floor. Ruthie was also very nice, sensitive and respectful. I believe that she was very sincere.

Ruthie told us that she has attended many of the town meetings, where it has been voted and approved on to install an elevator in the building and money has been put aside for this project. It was only a matter of time before an elevator would be installed which will make the building and offices of the Inspectional Services and Water Department fully accessible and convenient for all citizens to use :>)

As for the accessibility of the restrooms: the Men’s restroom is spacious and fully wheelchair accessible with the ADA required safety grab bars; a wheelchair accessible sink that is of a good height; but the pipes underneath the sink are not covered as is now ADA required. The Women’s restroom is NOT wheelchair accessible at all; the door to the women’s room is too narrow for any sized wheelchair to fit through; it is approximately half the width of the men’s room door. This is very disappointing :<)

I give the Academy Building ONE STAR for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn the other Four Stars, they would need to remove the misleading sign at the front of the building and replace it with a sign that states where the handicap entrance is located; install an automatic entry door at the accessible entrance; install a wider women’s restroom entrance door so a woman in a wheelchair can access the women’s restroom; place protective covering around the pipes under the accessible sink in the men’s restroom; and install an elevator so all citizens can access the offices of the Inspectional Services and Water Department, located on the second floor.

I give Five Stars to all the town employees I met for being sensitive, respectful and understanding of the need for equal access!!