The Traveling Wheelchair

3 Boylston Place
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617- 351-2515
http://www.sweetwatercafeboston.com/home.html

After leaving the Massachusetts Transportation Building in City Plaza my mom, friends and I looked around for a restaurant to have some lunch. The first one we saw was Sweet Water Café which is located right next to the side entrance of the Transportation Building. Sadly this restaurant is NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE due to one small step at the entry door.

There is an outdoor patio with tables for outdoor dining but NONE of the tables are wheelchair accessible because they are too tall. If I was in my Permobil C350 Power Chair I could have elevated my seat but I was in my manual chair when we were here.

We asked an employee if there is wheelchair access to the dining room and were told; “Sorry –No”. Looking inside the entry door we noticed this restaurant appeared dark and all we could was a bar and tall bar/style tables. If we brought my EZ Access Threshold Ramp that came free with my EZ Access Suitcase Ramp I would have been able to get into this restaurant.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, “businesses that provide goods and services to the public are already required to remove structural barriers to access by people with disabilities when removal is “readily achievable”. A one step entrance is considered “readily achievable”. The ONLY Massachusetts city or town that I know of who enforces this is the  Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities and Cambridge Human Rights Commission due to an ‘ordinance amendment’ the Cambridge City Council unanimously passed on March 3, 2008. Obviously, the City Of Boston does not enforce the ADA.

I give Sweet Water Café in Boston ZERO STARS for wheelchair accessibility. In order to earn any Stars they would need to place an accessible threshold at the entry door; and place some accessible tables on the outdoor patio and inside the restaurant.