Malls plan easier
access to disabled
By RICK MALWITZ, NJ
Home News Tribune on the Web, July 13, 2005
The state Division on Civil Rights
has obtained commitments from six major shopping centers in New Jersey,
including one in Edison, to allow persons with disabilities easier access to
their front doors.
In studies of 28 shopping centers in the state, the division found that the six
malls were deficient because of the lack of power-assisted or automatic doors at
mall entrances. Each of the six malls, including the Menlo Park Mall in
Edison, agreed to improve access.
According to the Office of the Attorney General, which issued the report
yesterday, the Simon Property Group, which owns the Menlo Park Mall, is
accepting bids and will have three automatic doors installed by the end of the
year.
"These improvements represent important progress," said Attorney General Peter
C. Harvey.
"The fact is that modern shopping malls are hubs of commerce and community.
While many of us may take it for granted, the simple act of entering or leaving
a shopping mall can be difficult — if not impossible — for someone using a
wheelchair, a walker or other mobility aid," Harvey added.
Anita Ellington of Perth Amboy, who uses a walker and a scooter in public
places, said the only access she now has to the Menlo Park Mall is through an
entrance at Nordstrom's, an anchor store located at one end of the mall.
"No matter where I shop inside I have to go through Nordstrom's," said
Ellington.
The three new automatic doors to the mall will permit direct entrance to mall's
main corridors.
"We've been working with the division to update all facilities," said Anita
Clavering of Old Bridge, a member of the Monday Morning Advocacy Network of
Middlesex County that works with government agencies on issues affecting the
disabled.
 |
|
| The interior of Edison's Menlo Park Mall as
it appeared on March 16, 2004. The mall is one of six in the state that
has vowed to upgrade access to the physically disabled. |
|
"Unless you're working with the
disabled, you don't know how hard it can be to get into places like malls," said
Clavering.
Harvey noted that installation of power-assisted doors is not explicitly
included in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"However, we believe that the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the
division's regulations on disability discrimination require installation of such
devices as a reasonable accommodation," he said.
Fifteen of the 28 malls inspected by the division were found in full compliance
with the state's interpretation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
These include the Brunswick Square Mall in East Brunswick, the Bridgewater
Commons and the Jersey Gardens mall in Elizabeth.
Seven malls, including the Woodbridge Center mall, were found to lack signage at
inaccessible entrances, directing disabled customers to accessible entrances.
|
