Wheels With a View

Eating out? Here’s my top ten tips (in no particular order) to help make the experience more wheelchair friendly:

10. When making a reservation, let the restaurant know there will be a wheelchair in your party. Some places have a limited number of accessible tables, so it’s a good rule of thumb to plan ahead.

9. Let all of your dining partners know about potential accessibility issues. That way no one is caught off guard.

8. If you happen to be the one in the wheelchair, wear comfortable shoes. You never know when you might have to transfer out of your chair or, if you can, climb a few stairs.

7. Pick a restaurant that has a lot of space in between tables, especially if there is an electric wheelchair involved. Extra space means more room to navigate when the restaurant gets crowded.

6. If you can easily transfer out of your wheelchair into a booth, say so. Sometimes the seating host or hostess will assume that you can’t and that can mean waiting longer for a table.

5. If you want a good handicapped parking space, eat in the suburbs. Beautiful paved parking lots are everywhere out there.

4. In the city, pick restaurants located near accessible public transportation. If the transportation is accessible, the curb cuts are likely to be better too.

3. An accessible restroom is a must…especially toward the end of the evening… in a bar.

2. And speaking of bars, wine bars are more fun for people in wheelchairs than other types of bars. That’s because the tables are often lower. It’s always better to be able to look who you’re talking to in the eye without getting a neck cramp. And talking to someone perched on a bar stool all night almost always leads to neck cramping!

1. Go to sports bars that serve food. The tables are more likely to be low there too.

Thanks for suggesting I make a list, David! Check out the other top ten list entries in this carnival.