BraunAbility, in partnership with 17 mobility dealership locations across the U.S., will be installing 3D accessible parking designs to combat illegal parking in spaces designated for those with mobility disabilities. The 3D access aisles will be installed in parking lots of businesses that sell mobility products, including BraunAbility wheelchair accessible vehicles, to mark the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The goal of the 3D accessible parking design is to bring attention to a significant issue faced by people who use wheelchairs, and the optical illusion of a raised barrier is designed to stop someone from parking on the access aisle, keeping it open for a wheelchair van ramp to deploy. Accessible parking abuse is rampant. In recent U.S. surveys, 74 percent of participants said they have witnessed accessible parking abuse, and 84 percent of BraunAbility customers expressed interest in taking action to prevent accessible parking abuse.
This nationwide 3D painting event is part of a larger movement by BraunAbility called Drive for Inclusion. Drive for Inclusion is a first-of-its-kind initiative to gather and unify the voices of people across the mobility disability spectrum to take action for greater access and inclusion. The first-ever 3D access aisle was revealed by BraunAbility to launch the initiative on May 1 in Speedway, Ind. Another 3D access aisle was installed in Edison, N.J. later the same month.
“The anniversary of the ADA is a vital time to reflect on how far the mobility disability community has come, and more importantly, how far we have to go,” says Staci Kroon, CEO of BraunAbility. “Although the ADA has been in place for nearly 30 years, we know our customers face unnecessary burdens in their daily lives. Through Drive for Inclusion, we are unifying a community to hear from a first-person point of view what issues they face, and working with them to enact change for mobility inclusion. For us, this starts with unobstructed access.”
Mobility dealerships across the country are eager to take part in the Drive for Inclusion movement. In more ways than one, these partners help support local disability communities, and their participation in today’s 3D painting event is one more example of their commitment to this community. Participating partners across the country include:
- Ability Center: Stanton, Calif., Springfield, Ore., Tucson, Ariz.
- Access2Mobility: Tyler, Texas
- Advanced Wheels: East Haven, Conn., East Granby, Conn.
- United Access: Portland, Ore., Highlands Ranch, Colo., Cape Girardeau, Mo., Oklahoma City, Okla., Syracuse, N.Y., Kansas City, Mo.
- Access Vans: Meridian, Idaho
- Bussani Mobility: Mamaroneck, N.Y.; Smithtown, N.Y.
- Superior Van & Mobility: Fishers, Ind.
The list of partners will continue to grow, as an additional 46 mobility dealerships have committed to painting a 3D Access Aisle in 2019.
People with disabilities make up the largest minority in the world, according to the United Nations, and mobility disabilities affect one in eight adults in the U.S. Yet the daily challenges faced by this group, like parking, are largely ignored by society as a whole.
Anyone who has a mobility disability, or who cares for someone with a mobility disability, is invited to join the first-of-its-kind online survey community aimed at gathering all voices from the mobility disability spectrum. Learn more at www.BraunAbility.com/TheDrivingForce and become part of the change for a more mobility inclusive world.