The 49er Shops would like to respond to the editorial printed in the Nov. 9, 2009 issue of the Daily 49er regarding Americans with Disabilities Act access at the Outpost Grill and Convenience Store.
It is important to note that the Shops are in full compliance with all ADA regulations mandated by federal, state and local building codes. The blue and white wheelchair access signs are not posted to indicate that there is a door assist, but to note that the building is in compliance with all ADA regulations.
However, we understand that there is room for improvement and the Shops have been working to make our facilities more accessible. For example, in March 2009 the Shops commissioned the Associated Students Secretary of Students with Disabilities to conduct an inspection of our facilities and offer recommendations for improvements.
Those recommendations included a request for door assists in several locations. As a result of those suggestions, we added door assists to the Bookstore side entrance, the Nugget main entrance and the Chartroom entrance. The Outpost doors were included in this year’s capitol budget but, unfortunately, we have had to delay a number of capital improvements until funding is available.
The Shops appreciates the efforts of the Daily 49er in highlighting the issue of accessibility on campus. Additionally, the Shops agree with the basic premise of the editorial and have been making investments in our facilities for some time to improve accessibility. The Shops will continue to address accessibility as funding becomes available, and we will continue to work with our campus partners to exceed minimum accessibility requirements.
Rosa Hernandez-Henderson,
49er Shops Inc. Director of Communications