A Birthday Adventure Derailed

Author: Sheri Denkensohn-Trott

I try to take advantage of the amenities of Washington DC. And that was the focus of a one-month advanced planning session with my friend Rosemary to attend an exhibit called ARTECHOUSE D.C. This innovative, immersive, cutting-edge technological art exhibit exists around the country and opened in DC this past summer. Schedules took over a month to coordinate but we were able to go ON the birthday.

I purchased the tickets on the site called Goldstar that I use often. It provides discount tickets to a variety of arts and related events around the city. I find it to be very reliable for individuals with disabilities to get accessible seating. This exhibit is not timed or seated, so the purchase experience was different. I got confirmation that the tickets were paid for and a receipt. I thought it was strange that I didn’t get any form of ticket, but I figured maybe it was a different process, and notification would be closer to the date.

The week before our scheduled date I still had not received any form of “ticket” and I emailed Goldstar customer service with no answer. The day before, still nothing but Rosemary and I decided that two women in wheelchairs on a Monday afternoon would not be turned away and it would not likely be crowded. Monday morning my email box had the tickets, confirmation of the address, notification of hours, visiting was untimed, and a customer service survey. Yes, one of my pet peeves. You get the survey before you even go?

I double checked the website for the address, and we were all set. Getting to the venue is Metro accessible, but it was a rainy day, and we were able to get a ride in my van. If we took the Metro, it was about a six-block roll to the museum. Off we went excited that we finally pulled this off.

My personal assistant dropped us off and we told her that we would text, but 90 minutes was a good ballpark timeframe for pickup. She left. When we got inside the first red flag was a counter that was not accessible. We were asked to scan our tickets, but we could not reach so Rosemary took my phone and handed it to the gentleman for scanning. We did not miss the opportunity to tell them that the desk violated guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Then there was a bit of a kerfuffle behind the desk with people walking back and forth. Soon, an attendant returned telling us that they were very sorry, but the elevator was out of service and we should have been notified by email and it was on the website. The exhibit can only be accessed by using stairs. I responded that I did not get an email telling me about the elevator outage and it was not on the website. He disappeared again and they told us we could use the freight elevator. Yes, sort of like the back door but we were determined to do this. Once again, he left and returned telling us that he felt very bad but the freight elevator was not usable.

At this point, “very sorry” was no excuse for us. Rosemary, who is certainly not shy when it comes to accessibility matters, already had her camera ready. She rightly asked how long the elevator had been out of service. The “Temporarily” on the sign was answered with, “About a month and a half.” I loudly said, “Really! That is not temporary!” Rosemary was snapping pictures like a paparazzi. We were both fuming, and no apology was going to make it better. He gave us our money back but that was no solace for our long-planned birthday outing.

We went to a Starbucks across the street while we waited for my attendant to pick us up. We had a nice visit, but just because of our disabilities we shouldn’t just sigh and say oh well, here we go again. Not acceptable. I was so ticked off that the minute I got home I filed an ADA complaint with the US Department of Justice and the District of Columbia, Office of Human Rights. I also answered the pre-received customer service survey. I blasted them. Social media works. I’ve been notified that multiple individuals have read and commented on my review. I also emailed the listed manager.

A couple of takeaways. If we had taken the Metro, between getting dressed for the outdoors, Metro time and rolling to the site, finding out that the elevator was out of service, rolling back to the Metro to ride home, would have taken approximately five hours. Both of us are self-employed so even though we blocked off our day, technically we missed work. We cannot jump in and out of an Uber to get there and back. This was an inconvenience that could have been avoided. And I am done with excuses. Obviously, the standard operational procedure for notification was not followed (if it actually exists). I should have gotten an email that morning about the elevator instead of the customer service survey. And, I looked at the website like a responsible person and there was nothing there. It is not like the elevator just went out. There should’ve been a notice on the website for the entire outage.

Two weeks later I received an email from the manager apologizing for the inconvenience. I was invited back and told that I would be accommodated. We could probably go back for free, but the ship has sailed for our schedules to mesh, and the birthday fun is long gone. Quite frankly, I don’t want to go back.

Let this be a lesson to other establishments. Individuals with disabilities are consumers and we will take our money and spend our time where we are respected. Even though filing complaints takes time, I will continue to do so. No more getting off the hook.