Advertising Good Causes: Wheelchair Accessibility

One very important area where advertising techniques can have a huge impact is in raising awareness of accessibility for wheelchair users in their local towns and cities.

This is a way of learning about such benefits as wheelchair accessible RV rentals for taking open road vacations that in the past were off limits to people with disabilities, or more every day items such as access to public buildings, parks and play areas and ways in which anyone's home can be made more wheelchair friendly.

Accessibility features for wheelchair users have improved immensely in the last few years as awareness has been raised thanks to the unceasing work of those involved in charities and pressure groups.

In the past, it would have been a rarity to find a public building with easy wheelchair access. But now the reverse is true and you would be hard pressed to find a public building without a wheelchair ramp or stairlift installed in addition to wider doorways and entrances to make accessing the building and its interior floors easy for wheelchair users.

Getting it Right

Parks and play areas have been remodelled in many areas to provide sloping ramps for wheelchairs where in the past only steps were in place to allow people to climb to different levels. Sidewalks too have been remodelled in towns and cities at crossing points to create flush ramps between the sidewalk and the road surface so that wheelchairs don't have to "bump" up and down on high kerbstones.

Many places have gotten it right, although there are still plenty of street crossing points where the ramp has been installed but still raised an inch or two from the road surface, kind of eliminating the benefit of having a ramp there, especially for users of electric mobility scooters with small wheels who feel the jolt of bumping down these ramps while sometimes getting stuck on the other side of the street where their wheels won't go up the ramp because of the raised surface.

Wheelchair Accessible Transportation

Vehicles meant for transporting wheelchair users have also become much more sophisticated these days with motorized ramps for easy access and comfortable seats that make it easy to transfer from the wheelchair and back again. RVs have already been mentioned as one area that used to be prohibited to wheelchairs simply because they were not designed for that purpose.

In the past, it was expected that wheel chair users would not want to take an open road vacation because of the limitations of not being in close proximity to medical assistance if they needed it. This was restrictive for anyone about to travel when costs could be high and the budget was tight.

Modern thinking has turned that around and now you can buy or rent RVs that have been specially customized for wheelchair access with wider doors and interior passage, handicap bathroom facilities and all the comforts of home along with a motorized ramp for getting in and out.

Most of these improvements have come about in no small measure thanks to the power of promotion and advertising good causes to get the people that needed to listen to hear the needs of users of wheelchairs and then to put plans into action. The result is a much improved world where everyone no matter what their disability has access to all the things everyone else has.