Hospitals and clinics are the first places you’d expect to have ramps and accessible entrances for people in wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and the like. Alas, a Georgia woman was on her way to a government-mandated medical appointment for her disability claim, but the clinic she was supposed to visit didn’t have any disability access. Fortunately, her wife was there to help look around, yet it was quite ridiculous that a place where patients were to get their disability claims lacked any sort of disability access.
Inside, the woman informed the front desk worker about the lack of disability access, to which they replied that “they are aware.” Apparently, the building didn’t have a ramp because it had been “grandfathered in.” Besides the lack of entry for disabled people, another bizarre thing about this appointment is that the government contracted it out to a “weight loss clinic.” The Georgia woman commented, “That was another weird thing. Apparently they contract out these appointments. It was super weird and uncomfortable.”
In the end, the woman ended up filing a complaint with the ADA and was done with it. However, many commenters in her r/mildlyinfuriating post still felt quite annoyed that the state forces disabled people to deal with such inaccessibility for appointments. “Sometimes the government incompetence feels intentional. This is way beyond mildly infuriating. I feel so bad for people in this situation. What are you really expected to do here?” questions a top commenter. “Staying alive as a disabled person in the U.S. (and honestly most countries) can be a more than full time job,” added another.
Hopefully, the government-contracted weight-loss clinic will eventually provide disability access for patients coming to them for appointments. Dealing with personal issues as a disabled person is challenging enough, but to be humiliated on top of that by a clinic that’s supposed to offer help is downright wrong.
