Kenny do it? You bet he can!
Written by admin2 on September 2nd, 2009Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board
“The blog is getting results.”
Meet the trailblazer behind TheTravelingWheelchair.com…after the jump!
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Extracting from Emily Sweeney’s 2008 article for boston.com:
[Massachusetts-based Kenny] Cieplik visits all types of establishments—banks, beaches, post offices, libraries, restaurants, and parks—and rates them on their wheelchair accessibility, using a scale of zero to five stars. (Zero is bad, five stars is best.) The result: an emerging map-by-blog that paints a comprehensive picture of the region’s accessibility—from a wheelchair user’s perspective. On that recent visit to the aquarium, Cieplik was accompanied by his mother, Paula Cieplik, and three aides—Kevin Baez, Ric Conlon, and Kellie Barros. They took note of the aquarium’s accessible restrooms, the special ticket window that’s low enough to accommodate wheelchairs, and the wheelchair spaces in the IMAX theater. They also spoke with the aquarium’s communication director, who told them that there are plans to make the top level accessible to wheelchairs within the next five years. Some establishments are more wheelchair-friendly than others. For example, Cieplik has gone to restaurants that are listed as handicapped-accessible, only to find that his wheelchair can’t fit through the restroom doors, or that he must ride in a darkened freight elevator to get to the upper floors, or that he doesn’t have room to maneuver his wheelchair . . . ”When you see the comments on the site, you can see the impact he’s been making,” said Kathleen Kenney, an orientation and mobility specialist who works with Cieplik. The blog also caught the eye of Povo.com, a local start-up that’s producing a Wikipedia-style guide to places around Boston. The company’s CEO wants to compile a list of places that have received five-star ratings from the TheTravelingWheelchair.com and feature them on Povo. Cieplik didn’t always have trouble getting around. He was an athletic boy until age 11. But on Jan. 30, 1987, while he and his family were on their way to ski at Loon Mountain, Kenny developed a severe headache. It turned out to be an brain aneurysm, and when he awoke from a coma eight months later, he was legally blind and unable to move. Cieplik still has vision problems, and his lung volume is low, so he speaks in a breathy whisper. He often spells out words with his fingers—tracing each letter on his thigh—to communicate with others. Because he cannot type, Cieplik relies on his friends and caregivers to help post reviews on TheTravelingWheelchair.com. The website focuses on details that able-bodied people often overlook: Are there handicapped parking spaces nearby? Is there a ramp? Automatic doors? Is the entrance wide enough for a wheelchair? Are there safety rails in the bathroom? Are the pipes underneath the sink covered? (Exposed pipes can burn the knees of someone in a wheelchair.) He’s proud of the reviews he’s done so far, and the blog itself. “It’s the best,” he said. “I love helping out the community.” Every review on TheTravelingWheelchair.com contains specific recommendations of how the place can improve their rating.
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Quoting equalrightscenter.org’s summer 2009 newsletter (PDF):
In addition to his Web site, Kenny Cieplik has experienced great political influence. On June 6, 2009, he served as one of four people on the disability panel for the Massachusetts Democratic National Convention and provided guidance on disability issues to the party platform.
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Quoting John Tessier, writing in February for southcoasttoday.com:
Kenny Cieplik was provided the opportunity of a lifetime on January 20th when he attended the 2009 Presidential Inauguration of President Barack Obama thanks to Congressman Barney Frank. The congressman secured two tickets to the 2009 Presidential Inauguration for Kenny. ”I am a strong Democrat and was honored to get the tickets,” Mr. Cieplik said. He and his friends created a website last year to rate and publicize handicap accessible issues at public places and events. He evaluated his experience at the inauguration, noting that “the grounds were fully wheelchair accessible and had a wheelchair accessible Port-A-Potty, yet, the main problem regarding accessibility for the disabled, was lack of security, lack of guidance and lack of help.” Despite the negatives, though, Mr. Cieplik said the day was an exciting experience.
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Kenny uses the following scale to rate the places he visits:
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Learn more at thetravelingwheelchair.com
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