Adel man continues mission to improve accessibility for thousands of Iowans
For almost a decade Robert Fisher has had no issues navigating the Hy-Vee store he works at in Waukee. He weaves his way in his motorized wheelchair to put items customers decide they don't want back on the shelves.
Store Manager Tonia Pettersen says Fisher never stops working or advocating.
"Having Robert work here is a huge benefit to our store and our company because he can see things we cannot see," Pettersen said.
Making sure the store is accessible for everyone. Fisher says it starts with how he enters it.
"They put in the automatic door, and it makes it really easy for me to get in," Fisher said.
While he didn't need to ask Hy-Vee to do it, he won't stop fighting to get the feature added elsewhere.
He's already had success. In January of last year, Fisher was pushing for a power door to be installed at a post office in Adel because the door they had at the entrance, was too heavy for him to open himself.
Previous coverage: After months of trying, USPS agrees to install handicap accessible door at Adel Post Office
Fisher was successful in that fight. Thanks to his efforts, they installed a power door last year.
Now, he wants the doors installed at businesses like gas stations and convenience stores so thousands of Iowans like him have easier access to places they need to get into.
Fisher's biggest obstacle is that while there are multiple laws in place regulating accessibility, including stipulations surrounding how wide a door is and the strength it takes to open, they haven't required businesses to include any type of power door.
That includes doors with a push-button option or ones that open automatically as someone approaches.
These laws aren't updated very often. The last time the Americans with Disabilities Act was tinkered with was nearly 15 years ago.
Daniel Van Sant is the Director of Disability Policy at the Harkin Institute, which bears the name of the former Iowa Senator who wrote the ADA.
"We are constantly weighing when do we open up that discussion versus do we maintain what we've got and look for ways to improve voluntarily," Van Sant said.
» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: |
Get the latest headlines from vlog
He says while a policy change might not be on the horizon because of red tape in amending a law, it's just good business to make it as easy as possible for all customers to get through the door.
"You're in business because you want to make money," Van Sant said. "There was a study in 2018 from Accenture that found that businesses that were inclusive of disability had 28% higher revenue and 30% higher profit margins than their competitors that were not inclusive of disability."
»
Fisher's bottom line is simple: "I'm that guy that works very hard to make sure that companies know, I can get the handicap button in or the handicap door in. They need to realize that."
Fisher started a petition, hosted a town hall and reached out to multiple businesses he frequents in Adel. There haven't been any changes yet. But he refuses to stop.
Another win for Fisher's cause: now mandate new construction for facilities that have occupant loads of greater than 300 or 500 depending on the purpose the building serves must have at least one power door for the public to use.
The city of Des Moines says this went into effect here on March 1, 2024.