News — Truncated Domes

Since September, a San Diego man has filed nine lawsuits against properties hosting unpermitted marijuana storefronts, alleging landlords are discriminating against disabled customers. Illegal storefronts likely have a higher incentive to settle such suits rather go to court, which would make their existence much more conspicuous. Karel Spikes wanted to buy marijuana. He just couldn’t get his wheelchair through the door. Since September, the San Diego-based entertainer has filed nine civil rights lawsuits against properties hosting unpermitted marijuana storefronts. Citing state and federal disability laws, Spikes alleges that the landlords are discriminating against people like him because they haven’t provided...

Illegal pot shops around the county tend to pop up faster than authorities can shut them down. But even when a business is operating without a permit, it’s still supposed to adhere to laws aimed at providing access to the disabled. One disabled San Diego resident has targeted nine illegal storefronts so far with lawsuits alleging they discriminated against him by not providing him proper access, VOSD’s Jesse Marx reports. Some of the shops have opted to pay the man to settle, rather than risk being dragged into court, where their existence would become much more visible. One landlord, though, is fighting the...

By Janne Flisrand       Janne Flisrand spends her time thinking about how people interact with the space around them. Why do they (or don't they) walk or bike or shop somewhere? How do spaces feel? Why do people sit here and not there? Why bus instead of bike, bike instead of drive? What sorts of spaces build community, and what sorts kills it? Can spaces build civic trust and engagement? Does ADA Even Apply to Sidewalks? I live just off Franklin, and have regularly bussed and biked along it for decades. One day many years ago, I was surprised to...

Have you ever exited a Target and been jolted awake by your cart being bounced around, unable to control and vibrations passing though every inch of your body? You may have looked down at those colorful, odd-looking squares near the exit and asked yourself "Why? What are those things? Why are they necessary?!?...They just spilled my coffee!!!" What most of the population does not know is that these colorful squares actually serve a very important purpose! What is the Purpose of ADA Tactile Warning Pads? Tactile warnings provide a distinctive surface pattern of “truncated domes” or cones (which are small...

To most of us, they are "those bumpy yellow thingys" at corners, and along train station platforms, or in front of Costco. But inside the world of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they are called truncated domes, tactile warning systems, or detectable warning tiles, or tactile pavement. But where did they come from? And why? And while we're at it, who invented truncated domes? Strap yourself into your handy Time Machine. Set the time to 1965, and the place to Japan. Tactile blocks, or tenji blocks as they were originally known, were designed by Seiichi Miyake in 1965.  The design was...