Meet the Access Nerds, two accessibility experts who love sharing their knowledge about accessibility through hilarious and informative social media posts. 

In their everyday life, they are also known as Kaylan Dunlap, a senior accessibility specialist, and Ernest Wuethrich, an accessibility program manager. Kaylan describes herself as a recovering perfectionist, and enjoys knitting baby blankets for her tiny relatives. Ernest loves all kinds of music, but has a special spot for Enya because his mother played her music all the time. 

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The two met at an Access Code Collaboration meeting and discovered that they had the same sense of humor. They started Access Nerds together as a way to share their enthusiasm for accessibility and educate others about what accessibility means. The content on Access Nerds highlight access fails as well as access wins that they encounter in everyday life – from navigating pavements, finding parking, staying at hotel rooms and eating at restaurants. 

For the Access Nerds, accessibility is not a switch that can be turned off. Kaylan’s physical therapy background and her use of a wheelchair means that her approach to accessibility combines technical understanding of the different disability types with personal experience. Ernest studied landscape design but gravitated towards designing for accessibility because he thought it was really cool. 

I sat down with my laptop one evening to chat to the Access Nerds over Zoom. It’s always exciting to talk to people who geek out about the same things as you.

Michelle: Where is your favorite place to eat? 

Kaylan: Before Covid-19, it was my sister and brother-in-law’s place. My brother-in-law smokes meat in their backyard and they make amazing brisket. 

Right now, it’s Hero Doughnuts for a casual Friday afternoon lunch. It’s in a good location, the sidewalks to get there are in good shape and it’s in a new building. To be honest they could still make a few improvements, like adding accessible tables and handrails to the ramp. But the staff know me and they are helpful.  

Ernest: Before the pandemic, it was Bistro Jeanty, which has comfort food, and The Restaurant at Meadowood which managed to be fancy but not pretentious. 

These days I like my local taqueria, Taqueria Las Palmas. Unfortunately the building they are in is from the 50’s and when it comes to accessibility, they definitely have room for improvement.

Michelle: Can you think of a time when you felt unwelcome when going out to eat?

Kaylan: Sadly it’s way too easy to come up with examples of being unwanted. I’m usually the leader in the group – when I go out to eat with my family, I’m usually the one who speaks to the staff about getting a table. But the staff will look right past me and respond to someone else.

I also feel unwelcome when the place is physically inaccessible, there are no accessible restrooms or there’s only bar seating. For example, a local ice cream shop opened up last year. I was really excited about it, but when I turned up, the entrance was all gravel and it was completely inaccessible. It became the very first post on Access Nerds.

It makes me feel really exhausted to be honest. It’s a reminder of all the work that we still need to do. It’s easier if there are one or two other people with me because there are witnesses, but if I’m with a large group, it becomes humiliating because we have to go elsewhere. I end up stewing over the meal. It’s hard to let go of the feeling. 

On the flipside, if a restaurant has a good route to an accessible table, and a good route to the restrooms, it’s great. I feel welcome when staff don’t make a big deal about my disability and know what to do. It’s very obvious when restaurants have a process and a plan because the service is seamless. 

Ernest: It’s so different navigating the world with young children. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant because my son loves pho. The table next to us started imitating my daughter, who has Pitt-Hopkins syndrome. It feels terrible to be mocked.

I’ve also noticed that accessible tables are not always inclusive. Often the accessible seat will be at the end of the aisle, making it difficult for people with disabilities to converse with their group. 

Kaylan: Or sometimes the staff members will suggest that you sit in a booth, and try to take your mobility device away. Access is not just about building code. Business owners need to look at how employees interact with customers.

Michelle: How do you feel when you encounter an accessible experience?

Kaylan: I end up feeling like everyone else. I don’t have to think about accessibility, so it frees up brainspace to think about everything else, like the food, the company I’m with, and building memories and connections.

Ernest: There’s a level of frustration when I see something that is already constructed and the barriers are obvious. Decisions would have been made at multiple points, and it’s clear that the people on the project do not yet have the knowledge. So I get excited when there are accessibility features that are just there and not just an afterthought. I’ve worked with some restaurants where they are so far ahead that they surpass minimum requirements, and that makes it a stress free and fun project.

Michelle: What are your accessibility must haves?

Ernest: Accessible parking and entrances.

Kaylan: Agreed. Being able to get in the door is the first step. I don’t want to walk in the front door and be confronted with a long flight of stairs – I’m not going to crawl up just to get in!

Michelle: How can we make accessibility cool?

Kaylan: Businesses must see that they are losing customers. There is a misconception that disabled people don’t have money to spend. That’s not true at all, and people with disabilities can be valuable customers too. It’s a lot of money that is not in their pocket.

I also think that hospitality programs at colleges need to teach accessibility. I spoke to a hotel about their accessibility a few years back and found out that they get a lot of their staff from the hospitality college next door. I asked, and it didn’t look like accessibility was on the curriculum. College kids like diversity and inclusion so they’ll probably enjoy learning about it. 

Ernest: Even though I love building code, Kaylan always reminds me that accessibility is not just building code. The Building Code is a minimum design requirement to provide access.  The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) is a Civil Right Law to provide equal access. We need to address the combativeness in the design industry, which sees access as an inconvenience. We need to educate people coming up in the design industry. 

Civil rights is talked about a lot these days. Well, access is a civil right too, and we need to talk about it.

Takeaway Box:

• Accessibility is not just a legislative requirement, it’s an imperative for businesses that want to make money.
• Accessibility is more than just building code – it’s also about how employees interact with customers.
• It’s important to make sure customers can get to the venue and in through the door. Make sure that there are accessible parking spaces and no hazards outside the entrance. 
• Make accessibility an integrated part of design, not an afterthought. 
• To continue learning about accessibility, follow the Access Nerds on Twitter and Facebook