Accessibility of IKEA, Hognoul, Belgium

On my way to visit IKEA in Hognoul, Belgium, from Liege, Belgium, I decided to look at IKEA with accessibility in mind.  I was quite happy with what I saw!  (By the way, if you are taking the bus it's 3,20€ euros not 2,10€ like normal!)

I arrived at the bus stop and upon exiting noticed a long crosswalk taking visitors from the bus all the way to the front door.  When following the crosswalk all the way, it is mostly flat.  Although, at the crosswalk on the street, there is about a 1.5 inch lip to get the traveler onto the sidewalk, making this small aspect slightly difficult for wheelchair users travelling alone.

Image of the crosswalk, crossing the main street with small lip to access the sidewalk.

Image shows crosswalk, progressing all the way through parking lot and directly to the main doors of the store.

But, if you arrive by car, there are no obstacles like that!  There are designated accessible spaces and family spaces for those who need them.  The one concern would be that the users need to travel behind parked cars when travelling to the entry.  The entryway has a round turn-style automatically rotating from door and is labelled "entree."  Everything in the store is labelled with French and Dutch, not English, so go with your dictionary if you need that!

Image shows the family parking spaces in front of the entrance to the store.

Image shows the crosswalk, leaving the parking lot and the round turn-style automatic entrance.

After entering, there is a large set of stairs that guide the visitors directly to the second floor.  Take these stairs or the elevator which is found just to the left!  If you look even farther to the left, you will find the restrooms including one family restroom and one accessible restroom with a recycling station nearby.  There is plenty of seating if you need to take a break or wait for someone else in your party!

Image shows a park-bench, accessible restroom door and recycling station.

Image shows stairway leading to the second floor shopping area and elevator to the left.

As you begin your shopping be sure to pick up a slip of paper that helps you keep track of the items you would like to purchase, especially those larger items.  You get to pick those items up from the warehouse, but you need to know its exact product number and location.

While navigating around the store, the path is easy to follow as there are lit arrows on the floor and tactile markings which help to differentiate display space and the path of travel!  The display areas are a bit small, but the route and path of travels are accessible for people using wheelchairs.  The maps in the store are a bit difficult to find and difficult to read if you have any vision loss, but they do show where you are and where you are going as you travel the store's pre-planned route.

Image shows a lit arrow marking the direction of travel on the floor/pathway and the slight ledge that tactilely differentiates the main walkway from the exhibit spaces.

Image shows the map of pathway through the store.  It is tucked behind a corner and out of the path of travel, However, safer for customers, a bit hard to find at times.

As you follow the path around the store you will naturally come upon the cafe after half of your trip.  The counters are at an accessible height for everyone and the seating offers different options for different needs.  There are seats that are higher, regular height at tables and comfortable chairs for informal seating.  The cafe is also the best location in the store for natural lighting.

One area that the store seems to struggle with is an accessible emergency alarm system.  Sadly, it could not be approached by someone who is in a wheelchair and it requires dexterity and the use of single fingers to push in the case of an emergency, leaving it inaccessible for people who use wheelchairs or for those with grip and dexterity issues.

Image shows the cafe, with floor to ceiling windows and a person using a scooter to eat her lunch.

Image shows the emergency alarm system, which has displays close by blocking access for approaching.

Once you have traveled through the entire store, you will easily and naturally make your way to the warehouse portion.  If you have kept track of the items that you want it is really simple to follow the organizational system and locate your items.  The warehouse is enormous and items might be on higher level shelves making them inaccessible to everyone.  There are multiple service desks around if you need help gaining access to your purchases, I would suggest talking with someone at a service desk, they are there to help.  They switched to English and helped us book a delivery of our items.  It only cost 40€ for same day delivery of boxes to the entry level of your apartment!  Very worth it when we arrived by bus!

Image shows floor to ceiling storage space of warehouse storage.

Image shows a cart with stacked boxes and a rolled mattress, along with bags of items attached to the push handles.

After purchasing your items and upon exiting the store there are loading zones that are covered and accessible by car, cart a and wheelchair.  There is only one marked accessible space, but I don't see that as a problem since they are all technically accessible!  

Image shows the loading zone on the left, with a white van backed
in, the exit on the right under a covered exterior loading space.

If you need to have your items delivered, turn right after exiting the building, walk around the corner of the building and knock on the garage or wait for someone to find you.  They can help you more with delivery options!  

I hope you enjoyed this information and I hope it helps someone access IKEA in Hognoul, Belgium a bit better. 

Not so convenient, convenient store.

As I left my apartment and began walking down the street, I noticed a person using a wheelchair waiting outside of a "convenience" store.  There was one step to get into the store.  Not, very convenient after all.  Another person came up to the store, they chatted, one nodded agreeing and went into the store.  It seemed as though the individual was purchasing something for the gentleman using the wheelchair, as he could not gain access to the store on his own.  Thankfully, there are nice people out there that are willing to help in these circumstances.

It would be even better to try to allow for independent access.  Some simple changes, would be to create a sloped entrance, wide enough aisle-ways and a low counter top...eventually updating the restroom, if there even is a restroom...actually I doubt there was.

How to get a seat on a public bus...

So I got on a bus, after having just stood out in a snow storm for 25 minutes waiting on the bus to arrive…I was tired, cold, wet, and carrying a reusable grocery bag full of items I just bought at IKEA.  I looked around, with no luck of finding a seat, I stood.  For me, I suppose I try to be the same as everyone else and stand because that was what was necessary…

The same though… that’s hard to be when I’m not… when I was born without all of my muscles… Something that is often not initially noticed by others, that others can’t initially see…

Well, I was standing, trying to hold on, no one could tell I have a disability that I really wanted a seat; no one else could know that.  So, I stood, I held on and of course, in the snowy weather on the way down the hill, the bus took a quick stop…I went flying toward the front of the bus, thankfully, there was another person there, one I could land on, one that stopped me from slamming into the front of the bus near the driver.  After my initial shock, I did apologize; I said “pardon,” after all, I am in Belgium.   After falling, someone did notice and opened a seat for me, just for me because she saw that I fell.

So, I try to be the same, I try to do what others have to do when it comes to life, sometimes, I fall short.  I can’t do everything the same.  In this case though, I wouldn’t know how to ask for a seat how would I say or tell a complete stranger that I have a disability, when they can’t see it, that I would really like to take their seat away from them.  To me it would create an awkward conversation one that I don’t really want to talk about with people on the bus, one that I have an even harder time discussing in French to people on the bus.

So, through this experience, I believe I found the best way for me to get a seat, actually be to the exhaustion level to fall, and then the people will surely make space!

Accessible Way into the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Luxembourg

Okay, so you may not be visiting Luxembourg any day soon, but if you do and you don't want to search the Cathédrale Notre-Dame for an accessible way in to see the nave, have no fear...


Rear/secondary entrance into the Cathedrale.

I would suggest finding your way to the back entrance or what the locals use after services to exit the building, it doesn't really matter for tourists.  However, at this secondary entry point (pictured on the left) there is an open gate on the left (pictured just below), with a wide path, and no steps from that point all the way into the nave.  The set of doors entering the nave are automatic for ease of use (the gate is pictured below also)!

Gate at the left, open wide and no-step entry

 Rear/Secondary entry double doors.  The door on the right is automatic.



Front/Main Entry to the Cathedrale.

The main entry is not your best bet, it is nice to look at from the outside, but also where the beggars sit, so if you make your way to the other entrance, you won't need to try to avoid eye contact!  Be careful, they do close early each day!  If you are at this entry and there aren't beggars, they just might be closed.

An Accessible Solution to a Construction Site

I often see construction sites blocking sidewalks without signage, warning or an alternate route.  Or, there might magically appear a gravel path that once was pathed.  I think, "why can't construction sites be accessible too, especially for the pedestrians that are passing through?" 

Ok, so you might argue that construction sites are temporary, but I would say, what an imposition on someone who arrives at the site who is ambulatory but pays high attention to the route they are taking to make sure they conserve their energy, not because they are lazy, but because they have a physical limitation.  Or, someone has a visual impairment, this is the route they learned and they do not know the alternate routes to get around.  Or someone is using a wheelchair, finding a curb ramp to cross the street might lead them blocks out of their way, with much extra exerted energy.

I know many solutions would not be perfect, but trying is better than leaving people stranded. 

These photos show sidewalk construction in Luxembourg that offers the effort of an accessible route.  It offers a tactile blockade for the path that is graveled (which is a perfect warning for someone who is blind or visually impaired and travelling) and an opening to a wooden, railed path that is accessible for people in wheelchairs and for those who are ambulatory.  However, I am slightly concerned about the trashcan that is blocking part of the sidewalk, I think the overall effort is there.



Image shows orange street blocks on the right and
on the left a railed wooden walking path over a gravel pathway.

In this image, from the right to the left homes sit on the right of the sidewalk,
the wooden, railed walking path is next, then orange blockages
(as the sidewalk in general is wider than the paths),
next is the planted area, and the street to the left of that.

Overall, I would love to hear what you think...

La Lumiere ..."The Light"

La Lumiere ..."The Light"

https://www.facebook.com/lalumiere.be/?fref=ts

While exploring the City of Liege Belgium, I found La Lumiere, A center focused on helping people who are blind or visually impaired in the City of Liege Belgium. 

Pictured below is the sign outside the front door.  The text reads "la lumiere D'autres regards vers l'autonomie"..."Servie d'Accompagnement et Social"..."Centre de Readaptation Fonctionnelle et Basse Vision"..."Biblioteque Sonore et Braille"..."Aide a l'interation scolaire"..."Culture, Sports et Loisirs adaptes"

La Lumiere, Oeuvre Royale pour Aveugles et Malvoyants

To see more on the City of Liege Belgium, Click Here

Detour Around Construction

While visiting the country of Luxembourg, I found a construction site that was blocking the sidewalk, quite a common incident around the world.  But, this one, gave a visual sign explaining the pedestrian's route.  This was very helpful as it suggested, using the existing crosswalks to cross the streets then return to the side of the street, later when possible.

 

Visual description of detour.