Shopping places serve many purposes and they allow society to meet any needs.

The mall,
Valencia Town Center, is a public space that has many shops and restaurants. People gather
to shop, eat and entertain themselves. With the use of Marxism and Critical Disabilities
Study the structure of the mall can be seen as negative influence on the society. It also
creates a group stigma that offers the idea that some are of less value than others in society.

The Valencia Town Center is a shopping mall that provides many different clothing stores,
restaurants, and entertainment for the people who visit. The main building is a two story
building with an open concept in the middle. In addition, there are outside shopping areas
that stretch the length of the outside. There is a mixture of types of stores and restaurants. A
person can spend as little or as much as they want in order to meet their needs. The space is
an open concept which allows visitors to see what is going on around them.

The idea of Marxism plays a major role in looking at this public space. Marxism is the
“economic systems that structure human societies” (Tyson 54). Economics is the driving
force that builds our society. It is the battle between the classes: proletariat which are the
poor, and the bourgeoisie or the wealthy. This public space is geared toward the wealthy.
Stores are there for consumerism and to make money. Those with money can frequent and
purchase things they need. The less fortunate have to wait for sales or shop in other places.
This idea plays into the Marxist ideology that those who can purchase things of “value” are
better than those who cannot.

For those who are disabled, regardless of class, the issues are the same. Even though this
country has laws that help protect the disabled, society is built for the abled-person. In order
for a disabled person to maneuver around the mall, they have to find an elevator. When
looking at the map, there are three escalators that allow people to travel between levels.
However, there is only one elevator marked at one end of the mall. To find another one,
they have to maneuver through JC Penny’s in order to find an elevator. By limiting the
access of the disabled to stores, it gives a negative stigma for that group. According to
Disability Rights of California, a stigma is “the result of false ideas that people have when
they describe someone they see as “different” (1). The false idea that the lack of elevators
places into society is on the value of a disabled person. It shows that these people are less
worthy of shopping than the abled people and that their money is worth less as well.

The value of a person is not based on their worth. When stores show preference to one group
over the other, it creates a divided society. Being disabled does not mean that a person does
not have the means to shop and do other things that an able-bodied person can do. By
limiting the opportunities, malls like the Valencia Town Center, limit the group and allow
them to fell less worthy. The economic system in this country, which is driven by money,
needs to depend on all people. Allowing everyone to feel valued benefits society.