Running head: UDL ANALYSIS OF THE WEST OAK MALL 1

UDL Analysis of the West Oak Mall

Name

University

Date:
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Access

Positive

1. Description of the Entrance: The area has a broad open space that can allow many people

to move freely without forming crowds. The area is thus safe for navigation of the people with

disability of all kinds.

2. Navigation within the Mall: The Mall is partitioned into a shopping center, individual

shops, restaurants, and a movie theater. All the places are situated within the mall. There are

wide doors, and that can accommodate many people, along with wide walking corridors that can

allow many people, including those with disability to move in and out comfortably.

3. The presence of accessibility pathways: there is a ramp for users of wheelchairs to all

floors, including the AMC movie theater.

Negative

4. Emergency exit: as at the time I visited the mall, few emergency exit doors did were not

customized for the people with disability.

5. Ambient lighting: Some shops had rapidly flashing lights whose frequency was very high.

This sort of mechanism of advertisement is not conducive to the people with epilepsy.

6. Inadequate signage: The halls had very sophisticated signage systems, which were high

and were thus not visible to many people who were either too short, used the wheelchair or had

some eye problems.

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7. Some doors to restaurants remained closed, which could lead the struggle of people

Attitude

Positive

1. The staff at the entrance of the mall is welcoming for everyone, including the persons with

disability.

2. Inside the mall, most workers have empathy, helping the people with disability pick things

that are inaccessible to them, such as things organized and placed on upper shelves of the store

racks.

3. Some individuals in the general public who had gone shopping were assistive of people who

used wheelchairs. I could see some of them helping to carry goods from the shopping centers to

their vehicles, and even assisting them settle in the car.

Negative

4. The General public is not very empathetic with the people with disability. It is especially

true for the children of the age of 15 and below.

Analysis

Public areas are referred to as such because they are supposed to be accessible to

everyone within the public space, who qualifies to be a human being. For a long time, the world
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has neglected a part of the society that is deemed is considered as ‘not normal’ simply because

they are different. Many businesses target large demographics, which often include the people

with fully functional mental and physical faculties. These individuals who have been termed as

different and were neglected before include the people living with physical and mental

disabilities. Even though being left-handed is not disability, the people affected had to learn to

use tools designed for the “normal” people. This situation could be categorized as social

exclusion, which is discouraged for the sake of peace and development.

I took a visit at the West Oak Mall with the purpose to study the physical features of the

place along with the behavioral characteristics of the people who interact in this space. The West

Oak Mall is one of the largest shopping and recreational centers in the United States, both by the

physical space and by the revenues earned. When preparing for my visit, I had many

expectations that since the mall is one of the largest, then it should have been designed to

accommodate everyone regardless of whether they were normal or had disabilities. Even though

my expectations were not met adequately, I made observations that were positive too. First, the

Entrance was broad enough to allow the entry or many people. This size of the door could permit

the entry of the people with a disability regardless of what situation with which they were

dealing. The broad and wide corridors allowed the navigation of people in and out of the mall’s

different premises without the fear of being injured.

Accessibility pathways are an important aspect to consider when building public

buildings, and at the moment. Some houses are constructed in such a manner including ramps

and other accessibility infrastructure. At the West Oak Mall, all the places in the mall that

included climbing a staircase had a complementary ramp for people who had either disability or
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were sick and could, therefore, not use the stairs. It was a good inclusion since it showed that

there is a new awakening, and everyone had to be included in the design considerations.

Fire and other accidents could occur with varying degrees. Consequently, there is always

the need for an emergency exit to avert or reduce injury. However, such considerations have not

been made for the people with disability. Also, some people are very sensitive to rapid bright

light. The kind of lights and backlights used in the mall would cause some people to react in a

manner that might cause casualties. Since the mall is regulated by policy, then it is a good idea to

maintain the peace of the area

Signage is necessary for navigation. The reasons for having signage are for people to see

and follow instructions. If these sign posts are put in such a manner that increases strain in

accessing them, then the people with disability will hardly follow the rules, increasing the

probability of finding themselves on the wrong side.

It is common practice for many business centers and shops closing their shops until

someone comes and pulls or pushes it inward. Such behavior is not the orthodox and should be

rejected. People with disabilities may want to access these areas but take a longer time before

they can do it. A feasible solution, if the doors have to be closed is the installation of sensors that

can detect oncoming people and open at a specified range.

Attitude

Attitude is an imperative consideration in life. The reason for such an importance is that it

deals with the emotional aspects that might make an individual to respond in a way that is not

desirable. The Mall scores well on this point. First, the staffs who worked at the mall, such as the
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security officers are honest and very supportive of every kind. On entering the supermarket and

even the restaurant, I noticed some of the waiters and supermarket agents showed the people

with disability around, helping them make a decision whether to buy. This situation is favorable,

and as it indicates that in future for compliance with the regulation of the people with disabilities

act

Observations that I made while sited outside of the mall were remarkable. Some members

of the public were willing to help the people. These people assisted the individuals with

disabilities, Such as the ones who regularly, for some, the kindness extended into the carrying

their luggage as they struggled with walking to their vehicles

These attributes show the current status of the mall. Various improvements that could be

made to ensure that the mall suits everyone. The basic understanding of our differences as human

beings does not mean that some have to be secluded while others are provided for abundantly.

The only negative thing I saw is the commotion that results when children are flocking in

or out of the mall. They create a lot of commotion, and may end up hurting people with

disabilities. History of the mall indicates that such occurrences had occurred before, where

children mobs came and ran into the AMC cinema without paying (Whitsett, 2015). The

commotion caused later that evening was a horrible sight and may have resulted in the injury of

people with disabilities.

The US has a federal constitution that guarantees rights for every citizen. As long as

someone qualifies as a legitimate citizen, whether they are physically challenged, having

physical deformities or even mental underdevelopment and degeneration, they are entitled to the
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same laws. Public areas are supposed to be accessible to everyone. Designers, architects,

business owners and public stakeholders are expected to come up with standards for different

buildings and their accessibility utilities.

Personal Statement

Visiting the West Oak Mall gave me some food for thought regarding how much

exclusion there is in the society. It got me thinking how people are quick to judge others simply

because they are not like them, or they have some difficulty in performing a certain task. My

thoughts began with the disabilities, and what can be done to enhance accessibility in different

parts of buildings; homes, shops, malls, schools and other places that they might want to visit.

The thought of an emergency or fire exit area was the most disturbing of all. A situation such as

a random shooting in public as has been the case in the recent years, with many instances taking

place this year may occur. Even though everyone is usually in danger whenever there is an event

or a general emergency, the people with disabilities suffer the most (Rodriguez, 2007). The

reason is that their movement is slow, and there is no specialized exit for them.

I also thought about the laws and regulations that enforce certain rules within the public

space. An easy way of tackling this issue is through legislation. The law has seen social

exclusion rates in other matters decrease significantly. An example of such include the laws that

banned any form of discrimination based the color of one’s skin or from where they came. This

law required that all people be treated equally. Then there came the law that brought suffrage.

The transition from race to gender meant that humanity was refining, and people were beginning

to understand each other in a better way. For this reason, I believe that the next front has to be

the one that takes care of the people with disability.

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Regulations that I envision passed within this docket include the law to force all

architects and builders to include accessibility features of buildings. This law is essential as it

will kick-start a new conversation that will result in the adoption of technologies that are friendly

to the people with disabilities. As such, they will command more respect and admiration that

they deserve within the society.

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References

Rodriguez, J. P. (2007). Slavery in the United States: A Social, Political, and Historical

Encyclopedia, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO.

Whitsett, A. (2015, February 16). West Oaks Mall: Teens who rushed theater were denied tickets

to '50 Shades of Grey'. Retrieved from http://www.wesh.com/news/police-review-

surveillance-tapes-in-west-oaks-mall-riot/31290566