A Chatham mother is raising concerns about a lack of accessibility at the Downtown Chatham Centre now that the mall no longer has an elevator in service.
May Fuhrman says she was shopping at the mall on Friday when she noticed her 4-month-old daughter Remi had soiled her diaper. Fuhrman says she wanted to change her baby's diaper but couldn't access a washroom to do so. She says the only washrooms in the mall are located on the second floor, and now that Sears has closed, there is no longer access to the elevator.
The mall's stairs and escalator were not an option for Fuhrman, because she was pushing a heavy stroller.
Fuhrman says she turned to mall employees for help. The staff told her the only way to access the second floor, without using stairs or the escalator, is through the entrance at the top of the parking garage.
"They said my two choices were to either pack her up, walk back to my car, drive up to the top of the parking garage, get out again, and then hit the washroom, or I could walk up four flights with her in her stroller, through the parking garage. I said I don't feel safe at all doing that. There are cars constantly flying through and I said I just don't like that at all," explains Fuhrman.
She says the mall's lack of accessibility is a real problem for the community.
"It was just a big concern for me, because even just moms like me, or people in wheelchairs, walkers, [and] things like that... how are we supposed to get upstairs, not just for the stores, but [for] washrooms? I mean that's a huge thing that no one can actually get to," she says.
Fuhrman says it is not acceptable that parents and residents with mobility issues are expected to venture out into a cold parking garage just to reach the mall's upper level.
"Come winter, with the cold and the slippery roads... I mean this is just not a good way to solve this problem... we need something inside that is great for strollers, wheelchairs, [and] walkers," says Fuhrman.
Mall employees recommended Fuhrman speak with the Downtown Chatham Centre's General Manager Lynn O'Brien for further guidance. The administrative office is also located on the second floor.
Fuhrman says the mall employees were "absolutely wonderful" throughout the entire situation, offering to carry the stroller and help her upstairs, but adds the general manager was "not as approachable."
O'Brien told BlackburnNews.com that the mall has installed a temporary entrance at the top of parking garage for the time being, but declined to comment any further on the accessibility concerns.
Fuhrman says she doesn't see herself coming back to the Downtown Chatham Centre until the second floor is more accessible.
"I can't come back here when my problems are not being solved or not even really being taken seriously. It's just not fair to me, to Remi, or the moms and dads that really depend on places like these to come to," she explains.