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Well, they ALMOST got it right!

July 06, 2025 | By: Robert Ouellette

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Stone Zoo adds an accessible picnic table but is it really accessible?

An accessible picnic table that has space at the left end of the table for a wheelchair.

Accessible Picnic Table

This is an accessible picnic table. One end of the table extends out so a wheelchair can pull under it and be seated at the table without obstruction. Others sit at the table, and everyone is included.

A male sitting in a wheelchair on a road way facing an accessible picnic table that is inaccessible due to the steep drop off the road to access the table.

Accessible end of the picnic table with no easy way to access it.

This is meant to be an accessible picnic table to accommodate a wheelchair. Due to its position between the road and the table, it is no longer accessible.

a persons feet in a wheelchair at the edge of the road with a steep drop getting to an accessible picnic table. This table is no longer accessible to anyone in a wheelchair.

The drop makes it inaccessible

The drop shown here is too steep for the wheelchair to get to the table and also be able to get back on the road. The ground should be one level.

In my very first blog post, I show you an accessible picnic table. 

In that post, I explain how a regular picnic table can be made to accommodate a wheelchair, making it accessible and inclusive for all. The end of the table is extended so that someone like me in a wheelchair can sit at the table with others.  

I recently went to the Stone Zoo.  On my way up the hill to see the Wolves, I noticed a picnic table that was wheelchair accessible. I love it when I'm out in the community and see something that makes inclusion possible in every way.

Unfortunately, there was one very essential element that made this accessible table INACCESSIBLE; it was placed at a ledge that made it nearly impossible for a person in a wheelchair to reach the table. 

The side of the road going to and from the Wolves had a drop-off into a dirt section where the picnic table was located.  When I tried getting to the picnic table, my front wheels dropped off the road, and my back wheels were still on the paved road. I was stuck under the table and unable to get back onto the road.  

I had to have the table moved so I could drive my back tires off the paved road.  I then had to find an area where the edge was not so high so I could get off the dirt road.  The table can still be used by others with disabilities if they can navigate a step down. 

We spoke to Zoo staff who were very receptive to moving the table to a location that was all on one level, where no one would get stuck, or keep it in the same area, but put it in a place where there were no barriers to the table. We made sure they understood how vital this table was for everyone and how thankful and appreciative we were for them having it, and to ensure the table remained in the Zoo.

Stone Zoo got an A++ for the table, but unfortunately, a D- for location. 

I loved how receptive the staff was and how much they wanted to make it right. They will speak with the groundskeepers to find a spot that works, if the current one can't.

We will be back and check on where the picnic table landed, and enjoy one of our favorite zoos in New England. It is not often you see these special additions to outside spaces. 

Make sure you check back soon to see my next post about the newly built Universal Playground in Waltham. 

Thanks for reading!

Robert

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My View From the Lens Logo
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