Power wheelchair user ‘blown away’ by Butler’s accessibility
Although Jamie Santillo moved from Ellwood City to Florida as a child to accommodate her power wheelchair use, she found Butler to be surprisingly accessible during her first visit to the city last month.
Santillo, who owns a travel agency aimed at people with mobility needs, visited Butler in August after her photo of an accessible picnic table at Moraine State Park caught the attention of the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau. After visiting locales such as the Maridon Museum and Vintage Coffeehouse, Santillo said she found the city to be accessible.
“I was thrilled,” Santillo said. “Even though I am from the area, this is really my first time experiencing this, and I have been absolutely blown away.”
Santillo spent a Friday in downtown Butler before visiting Moraine State Park and Jennings Environmental Education Center on Saturday. She said she and her family go to Moraine regularly, because her parents now live in Ellwood City.
A lifelong power wheelchair user, Santillo said her accessibility needs may differ from those of other people with similar needs. So while she found most of the areas in the city she visited to be accessible, the same places might provide challenges for people with other equipment or disabilities. Santillo said the open space in Vintage Coffeehouse and the wide corners in the Maridon Museum were good for accessibility, but there are probably some areas in the city that still provide challenges to wheelchair users.
“It can be misconceiving online when it says, 'Oh, it's a wheelchair-accessible attraction, hotel, etc.,’” Santillo said. “Taking out steps to get into an establishment and making it flush or having a ramp — little changes like that can go such a long way and make a huge difference.”
Santillo explained she was invited to tour Butler County by the tourism bureau after the bureau contacted her about a photo she posted of an accessible picnic table at Moraine. After about a year of talks, Santillo finally made it to the city for a tour, which she plans to write about in her blog on her Adventures By Jamie website.
Amy Pack, president of the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau, said the county is taking steps to improve accessibility for people with mobility concerns.
“Butler County is always looking to improve our offerings for our visitors, and making people aware of our accessible experiences meets the needs of everyone,” Pack said. “We are proud to have places like Moraine State Park and Glade Run Lake that have worked hard to ensure accessible experiences with the implementation of ADA fishing docks and paved trails.”
Santillo’s photo of the accessible picnic table made it into the tourism bureau’s visitor’s guide. Dustin Drew, manager of Moraine State Park, said accessibility has become ingrained in many recreation departments, and Moraine is no exception. He said the park has a few of the accessible picnic tables Santillo said she was impressed with, and plans for new facilities and structures at the park keep accessibility a priority.
“Any time we're rehabilitating a building or anything, we keep accessibility in mind and meet or exceed the current requirements,” Drew said. “As we continue to replace facilities, it will continue to be a leading factor in ... not just how, but where we build. That all plays into accessibility.”
Santillo said overall awareness of accessibility needs has grown since she was a child, and she is happy that organizations and businesses in Butler County also are keeping it in mind.
“I feel like there is much more awareness now compared to then for the need to make things accessible,” Santillo said. “I think that Butler County is doing an amazing job.”
