Students study challenges to downtown maneuvering

WILKES-BARRE – They were just posing, but a group simulating elderly and disabled people came away with a better understanding of the plight of those who face challenges every day after making their way around the downtown Tuesday.

Nine students from Penn State Wilkes-Barre studied the target group – senior citizens and the disabled – in relationship to their shopping and purchasing behavior in downtown Wilkes-Barre through a disguised observational study.

They had walkers, canes, ear plugs, funny glasses and wheelchairs to help them get a true feel for their experiment. The results were eye-opening – and often discouraging – for the students who will now summarize what they learned and make recommendations to the city and the Chamber of Commerce.

Sara Antonetti, 23, a junior business major from Sayre, had a sling on her arm, a knee brace, a cane and she wore glasses to simulate tunnel vision.

“It was hard for me to see the curbing, and I had difficulty with divots in the sidewalks,” Antonetti said. “A lot of doors were hard to open and the escalator at Boscov’s wasn’t working, so I had to find the elevator.”

Antonetti said the Martz building wasn’t lighted well enough for her to see, and some of the flashing warning signals for pedestrians on Public Square were not working.

“And to be honest, I didn’t get a lot of help from other people,” she said. “They didn’t show a lot of consideration toward me.”

Mark Calore, 27, was an observer. He said there wasn’t enough time for Antonetti to walk across the street given her multiple infirmities.

Rob Stitzer, 24, a junior from Forty Fort, rolled around on a motorized scooter. He said the downtown sidewalks were hard to negotiate.

“It really wasn’t very easy,” he said. “A lot of stores don’t have electronic doors. A lot of people passed me and didn’t offer help.”

“I watched him struggle all day,” he said. “I noticed a real lack of compassion out there.”

Terry Clemente, business administration instructor, said the students would rate the level of convenience and safety of several downtown establishments on the degree of accessibility, the level of welcoming by retailers, the degree of customer friendliness, the length of time it takes to complete each shopping trip, how tired each participant was at completion of the trip and the degree of challenge – physical and mental.

Students equipped themselves as senior citizens using props provided by Cook’s Medical Supply Co. in Kingston, including wheelchairs, walkers, a quad cane, knee braces, a motorized scooter, an arm sling, ear plugs and glasses that simulate several eye conditions such as glaucoma. The students began their day at Provincial Towers – their home base.

Limping, rolling and feeling their way through the downtown, each student was required to take a five-part journey. Each had to buy a bus ticket at Martz Trailways, 46 Public Square; go to the Rite Aid drug store to fill a prescription; buy a birthday card at Barnes & Noble; pay a bill at Boscov’s; and then return “home” to Provincial Towers.

The students formed teams of two and video-recorded their experiences; they are hoping to produce a DVD. Clemente said the project might be used in a variety of business settings for employee sensitivity training.

The students will provide recommendations on how retailers and the downtown community could become more “senior friendly.” Advice will focus on signage, colors, lighting, calmness, readability of materials, noise/volume, access, employee eye contact and approach with customers, store layout and furnishings, Clemente said.