At the Paralympic Village in Paris last year, many of the athletes experienced something akin to nirvana. Carefully and methodically designed to meet a plethora of needs, accessibility was everywhere. As long as the athletes stayed in the village.
Venturing out into the “real” world, on the other hand — whether in France or anywhere else — often requires painstaking orchestration for those with disabilities.
Imagine it. Will the doorways and sidewalks be wide enough? Is there visual or auditory support? Are the bathrooms compliant? Will there be stairs?
Close to home (and eight time zones from Paris), Bret Silvestri, Montage Health’s director of Facilities Planning, and his staff are also trying to equal the playing field.
Montage Health's disability inclusivity work is a year-round effort, but especially relevant as the nation observes National Disability Independence Day on July 26, marking the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and reaffirming the importance of accessibility for all.
“Why shouldn’t everybody have the same ability to travel?” Silvestri says.
Certainly, Montage Health doesn’t face the same Paris scope and logistics in ensuring accessibility. Still, Silvestri has been overseeing an effort, now four years in the making, to facilitate seamless freedom and ease of movement.
“We looked at all of our facilities and realized we needed to make changes across the board,” Silvestri says. “We’re committed to improving access so everyone can easily navigate all our buildings.”
That effort extends from Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula to all of Montage Health’s facilities throughout Monterey County, including the Ryan Ranch campus, MoGo Urgent Care, Montage Medical Group, Montage Wellness Center, and everything in between.
“We consider everyone — somebody in a wheelchair, somebody with a walker, somebody who is hearing impaired, visually impaired,” Silvestri says. “And their caregivers. We take it all into account. It’s a very involved checklist.”
From doors to parking to surfaces to elevators to bathrooms and beyond. One example is Carol Hatton Breast Care Center in Ryan Ranch.
“The parking is underneath the floors of the building,” Silvestri says. “And we have several ADA-compliant parking spots. Then we have a power door into the bottom level, which leads to an ADA elevator that goes up one level to the center.”
Power doors have been installed throughout Montage Health properties. Accessible parking, pathways, and signage are additional priorities.
“For instance, at our 2 Upper Ragsdale Drive locations, we’re actively in the process of making improvements,” Silvestri says. “We’re making sure there is ADA accessibility from building to building, instead of people having to get back in their cars and drive. Why shouldn’t someone be able to park in one spot and get through the entire campus?”
In addition to California building codes and ADA regulations, Silvestri says many of Montage Health’s inclusive design components come from patient and visitor feedback.
“We take it seriously,” he says. “It helps make us better, and helps make the patient experience better.”
Accessibility that goes beyond physical spaces
Today, navigating a website is just as important as navigating a building, and Montage Health is making sure nobody gets left behind in the digital world, either.
Take a look at the bottom right corner of your screen. See that little blue circle with a person in it? That's your portal to a personalized web experience. With just a click, users can activate features like dyslexia-friendly fonts or enlarged text. Other features include:
- Visual adjustments for images and text, including contrast, saturation, text spacing, and line height
- Navigation enhancements like a big cursor and highlighted links
- The ability to pause animations and hide images
It's all about putting control into the hands of the user, because accessibility isn't one-size-fits-all.
So whether you're walking through a door or scrolling through a web page, Montage Health's goal is the same: clear, comfortable access to the care and information you need.
