Hudson Valley Restaurant Provides Accessibility for People Visual Impairments

Everyone wants to dine out comfortably, but for those of us who are disabled this is not always easy. Restaurants may claim they are accessible, but this usually means that their parking lot has accessible spaces. Inside, their menus may not be accessible to all customers because of the type and/or size of print used.

Bonefish Grill Restaurant located off Route 9 in Poughkeepsie has shown to be accessible to individuals with visual impairments. This restaurant offers a Braille menu, which allows individuals with visual impairment to have the independence of reading their own menu, rather than depending on another person to read it for them. In recognition of this accessibility, the Bonefish Grill Restaurant was praised at TRI’s annual celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act held at the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home located in Hyde Park.

As a result of this news, Taconic Resources for Independence will begin collaborating with a local college on a project to evaluate other Poughkeepsie area restaurants, with the goal of working with them to become more accessible to individuals with visual impairments.

If you believe your favorite restaurant shows a high degree of accessibility, please contact Elizabeth Holodak at e.holodak@taconicresources.net and tell us why your restaurant deserves recognition. Your entry may become the topic of a future blog post.