A Target customer is highlighting how inaccessible some stores can be for people in wheelchairs, noting the trouble it can further cause for those who deal with a disability long-term or permanently.
In a recent TikTok video viewed more than 180,000 times as of Friday, user Lily (@lilyisbloomingg) documented a visit to a Target where she was only able to access a regular wheelchair instead of a motorized cart.
@lilyisbloomingg This is crazy and I feel heartbroken for the disability community. I am lucky enough that my injuries will eventually heal. #disabilitytiktok #fyp #targetsucks ♬ nintendo wii (mii channel) song – julie on the internet
According to her TikTok account, Lily is currently recovering from “a serious fall from a mental health event,” where she broke her right foot and injured her left leg, causing nerve damage. The Daily Dot has reached out to Lily via TikTok comment and Instagram direct message.
“I went to Target today and noticed how inaccessible it is,” Lily wrote in the text overlaying. “I thought there would be an electric chair with a basket. This is so dumb.”
She shows herself grabbing items and highlights how both of her arms are used to navigate the chair, so the only place she can put items is in her lap.
“The wheelchair was way too wide for me, and I got tired quick,” she said.
According to Target’s website, customers are encouraged to bring their own wheelchairs to the store but each location should have a limited number of wheelchairs. Target has not responded to The Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
“This is crazy and I feel heartbroken for the disability community,” Lily wrote in the caption on her video. “I am lucky enough that my injuries will eventually heal.”
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, discrimination is prohibited against individuals with disabilities within “public life.” Businesses, however, are not required to provide personal devices like wheelchairs or motorized carts, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Harvard Medical School reports more than five million people in the U.S. use wheelchairs.
Commenters on Lily’s video noted how stores seem to differ in the personal devices they offer customers with disabilities.
“Now that you mention, I have 3 Targets in my area and I’ve never seen an electric scooter at any,” one commenter said.
“I had surgery a few days ago and can hardly walk when I went grocery shopping. It was so difficult trying to get through the aisles and so awkward,” another viewer shared. “I wish it was easier especially for people who [permanently] use wheelchairs.”
