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Located in Downtown Orillia, Ontario
95 Mississauga Street East

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Opened March 2012 as a 7ft wide,300 square ft store. Before that it was an outdoor alley.

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The 300 square ft store expanded to 1,000 square ft.

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The 1,000 square feet store then changed to 2,000 square ft.

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What's New Orillia - Alleycats Music & Art

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Measures That Have Been Made: Accessible To Everyone

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Measures That Have Been Made: Accessible To Everyone

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In my opinion I still see a lot of measures that need to be put into place to ensure that this store is accessible for everyone. I do however, recognize that this store has expanded in size and has made it a little bit more accessible. Despite this there needs to be more of a change.

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I do feel from my experience in this store that the staff is friendly and very helpful. Even with this I still see challenges that people with physical, visual,
auditory and intellectual obstacles face.

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Although Alleycats has expanded in its size it is still a challenging place for those affected by physical, visual, auditory and intellectual obstacles to explore and shop. This I believe is due to the lack of space to move around. The store is very cool but it is cramped severely with merchandise.

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There are 3 entrances to this store however, I have only seen one be used and functional. Two of these entrances lack a ramp & have steps up to enter the store. The one that has a ramp isn't used as much as it should be. The main entrance that is open more frequently is the one with the step. These obstacles are not only confined to the outside of the store. The inside of the store is even more challenging. There isn't much room for a wheelchair or walker if these were essential items that you used. The aisles are narrow and on days where the store was busy, it would be hard for you to pass others. The store is also divided into different sections and at least one requires you to step up which would be difficult to say the least if you were a person with a physical obstacle.

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People who have a visual obstacle or impairment would have a hard time navigating in this store. As mentioned before there are steps and lots of crowding/cramping when it comes to both merchandise & people exploring the store. There is also no visual aids or braille to help a person find what they are looking for. For example if someone was looking for a specific genre of music there is no easily accessible way for one to find it on their own. I know many people with visual obstacles who are very independent but I feel like in this store unless you know it by heart, I'd suggest a support person or a staff member to guide you.

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Often times but not always people who have an auditory obstacle are ignored or bypassed when getting help. My hope is that this wouldn't be the case at Alleycats. However, this may occur if the staff doesn't have patience or have any knowledge on how to approach a person who is different than them. It can also be a bit dangerous at times if the store isn't clear and safe (up to code), Alleycats is up to code but my one concern again is the crowding. A person may not hear someone warning them that they are about to trip on something.

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People with intellectual obstacles can face many challenges as not everyone with this obstacle face the same difficulties. I feel there is a huge discrimination towards people with intellectual obstacles. They are looked down on and despite being smart in their own way they are challenged as not being "normal" but what is normal?!Neuro-divergent people can have different reactions in a public space. There needs to be a staff member who is patience, connects to this person as well as tries to get what they are saying to the person in a way that can be easily understood.

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Possible Strategies To Address These Challenges

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Possible Strategies To Address These Challenges

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Work towards making this space more accessible by implementing changes both in the store and out such as removing the steps & clearing away the clutter to make the space better. Begin to incorporate using braille in the store for those visually impaired & have staff assist when needed. Sign language should be mandatory to learn in order to be more accessible to those with auditory obstacles & more signage in the store. A need for workers with patience, kindness, training in how to engage with customers that face all of these obstacles, mandatory sensitivity training & training in general. Also for workers to be able to explain in terms that are easy to understand. The biggest thing is to treat people the way you wish to be treated. There needs to be a welcoming and safe space for all! That is KEY! These are a few things that I see need to be put into place. As a music lover myself if I was a person who faced these obstacles I would want to be able to have the opportunity as those who do not face these obstacles. To not be limited based on who I was or what I looked like. My hope is that Alleycats will begin having these important conversations and way of thinking. This is just one place I had in mind that I would like to see be more accessible to everyone. There needs to be change in a lot of places. This will be a way to make the world a better place!

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"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I'm possible."
- Audrey Hepburn

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Alleycats has been open with special rules put in place. Throughout lockdown they did business from their website & now that the lockdown is over there has been a specific capacity allowed into the store as well as different hours. I believe everyone is doing their best to remain safe and be accommodating.

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There is a website for Alleycats Music. I believe this website is well created but of course I am sure there may need to be some improvements in order for everyone to access it.

https://www.alleycatsmusic.com/

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Why Did I Choose To Do My How-To Report In This Format?

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Why Did I Choose To Do My How-To Report In This Format?

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Using Padlet seemed like a good format to create my How-To Report on because I felt like it was an accessible platform to share with any audience and to showcase to many different people. I also felt that this format would be engaging and it would allow me to use a different format than what I usually use (Google Slides). This platform is a public one therefore I found it would be easy for others to find my assignment without any difficulties.

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Evans, T. (2021, March 29). PROFILE: Passion helps owner ensure record store is a hit. OrilliaMatters.Com.
https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/profile-passion-helps-owner-ensure-record-store-is-a-hit-3536305

Google Images

Music, A. (n.d.). About us. Alleycats Music. Retrieved July 28, 2021, from https://www.alleycatsmusic.com/pages/about-us

What’s New Orillia - Alleycats Music & Art. (2019, April 4). YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fh8Y3P6GYM