Blogging the world, from wheelchair's view

With aide Rick Conlon, Kenny Cieplik was able to bring his wheelchair close to see an exhibit at the New England Aquarium. (Globe Staff Photo / Suzanne Kreiter)

Kenny Cieplik rolled along the ramp that winds around the enormous ocean tank at the New England Aquarium. When he reached the top of the ramp, he stopped.

He looked at the flight of stairs that led to the highest point of the aquarium. Visitors passed by him and made their way up the stairs. But for Cieplik and his wheelchair, those 16 steps were an insurmountable barrier.

Such is life for this Middleborough man, who has spent most of his 33 years in a wheelchair. Cieplik made the best of the situation. At the bottom of the stairwell, he struck a pose underneath the sign that read, "To Top Level and Giant Tank Surface." His friend and aide, Ric Conlon, snapped a photo of him.

That, however, was the only major obstacle Cieplik encountered during his recent visit to the New England Aquarium. And, as a result, Cieplik gave the aquarium a four-star rating on his blog, TheTravelingWheelchair.com.

Cieplik visits all types of establishments - banks, beaches, post offices, libraries, restaurants, and parks - and rates them on their wheelchair accessibility, using a scale of zero to five stars. (Zero is bad, five stars is best.) The result: an emerging map-by-blog that paints a comprehensive picture of the region's accessibility - from a wheelchair user's perspective.

On that recent visit to the aquarium, Cieplik was accompanied by his mother, Paula Cieplik, and three aides - Kevin Baez, Ric Conlon, and Kellie Barros. They took note of the aquarium's accessible restrooms, the special ticket window that's low enough to accommodate wheelchairs, and the wheelchair spaces in the IMAX theater. They also spoke with the aquarium's communication director, who told them that there are plans to make the top level accessible to wheelchairs within the next five years.

Some establishments are more wheelchair-friendly than others. For example, Cieplik has gone to restaurants that are listed as handicapped-accessible, only to find that his wheelchair can't fit through the restroom doors, or that he must ride in a darkened freight elevator to get to the upper floors, or that he doesn't have room to maneuver his wheelchair.

Since March, Cieplik and his cohorts have reviewed dozens of places, including the USS Constitution in Charlestown (two stars), the Old State House Museum (zero), the Capitol Coffee House on Beacon Hill (three), Fenway Park (four), the Museum of Science (four), and the Fairmont Copley Plaza (five), to name a few.

"When you see the comments on the site, you can see the impact he's been making," said Kathleen Kenney, an orientation and mobility specialist who works with Cieplik.

The blog also caught the eye of Povo.com, a local start-up that's producing a Wikipedia-style guide to places around Boston. The company's CEO wants to compile a list of places that have received five-star ratings from the TheTravelingWheelchair.com and feature them on Povo.com.

Cieplik didn't always have trouble getting around. He was an athletic boy until age 11. But on Jan. 30, 1987, while he and his family were on their way to ski at Loon Mountain, Kenny developed a severe headache. It turned out to be an brain aneurysm, and when he awoke from a coma eight months later, he was legally blind and unable to move.

Cieplik still has vision problems, and his lung volume is low, so he speaks in a breathy whisper. He often spells out words with his fingers - tracing each letter on his thigh - to communicate with others.

Because he cannot type, Cieplik relies on his friends and caregivers to help post reviews on TheTravelingWheelchair.com. The website focuses on details that able-bodied people often overlook: Are there handicapped parking spaces nearby? Is there a ramp? Automatic doors? Is the entrance wide enough for a wheelchair? Are there safety rails in the bathroom? Are the pipes underneath the sink covered? (Exposed pipes can burn the knees of someone in a wheelchair.)

He's proud of the reviews he's done so far, and the blog itself. "It's the best," he said. "I love helping out the community."

Every review on TheTravelingWheelchair.com contains specific recommendations of how the place can improve their rating.

One blog post recounted Cieplik's visit to the Museum of Science in Boston. "I like to have lunch in the cafeteria because the food is good for fast food and the place was spacious with the tables at a good height. The restroom is a little tight getting into . . . I felt as if I was going through a maze and the stall could have been a bit larger."

Cieplik gave the Museum of Science four stars, and wrote, "It could earn the extra star if they remodeled their restroom, making them wider so that it may be easier to get into and making the stalls wide enough for my wheelchair to fit into."

On the blog, Cieplik notes not just accessibility issues, but attitude issues.

"Does the waitress look at him when they take his order? That's important to him," said Tony Correia, who has worked as an aide for Cieplik for 14 years. "A lot of people look at us" to answer for him, he said. "And we say, 'Well, ask him. He knows what he wants."'

The group behind TheTravelingWheelchair.com is hopeful that the reviews will make people more aware, and improve accessibility for everyone.

"Hopefully they can make the changes and we can go back and do another review," said Correia, "and maybe give them five stars."

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.