The Saga of Finding an Accessible ATM, i.e, “I Need My Money!”

I’m lucky. I live in downtown Minneapolis, which means I’m in “walking” distance of literally DOZENS of ATM machines. But the kicker? It seems as of late that finding one that is a) wheelchair accessible and C6 quad friendly (i.e., no swiper thingy please!), and b) accepts my type of card, is becoming more and more of a challenge. It’d ridiculous really. Let me give you some quick insight into what’s been happening so you can better understand my ATM-situation (btw, in the picture to the left…the dude pictured is NOT me). I used to visit this awesome, cutsey lowered-ATM machine that was located about 4 blocks from me. Getting to it was a cinch. You see, since the city I live in is all interconnected by skyways (they were constructed due to the long cold winters; but the winters are now not so horrible anymore, due to global warming. *shrug* Waddya do?). After a quick 2 block jaunt, I’m in the “system” so to speak; zooming through the skyways at my top speed (which is 6 mph I believe. I’ve never clocked it though). And soon, I arrived at the Wells Fargo, totally wheelchair-accessible, ATM machine. It was even situated right next to this awesome shoe shine-place owned by a Hurricane Katrina evacuee, who played the grooviest Zydeco music ever, blaring it at Corporate America drones as they passed by during their lunch breaks; but that’s another story altogether. But about a month ago, it was a “no go” situation. The machine spat out my card like a piece of pork gone bad, telling me that Wells no longer accepted my card. “Wtf?” I thought. I pondered; exasperated, and decided to move onto the next accessible ATM machine I knew existed in the “system.” The next machine was also a Wells ATM, but I tried it anyways. “Maybe the other machine was a fluke?” But no. Rejected again. Off again I was, zooming, unrelenting in my search. When a girl needs some cash, she REALLY needs some cash. Success was finally had at a totally NON-accessible Wells ATM machine, located a further 5 blocks inwards towards the downtown zone; a truly annoying thing. If it wasn’t for my chair’s elevator seat and a kind stranger who pulled my card and cash out for me (a really scary thing to ask a stranger for help with, btw), I would’ve been totally screwed. I hate how my disability makes the seemingly easiest things so complicated. No fair 🙁