I wonder what in the world is this city doing
with all of the taxes that they collect that are supposed to go to fixing this
problem?.
From: David Goldfield
Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2019 6:56 PM
To: blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] Philly's sidewalks face a court battle - AL DIA
News
"Visually impaired philadelphia" - Google News - Thursday, August 29, 2019 at
5:49 PM
Philly's sidewalks face a court battle - AL DIA News
This week, with the support of three advocacy groups, four individuals with
disabilities filed a lawsuit against Philadelphia alleging its violation of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and a 1977 law that requires all streets
be accessible.
The lawsuit outlines multiple instances where the plaintiffs, both
wheelchair-bound and visually impaired, were either injured attempting to
traverse Philly’s sidewalks or required to take another route to their
destinations because of unforeseen barriers.
It specifically cites dilapidated curb ramps and the lack of enforcement for
cars parked on the sidewalk as some of the main obstacles facing the 186,000
disabled Philadelphia residents that the suit is said to represent.
“Philadelphia’s failure to create and maintain accessible paths of travel has
made it difficult — and at times impossible — for me to go to work, school, and
church, and has prevented me from being able to fully experience life in
Philadelphia with my family,” plaintiff Liam Dougherty said in a statement that
first appeared in The Inquirer.
The suit does not ask for any monetary compensation, just that Philadelphia
comply with the federal law and fix its sidewalks.
It took until 1990 for federal legislation to pass defending the U.S.’s
disabled population. Much like the Civil Rights Act passed 26 years earlier
banned discrimination based on race, color, religion or nationality, the ADA
banned discrimination based on disability.
In regards to public entities and accommodations, which appear in Title II and
III of the bill, all buildings run by public entities — school district,
municipal, county, state and federal buildings — all public transportation
authorities, and public commercial centers must be accessible.
The act led to a wave of changes across the country. For many newer cities with
less old architecture and planning, the adjustment was easier. For example,
Denver, Colorado, has arguably the most accessible public transport systems in
the country.
Denver — despite being called “The Mile-High City” — also benefits from a
relatively flat terrain for its walkways. But even then, hilly cities like
Seattle and San Francisco have made significant strides to better their
infrastructure for the disabled populations and are often considered more
accessible than many of the country’s older cities.
That’s not to say the country’s older cities haven’t adjusted. Washington D.C.,
for example, has been praised in the past for the accessibility changes made to
many of its U.S. monuments and for widening its sidewalks.
However, the nation’s capital, like Philadelphia, still struggles at times with
accessibility to certain public accommodations.
In a Washington Post column from May, Theresa Vargas detailed a
wheelchair-bound man’s unsuccessful journey to a wedding in a park that is not
accessible in the city. It is not the only place in the nation’s capital to
have such an issue.
“Most of us go through our days without thinking much about the ADA and how
structures are built around us,” wrote Vargas. “Unless we are in a wheelchair
and have to calculate each outing, we have the luxury of not thinking about
door spans and restroom accommodations. We don’t have to blink at broken
sidewalks because they aren’t barriers to us.”
Vargas’ point is exactly what is echoed by one of the lawyers for the
plaintiffs in the Philadelphia lawsuit.
“For folks without a mobility issue, it’s a simple thing to cross the street.
We don’t even think about it, we don’t even notice it,” lawyer David Ferleger
told PlanPhilly.
Philadelphia has yet to release a formal response to the lawsuit, but a mayor
spokesperson told PlanPhilly in April that the city doesn’t have funding to fix
the sidewalks and that the responsibility lies with the property owners.
The city’s 2019 budget does include a boost in funding for the Streets
Department, but none of it has been expressly set aside for sidewalk renovation.
https://aldianews.com/articles/local/philadelphia/phillys-sidewalks-face-court-battle/56322
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info
