View letters to the editor, Aug. 21-27, 2014

WHEELCHAIR-BOUND READER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY

I read with interest the article on sidewalks (“City to address wheelchair accessibility issues on sidewalks,” July 31 Summerlin Area View) that are not accessible to handicapped individuals.

I have been in a wheelchair for 23 years and face obstacles every day. The ADA has allowed us more accessibility, but there are still many areas of frustration that abound. We, the handicapped, represent a population that work, own homes, pay taxes, volunteer, raise families and make a contribution to society.

I am supposing that whoever will ultimately be in charge of any renovation plans to assist handicapped accessibility will be privy to the ADA pedestrian access guidelines. These are not suggestions. They are laws established and controlled by the U.S. Department of Justice.

If just one of the individuals in charge of making accessibility more available spent just one day in a wheelchair, I guarantee that the project would take a new dimension with an unparalleled sense of urgency.

— Pat Palamar, Summerlin