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Presidential Inauguration Will Be Inaccessible to Many

Cara

Very bad news regarding the presidential inauguration and those with disabilities who are wishing to attend:

Those with physical disabilities will find Barack Obama’s inauguration all but inaccessible, and organizers are concerned that people with disabilities may be forced to stay home.

According to a release from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies — the group responsible for the details of Obama’s swearing-in — parking restrictions near the Capitol include cars with disability plates or tags. Drop-off points for the disabled will be located several blocks away, and “traffic conditions and restrictions may make reaching these drop-off locations extremely difficult,” the release said.

Even for those who finally arrive, designated areas for people with disabilities in the coveted ticketed section of the festivities are “limited in size and available on a first-come, first-served basis.”

“This is like a big, bold sign that says if you’re a person with a disability, this is not your event,” said Richard Simms, executive director of D.C. Center for Independent Living, a nonprofit that promotes independent lifestyles for disabled residents.

“Everyone is happy and gleeful and it’s a time for hope and change,” Simms added, explaining that he anticipates an Obama administration friendly to his cause. “But in the process of that hope and change, you cannot exclude.”

Carole Florman, spokeswoman for the congressional committee, said her office is “very concerned” about the issue and is planning to be as accessible as possible, but circumstances outside of their control have created unique challenges.

“We can’t do anything about traffic, we can’t bring people closer for drop-off than the security perimeter will allow, we can’t do anything about the fact that the city is closing bridges,” Florman said. “This is of great concern to us.”

Full information on what measures have been taken to make the ceremony accessible is available on the inauguration website.  CBS News has the full press release about the expected conditions on the day, and notes that the message to those with disabilities seems to be “stay home.”  The relevant bit below the jump.

There will be no vehicular access or parking in the areas around the Capitol on January 20, 2009. This includes vehicles with special disability license plates or tags. While there will be locations outside the perimeter of the Capitol that will be designated as drop-off points for persons with disabilities, traffic conditions and restrictions may make reaching these drop-off locations extremely difficult.

As noted above, public transportation is expected to be running at “crush capacity” and WMATA has informed us that while Metro Access will operate for its regular customers, they do not expect to be able to provide pick-ups for people after events.

There will be designated areas for people with disabilities in each of the ticketed seating areas on the Capitol grounds, however these areas are limited in size and available on a first-come first-served basis. Persons in wheelchairs or utilizing walkers should be aware that they will need to move across bumpy surfaces, grassy areas, and possible icy areas (depending on the weather).

While on the one hand I do appreciate that those in charge are providing all of the information necessary for people to make an informed decision about whether or not to attend, their apparent throwing their hands in the air and saying “oh well” strikes me as totally inappropriate and unacceptable.

Certainly, there are things they cannot control, such as the crowds.  And of course, security is a huge issue.  But I also doubt that Barack Obama is going to be walking across that same terrain to get to the inauguration.  I doubt the same for U.S. public officials and VIPs, as well.  I’m sure they have security clearance for a drop-off within the secured area.  While it would probably be a logistical impossibility to do the same for every person with a disability who plans to attend, how hard would it be to charter a couple of accessible buses with security clearance and even guards if necessary?  You could set up a drop-off point for people with disabilities/limited mobility (which seems to already exist), and do a few shuttle runs.  The traffic may be extremely heavy, but it’s still doable.  And that’s just my idea after thinking about it a few minutes — I’m sure that those who advocate for greater accessibility on a daily basis could come up with many other suggestions for them.

Usually “barriers” to creating genuine accessibility are much more about a lack of desire and will, and a notion that people with disabilities are making unfair demands by simply expecting the same treatment as everyone else, than genuine logistical problems.  Even if my solution above would not work for a reason that I have not yet considered, I know that there has to be a solution.  And I know that those who have the power to implement the solution don’t seem to care too much about finding it.

I agree with Richard Simms above that this is exclusionary.  The message is “this vision of change, and this moment in history, only belong to some of us.”  That’s not at all what Obama campaigned on — in fact, he regularly made a point to include people with disabilities in his speeches — and not what I or many others signed up for.

h/t F.R.I.D.A.

13 thoughts on Presidential Inauguration Will Be Inaccessible to Many

  1. A prediction:

    1. Event organizers, aware that up to four million extra people are all going to be trying to get into a city of slightly over half a million, in the time of year when it’s most likely to be below freezing and icy and miserable, send out announcements warning about the conditions and logistics.

    2. Bloggers complain about these announcements. Because cold weather and ice were arranged specially to bar them from the event.

    3. People in wheelchairs and walkers who may or may not rely totally on someone else’s assistance to live will attend the event anyway, in numbers larger than planned for.

    4. (a) Some of them will probably die. Trampling, abandonment by caregivers, whatever. (b) Some able bodied people will probably die too because crowds get ridiculous.

    5. Event organizers will be blamed for 4(a) and not for 4(b).

  2. How is it, as you suggest, that a bus with a special security officer is “simply expecting the same treatment as everyone else?” This is, by definition, special treatment. While I am all for reasonable accommodations, it is simply disingenuous to argue that giving the disabled special treatment is doing anything other than giving the disabled special treatment.

  3. Flamethorn, I really don’t even know how to begin responding to your comment; my mouth is just hanging open, so . . .

    Sean, who gets to decide what’s “reasonable”? And why is it that those without disabilities are seen as the standard? Why is the fact that there are stairs built for me to walk up but not ramps for other people seen as okay, and why is the ramp seen as special treatment? Why, when there is both an elevator and stairs, am I not seen as getting “special treatment” because I have two different ways to get to the next floor of the building?

    What you seem to be wildly missing is the fact that someone had to build the infrastructure of this world, and made the decision to exclude certain people. Why do you see asking for access to something that most people have access to as special treatment?

    Also, as someone who also once had to be informed of this fact, the preferred phrase is “people with disabilities,” not “the disabled.”

  4. When did equal access to an event become “special”? That’s kind of rhetorical because I think the first two commenters kind of showed us part of the answer and I think Cara you explained that well.

    I understand the security for the inauguration (and other presidential events having worked across the street from a hotel visited a few times by Bush, Cheney and even the governer) and I understand and believe he needs more security than previous presidents. But I think they can still provide equal access to the event and shouldn’t use it to be excluding classes of people.

  5. Cara, I agree. Why should people be treated like they’re asking for something unreasonable when its something the rest of the population takes for granted? ‘Same treatment’ for people with disabilities means being able to do what the rest of the general public can: get on a bus, have a job, get an education, go into a building, attend an event, go to the store or go to the bathroom. How is that asking for too much? Its not hard, expensive or unworkable; its just ignorance and lazinesss that keeps it from happening. “Yes we can” seems to have picked up a “…but we won’t.” in too many cases lately.

  8. “How is it, as you suggest, that a bus with a special security officer is “simply expecting the same treatment as everyone else?” This is, by definition, special treatment. While I am all for reasonable accommodations, it is simply disingenuous to argue that giving the disabled special treatment is doing anything other than giving the disabled special treatment.”

    So basically, because the abled created the buses and subways and sidewalks and cars and stairs … it’s “special treatment” when those with disabilities want to use them.

  9. I’m going to the inauguration. I have two tickets. I use an electric chair to get around. My girlfriend is coming with me and she also use a wheelchair. We figure we’ll have our own special seated section. Others will have to stand, and envy us after 3-4 hours of standing. I’m not counting on seeing anything besides someone’s backside. But I just want to be a part of it. We’re coming from NH!

  10. Hi Granite,
    I am in Georgia and terminally ill and desperately want to come. Was suppose to leave to go to Atlanta today to rest up and fly out on Tuesday but I have had a bad set back this week, have not been able to get any info relative to arrangements for disabled and as of today have not gotten any tickets. I too have an electric chair and I want to expereience this history but with no info and no history and being sicker than usual I am almost afraid to go. I just can’t imagine there not being a special handicap section but my congressman’s office was going to find out and call me back. How did you get tickets already

  11. First, I’ll list what I do give inagural planners a pass on:

    They cannot guarantee enough accessible viewing spaces because there is no way to estimate how many people with disabilities will be attending…

    That being said, there is a major difference between ‘You may be turned away because all available accessible viewing spots are full,” and, “We had to stop accomodating at some point and well, I guess you folks will be faced with several large obstacles standing between you and attending this historic event…so your best informed choice may be staying home….separate from the rest.

    Other bloggers have brought this up, and my concern is the bigger picture…

    If any other minority was facing a similar type of hurdle (limited access with some features or setups actually working against them) there would be an outcry.

    I hear *crickets*

    One simple and innovative solution to the drop off point issue mentioned by another blogger, would be to obtain, security sweep and security clear some accessible busses to move people from the original drop off point to the accessible seating….and the answer seems to have been “its hard.”

    Of *course* change of any kind is hard.

    It’s what this candidate campaigned on and what he is striving for.

    ADA doesn’t get suspended just because *its hard.”

    No one should be encouraged to stay home because ‘it’s hard.”

  12. I think inaccessible is the motto of this inauguration. The powers that be kept touting how the swearing in ceremony will be accessible–without truly making efforts to do so–and now announced that getting around will be extremely difficult.

    I think that generally people don’t understand how difficult having a disability can be – and I am not at all referring to possible physical limitations or difficulties – but basically acceptance and treatment. It’s all too true that people with disabilities get “special” treatment all the time – its just not the kind of special treatment you’d want to get. (In the interest of full disclosure, members of my family have physical disabilities, so I am talking from second-hand experience.)

    That being said, in addition to people with disabilities, the inauguration is inaccessible to people with small children (no strollers, changing areas, bathrooms), residents of the district (who have to deal with their city being immobilized while unable to snag the very limited number offered here because we simply aren’t represented i.e. no Senators), residents of Virginia or those crossing through Virginia (because they are closing ALL the bridges), – and the list goes on.

    Best of luck to those that are going!!

  13. Pingback: Barack Obama’s Inauguration Day: the sad post « Zero at the Bone

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