It’s Time to Show Up for Disability Rights

On Jan. 25, I was invited to a forum for Buffalo mayoral candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s endorsement. I am proud to be a Democratic committee member of Fillmore 12, the Old First Ward, an honor made possible through the encouragement of my Council member, Mitchell Nowakowski.

The forum was held at Adamski Social Center at St. Stanislaus Church. I was not aware whether it was accessible to persons with disabilities, as I had never been there before. Mitch was nice enough to drive me over in my car, as I did not have staff to bring me to the event; I’m grateful for the assistance he provided.

When we arrived, we were looking for access for those with mobility issues like mine – I use a power wheelchair – and we discovered that with some assistance from some friends of Mitch that there was a door marked “chairlift.” However, we couldn’t access it – there was snow in front of it and the key wasn’t available to even open it.

One of the people in the crowd went inside to check and found that it wouldn’t have worked anyway. It was just a chairlift — not a wheelchair elevator. I cannot transfer into a chairlift as I am not able to bear that weight. We continued to press on and investigate the front of the building some more to see if there was an access point.

There were two stairs to enter the building, and then five more stairs to go up and down. On the right side of the stairs, there was another chairlift. They thought I could use that, but I’m going to give you a visual so you understand the situation: I am roughly 6-foot-3 and about 200 pounds, so once again, we had to come up with another plan.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am very determined to be a part of activities and part of my community, especially when talking to those running for elected office. Mitch understood that because he represents me; I visit him at his office – or we have coffee – and we have many discussions about disability concerns and other issues. We have developed a true friendship.

As one of the leaders of the disability movement in Buffalo, I believe it is essential to share my thoughts on the issues we face with those who want to run for public office. But that can’t happen when places where events are held are not accessible for someone who uses a wheelchair or another mobility aid.

You might think that after unsuccessfully trying to get into the building, I would just go home. I didn’t. Mitch, who was my support to get to the event, made sure that I was heard by getting the help of five other guys, who, with Mitch, lifted me up the stairs and then into a manual wheelchair, which I happened to see.

 Originally, the plan — once we got me up to the top of the stairs — was that they would bring my power chair up, but I elected to leave it at the bottom of the stairs. I got all this support from people I didn’t know – who don’t know what I’m all about – and it reminded me why Buffalo is called the City of Good Neighbors.

Accessibility is something that those leaders in the disability rights community who came before me fought for, but I’m embarrassed to say – with the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act this year – that we are still fighting for physical accessibility to places, even when we have technology to assist us.

Once I got into the event, I head a lot of “I’m sorry for what happened,” which is all well and good – but, frankly, I’m tired of it. Decades after the ADA was passed, “I’m sorry” means nothing.

So it is time once again to take action and not accept being dismissed or patted on the head. We need to show up and say “I’m a member of the community and belong here” and not go home. Don’t miss your opportunity to be seen and be heard. We need to send a message that if we show up, we are not going away. If you just disappear, nothing changes – and you’re saying that’s OK.

We need to stop being being an afterthought. That can only change if we show up and take action.