Wheelchair Accesibility Through the Years

By Nicole Alanko and Kathy Garner, M&M TIPsters

“Accessibility is a bigger challenge than anything.” Darius Weems would know. As a 20-year old with Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, the Athens native has traveled the country spreading the word about his disease, and showing people about life in a wheelchair.

“It was random places that were more accessible,” Darius said. “It varies from different places I go to. I like to go to places that aren’t accessible so that if they see me, like a real person, they’ll want to change it. If they see me, they’ll be inspired to change it.”

Darius is one of the more famous people that is trying to change wheelchair accessibility. It’s a fight that picked up momentum in 1932 with the invention of the first folding wheelchair. This wheelchair was called the Everest and Jennings chair. Before this time, wheelchairs had been heavy and it was difficult for people with disabilities to leave their homes, so accessibility to public buildings was not an issue. After the invention of the Everest and Jennings chair, however, disabled people were able to put their chairs in their cars and go anywhere. This was how the Disability Rights Movement began.

With advancements in medicine, more people were living through serious injuries that normally would have caused them to die. Many of these were veterans of the World Wars, who then began to protest in America for more rights and more access to public places.

The Americans with Disabilities Act was originally passed in 1980, with revisions made in 2008. This Act was meant to enforce stronger legislation pertaining to the rights of people with disabilities. It discusses employment, access to buildings and public transportation, and communication devices.

“No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation,” according to the Act.

The full Act itself is very simple, with specific guidelines. Sections 1, 2, and 3 are all general knowledge sections. They detail the purpose as well as general information and vocabulary used in the remainder of the document. Section 4 details the minimum requirements of areas, including but not limited to curbs, stairs, toilet stalls, water fountains, and saunas, to make them handicap accessible, including exceptions. Sections 5 through 15 specify requirements for specific areas, such as restaurants, libraries, and medical care facilities.

This was an extremely important piece of legislation that laid the foundations for new changes to come. While after twenty years, not every building is wheelchair accessible, change and success will come. Darius himself does not advocate for any specific legislation.

“Accessibility is dependent on the owner,” said Amble Johnson, a writer for the Darius Goes West organization. “People will want to change. They’re just ignorant.”

Nicole Alanko, 16, is a Junior at Riverheads High School in Staunton, VA.
Kathy Garner, 15, is a sophomore at Ursuline Academy in Dallas, Texas.

Other Resources:
http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm
http://www.ada.gov/
http://www.ada.gov/adastd94.pdf