Editor’s note: This letter ran in the June 2 edition of the Register.

A ‘livable community’ requires accessibility

If persons with disabilities were in the mind of the general population, sidewalks and access routes would not be obstructed by vehicles; sidewalks would be cleared of snow; advertising signs, merchandise, and benches would not block our way.

Last Wednesday, it began raining on my way home after dining with live music downtown. A half-block from home, a vehicle parked on the sidewalk blocked my way. Since power wheelchairs can’t jump off sidewalks, I turned back. Eventually finding a safe driveway, I rode in the street.

Two days later brand new mailboxes were installed for the apartment complex I live in. Very pretty but inaccessible to us tenants who use wheelchairs.

For more on this story, visit: Letter to the Editor: A livable community requires accessibility