Disabilities Panel Meeting

Draws Accessibility Complaint

Newtown resident Wendy Beres this week advised town officials that she planned to file a formal ADA grievance in response to the town conducting a government meeting in an inaccessible building.

Mrs Beres’ February 2 letter to ADA coordinator Tom Paternoster was in response to a meeting held last Thursday afternoon in the Mary Hawley Room at Edmond Town Hall. For years, Mrs Beres has argued that the building is not accessible to the handicapped, mostly because the building’s antiquated elevator is small and difficult for someone in a wheelchair to use.

The irony of this most recent complaint is that it involves a meeting of the Persons with Disabilities Committee, which was created to ensure that the town is in compliance with ADA rules. Mrs Beres once chaired this board.

Five years ago, the US Justice Department ruled that Edmond Town Hall is accessible because of policies that have been put into place by the town. These policies include a handicapped assistance plan under which disabled residents are able to request special assistance between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.

However, as Mrs Beres points out, that does not include after-hours governmental meetings. The building is not accessible, she said, and the transition plan that the town put together in 1993, due to the ADA law, acknowledges that Edmond Town Hall is inaccessible.

“The first selectman needs to understand that the building is not accessible. That’s why I have requested a meeting with Herb so that it can be resolved,” Mrs Beres said.

The Persons with Disabilities Committee has agreed not to meet at the Mary Hawley Room.