Date: Fri 11-Jul-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

GOP-disabled-Beres-ADA

Full Text:

GOP Caucus Inaccessible To The Disabled, Beres Complains

BY STEVE BIGHAM

It didn't take long for Newtown resident Wendy Beres to voice her outrage

after the Republicans scheduled their July 17 caucus in the Alexandria Room at

Edmond Town Hall.

The room is not handicapped-accessible, according to Mrs Beres. The Turkey

Hill Road resident has been on a crusade in recent years to stop town

officials from holding meetings at town hall. She believes the town is in

violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Mrs Beres, the head of Newtown's Persons with Disabilities Committee,

criticized town committee chairman Russ Melita in a July 11 letter.

"I can not believe that you could be so insensitive to the rights of the

disabled. I am one of many disabled residents that are ashamed to be

Republican," she said.

Mrs Beres can't take legal action this time, however. On Tuesday, Mae

Schmidle, town committee vice chairman, announced that the Republican Town

Committee plans to station someone at the door to assist those who need it.

While that may make holding the caucus at town hall legal, Mrs Beres said it

defeats the whole purpose of the ADA law, which is supposed to allow all

disabled people their independence. The federal act mandated that all public

buildings provide proper handicapped access by January 26, 1992.

"You have effectively eliminated that in Newtown for Republicans, for this

caucus," she told Mr Melita.

It was a year ago that Mrs Beres filed a grievance against the town for

discriminating against the disabled by holding meetings in town hall. And

while First Selectman Bob Cascella finally agreed to discontinue holding

public meetings in the building, some boards and commissions, including the

Charter Revision Commission, continued to hold meetings there. Mrs Beres said

little then, but with hundreds of people expected to show up at the caucus,

she refused to let the issue pass.

"This is not right. It happens over and over again," she said.

The GOP said it tried to find a more suitable location, but ran out of

options. The Democrats are holding their caucus on the same night in the

middle school auditorium.

Mrs Beres claims every place in Edmond Town Hall is inaccessible to the

disabled with the exception of the finance department on the north side of the

building. She said the doors need to be widened, more handicapped parking

spaces need to be created and something has to be done about the antique

elevator still in use inside the building. She said you need eight arms in

order to operate it.

"Ethically, the town of Newtown and the Republican party are violating the

intent of the law," she said. "They're used to using the Alexandria Room and

they chose to use it because they don't care."