Today I received an article from Justice For All, a national advocate for disability rights, from the Boston Globe about the new stimulus package and the rush to spend all that cash on shovel-ready projects. We need those public works projects, but at what price? http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/06/advoc... [1]
You can reach Justice For All at jfa@aapd.org [2].
Although this article refers to events in Massachusetts, you can bet the same dynamics are at play in every one of the states. I am forwarding this article to my advocate friends as fair warning that it can happen in their community or state, too. Please get involved in the issue, if possible: attend hearings, ask questions, keep your eyes open at construction sites, pass the word to other advocates, spread the news of inaccessible new construction.
Please help enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act with your vigilant eyes because your state/local government will be too busy spending the moneys to pay attention to the finer details of how it’s being spent. If you do not know what to do when you think you see an infraction, let us know so we can talk about it and help you get in touch with the appropriate authorities. Thanks!
Links:
[1] http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/06/advocates_say_rights_of_disabled_trampled/?s_campaign=8315
[2] mailto:jfa@aapd.org