Handicapped celebrate rights bill 20 years later

Thor Jourgensen/The Daily ItemThose confined to a wheelchair say the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA was a watershed moment for disabled people.But, even with yesterday the 20th anniversary, they pointed barriers still remain.Attorney David Hall, who was in a wheelchair eight years before the Act was passed, said it has improved the quality of life for him and other disabled people.?I was 20 years old when I was injured,” said Hall, who noted the requirement of handicapped access into public buildings is vital in his profession. “I was going off a rope swing at Spring Pond in Peabody when I was injured. I am a quadriplegic and use an electric wheelchair so it (passing of ADA) made a huge difference for me personally. It was a huge milestone for me. I was in college at Tufts when it was passed and the university was building ramps as quickly as possible when it became law.”The ADA was passed by President George Bush Sr. on July 26, 1990, but Hall, 48, said it was not a magic bullet.Handicapped individuals still face challenges when trying to access older buildings that have not been modified.In February 2003, Hall led the charge to make the public meeting room in Town Hall handicapped accessible when he filed with the attorney general’s office. Town Administrator Andrew Maylor met with state officials in January 2003 to respond to that complaint and agreed to move the meetings to the high school on Forest Avenue until the meeting room in Town Hall was ADA compliant. In June 2008, Town Hall reopened after an extensive renovation, and for the first time in its history the entire facility was handicapped accessible. The connector wing is equipped with a handicapped-accessible elevator and bathrooms on all three levels.The act’s 20th anniversary is also important to Karen Nicholl-Bunting, a Lynn resident confined to a wheelchair with severe arthritis.?I can’t imagine what it was like before the ADA,” Nicholl-Bunting said Monday.She credits the law with making building and sidewalk access easier for wheelchair-bound city residents but said much more needs to be done in terms of ensuring access.She said the Center for Independent Living, a advocacy organization for the disabled, is preparing to conduct surveys gauging community compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.?The law gives the disabled more equality to live their lives,” she said, adding she is one of several local disabled residents awaiting appointment to a city Disability Commission authorized by the City Council. Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy is in the process of naming commission members.Tom Smith, who is trying to come back from a paralyzing hockey injury for the second time in as many years, said the ADA and renovation of Town Hall were steps in the right direction but he pointed out handicapped individuals still face major obstacles accessing public buildings even right in Swampscott.Smith, 20, recounted a time last year when he had to visit the Swampscott Police Station on business and was unable to get into the building, which is not handicapped accessible. Smith said he had to call out for several minutes until station personnel heard him.?Detective Sgt. Tim Cassidy came out,” Smith said. “He helped carry me (in my wheelchair) into the building. I was able to help some by using my arms but it was still very difficult for him to get me in there. If I had been completely paralyzed or in a heavy motorized wheelchair I probably could not have got in the station even with assistance.”Smith said he believes he will walk again but he is speaking out because he knows there are others, who will never be able to walk again.?It’s discouraging and it saddens me,” he said. “It’s so disheartening. People in wheelchairs should not be treated like second-class citizens. By law handicapped people have to be allowed access to town buildings.”Smith said even if there were a ramp into the station, it would not be enough to accommodate individuals in wh