KPLU Local News
(2009-11-24)
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SEATTLE,WA
(KPLU) -
People with disabilities in Seattle comprise a group that's the largest unrepresented minority interest. And lately, activist Julian Wheeler says, the city has been overlooking their needs. He says legislation passed last year that allows sidewalk cafes completely overlooked the needs of people with mobility issues. And the master plan for the Seattle Center recently replaced handicapped parking spaces with a garden.
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"And I must say it's a very nice garden. But people who represented the honoree of that garden said that they would not have wanted those spots removed."
Wheeler says the cost of forgetting about the interests of the disabled can easily add up to much more than the 35-thousand dollars to fund the commission - because of the potential for lawsuits and change orders on construction. He says the same forces that have gutted the city's budget make the disabilities commission more necessary now than ever.
"When a recession hits, people with disabilities suffer more proportionally than other segments of the general population."
The commission likely will be made up of 15 volunteers who are appointed by the mayor and the city council. Legislation containing those details is expected to pass by the end of the year.
For more information: Committee to Establish a Seattle Disabilities Commission © Copyright 2012, KPLU
