Perspective in life is so important. Being able-bodied, I joined the Accessible Community Team on its journey up and down Main Avenue. There was not one person on that trip that could possibly be labeled a protester (Herald, Aug. 5). Activist, yes, but not protester. Jason Ragsdell, Mark Douglass and Martha Mason could not have been more professional. It is a sad commentary that people trying to still bring more awareness to a 24-year-old federal law is an issue, let alone necessary.
It was luck that the Durango Business Improvement District was having a board meeting as the ACT group rolled by BID’s office. Tim Walsworth and the board graciously allowed their meeting to be interrupted and came down the two dozen or more steps to the street to meet with ACT. The visit was short, amiable and productive. Douglass made the trip in a wheelchair, one he used for years, but he is able to now get out of it and work on behalf of those unable to do so. That is a passionate activist.
People with disabilities, like all community members, like to shop, eat and socialize with their friends and families. They are no different than their two-wheeled cohorts (bicyclists), which Durango bends over backward to accommodate. I would challenge anyone, especially city councilors, to sit in a wheelchair for a day on Main Avenue. Experience the very real barriers that people like Vincent LaDue deal with everyday. Try to traverse the sidewalks between 21st and 22nd streets without taking your wheelchair actually out into Main. Try to find an accessible restroom downtown. It just might change your perspective. I’ll help you out; there is an accessible public restroom in the Durango Welcome Center on Main.
Gregg M. Janus
Bayfield
