Editorial: Disabled access is dreadful

Sunday, May 28, 2000 | 9:35 a.m.

It is impossible for the able-bodied to truly understand the obstacles that daily confront those who are handicapped, but last Sunday's story by Sun reporter Steve Kanigher made it clear how woeful handicapped access is at many government buildings in Las Vegas. Kanigher's thorough review was a follow-up to a previous story he wrote on the inadequacy of handicapped access at UNLV's Thomas & Mack arena.

Despite passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, a decade later there are many government buildings here that don't allow people in wheelchairs to get around. Consider just a few of the many examples Kanigher found: restroom doors in the Sawyer State Office Building are too hard to push open for those in wheelchairs; some van-accessible handicapped parking spaces at UNLV don't have the minimum 8 feet of width required to off-load a wheelchair from a van ramp; a wheelchair lift in the Clark County Commission chambers is almost impossible to use for those with limited arm movement; and some portable classrooms at Clark County schools don't have ramps for wheelchairs.

It's not as if some of these government buildings are ancient -- the Clark County Government Center and the Sawyer State Office Building opened years after the disability access legislation was passed in 1990, so there's no reason why there should be problems there. While some government officials told the Sun they'll try to make their buildings more accessible, you'll have to excuse the disabled if they don't hold their breath. After all, if an act of Congress can't get their attention, it's not clear if shame itself will make them do what's right.

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