Editorial: Disability access takes on priority

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2000 | 2:15 a.m.

It is encouraging that the Thomas & Mack Center finally is making improvements so that disabled individuals have greater access to the arena. The problems with handicap access have been known since the early 1980s, but not much was done to improve this situation until now.

These changes are coming about primarily because of the difficulties that 12-year-old Stephen Quinn faced when he attended a UNLV men's basketball game last season. As the Sun first reported in February, arena employees prevented Quinn from going onto the floor level in his wheelchair even though he was with boosters who had nearby seats. In response, this season there will be nine wheelchair-accessible seats on the floor level. There also will be phones for the hearing impaired, lower concession and ticket windows, directional signs and plaza ramps. In addition, there will be 63 handicapped parking spaces just outside the arena. Previously VIP parking spaces were closer to the arena than were those spots reserved for handicapped parking.

The persistence of Stephen Quinn and his family in trying to get changes made obviously paid off. Another contributing factor was that a family friend who advocated on their behalf was Jeff Guinn, who is the son of Gov. Kenny Guinn. It's just disappointing that it took so much energy to get these common-sense changes made in the first place.