Letter: Violations of Snow in Accessible Parking Place Law

NJ law requires that businesses must clean the snow from accessible parking spaces and paths by 24 hours after snow fall has stopped or be fined $500 to $1000 per spot per day. http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/legis/2007c287_law.pdf

Violations of this law are rampant and prevent people with disabilities from moving about in the snow and are a hazard to health. The pictures below show sample violations at the Middletown Sunray/Pathmark shopping Center, a medical building at 240 Wall Street in W. Long Branch and Ursula Plaza in Long Branch.

In case you can't find them in the pictures, the buried accessible parking spots are located in front of the blue reserved signs and under the huge piles of snow!

Not only are the spaces not cleaned out, but snow is also pushed into the spaces from other spaces in the lots! Police departments usually are not enforcing thus important law.

Perhaps publicity on the law and fines would increase compliance. The violations are a huge source of "road rage" for me and other people with disabilities who try to travel!

Thank you,

Carolyn Schwebel, Director
Equalizers, Advocates for People with Disabilities

Outside Sunray Drugs - Middletown

Outside a medical building W. Long Branch

Ursala Plaza - Long Branch

Equalizers Charge: Medical Facilities Discriminate: Not Accessible

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 11, 2013


LEONARDO, NJ : "Medical access delayed is medical access denied," said Carolyn Schwebel, Executive Director of the Equalizers, advocates for people with disabilities. "July 26th was the 23rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ," she added, "but very few physicians' offices and hospitals are wheelchair-accessible as required by this law."

During the long and arduous diagnosis and treatment regimen commonly required for those with breast cancer, Schwebel herself has had to endure many incidents of lack of accessibility at a local hospital. For a minor operation, the surgeon had to call a security guard to physically lift her up onto a high table that she had been assured would be accessible. "That experience made a scary situation even scarier. I was anxious, angry, and embarrassed at being undressed." For daily radiation treatments, she had to rely on a very cooperative, strong staff member to do the lifting. Many patients, especially older ones, have said that they are afraid that if they ask for their safe access rights they will lose their doctors.

Medical facilities should be the most proactive in providing access for people with disabilities, including older patients and "wounded warriors." Still, 21 years after the required implementation of the ADA, patient tables, patient beds, toilets, diagnostic and radiation treatment machines are usually much too high; toilet seats and exam tables should be 17 to 19 inches from the floor for transfer from a wheelchair. Traditional exam tables are over a foot higher! While some medical providers have tried by buying newer tables, they are unaware that at 26 inches high, these tables are still dangerous and not accessible. The proper 17 to 19 inch height tables are now available.

Much guidance for medical providers is available at the Department of Justice's Web site, ADA.gov; in particular see "Access To Medical Care For Individuals With Mobility Disabilities" http://www.ada.gov/medcare_mobility_ta/medcare_ta.pdf

ADA Award Honors Atlantic Highlands Borough Administrator

Atlantic Highlands, NJ:  At the July 25th Atlantic Highlands Borough Council meeting, on the eve of the 22nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Equalizers, advocates for people with disabilities, presented an Equalizer award to Borough Administrator Adam Hubeny in recognition of his excellent implementation of accessibility in the Borough Hall renovation.

(Carolyn Schwebel, Adam Hubeny, Jane Reynolds, Fred Rast)

Mayor Frederick J. Rast, III, read aloud the Equalizers letter praising  the Borough's accessibility accomplishments, recognizing Adam Hubeny, and presenting a $3000 check to Library Director Jane Reynolds for the Friends of the Library.

In presenting the award, Equalizers Executive Director Carolyn Schwebel stated: "Atlantic Highlands has been more cooperative than any other area town in achieving accessibility compliance."

Hubeny responded to an ADA lawsuit not defensively, but with determined efforts to provide the fullest ADA-compliance.  Schwebel stated that Adam  exceeded our expectations in his empathic awareness and attention to detail of access requirements. In a recent tour of the renovated borough hall, Adam commented, “I kept saying to myself how would I feel about not having access.”

After Schwebel commented that in the recent tour she was able to access the courtroom dais a perceptive council person recognizing the implications of integration told Carolyn, "Now that you got on the dais, you can run for office!" Schwebel responded, "But I live in Middletown, which doesn't provide that access."