Subhead: New measures for local disabled
By Jason Pohl
JTC 320
You have probably heard of issues with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but did you know just how comprehensive the plans are? Check out these issues that must comply with the ADA.
· Uneven sidewalks and curbs
· Usable windows
· Sinks
· Fitting rooms
· ATMs
· Alarms
Nearly five years ago, Marjorie O’Connell, 81, was leaving a local community center when, with one fateful step, everything in her life suddenly changed.
“It was dark. The streetlight went out as I neared my car, and then everything happened,” she said. “I took my steps carefully, but then I found the curb and fell... Before I knew it, I was on my way to the hospital.”
While many run, bike or simply walk through the gorgeous landscapes of Fort Collins, there is an entire subgroup including O’Connell that is often excluded from Fort Collins' miles of bike paths that meander through open spaces and natural areas.
“I think it’s better than most places,” O’Connell said. “I still think there’s still a lot to fix, though.”
After three surgeries, a new hip and countless doctor appointments, she still struggles to be as active as the days before the incident that sent her into a new lifestyle – one that requires extra caution and even more time just to do the most mundane of tasks.
However, a change is in sight.
For many local residents with disabilities, recently adopted legislative amendments to the city's recreational rules change the options citizens have to move around town. Talks of e-bikes and motorized vehicles have been in the spotlight for months now, and changes have now been enacted that give mobility impaired individuals a chance to enjoy Fort Collins again.
Director of Park Planning Craig Foreman has been leading the charge over nearly three decades. He has seen the changes and led the plans that helped to earn Fort Collins the top spot in Money Magazine’s 2006 “Best Places to Live.”
“A lot has happened over the years, especially in terms of legislation.”
Fort Collins continues to grow along with much of Colorado’s Front Range. According to 2010 census data, the population of Fort Collins is nearly 144,000, up over 5,000 from just one year before.
O’Connell, like many elderly individuals, cannot enjoy the 25 miles of paved bike paths or 43 natural areas in the same way as the elite runners or even casual bikers. But new types of vehicles will, according to Foreman, put disabled and elderly individuals back on the trails.
Over time, changes to the city's regulations regarding land and trail use have come up. As the decades roll on, the baby-boomer generation will continue to age, and soon there will be even more elderly struggling to access the great outdoors they grew up with.
By looking back in time, it can be understood just how radically the system has evolved. This can bring a deeper understanding of what the future holds for individuals that may want to use the trails but are instead limited.
“I still enjoying being outside. I think in a few years, Fort Collins will really have it right,” O’Connell said.
- A step forward
To say that Rome was not built in a day would be an understatement. A lot has gone into moving Fort Collins into the position it is in today. Housing, education and job creation play a major role in what makes the city so desirable, but what makes Fort Collins so unique is its emphasis on recreational activities – on getting out and experiencing the great outdoors, even while still within the city-limits.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is perhaps one of the most landmark pieces of legislation that helped to catapult the city into the position it is today.
The ADA built upon many advances from years prior including the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to the point where “A nationwide disability rights movement emerged from within the disability community,” according to the National Council on Disability.
With the swift swoop of a pen, President George H.W. Bush signed the ADA into law in 1990. The comprehensive legislation consisted of Title 1 through Title 5, each of which pertained to different aspects of public life including “employment,” “public accommodations” and a case by case section dubbed “miscellaneous provisions.”
Bush signs the ADA into effect – July 26, 1990
“The main ADA regulations were really very complete and have been modified only slightly over the years,” Foreman said.
- A step today
Over the years and the increasing construction and expansion of Fort Collins, a vast system of trails can now take you from the north end of town all the way to southern Fort Collins car dealerships.
“Biking is faster than driving my car,” said Laura Logan, junior wildlife biology major who uses the trails “almost every day.”
Though the system is deemed nearly exceptional by many, problems are still existent.
“You have to look at everything from an accessibility point,” Foreman said when asked how the parks department decides what projects to take up and when.
Issues including accessible restrooms and drinking fountains (those lowered for wheelchair users), picnic shelters, ramps to buildings and even ADA accessible baseball field dugouts are currently being discussed within the department
An example of an ADA accommodated drinking fountain
“We expect our landscape architects, engineers and building architects to be aware of the regulations and somewhat aware of potential changes that could be made in the regulations,” Foreman said.
According to the Compass of Larimer County, there were over 16,000 individuals who reported some sort of disability in 2009 in Fort Collins. Over 60 percent of those cases involved either ambulatory or cognitive disabilities.
“With so many trail users, accessibility is key,” said Jeffery Boring with the Larimer County Department of Development which oversees the region’s natural areas in conjunction with the parks department.
- A step forward
As recently as the past six months, amendments to the city’s trail use regulations have been considered that would allow a variety of new vehicles on local trails. Electric bicycles that are operated within a to-be-determined speed limit may be appearing on trails in the near future.
Supporters, including Josh Kerson, owner of RunAbout Cycles, advocate that allowing these new modes of transit on trails will “enable people to resume their old exercising habits again.”
One of Kerson’s e-bikes, an increasingly popular mode of transportation
Many “e-bikes” assist users to get up to speed or as they approach a hill, but they still encourage pedaling and exercise in general.
Additional actions have been taken allowing other motorized devices including Segway scooters onto local trails, so long as they take up less than one-half of the trail, weigh less than 500 pounds and operate at 55 decibels or less.
Only those with a disability can use such devices on trails, and according to the parks department, “Proof of such impairment may be requested in accordance with ADA regulations.”
“We continue to see areas to improve our trails for everyone,” Foreman said. “We will see what the future holds.”
- Critics
Though at first glance everyone supports recreating and being active for people of all walks of life, there are those who believe that, harsh as it may sound, not everyone should be accommodated.
In his most famous work Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, American writer, adventurer and naturalist Edward Abbey showed concern over the paving of the once wild west so as to allow for anyone to view what only the adventurous saw..
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view,” he said.
He is not alone in questioning and even criticizing accessibility of even the most remote parts of the world.
“When you allow anyone access to the pristine areas of town, it isn't long before the beauty of it disappears,” said Mel Amoroso, a 22-year-old student. “You look at the paved way up Pike's Peak and realize just how much it takes away from the true experience of exploration.”
Regardless of your position on the issue of getting more disabled people onto local trails, you can be sure this issue is one that will remain on the minds of those involved for years to come.
The age of Fort Collins will likely increase as more and more people choose to retire, and that will have an effect on every possible aspect of the city. From trails to transportation the issue will stick around. Though it is still too early to tell how many disabled individuals will utilize the new measures, one can be sure it will be something you hear about as you go for an evening walk down meandering spring creek.
Perhaps Marjorie O'Connell summed it up best.
“I'm not sure I would use a new vehicle. But having the option is nice. I may not set a speed record, but having another outlet to getting around town would be really nice.”
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