Guardian, Accessible parking not a reality
Letters to the Editor
The Guardian
Front Page
UPEI reminds me of a stubborn teenager. You can talk to them, reason with them, and try to lay down the law. We all know how stubborn kids can be when they want to do the wrong thing. (Stephen Pate on the lack of accessible parking for the disabled at the University)
On July 4th, 2008 the Guardian (UPEI’s plan to remove designated parking) reported UPEI was removing the last three accessible parking spaces on the inner campus. Those spots are gone and UPEI adamantly insists it is right.
Accessible parking means the spot is less than 50 meters from the door of the building. That is the National Building Code standard and the City of Charlottetown by-law. (Ed: the City does not enforce this by-law consistently)
60% of the blue painted parking spaces at UPEI do not meet the national standard. At UPEI, the only accessible parking is at CARI, the Sports Centre, Murphy, AVC Small Animal Hospital and MacDougall.
This move has reversed three decades in the accommodation of people with disabilities at UPEI. President MacLauchlan stubbornly refuses to budge from that decision.
Do they understand at UPEI that walking is very difficult for the blind and the walking disabled?
The effect of this policy is that very few students with disabilities attend UPEI. While UPEI should have 150 students with disabilities, it has about 20. If you build a wall, they can’t get there.
PEI Disability Alert measured and counted each parking space twice. 60% of UPEI disabled parking is not accessible and that is a fact.
President MacLauchlan and the Board of Governors have been asked repeatedly by students, staff and PEI Disability Alert to provide accessible parking but they refuse. We’ve tried letters to the paper, email, criticism, satire, protests, and TV coverage. All have failed to move them.
UPEI reminds me of a stubborn teenager. You can talk to them, reason with them, and try to lay down the law. We all know how stubborn kids can be when they want to do the wrong thing.
Please put accessible parking back on UPEI campus. It’s for our children’s future. If the young people with disabilities cannot attend UPEI, how will they escape the grip of poverty?
In September 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law 1,100 pages of improvements to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Protection of the disabled in the US is even stronger now.
UPEI’s decision is unlikely to happen in the United States and should not be allowed to happen here.
