NJ mayor, police chief take spins in wheelchairs to learn about accessibility issues

From the Courier News in New Jersey:

EDISON, N.J. — For an hour and a half on Oct. 14, Mayor Jun Choi and Police Chief Thomas Bryan viewed Town Hall from a different perspective than usual.

The men moved about the municipal building in wheelchairs as part of an "accessibility tour," organized by Jackie Jackson, a disability advocate and resident of South Plainfield, and the New Jersey metro chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"It really gives one an appreciation and compassion for what other people have to go through just to get around their daily business," Bryan said, after the tour.

The chief noted that, despite the municipal building being Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, there were certain areas that pose minor obstacles to people on wheelchairs.

He said small cracks in the pavement and grass on the sidewalk makes it tough to navigate by using a manual wheelchair. "Getting to the men's room is very challenging, not using your legs and having to lift yourself up is tough," he said.

"I got a shoulder workout by pushing myself up," he said.

Bryan said he also noticed that sometimes people are not very sensitive with small things like holding doors open for someone with disabilities.

"It all has to do with awareness," he said.

The tour was the third organized by Jackson, who is challenging political leaders, advocates, clergy, business owners, family members and others to spend a day in a wheelchair to experience life from the personal perspective of a wheelchair user with multiple disabilities.

Bryan and Choi started the tour outside the mayor's office and maneuvered around Town Hall, going to the clerk's office, the tax collector's office, upstairs to the title records office, outside, down the sidewalk into the police department, back into the courthouse and finally finishing up in the Council Chambers.

"The idea is to break down barriers for individuals with disabilities in our community by heightening awareness about their daily lives," said Stephanie Hunsinger, advocacy director for the New Jersey metro chapter of the National MS Society.

Choi said the next step is forming an Americans with Disabilities Act advisory committee to include Edison residents to make long-term recommendations on improving mobility in town.

The mayor noted that his administration already has spent $800,000 to improve mobility for persons with disabilities all around town.