Disability activists in Chicago protest dangerous sidewalk curb cut at Dan Ryan Expressway entrance

From CBS-TV in Chicago:

CHICAGO -― Disability activists protest at the Dan Ryan overpass over Roosevelt Road, calling on the alderman's office to fix a dangerous sidewalk curb cut.
CBS

Activists from the group ADAPT held the protest as at the Roosevelt Road on-ramp to the northbound Dan Ryan. They say the curb cut on each corner of the ramp is "inaccessible and dangerous" for people with disabilities.

Their plan had been to block the on-ramp, but when the protest was in progress around noon, they were on the overpass over the expressway.

In the past month, a young man in a power wheelchair almost fell out of his chair as he tried to cross the Dan Ryan Expressway on-ramp on the sidewalk. The incline is too steep and does not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines for curb cut slopes, ADAPT said.

"I was utterly terrified and thought I might tip over due to the very steep incline," the man, Josue Rodriguez, said in a news release.

At the protest, demonstrators on the expressway overpass held signs and chanted, "Access now!" One man lay prostrate on the sidewalk over a body outline, with red streamers on his wrists to represent blood, as if he had fallen out of a motorized wheelchair behind him.

The group called on Ald. Danny Solis (25th) to have the sidewalk fixed. Solis came to the demonstration and told the group, "I'd be happy to help you," but also said they should contact Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd), since the overpass is in his ward. He also spoke and exchanged information with the demonstrators.