From Agence France-Press (AFP). In the picture, a worker sets up chairs for the inaugural.WASHINGTON — It's being touted as the most accessible US presidential inauguration ever, but for many, including seniors, the disabled and parents of young children, it's going to be tough getting to see Barack Obama take the oath of office.
"Security and environmental restrictions will make travel especially challenging for people with disabilities and senior citizens," said Christian Kent, assistant general manager of access services for the Washington Metro.
Trains will be packed and platforms will be crowded. Many Metro station escalators will be turned off "to help with crowd control."
"You might think that shutting down an escalator would worsen crowding in a Metro station, but think about this," Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel told AFP.
"Suppose you have people backing up at fare gates and ticket machines and an escalator with people on it moving down from street level to a packed platform.
"What happens to all those people when they get to the bottom and have no place to go?" he said, describing a situation that would make a sardine claustrophobic.
Any working elevators are likely to have long lines of people waiting in front of them. The best way to exit the Metro will be by walking up the city's famously long escalators -- but that is not an option for many disabled people.
Once people in wheelchairs or with walkers get to the middle of Washington, where the swearing-in is due to take place, they "should be aware that they will need to move across bumpy surfaces, grassy areas, and possible icy areas," the official inaugural website says.
"This is a one-time event that everyone's excited about, and there should be equal accessibility," George Akembe of the District of Columbia Center for Independent Living (DCCIL), which promotes independent lifestyles for people with disabilities, told AFP.
Push-chairs are banned from the seated viewing area on the National Mall, which will only be accessible to 240,000 ticket-holders. So are backpacks and bags exceeding eight by six by four inches (20 x 16 x 10 centimeters) -- meaning no diaper bags.
In other words, parents of small children are being advised to leave them at home -- possibly with grandparents, as seniors are also being advised against making the trek to Washington for the inauguration.
People for whom the inauguration will be particularly inaccessible are those who live in Virginia.Bridges leading from Washington's Virginia suburbs will be closed to traffic on inauguration day. Vehicle traffic into the capital from Virginia will have to transit through Maryland, along the infamous Beltway ring road, notorious for massive traffic jams in normal times.
To avoid the jams, inauguration-goers are being advised to take public transportation, with all the caveats already mentioned.
And even if they are able to navigate all the hurdles on the Metro or buses and make it into Washington, they have to be prepared to "walk considerable distances due to extensive street closures."
Nature's call should be answered, where possible, before leaving home as officials are predicting many crossed legs outside the porta-potties on the National Mall, where around one million people are expected to gather to watch Obama being sworn in.
For the disabled, only a small number of accessible restrooms will be available, officials have warned.
"We are advising customers that if they have any concern about being able to navigate or endure these conditions, they should avoid traveling into downtown Washington on these days," said Kent of the Washington Metro.
Akembe slammed the organizers of the historic event.
"They aren't prepared for everyone. It isn't fair," he said.
"If this is supposed to be the most accessible inauguration in history, why are they saying disabled people should stay home? You can see the contradiction there," said Akembe, himself a wheelchair user.