Located at Searles Building
Located behind Chick-fil-A
Written by: Sid Harris
August 26, 2023
As the world moves towards increased use of electric cars, more and more charging stations are being built. But while this is a positive step in reducing carbon emissions, it is important to ensure that these stations are accessible to all members of society, including those with disabilities. Unfortunately, a mayor’s previous plans for a charging station left much to be desired when it came to accessibility. Even when I pointed this out to the city as well at the disability Commission and ADA Coordinator that the station needed to be accessible, the correct guidelines were not followed. This shows a lack of understanding of the laws surrounding public services, which state that they must be accessible.
I provided a simple solution recently to make the charging station accessible by creating an access aisle, but it took an astounding three years of nonsense conversation for this to happen. This delay may have been due to a shortage of processes, departmental collaboration, and expertise in accessibility guidelines. It is evident that more needs to be done to make sure that public services in Methuen are accessible to all members of the community.
Sid Harris