Written by Sid Harris
February 24, 2023
February 24, 2023
On the evening of December 5, 2022, I attended the City Council meeting in City Hall. Because an emergency had forced the closing of the tunnel entrance, I was directed by a Methuen police officer stationed there to an alternative entrance off the upper parking lot that required climbing a set of stairs. Being a person with a disability, I did so with a great deal of effort. Another person requiring a wheelchair would have found this entrance completely inaccessible, making the meeting not open to all in the community. City officials elected not to re-schedule the meeting to enable all to attend. As a result, I filed an open meeting violation report with the Attorney General’s Office.The city’s response was to continue its fight against people with disabilities. Instead of reaching out to me as the complainant to try to resolve the matter, the city, through the City Solicitor, responded with a long letter to the Attorney General’s office alleging that an ADA compliant alternative entrance to City Hall exists at the front of the building. The city’s new ADA Coordinator appeared at a recent Council meeting to tell the Council that the front entrance is ADA compliant, but also that the city is taking steps to make it “more compliant.” According to experts I asked to assess the situation, the entrance is not ADA compliant. There is no signage. It is down an unlighted alley with cracked concrete and a number of obstacles in the way. The automatic door opener is not within reach of someone in a wheelchair. There is one HP parking space which is usually occupied all day every day by a city employee’s vehicle.
At the meeting, the ADA Coordinator stated in answer to a councilor’s question that she is certified as an ADA Coordinator. I made a FOIA request for a copy of the individual’s certification and received an “attendance certificate” from an online webinar. I appreciate that this person is trying to learn on the job, but ADA Coordinator Certification is an intensive process that requires many hours of study. I don’t think she’s qualified to make a presentation to the City Council that carries any weight. Its quite amazing how easy it is to put one over city councilors.
The bottom line here is that for whatever reason the city has charted a course of opposition to any attempt to bring it into compliance with the laws protecting people with disabilities in our community. Our City Solicitor spends countless hours trying to get around the law instead of supporting efforts to comply. There are many instances of this, but in this case related to the open meeting law, all they had to do was admit that a mistake had been made, reach out to the complainant, and try to work out a remedy.
Sadly, I believe the city has now positioned itself to fight against all attempts toward ADA compliance, and even more resources will be put toward that effort instead of working with the disability community to ensure accessibility for all our residents.