As a mobility-impaired person, I get to see a lot that able-bodied people do not.
Handicap accessibility is a gamble when going out in public.
Several examples:
In order for me to enter a certain bistro in Port Angeles, I must go down an alley in the dark, past the garbage bins and through the garbage juices puddled nearby. Then I am supposed to be let in and escorted through the kitchen.
On west Eighth Street in Port Angeles, on a steep hill in the middle of the block, there is a handicap parking place near the entrance to a Thai restaurant.
Unfortunately, there is no curb cut to allow my chair to get over the curb. I must park at the top or bottom of the hill and negotiate the slope. There is no handicapped parking at the bottom, and I must use a bank parking lot at the top.
Throughout Clallam County, there are no access aisles, the striped areas adjacent to the space which allow for space to enter and exit my vehicle, accompanying the parking space.
A business in downtown Sequim has no handicapped parking spaces and no ramps, just steps leading to the front door.
I could go on and on.
Sadly, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, I am responsible for legal actions of violators.
Apparently there is no mechanism for government agencies to bring them into compliance.
Maybe a story will help to get these things changed and ease the effort of going out in public.
Arthur Meyer
Sequim