I asked Senator Kerry's advance team last night where parking for people with disabilities was being located. That was the first sign of trouble. I was told that it would be in a large field and that there would be a wheelchair shuttle to the rally. When I asked how people were supposed to get their wheelchairs out of their vehicles and across the grass to get to the shuttle I got the blank stare that we often get when asking about our rights to equal access. I was promised that the problem would be fixed.

The road between the campground and the rally was closed by the Secret Service so I took my van to drive the two miles around the park to where the accessible parking was supposed to be. When I began asking volunteers, the police, and the Secret Service where the "handicapped" parking was located you would have thought I was asking for driving directions to Mars. I was finally allowed through a security gate and directed to a parking lot. There was a grand total of two accessible parking spaces in that parking lot and I got to park in one of them. That is when I discovered that I was nowhere near an accessible entrance.

Getting anywhere at the rally required wheeling across grass. No effort was made to provide an accessible route into the rally or to the wheelchair seating area. The park owns roll out ground cover but the campaign staff just did not bother with it. I was very upset to see a small seating section for people with disabilities; not just people using wheelchairs but anyone who claimed to be disabled. There were easily a hundred people in this area sitting on chairs and maybe room for a half dozen people in wheelchairs. The people sitting on chairs had spread out so that there wasn't even an aisle to get to the small space for wheelchair seating. Even worse, beyond a security aisle in front of the wheelchair seating was a large viewing area were people could stand and hold up signs. I was less than 100 feet from where Senator Kerry was going to speak but I could not see anything through the people.

With my advocacy hat firmly in place I started to raise hell. I spoke with volunteers. I spoke with staff. I called Becky Ogle, the Kerry Campaign Disability Outreach person in Washington. Several staffers said they would see what they could do. Becky called back saying she would see what she could do. Nothing got done. Lip service but no action. I went over to the press section and began telling reporters about the ADA violations at this rally. I explained that this Kerry supporter and contributor was now considering casting no vote for President. I gave Becky Ogle's phone number to one reporter who called her asking for a comment from the Kerry Campaign. I asked a reporter how I could trust someone to run an accessible nation when his staff could not even run an accessible rally.

After Becky received a call from the reporter there was some movement. The Secret Service began telling people that they could not stand in the security aisle on sit on the fence in front of the wheelchair seating area. Some people standing in front of us, but not in the security area, were asked to move. We never were provided with a line of sight but I did get a glimpse of Senator Kerry a few times. That is not a very positive statement considering that I was so close to him. Overall there was no compliant accessible parking, no accessible entrance, no accessible seating that provided a line of sight, and no accessible portable toilets.

After the rally I left through the press entrance and found that I could not get back to my van as the vehicles for Senator Kerry and his staff were blocking the road and the Secret Service were not letting anyone through. Then I saw Senator Kerry and a few other senators with him come out of the tent and head to the vehicles. Figuring I would be arrested by the Secret Service but not really caring, I yelled out "What about the ADA?" That got no response. I got a little closer to Senator Kerry and yelled out, "What about my civil rights." That too got no response and Senator Kerry got into his vehicle.

A minute or two later Senator Kerry got back out of the vehicle and walked up to me. He wanted to talk about the access problems. He assured me that he would personally make sure that people with disabilities at his rallies would not face these problems again. He assured me of his personal interest and commitment to the ADA and the rights of people with disabilities. He kept everyone on his team waiting while he gave some time to express his commitment to our civil rights. He did this in front of the press bus knowing that I would get calls from reporters asking what we talked about. He took that chance having no idea what I would be saying.

It was nice to shake hands with the candidate for the Presidency of the United States. It was nice to have a couple of minutes to talk with him. But that is not important. What is important was that he cared about what had happened. What is important is that he took personal responsibility for making sure that people with disabilities attending his rallies are treated fairly and given equal access. What is important is that Senator Kerry expressed his personal support for the ADA and for the rights of people with disabilities.

Today was a day worth writing about. It was also an expensive day for me. I just sent another donation to the Kerry campaign as here is a person who will not ignore our issues and will not ignore our rights. I hope that every person who reads this and who can afford to send in a few dollars will make a donation to a candidate for President who actually takes personal responsibility for fixing problems and who personally supports the civil rights of people with disabilities.

Posted Oct. 20, 2004

Fred Shotz is President of the Association of Disability Advocates. His last article for Ragged Edge was "Time for airlines to stop abusing our civil rights."

WHAT DO YOU THINK of what you've just read? Click to tell us.