Immediate Release May 26th 2008

SEPARATE BUT EQUAL ACCESS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Organizations including ADAPT of Connecticut, Queers  Without Borders, Connecticut TransAdvocacy and other activists will gather at Hartford City Hall on Friday May 30th at 12:00 noon. We will be gathering to speak out about the lack of accessibility for people in wheel chairs through the front doors of Hartford Public Library.

Seven months ago Claude Holcomb of ADAPT of Connecticut began this effort to get the main doors of the Hartford Public Library accessible for all. Seven months later we bring this unsolved problem to the steps of City Hall. The work hasn’t been started and for seven months we have been given the run-a-round by employee’s in Constituent Services, Public Works and by the Director of Hartford Public Libraries. We have been told by these same people to “go around to the back door.” Hardly words to use in this day and age. Included in the new construction is a beautiful new ramp but once up the ramp a person in a wheel chair can not get in the front doors. While the city stalls for 7 months, a power button could have been in place by now.

NO MORE STALLING!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!

Our Demands are:

1. A power door opener must be installed at the front doors of the library.

2. This work must begin by July 1, 2008.

3. We must have in our hands a copy of the work order with a start date.

4. They mayor of Hartford must sign a letter committing to a start date.

For other QWB postings on this subject click here and here.

**note: Today I went to look again at the doors. Contrary to what Ms. McMullen is stating  in her comment on the Undercurent site, there is a good 2 feet of metal above the wing doors on each side of the revolving door. So I  don’t see what the problem is. Unless of course its this “lets play a game” talk, and she is talking about the inside foyer where there is a glass wall and glass doors to get into the closed coffee or party area that the library doesn’t use. Perhaps that is what she is thinking, we want to get in and have a cup of non-existent coffee.  Hardly MS. McMullen that isn’t what we are talking about and you know it, the mayor knows it and the activist community knows it! Let’s stop this game playing and get the problem fixed. **Richard Nelson, Queers Without Borders, Hartford Ct.