In last week’s column, I commented on the importance of gathering correct information by following more than one news source. Too bad Rolling Stone did not think of that and save the paper from the current embarrassment over the brouhaha at the University of Virginia, but I rest my case. The problem is now so muddled by incorrect reporting and incomplete research that it is doubtful that the truth, whatever it is, will ever be made known. Sad for all those who have been damaged.
It is important to make observations and suggestions, even when they are not followed. Last Friday night just such an occasion arose. The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra presented their annual Christmas Pops concert; it is a wonderful musical kickoff for the season and this one was especially grand. The Salem Civic Center was packed; the performance was stellar; the crowd enthusiastic. There was only one problem: The seating in the grandstand section is treacherous.
Several years ago, I made the mistake of sitting there and found that, not only are the rows so close together that any person of average height can hardly fit in the seat. That’s not the real problem: There are no railings in the aisles and the seat backs are too low for anyone to steady themselves while trying to access their row. There are ushers to show patrons where their seat is located, but they are not allowed to assist anyone, disabled or not, to the proper seating. I was horrified to see older men and women having to crawl up the steps to exit because they did not have a handhold. Here was a problem that needed to be corrected.
So I made a phone call to the Salem City Council; it was not returned. I wrote an explanatory letter to the City Council outlining the potential liability and the high likelihood they were in violation of the American Disability Act. I got no response. I contacted The Blue Center for Independent Living; they were well aware of the problem and sent an inspector to speak with the management. The inspector called me after the visit and reported that they had been told it “would be too expensive to make any modifications, that the aisles were too narrow for a centered hand rail and that nothing could be done.” At that point, I gave up . . . until last Friday night.
From my vantage point from the floor seating of the Civic Center, I watched the same scene played over and over: People of all ages, many without any obvious infirmities, were having difficulty climbing up or descending to the lower seats with nothing to support them. After the concert, I again saw the disabled on their hands and knees climbing up to the exit lanes.
I was less than comforted by the fact that “nothing could be done because it was too expensive.”
There is new management at the Salem Civic Center, so I plan a second crusade, this time reminding them that there are companies who know how to adapt older buildings to ADA standards. There are no grandfather clauses in the code and I can assure anyone who will listen that the cost of defending litigation for a serious fall will not be cheap . . . and that’s before the liability judgment is levied against the city of Salem.
I’m glad that there were no injuries during the grand concert, although there was a medical 911 visit to the floor of the arena. As is occasionally the case in emergencies it seemed quite a long time before help arrived and the patient was transported to the waiting ambulance, but I shudder to think how it would have been handled on those steps in the stadium seating.
The old saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease” has not held true thus far, but that’s no reason to wait until the wagon tips over and someone is seriously injured – or worse.
There will be those who say people who are not able shouldn’t attend such events. Even the agile are challenged in a crowded area with such poor design.
This can and should be addressed. I would hate to see my observations used by a plaintiff’s attorneys. This is truly an accident waiting to happen. Stay tuned.
– Hayden Hollingsworth
