Disabilities groups hope for more funding

As Gov. Deval Patrick releases the first budget proposal of his administration tonight, some Massachusetts residents worry the commonwealth does not have enough money to support all the programs he proposed during his campaign. Area advocates for people with disabilities are hoping there is room for improving wheelchair access throughout the city, which some said is too historic to undergo significant renovations to provide wheelchair accessibility.

Boston's old feel, complete with historical landmarks, attracts tourists and history buffs, but handicapped advocacy groups said the city's design often frustrates and sometimes excludes those who are disabled from enjoying equal access to everyday necessities in the Hub.

"We live in one of the oldest cities [in America]," Executive Director of the Disability Law Center of Massachusetts, Stain Eichner, said.

But according to his group and other advocacy groups, the city's historic nature is not enough of an excuse for wheelchair access to be as outdated as the cobblestone sidewalks and narrow streets that wind through the city.

"Although there has been some good progress, there are still a lot of places that aren't hospitable to people with disabilities," he said.

Eichner said the city has made an effort to improve Faneuil Hall's wheelchair accessibility and said there are plans in the works to improve the State House's.

Patrick signed an executive order late last month calling for better blanket enforcement of existing laws to improve equality in the commonwealth, including measures that would improve handicapped accessibility. And although Patrick campaigned for rights for those who are disabled, Eichner said he is concerned about the availability of funding for programs.

"[Patrick's] heart is clearly in the right place," he said.

Eichner said the public too often assumes that old buildings in violation of the American with Disabilities Act -- a federal law requiring publicly accessible buildings to accommodate people who are physically disabled -- are exempt from the law because of their age, he said.

"[Age is] much less of a blanket excuse than people tend to suggest," he said.

Though existing laws require owners of new and old public buildings to make reasonable efforts to improve handicap accessibility, these are not always fully enforced, he said.

"It's one thing to say that this is an old building with steps that can't be renovated," he said. "But when new buildings are built and don't meet the accessibility code, it's quite frustrating to the community."

William Kiernan, director of disabilities advocacy group Institute for Community Inclusion, said this lack of enforcement forces advocates to file complains through lengthy and expensive court challenges.

Kiernan referred to a 2006 lawsuit against the MBTA that calls for the company to provide better accessibility options for riders who are disabled. Kiernan said the MBTA's plan to restructure many of its stations is a victory for groups like his.

"But the fact that you have to go to court to get it done is not a positive sign," he said.

Some Boston University students have voiced concern the campus is not as wheelchair-accessible as it could be.

The College of Art and Sciences building's wheelchair ramps, located in the back parking lot, is one example pointed out by CAS senior Katie Uszak, who has worked for area disabilities advocacy groups.

"I don't think the buildings or dorms are very accessible to people in wheelchairs," Uszak said. "If students organized together to demand more accessibility in buildings and dorms, administrators might potentially do something to improve the current situation."