Wheelchair users push for legislation
Several dozen men and women who use wheelchairs came to the state Legislature on Monday to push for stronger laws to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
They weren’t happy with what happened.
It was the first time the advocacy group, Accessible Arizona, has held its “Roll On Arizona’s Capitol” day, which they hope to make an annual event. But organizers say they were shocked and disappointed by the chilly reception they received from some lawmakers.
The group came to the Legislature to ask lawmakers to enact two laws:
To require apartment complexes with more than 50 units to provide bathrooms with roll-in showers in 2 percent of their units. Disabled tenants often are forced to pay for renovations
and return bathrooms to their original condition upon vacating, they said.
❚ And to require local fire departments, during their regular fire-code inspections, to check if building entrances, bathrooms and other features comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Gina Schuh, president of Accessible Arizona, said said she emailed all 90 members of the Legislature to try to schedule a meeting to talk about the proposals.
Only nine lawmakers initially accepted the invitation to meet, and three of them cancelled the day of. The vast majority didn’t reply to her request, she said.
“I would say that’s probably not the best response,” Schuh said with a laugh.
Jennifer Longdon, a writer and advocate who’s running as a Democrat for the House in Legislative District 24 (central Phoenix and south Scottsdale), said she was appalled that the group got so few meetings with lawmakers given they began planning in August.
“This is the largest minority population in our nation,” Longdon said of all people with disabilities. “And for them to remain invisible here at our Capitol, legislators should be ashamed.”
However, not every lawmaker gave the group a cold shoulder.
Schuh said they had a lengthy meeting with House Majority Leader John Allen, R-Scottsdale. She said he was open to discussing their proposed bills and invited several disabled people to tour the House floor.
“I think when we start establishing ourselves, we’ll get a better response,” Schuh said, adding that the groups expects to continue growing its Capitol presence.
She said they also had good meetings with Republican House Speaker Pro Tempore T.J. Shope and Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Katie Hobbs and Reps. Richard Andrade and Athena Salman.
Schuh said disability activists also met with Rep. Mark Cardenas, DPhoenix, but found him “very dismissive.” Cardenas said he didn’t intend to offend the group but tried to explain challenges they would need to address to get a bill passed.
Several lawmakers also stopped by a meetand-greet and Mexican buffet lunch the group hosted in the Capitol Rose Garden on Monday afternoon.