Alabama’s capital looks to increase accessibility

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — When Taylor Wilkins came to Montgomery for his son’s school field trip, what he saw upset him.

Several popular tour destinations were difficult or near impossible to access by wheelchair for one of his son’s classmates. At one point, the student was forced to watch the tour through a door when he couldn’t get inside a building in Old Alabama Town.

The city of Montgomery has said it wants to address disability access issues and put together a comprehensive plan to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. By shifting the focus of the city on issues that have been brought up by advocates and residents with disabilities, the city hopes that it can influence infrastructure plans to create a more welcoming place.

“I thought Montgomery, with its history of civil rights, good and bad, the ADA compliance should be there,” Wilkins said. He compared his advocacy for accessibility to some of the civil rights issues that already have been fought over in Montgomery, highlighting the fact that people with disabilities are a protected class under federal laws and regulations.

“I told him how upset I was,” he said about his son’s classmate’s experience. “It was heartbreaking.”

Because Montgomery is so heavily reliant on tourism, Wilkins said he was shocked to see a lack of accessibility for people with disabilities in destinations where hundreds of classes of students come each year.

Patrick Dunson, city engineer and head of ADA compliance efforts in the city, said the new efforts by Montgomery, which started a few months ago, are meant to create a long-term plan that will fix problems areas while creating a reference for future infrastructure.

To better reach citizens and create their plan, Montgomery has partnered with Kimley-Horn, a development company that specializes in these projects. Dunson said the process isn’t short, simple or cheap, and it will take many years, even a few decades, for the city to be completely overhauled.