Denver councilman said he was left 'humiliated' after he was

[Tennesseer]

Deplorable.

Denver councilman said he was left 'humiliated' after he was forced to crawl onto a debate stage with no wheelchair access

A Denver City councilman said he was left "humiliated" after he was forced to crawl onto a debate stage with no wheelchair access, according to The Denver Post.

Chris Hinds, who is running for re-election, was attending the city's District 10 council seat debate at the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre in Denver, on Monday when he was told there was access for wheelchair users.

The councilman has been using a wheelchair since August 2008 after a car crash left him paralyzed from the chest down, according to his official biography.

Event organizers had originally told Hinds that they had planned to lift his wheelchair onto the stage, he told Denverite in a separate interview.

The lack of access forced Hinds to crawl onto the stage himself as audience members watched on. Once he climbed on, he had to prop himself up against another chair to prevent himself from lying down, Denverite reported.

Rest of article here: Denver councilman said he was left 'humiliated' after he was forced to crawl onto a debate stage with no wheelchair access

What is even more deplorable is the person who left this comment in the comments section of the article:

Captain Oblivious
7h
As a republican, We believe in not relying on the government to take care of your needs. The ADA is a socialist program that needs to be eliminated. If you can't walk, how is that my problem? Vote republican and keep it that way!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

As awful as it is that was a very visceral demonstration of the need for his type of advocacy.     I hope he leverages the shit out of it they deserve to be made an example of.

[Tiny]

A spokesperson for the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre told Denverite they didn't receive "requests for additional or enhanced accommodations" ahead of the event.

"I don't know how that's a legitimate response," Hinds told The Denver Post in response to the statement. 

Yes, not legitimate - but possibly a tactful response (while pointing a finger at the event arrangers)?     I'm guessing the  Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre didn't put together this event - their space was HIRED for the event.   That means who ever was in charge of putting the event together is responsible for this happening.  Now that would be something interesting to know - who set up and organized the event?  That's were blame lies.   


The quote from the article seems to be throwing shade at the Theatre.  Which I think is wrong.   I'm guessing the Theatre is in an older building.  I'm betting the Theatre could have accommodated Mr. Hinds and his wheel chair.   I'm also guessing the event planners were asked if they needed special accommodations (and I'm guessing they said "no". )     I live in a place with LOTS of older buildings and spaces that often have "work arounds" to provide access.  It's not perfect.  But as time continues to pass there will be fewer and fewer of the outdated buildings/spaces (remodels/rebuilds/building/space no longer used.) 

If the theater building/stage aren't 'historical' or 'outdated but brought up to current standards with work around procedures'    I take back everything I said above - it's the theater's fault. 

And I too hope he leverages this to bring back to the forefront that people with disabilities deserve to be accommodated AND that it's not a "waste of money" to have new buildings built to accommodate people with disabilities and that it's not a "waste of money" to bring older buildings up to date.  

[Tiny]

Feb 16, 2023 14:40:01 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

What is even more deplorable is the person who left this comment in the comments section of the article:

Captain Oblivious
7h
As a republican, We believe in not relying on the government to take care of your needs. The ADA is a socialist program that needs to be eliminated. If you can't walk, how is that my problem? Vote republican and keep it that way!

IDK,  that sounds pretty par for the course...  I've read quite a few quotes in news articles  from people who say they vote republican (and will continue to do so) say something along those lines for a lot of things:  buying homes, renting apartments, attending college.   And even that builders shouldn't be forced to add low income housing to projects...    and it all comes down to "how is it my problem to solve for other people?  they should just fix it themselves."   

I've heard that same sentiment from people in my real life.   

[pulmonarymd]

They all believe that, until they are the ones who need help. Then suddenly, this is something government should mandate. The lack of empathy is disgusting, but why should we be surprised after we have seen this similar, disgusting behavior when it comes to restrictions that were in place during the pandemic

[happyhoix]

This reminds me of my lovely SIL, who is a hard core MAGA Trump lover, and who is 100% against the government ‘butting in’ when it comes to things like universal healthcare, dictating school curriculum, environmental regulations, etc.

Then she had two grand babies, one with physical differences and one with mental differences, and suddenly she’s bitching about our area not having enough wheelchair accessible playgrounds, or school resources for mentally challenged kids.

Still pro Trump MAGA, still hates government intrusion, except when it comes to budgets for special needs kids.

[Tennesseer]

Feb 21, 2023 17:36:16 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

This reminds me of my lovely SIL, who is a hard core MAGA Trump lover, and who is 100% against the government ‘butting in’ when it comes to things like universal healthcare, dictating school curriculum, environmental regulations, etc.

Then she had two grand babies, one with physical differences and one with mental differences, and suddenly she’s bitching about our area not having enough wheelchair accessible playgrounds, or school resources for mentally challenged kids.

Still pro Trump MAGA, still hates government intrusion, except when it comes to budgets for special needs kids.

Especially her kids. The rest be damned.

[djAdvocate]

Feb 16, 2023 14:40:01 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Deplorable.

Denver councilman said he was left 'humiliated' after he was forced to crawl onto a debate stage with no wheelchair access

A Denver City councilman said he was left "humiliated" after he was forced to crawl onto a debate stage with no wheelchair access, according to The Denver Post.

Chris Hinds, who is running for re-election, was attending the city's District 10 council seat debate at the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre in Denver, on Monday when he was told there was access for wheelchair users.

The councilman has been using a wheelchair since August 2008 after a car crash left him paralyzed from the chest down, according to his official biography.

Event organizers had originally told Hinds that they had planned to lift his wheelchair onto the stage, he told Denverite in a separate interview.

The lack of access forced Hinds to crawl onto the stage himself as audience members watched on. Once he climbed on, he had to prop himself up against another chair to prevent himself from lying down, Denverite reported.

Rest of article here: Denver councilman said he was left 'humiliated' after he was forced to crawl onto a debate stage with no wheelchair access

What is even more deplorable is the person who left this comment in the comments section of the article:

Captain Oblivious
7h
As a republican, We believe in not relying on the government to take care of your needs. The ADA is a socialist program that needs to be eliminated. If you can't walk, how is that my problem? Vote republican and keep it that way!

let's break his legs and see how Captain Obvious feels.

[teen persuasion]

Hinds said he had had no choice but to participate in the debate because if he would have refused, he would have had to forfeit roughly $125,000 in campaign financing.

Seriously, add insult to injury!

It's not like ADA is new, why wasn't some accommodation put in place for this building before now. Retrofitting old buildings is hard, but you do what you can. My library is in a 1840s home, and it's tiny. No room for an elevator, but we have a stairlift to reach the second floor community room, and a side door ramp with autodoor to bypass the steps and multiple doors at the front entry. My church has a ramp to bypass steps, but that door sticks and greeters need to open it manually from within, a bit inconvenient for users.

I was surprised a few times when moving our kids into college dorms that had no elevators. In the 80s, before ADA, my college had elevators everywhere; we had a number of students using electric wheelchairs in the dorms, and had access up and down to the tunnels which connected all the buildings - I just thought it was obvious to make everywhere accessible. Injuries, too, happen frequently - the guy in the line in front of us (when DD1 moved in) was on crutches on move-in day. They had elevators, but other colleges didn't - what if you broke your leg mid-semester? Did they move you to a different dorm, did you hobble up/down 5 flights of stairs with crutches, ?? Unreal, 30-40 years after other schools obviously dealt with it.

[djAdvocate]

you either believe in equal access, or you don't.

he doesn't.