City leaders, locals try to navigate downtown Coeur d'Alene in wheelchairs
Hilary Patterson, from the Coeur d'Alene Planning Department, and Cecil Kelly III lead the way down Sherman Avenue as they get an idea of what it's like to navigate downtown in a wheelchair.
Hailey Hil/Press
Tree grates prove to be a big accessibility issue along Sherman, as the wide gaps can easily sink a wheelchair wheel.
COEUR d’ALENE — City leaders and local advocates joined wheelchair users for a different kind of stroll along Sherman Avenue on Friday.
Able-bodied attendees of the awareness event were encouraged to use a wheelchair, provided by the Bike and Pedestrian Committee, to learn more about accessibility issues downtown.
Participants were given tasks such as opening the door of a business that has an inclined entrance, getting into a bathroom stall and rolling up or down a curb ramp to cross the street. Other, often overlooked, obstacles such as damaged tree grates, outdoor restaurant seating and poorly placed A-frame signs were also discussed. While 5 feet of space is the “industry standard” for city sidewalks, event organizers found spaces between physical obstacles were closer to 4 feet along Sherman.
Some participants noted unfriendly looks from pedestrians, and others decided not to go into a store because it looked busy or difficult to navigate.
“It was a really eye-opening experience,” said Sherrie Badertscher, a committee development specialist. City councilmember Amy Evans and Hilary Patterson from the Coeur d’Alene Planning Department also took part in the event.
Denise Jeska, disability advocate and chair for the Coeur d'Alene Bicycle/Pedestrian Committee, was pleased at the turnout and success of the event.
“Today went great. Turnout was much better than the first time we did this. We had a lot more interest from the public. We wanted to get as many able-bodied people in chairs as possible.”
Disability advocate Suzanne Knutson explained that events like these are key to starting conversations that can lead to real change. “Accessibility is really just about awareness,” Knutson said. “What we notice is people just aren’t aware of the need for access. Raising awareness with our community leaders especially is huge.”
Tree grates prove to be a big accessibility issue along Sherman, as the wide gaps can easily sink a wheelchair wheel.