Sometimes accommodations for handicapped people can be hard to come by.
Imagine being carried up stairs in a wheelchair to sit at a New York Yankees game because there is no elevator, as Athens resident Marc Fultz's 15-year-old son Ben was. The two recounted their big-city story while watching a women's basketball game in The Convo, where people in wheelchairs might have a comparably difficult time finding seating and parking, recent laments suggest.
Only 16 spaces in The Convo are designated for wheelchairs, and one of every two of those is designated for an unimpaired companion, reducing the total number of disabled seats to eight.
If there were a lot of people
it would be a problem Ben said. It's not usually a problem because not many people come to the games. Michael Mattox, also an Athens resident and a parent of a disabled son, said a few unfortunate fans had a problem when the Ohio men played Miami on Feb. 12 for a game that 8,942 people attended.
They had a camera there that took up two of the 16 handicapped spaces he said. Some others wanted to sit there
and they couldn't. A couple of the disabled fans were escorted to the floor level as a result, he said, and spent the entire game away from their families.
If a problem arises here
you're on your own
Fultz said. (The university's) responsibility is to adjust accordingly. Assistant Athletics Director Derek Scott said that adjustments are being made. Cameras are no longer situated in the handicapped-seating area during games, he said.
Another of Mattox's concerns was that the number of handicapped spaces might not meet guidelines outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Katherine Fahey, assistant director of institutional equity, said they might not simply because The Convo was built in 1969, more than two decades before the ADA was passed. Remodeling it to match guidelines would be infeasible, she said.
It's hard to retrofit an old building to give it what we consider equal access
she said.
But Scott said that an increase in handicapped-accessible seating might be possible.
We have discussed it
he said. We're currently considering taking out a couple rows of seats in the back of certain sections. We're also looking at potentially assigning an usher solely to assist our guests who require handicapped services. Mattox also said that he has noticed a shortage of parking during games.
Before the Miami game, he and his family had to park across the street from The Convo.
Most people don't understand that when you don't move your legs
it's hard to generate body heat
he said. You wouldn't know that unless you live with someone (who is disabled). There are 10 handicapped parking places in the immediate vicinity of The Convo, and a segment of one lot is converted to a handicapped-exclusive area during games, said Sherry Barnes, director of transportation and parking.
Although the total amount of parking might or might not meet ADA guidelines -the exact number of spaces in the lots surrounding The Convo was not available at press time -Scott said there have never been any complaints, and staff members are armed with walkie-talkies to assist in finding open spots.
What it comes down to is whether it meets the needs of people in Athens
Fahey said. We want disabled people to come to The Convo and have the same experience as everyone else. But the problem isn't corrected overnight
