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Newton activists reflect on Americans with Disabilities Act on 30th anniversary

Wicked Local Metro - 7/23/2020

Jul. 22--It's a long, precariously steep way down from the Harvard Street bridge that straddles the Mass Pike to the Newtonville Commuter Rail station below. Completely inaccessible to those in wheelchairs (like all commuter rail stations in Newton), it's a reminder that there is still work to be done 30 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law.

Resident Rob Caruso, who began using a wheelchair in 1990, recalled that "in those days there wasn't very much in terms of accessibility efforts ... but Newton was far ahead of the curve."

Caruso, a member of Newton'sCommission on Disability, said in the 1970s then-Mayor Theodore D. Mann took concrete action to improve the quality of life for those with mobility challenges. He created a committee to address the needs of people with disabilities and installed "utility ramps" at several main intersections (Newton Centre, Newtonville and West Newton) to help those with walkers, wheelchairs or baby carriages, said Caruso.

Since 1990, he said ramps became larger and accessible parking spaces were created.

"It was a godsend, to be honest," said Caruso.

However, 30 years after the ADA was signed by then-President George H. W. Bush, on July 26, 1990, many government agencies, including the MBTA, still have work to do to meet their obligations.

Personal experiences

Caruso, 69, and Girard Plante, another commission member, have been advocates for decades, working to empower others with mobility challenges and hold business owners and the government accountable for implement ADA-required updates.

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was 27, Caruso said he found using canes and balancing his briefcase more and more difficult by the 1980s.

As his disease progressed, the lifelong Newton resident said "my legs were slowly being taken out from under me."

After Caruso transitioned to a wheelchair in 1989, he was surprised that a Republican president signed the ADA and was happy it was a civil rights law.

"The ADA is one of America's most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to participate in the mainstream of American life," stated ADA.gov.

Plante, 60, who has used a wheelchair since 1974 when his spinal cord was injured, has also been fighting for the rights of people with disabilities since 1980.

At the time he was living in his hometown of Utica, NY, and advocating on behalf of an independent living center. He spoke before members of the local government about making city-owned public buildings accessible.

"It was like being a lone voice in the dark," recalled Plante.

After the ADA passed, doors literally opened up for those with disabilities.

Continuing challenges

One challenge Caruso and Plante have come up against is people who are resistant to upgrading historical buildings to make them ADA compliant.

Plante said architects need to be more creative about installing ramps, for example, to retain the integrity of the historic site while also making it accessible.

"A world of possibilities open up," said Plante, when sites make the legally required upgrades. "It's a very liberating experience when you make a building accessible."

Caruso, Plante and the commission have spent and still spend time educating the public -- including Newton officials -- about the ADA and the needs of people with disabilities.

For example, there was no elevator at the War Memorial Hall at City Hall until about four years ago.

"Now it's truly the people's house," said Plante.

The circa 1809-Jackson Homestead on Washington Street also hadn't been made ADA-compliant until about four years ago, an update both men praised.

While some improvements to buildings have been made, "it is frustrating" that 30 years later, there is room for improvement, said Plante.

He recommended that people ask tough questions of their civil servants since, "You pay their salaries."

Plante said that "the ADA has offered a lot of promise" and as long as there are advocates, it will remain in place. "Over the next 30 years we have a lot of work to do."

To watch the Newton Commission on Disability's event celebrating the ADA's 30th anniversary on Zoom on Sunday, July 26, from 7-8:30 p.m., visit https://tinyurl.com/y6b8rnw5

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