Doing more for the disabled

People in wheelchairs shouldn't have to worry about being hit by oncoming traffic while trying to exit a parking garage.

They also shouldn't have to worry about too-small parking spaces or bathroom stall coat hooks installed too high up, said Hamilton County commissioner Todd Portune He floated a proposal Wednesday that would require any new county-supported building project with a budget over $1 million be reviewed to determine whether it is “welcoming” to the disabled.

"I want to make sure ... what we construct is useful for all our citizens," he said.

Portune, who used to be wheelchair-bound and now uses a walker, said he had a bad experience recently in the Fountain Square parking garage. Though technically compliant with the American with Disabilities Act standards, the handicapped parking spaces were too small, the ramps are poorly placed and the layout forces wheelchairs to turn blind curves into oncoming traffic, he said.

"It lacked in many respects," he said. Portune sent the owner, 3CDC a letter to that fact and "they are working to address the problem," he said.