We had a tough decision to make at our last St. Paul's board meeting. We heard a report on the state of our elevator which stops at our hall and upper level. Lately it doesn't want to stop, or start or open -- but other than that is works well! It isn't a joking matter. A child from the nursery school who is in a wheelchair uses our elevator, as do many older adults and others who attend events at St. Paul's. For several weeks now they haven't been able to use the elevator.
At the board meeting it was confirmed that the elevator needs $30,000 dollars worth of work. All new electronics, new doors, other changes. Even elevators get old and obsolete. Happy new year! Fortunately we have money in reserve to address some of this cost, but we will go back to the membership for the rest.
As of January 2012 every public space will be required to have an accessibility plan by the government. But more than the legal requirement, this is an issue of justice and compassion in a Christian community. What would it say about us if we didn't make our space, our programs, our worship open to everyone?
What are your thoughts about this? Do we have to put our money where our mouths are?
6 comments:
This is astonishing news, but not something we can't deal with if we pull together. Clearly fixing the elevator is the right thing to do.
Please count me in for fundraising help. In 1999 while at Queen's I was chairman of the CF committee that raised a (then) record $40 000 for Cystic Fibrosis research through the Shinerama campaign.
Bring it!
David, this is exactly why I haven't been in an elevator in about 10 years. I have been known to crawl up 10 flights of stairs to get to the doctor's office. It was an asthma doctor. I nearly had to be resuscitated. When I was 12 I was stuck in an elevator during a fire, with a very drunk elderly man who dropped his drawers. This is bringing up very bad stuff for me!
And Yeah Ian.
I found it amusing this past summer when they renovated the washrooms at our kids' historic school. Wheelchair accessible stalls were dutifully installed but these washrooms are in the basement, and we have no lift/elevator to get a wheelchair down there....Perhaps the government did know what they were doing and are moving towards accessiblity in steps, rather than my initial thought that the left hand(restroom beautification department) didn't know what the right hand (student traffic flow department) was doing?
I often thought as I travelled about with kids in a stroller that the world wasn't as accessible by wheel, as it might appear.
Without a doubt, we need to be leaders in accessibilty.
The good news pupil is that no one has been stuck longer than five minutes and even then rarely. But sometimes it just won't respond.
Yes Laura, institutions do some profoundly illogical things. Perversely I'm glad to hear that it isn't always the church.
Wait by the phone Ian!
David
I could easily hyper ventilate myself into a coma in 5 minutes.
i'm thinking stairs would be a better option for you!
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