Last week we attended the ELVIS Rock ’n’ Remember performance at the Alliance High School Performing Arts Center. This was the kick-off of the Alliance Arts Council Season, and what a great show it was! Over 500 people attended. Earl spends the afternoons of these programs working with performers, handling tech and equipment setup. He comes home for a quick supper, and we head back early.
One thing I notice at every performance, and every APS event like concerts and plays, is that the first seats to fill in that theater are the companion seats. If you’ve ever looked around the theater, you have noticed that there is one row of seats on the aisle connecting the entrance hallways, a row that requires no steps. This row has several places where there are no seats, places designed for wheelchairs. The other seats are companion seats, for people attending with the person with mobility issues.
I have not seen people with seeing eye dogs attend events at the Performing Arts Center, but they would also need to use the “special row” to have a space for the dog to sit. It would not make sense to bring a dog to a show like Elvis because of the noise and the lights, but there are plays, workshops, and awards ceremonies where service dogs would certainly be welcome.
Why do people grab the seats in this row first? Easy access and extra space, giving them the ability to get in and out quickly. Why do people with mobility issues need to sit there? Easy access and extra space, giving them the ability to get in and out quickly. And no stairs, which might be too difficult to manage.
As audience members using wheelchairs or walkers arrived, some people did leave seats to accommodate their needs. But I also noticed several other people who were semi-ambulatory struggling to climb up or down steps.
The Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted by Congress in 1990. The ADA is a federal civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination in many areas of public life. That means that public facilities have to accommodate their needs, with specially designed parking, bathrooms, doors, and, in this case, seating.
The problems faced by people with mobility issues are hardly limited to finding seats in a row designed for them. Sidewalks might not be level, and there may not be cut outs on the curbs to allow a wheelchair or scooter to manage. A handicapped van might have a side lift for a wheelchair that requires that extra-wide parking space with the stripes. Doors might not be wide enough or might be too hard to open. Bathroom stalls might be too narrow for someone in a wheelchair to transfer from.
Do we notice when people park in the handicapped spaces on our streets or store parking lots? Do we look to see whether they have a special license or hang tag? Are they entitled to use the special spaces when the handicapped family member isn’t with them? How about people who leave their vehicles in areas not designated for parking because they are “just running in” for a few things. Their vehicles are in the way and create problems for the rest of us, especially those with mobility issues. And those blue spaces are not really where you are supposed to leave your shopping cart!
I walk a lot, and I know how frustrating it is when a vehicle has parked across the sidewalk. I remember trying to wrangle strollers and wagons around them. Imagine the difficulty for someone with a wheelchair or scooter.
Most of us are fortunate enough that we don’t have to deal with handicaps or mobility issues. (But we are aging….) Let’s respect the needs of those who need accommodations. At the Performing Arts Center, let’s save those seats for the people who need them.