From Susan LoTempio, writing on the website of the Poynter Institute:

Logistics in Washington are becoming a huge problem for citizens with disabilities who want to be part of the Inauguration Day festivities, and some are concerned that organizers are sending a message that says “don’t come.” Links here and here.

An excerpt from LoTemio’s column:

Exclusion is a fact of life for people with disabilities, and I used to think that inaccessible polling places were the worst form of exclusion because they denied the rights of citizenship.

Access problems at inaugural events take those exclusionary feelings to a whole new level.

… My hope is that reporters covering the inauguration will also take the issue seriously, and find out whether accessibility for the disabled was handled as it should have been, and why.

The non-profit Poynter Institute is a school for journalists, future journalists and teachers of journalists.

See related stories:

• Access problems loom at inauguration (earlier post)
• Accessibility at swearing-in ceremony — Inaugural Committee website
• Inaugural organizers worry disabled may have to stay home — D.C. Examiner

This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 5:57 pm and is filed under accessibility, inauguration, media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.