Accessibility still an issue in State College Borough

by Tamara Conrad

State College is an old town with harsh winters, and the combination is unfriendly to people who are disabled.

In the 18 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed, State College has become more accessible to wheelchair-users, but the entrances of many old downtown buildings remain problematic, and winter weather can make sidewalks tricky to navigate.

Jessica Rose is a student at Penn State and uses a wheelchair. She said accessibility at the Nittany Mall, Mount Nittany Medical Center and Penn State campus are good, but downtown is "pretty bad."

"There aren’t a whole lot of stores and restaurants I can go to, because they only have stairs to get in and out of," Rose said.

Older downtown buildings, in particular, often have only steps leading up to their main entrances. This is especially true for the shops along Calder Way.

State College native Cory Wincek, who also uses a wheelchair, said accessibility in State College is generally pretty good.

"It’s just an inconvenience," Wincek said.

Shops without front-door access usually have an alternative, oftentimes unrecognizable, entrance.

"I could go through the back door, but that involves talking to the manager and making a scene," Wincek said.

Wincek said that although he is not interested in hanging out in bars, getting into one is also problematic.

"To get to a bar, I have to use a rear entrance and take an elevator," he said.

Rose said that when she finally finds a store that can be easily accessed, she goes inside only to discover that the space is too tight for her to move around in.

"I’ve even seen people with crutches who have a hard time," she said.

Rose also encounters problems with housing. She said that as a college student, she would like to live in an apartment close to campus, but most downtown apartments are inaccessible. She needs an apartment that is bigger than average so she has enough room to live comfortably.

"There are apartments that are better accessibly, and are bigger and better, but they are farther from campus and cost more," Rose said.

"The ADA allows different entities to make their places accessible without making their entire buildings accessible," said Lu Hoover, a planner for the State College Department of Public Works. Hoover said that as long as a public business provides access somewhere, whether through the main door or an alternative entrance, then it has complied with the ADA.

Buildings erected before the ADA was passed in 1990 must be modified to meet accessibility standards. According to State College Public Works Director Mark Whitfield, renovations to ensure accessibility are not required if they would cost more than the building’s worth.

That is not the case for a building that is being remodeled. Whitfield said that once remodeling costs reach a certain point, 20 percent of the money being spent has to go towards accessibility renovations.

Though the age of a building can explain the limited accessibility, Rose said she does not think it is reason enough.

"Even though buildings are older, there should be some way to make them more accessible," Rose said.

Old and poorly maintained sidewalks are also a problem.

"Sometimes the sidewalks aren’t even," Rose said. "When you hit (a crack), it’s like hitting a pothole in a car. It really hurts."

In addition, winter weather can make sidewalks difficult for wheelchair-users to navigate.

"You can’t go in snow. It doesn’t work," Wincek said

After storms, the pileup of snow between sidewalks and streets blocks access to curbcuts, the transitions used to get from the street to the sidewalk at street corners.

"The curbcuts usually get ignored," Wincek said.

The State College borough plows snow on the roads but not on the sidewalks, which are the responsibility of residents and businesses.

"When snow and ice come through, they need to be right on it," Rose said.

Whitfield said a borough ordinance requires all snow to be cleared from sidewalks within 24 hours of a storm. The ordinance is more vigilantly enforced downtown and in other pedestrian areas than in residential areas, he said.

"We try to do as much enforcement as we can, but there are some people who think it’s better to just pay the fine," Whitfield said.

Although business owners have one day until they are fined, the enforcement process usually takes three or four days.

Whitfield said consecutive days of winter weather make enforcement difficult, because each snowfall can extend the snow removal deadline an additional 24 hours.

Public Works has improved accessibility downtown since the signing of the ADA. Whitfield said Public Works has changed numerous intersections to make them wheelchair-accessible.

"Sometimes we don’t realize how good we have it. You go to other places and see steps up to here," Whitfield said, holding his hand perpendicular to his chest. "We’ve done a lot."

Public Works is installing raised nodes with contrasting colors on curbcuts to indicate to the visually impaired when they are entering the street. The department has also installed three audible crosswalk signals.

But public planning can’t remove all barriers to accessibility. It also takes a change in attitudes.

Rose said she has problems when riding the bus. The problem, however, is not with the bus, but with the drivers. When a person using a wheelchair needs to board a bus, a ramp is lowered so the person can get on. The driver must then lift two of the seats so the disabled person can be buckled onto the bus.

"A lot of the bus drivers you can tell are really annoyed by getting me on and off the bus," Rose said. "It’s not really a problem, but it makes me feel bad. I shouldn’t have to feel bad, because everyone should be allowed to ride the bus."

"It’s such a rural area that sometimes people don’t think about accessibility," Rose said. "They don’t understand. Unless you’re affected by it, you don’t think about it."