In A Wheelchair? Better Learn To Parallel Park
March 14th, 2008, 12:14 PM EDT
Rhonda Wilson, who has cerebral palsy and uses her motorized wheelchair to a mile to work in Norcross, Georgia, was pulled over and tagged with driving with an expired license.
“This is my wheelchair. This is my legs,” Wilson said…
Gwinnett(county) police said for the past two years they’ve received complaints about Wilson as she tools down the street. There are no sidewalks and officers said her wheelchair impedes the flow of traffic
Wilson insists the ticket is not valid because she’s not driving a car or a moped. “I want to be a productive member of society,” Wilson said.
Here’s video.
Well, if a cop’s handing this woman tickets for an expired license and no reg on a “wheelchair” I’d guess there’s more to this story than the video presents, and in any case riding a wheelchair in rush hour traffic sounds like a prescription for disaster.
March 14th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
People with disabilities have the ADA to protect them against intrusion to their access to public places. However “in your face” confrontation which aggravates the general public is not wise and as the above reader pointed out, could be dangerous. A wise town leadership could provide accomodations (like a bike path) or side walks at very little expense. The ability to access what the rest of us take for granted is an important human right which the liberal audience for Alan’s blog should appreciate. The cop was not serving the community well and making up a non existant law. The town’s leadership needs to communicate with this lady and make it possible for her to be a contributing member of the community.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:46 pm