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Denver City Council members had to climb the debate stage on Monday because they are not wheelchair accessible.
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Chris Hines said denver post He was left “humiliated” as the audience watched.
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Had he not participated in the debate, we would have lost $125,000 in campaign funds.
A Denver city council member said she was left “humiliated” after being forced to crawl onto a debate stage that was not wheelchair accessible. According to the Denver Post.
Chris Hynes, who is running for re-election, said during a debate on Monday for the city’s 10th Ward seat at the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater in Denver that wheelchair access was available. I was told there is
Alderman has been using a wheelchair since August 2008 after being paralyzed from the chest down in a car accident. According to his official biography.
Organizers of the event had originally told Hines they planned to lift the wheelchair onto the stage. he told Denver Wright in a separate interview.
The lack of access forced Hines to crawl onto the stage on his own as the audience watched. After climbing, he had to lean back in another chair to avoid lying down, Denver Wright reported.
“How do you keep your cool?” Hines told Denver TV station KDVR on tuesday. “I’m about to start a debate. I’m trying my best to share with the people in front of me why I’m the best candidate. I’m lying on the stage.”
Hines said he had no choice but to participate in the debate. Had he refused, he would have had to confiscate approximately $125,000 in campaign funds.
“It was a choice between the viability of my campaign or my dignity,” he told the Denver Post.
The debate had to take place on the floor in front of the stage when the organizers of the event were unable to lift his 600-pound power wheelchair onto the stage.
A spokesperson for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater told Denver Light that it had not received “requests for additional or enhanced accommodations” prior to the event.
“I don’t know how that’s a legitimate response,” Hines told the Denver Post in response to the statement.
“I don’t have to ask them to obey the law. They’re asking me to go above and beyond and get out of my way to make sure their space is legally compliant.” is an insult to me,” he added. References to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
A spokesperson for the venue did not immediately respond to the insider’s request for comment.
Hines was elected to the council in 2019 and has been a strong advocate for disability rights and adequate access to public spaces in recent years.
Read the original article at business insider