Rocky Mountain News Fri. Aug. 19, 1993, Denver, Colo.

Text box reads: The handicapped group wants the transit
association to support equal access for all public
transportation riders and lifts on buses.

Article --
Pena intervenes in handicapped-transit spat
By Burt Hubbard, Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

Mayor Federico Pena’s office is intervening in a dispute between handicapped groups and a national transit association over threatened demonstrations during the association’s October convention in Denver.

Kathy Archuleta, an aide to Pena, said she set up a meeting for Friday with Wade Blank, handicapped activist leader, after an official from the American Public Transit Association (APTA) called the mayor’s office expressing concern about Blank’s plans to picket the convention.

“We’ll act as facilitators,” said Archuleta. “APTA has called us and now we’re going to talk to Wade.”

Blank, one of the leaders of the newly formed American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit, said the group is protesting APTA’s refusal to endorse wheelchair lifts on all buses and subways.

The group represents disabled associations across the country. Blank also is co-director of Atlantis, a self-help group for the disabled.

Blank said the plans call for about 30 handicapped people to picket the convention each day and possibly conduct civil disobedience, such as disabled chaining themselves to the convention’s headquarters at the
Denver Hilton.

About 3,000 representatives from transit districts throughout the United States are expected to attend the convention, Oct. 23 to 27.

Blank said the group wants the convention to support equal access for all transit riders on public transportation and inform bus manufacturers that transit districts will buy only buses equipped with wheel-chair lifts.

Jack Gilstrap, executive vice president of APTA, said the organization called Pena’s office just to inform of the planned demonstrations and “expressing the hope that they would be orderly.”

“We’re used to demonstrations,” said Gilstrap.

He said the protests have not changed APTA’s plans to hold the convention in Denver.

Created on

Thursday 11 July 2013

Posted on

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Tags

ADAPT - American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit, APTA - American Public Transit Association, APTA convention, chains, civil disobedience, Denver, Mayor Federico Pena, picketing, Wade Blank

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