Two Cherokee County Commissioners Are Blind

Roger McKinney wrote an article that appeared in yesterday's Joplin Globe that made me both sick to my stomach and laugh out-loud at my computer screen.

No complaints at all about Mr. McKinney's actual writing, and I'd like to thank him for getting this issue in the paper and online.

Basically, the article says two of Cherokee County (KS) Commissioners are upset that they have to spend $280,000 to make curbs accessible for the disabled community as a result of a lawsuit settlement with Southeast Kansas Independent Living Resource Center (SKIL) made years ago. The lawsuit was an effort to get city streets in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which was put into effect 19 years ago. The Commissioners say there is not enough money in the budget to comply with the guidelines in the settlement. SKIL says the county has really had 19 years to budget for ADA compliance.

If you read the quotes in the article, you'll involuntarily raise an eyebrow. The Commissioners' quotes read like a joke. I thought surely they were misquotes at first, and then I read the rest of the article. These Commissioners sound as though they and the taxpayers have somehow been victimized by the ADA and SKIL. But keep in mind, this lawsuit ended in a settlement "agreement."

Moreover, the Commissioners say the estimated cost is $280,000 to install some curb cutouts for accessible parking. Maybe the reason they can't afford to come into compliance is because they don't know how to bargain shop. And if that really is the best price they can get, they they are fighting the wrong battle. They should be bitching about the high costs the "curb cutout industry" is perpetuating in this economy.

No, really, I get angry when anyone complains about helping the disabled or the elderly. Don't get me wrong, I'm not willing to sign over my whole paycheck to those two groups. But I would like more of the taxes I already pay to go toward helping them. I'll withstand streets with potholes or live without a public transit trolley if it means the elderly and/or disabled communities will see more funding.

Doesn't it make you sick to think about a wheelchair-bound individual having to park behind a building and then wheel themselves around to the front to get through the front door of their job just because county officials have been fiscally irresponsible since the settlement came about? These two Commissioners make it sound as though all accessibility requirements made by the ADA are for non-taxpayers. I believe more people with disabilities would be gainfully employed if accessibility was a higher priority.

Maybe the Commissioners should get an education about the disabled community before they let themselves be quoted in the paper. Greg Jones of SKIL is quoted in the article as saying, “I wish the county commissioners would realize the number of people with disabilities in Cherokee County and the number of jobs those people create,” Jones said. I'm sure Jones could give the Commissioners plenty of information on just how big of a positive impact the disabled community can have on the local economy.

Coming into compliance with the ADA and the lawsuit settlement would enable the disabled community to earn and spend more money in their local community. It seems pretty simple to me.