News broke last week that the city is on the verge of settling a lawsuit that could result in a big investment in more curb ramps around Seattle.
Three people with disabilities — Conrad Reynoldson, Stuart Pixley and David Whedbey — sued the city in 2015 and have since grown the case into a class action suit. The pending settlement reportedly includes city investment in curb ramps in lieu of damages to the plaintiffs. More details from the Seattle Times:
Three men with disabilities sued Seattle in 2015, alleging the city was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act because many sidewalks lack curb ramps — which make crossing the street possible in a wheelchair or scooter — and many of the existing curb ramps are not up to snuff.
Nearly three decades after the ADA became law, and despite what cities often say are the best of intentions, the courtroom has become a crucial way of forcing them into compliance. The Seattle case is among a flurry of ADA lawsuits across the country in recent years, many of which have forced cities to increase their spending on sidewalks and curb ramps by tens of millions of dollars or more.
One detail about the media coverage that bothered me, however, is that most headlines described the potential settlement as “costing” Seattle. But investing in curb ramps is not a cost at all, it’s an investment in the mobility, safety and dignity of our city’s residents present and future. (more…)
