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Disability Assessability at Issue at the Capital.

April 16, 1997
By: Rebecca Rausch
State Capital Bureau

The State Capital Building is arguably the State's most important building. Yet, it is not equally accessible to all people.

Rebecca Rausch has the story from Jefferson City.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The Missouri State Capital is visited by many people everyday.

Some people come to talk with their legislators, others come to witness the legislative process.

But not everyone can go everywhere in the building...

Within the first floor of the State Capital are two tiers of house members' offices called Mezzanine offices.

They are two levels of offices stacked one on top of the other, with only stairs connecting them.

Representative Jim Murphy is a resident of one of the Mezzanine offices.

He has found that the situation discriminates against people with disabilities.

Actuality:Jim Murphy
RunTime:
OutCue: "insulting our constituents."
Contents: "Elected officials should be accessible but when we make them physically impossible to make them accessible, then we are either committing a crime or insulting our constituents."

Candice Hawkins, of the Governor's Counsel for Disabilities, says the Capital is very close to being in violation of the American Disabilities Act.

The Capital is expected to make all programs, services and activities accessible to disabled persons and during the daytime, that is not a problem.

The problem comes after business hours, when the legislators have late hearings and the offices are virtually empty...

Actuality:Candace Hawkins
RunTime:
OutCue: "your out of luck."
Contents: "The problem is that, quite frankly, in the evening or at odd hours, if there's no one available downstairs--then you're just out of luck."

Hawkins says the Capital has two options, either make changes to the building or make sure some one is around to assist disabled persons.

Actuality:Hawkins
RunTime:
OutCue: "there to assist."
Contents: "What needs to be done in the House for all those Mezzanine offices on that first floor, if they don't want to make structural change, if they don't want to spend the money, then they need to have a staff person that can assist."

Missouri Representative Chuck Graham, who is confined to a wheelchair, says the Capital has done a good job in accommodating his situation.

But he also says there is a problem.

Actuality:Chuck Graham
RunTime:
OutCue: "concerned about that."
Contents: "There have been a lot of changes to the Capital over the last five years to comment compliance with the American with Disabilities Act, I'm sure we can do more to make it accessible--I know Representative Murphy pretty concerned about."

Murphy has offered up a solution to the problem of Mezzanine offices.

He says the issue has everything to do with space...the Capital building lacks it while another state building stands empty.

Actuality:Jim Murphy
RunTime:
OutCue: "first floor."
Contents: "One is that there are five agencies, sections of administration in the Trueman building, they can move out to the old national guard building. The have the office of Administration head honcho move over to the Trueman building and we'll pick up that space so we can put a few of those people on the first floor."

Murphy, through the use of newsletters, is making accessibility an issue in the Capital.

And to make sure everyone in the Capital understands the problem, he is offering a deal.

Actuality:Jim Murphy
RunTime:
OutCue: "how they like it."
Contents: "We've offered every member of the executive branch, every member of the legislative branch and every member of the judicial branch, the free use of a wheel chair for one day in the Capital building and see how they like it."

Reporting from Jefferson City, I'm Rebecca Rausch.