It is absolutely illegal to charge people with disabilities more than you charge other people. Private taxis are not exempt from the wheelchair requirements of the ADA. Any vans purchased after 1992 for the business of transporting people must be readily accessible to people with disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs – you can’t refuse people with power chairs or people who can’t independently transfer to a seat. Liability insurance doesn’t cost more for transporting people with disabilities, and it is illegal to obtain insurance that exempts people with disabilities.

Word is getting out that Durango is difficult to get around in and not very accommodating to tourists with disabilities. Historical buildings are difficult to retrofit, but ramps and space to move about the aisles are not difficult to accomplish. Public restrooms often are labeled as accessible when they are not, and many bathrooms don’t even try to be accessible. Doors aren’t wide enough, and there are few elevators. There isn’t enough accessible parking, and much of it is a long way from curb cuts and adequate ramps and entrances. Sidewalks aren’t shoveled, so people with difficulty walking avoid downtown in the winter. Southwest Center for Independence regularly receives complaints that businesses are rude to people with disabilities, especially the deaf.

We like to think that Durango is a welcoming, inclusive community. More people with disabilities now have disposable incomes, however, and as the baby boomers intersect with the senior population, disability issues will affect all of us. If we can’t acknowledge that we’re not doing a good job in creating an accessible community, we lose out on diversity, retirement and tourism.

Martha Mason, Southwest Center for Independence

Durango