Tim, Darcy, and Brendon Hildreth and NCCDD Systems Change Manager Philip Woodward show off the new Accessible Icon in NCCDD’s parking lot to celebrate National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March 2019.
My ADA Story: Interview with Brendon Hildreth, NCCDD Council Member
How has the ADA impacted your life?
I know the ADA sounds great on paper, but often in real life, I find things just don’t work the way they should. For example, when you look at a house on-line or in a newspaper, it shows better than it is in real life.
For example, although many places have “compliant” bathrooms, they don’t have family bathrooms which would allow for people of opposite gender to be in the bathroom. Also, parking spots are often marked “accessible” but aren’t truly accessible for someone in a wheelchair. Medicaid and Vocational Rehab systems have to be more specific in terms of what they will cover.
How has the ADA helped you go to school, community college, or college?
I am a student at East Carolina University. Also, I graduated from Craven Community College with 2 Associate Degrees. Both of these schools were very helpful in making the necessary accommodations for me to be successful.
How has the ADA helped you access your community? Examples include a town hall, a grocery store, a pharmacy, a movie theater, a concert hall, or any other place open to the general public.
I continue to battle the New Bern City Hall for lack of accessibility. They have had since 1990 to comply and, in living in New Bern since 2012, I continuously remind the Aldermen and City Officials they are out of compliance. They continue to ignore me. It’s frustrating. Also, just recently, a movie theater here in New Bern remodeled; upon speaking with the owner, he said that he didn’t do enough renovations to have to make the building compliant. It’s impossible for me to use the restrooms they currently have.
How has the ADA let you live in a home of your choice in the community?
At this time, I am not living independently, although I hope to in the future.
How has the ADA let you travel wherever you would like to go?
Not everywhere is accessible yet. It’s tough when my family and I can’t go places that don’t have wheelchair access. Although I don’t always use my chair, it does allow for more independence that I would like to have so I don’t need to rely on them as much.
How has the ADA helped you increase your choices about what you can do each day?
Not everyone understands ADA compliance or lawsuits that can happen because they are not compliant. It’s a constant struggle. We try to continually advocate and educate people about the law. Most people appreciate the information.
How has the ADA increased your ability to communicate with members of your community?
I have a communication device that I can use to help communicate with people in the community. I also educate through The Accessible Icon Project (www.accessibleicon.org) and friends.
Questions for Brendon’s Family Members:
How has the ADA impacted your family member’s quality of life?
It gives us more opportunities to help educate people and business about the necessity of compliance although it is a continual struggle.
How has the ADA allowed your family member to participate more fully in the community?
Outside of participating in things specifically related to the ADA community, most places don’t go out of their way to be accessible, so we plan our arrangements around accessibility.
How has the ADA helped your whole family have more choices about what to do and where to go each day?
It really hasn’t helped us in a lot of ways as most places do only what is barely necessary for compliance. We still have to plan ahead and try to plan around it. A funny story is when we still lived in Boston and went to an ADA rally in the Government Center. There were plenty of people with disabilities in attendance, but there wasn’t one accessible bathroom in the whole place! Apparently, people with disabilities are supposed to wait….
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