January 4, 2006
Wheelchair User to Washington Square Fountain: F-U!
Everyone supports wheelchair accessibility in public spaces, right? Then what do you think about this case, where disabled activist Margie Rubin is demanding that the plans for the Washington Square Fountain be altered to allow wheelchair access INTO THE POOL? The Villager reports (best title of the week-- "Wheelchair user may sue; wants to go amphibious in the fountain"):
Margie Rubin, a resident of the Westbeth artists complex and a member of Disabled in Action — the group that forced New York City buses to add wheelchair lifts — says people in wheelchairs, like herself, or otherwise disabled, have the right to go into the fountain.“Just say I had a child — and I had a child in the fountain and I wanted to be near them” she said.
The Parks Department is saying that no access will be provided, because no one is supposed to go into the fountain itself-- the water is recycled, so it's actually fairly polluted, and unsafe to ingest. Even if that wasn't true, should people really be taking wheelchairs into a fountain? Isn't rust an issue? What about electric wheelchairs-- aren't there electrocution dangers? Is this a case of political correctness run amok? No lawsuit has yet been filed-- let's hope that common-sense wins out here.
Related: Gothamist on the Washington Square Park Redesign, and recent developments.
|
Margie Rubin is an idiot for suggesting this, which would facilitate people in wheelchairs doing something nobody should be doing in the first place.
Will she next complain that subway tunnels should be wheelchair accessable in case someone in a wheelchair wants to violate the rules an go subway tunnel exploring?
If she does sue, the city should sue her for the waste of the taxpayers money that fighting such a frivolous lawsuit would entail.
What an idiot this woman is! Noose her.
What an idiot this woman is!
Gothamist reader to lawsuit-happy wheelchair-bound woman: F-U!
Maybe Margie just needs some attention. Someone should take her out to see king kong and buy her some raisinets.
Let's build her a ramp at the end of Pier 41 for better access to the Hudson.
Get up and walk in like the rest of us.
Did any of you haters actually RTFA? Jake, did you? And have any of you actually -been- to Washington Square Park? The fountain is turned off to make it an open performance/hangout space for the majority of the year.
From the article: '"When we move the fountain, we’re going to be rebuilding it. And we are going to explore the use of temporary ramps when the fountain is off,” Johnston said. “It is used as a performance space when it’s not turned on — which is 60 percent of the time."'
Later on: "Even if Parks is saying the fountain is off-limits when it’s on, Rubin [...] said she and fellow disabled advocates won’t accept a temporary ramp the rest of the time."
I don't agree with Rubin that all of a park ought to be wheelchair accessible - part of what makes a park is difficult terrain. But nowhere in the article, besides the flippant headline and a possibly ill-informed quote at the end, is it stated that Ruben wants wheelchairs to go in the water.
(But, even if she -did-...why in the world are you people so violently opposed to adding a little concrete ramp to a big concrete fountain? What do you stand to lose?)
So what precinct do you work out of, Toby?
I actually love this... love it love it love it. Not sure I agree with it, but I love it. She's doing something totally nuts to make a point. And let's face it, we're all paying attention whereas this morning this wasn't on anyone's radar.
First rule of activism... better to be insulted than ignored.
handicap laws are stupid and selfish.
hancicapped individuals should not subject the walking to a ramped world.
should we pave grass? - maximum slope of all hills on earth 1:12?
being handicapped must suck.
somethings have to suck.
She's not an idiot. She's Handicapped. That's how those filthy, lower class people are. HANDICAPPED!!! They aren't even real human beings.
Never underestimate the power of the Handi Cap.
I really hope that those of you that have posted your ugly comments regarding the handicapped and Margie Rubin are doing so mostly in jest.
The comments about the handicapped in here are disgusting, foul and amazingly hateful. I really would hate for anything like that to happen to any of you.
Did it ever occur to you that perhaps Ms. Rubin or many other handicapped people out there are not responsible for what makes them handicapped; that their handicap is perhaps related to an accident related injury (maybe that you caused?) or even an illness?
Honestly. Grow the hell up and welcome to reality. You can sit here and type ugly comments online all you want; just remember that your parents are getting older and eventually you might have kids (god help us all if they turn out anything like you). I pray that none of them become disabled...or..What? You might disown them? OR You might know then what it's like to live in a world where things aren't always so "fair."
Now shut up and make your spoiled, narcissitic ass useful.
As a person with a disability, I find the "ugly" comments quite funny actually. Why you might ask? Because anyone who makes comments like that are quite obviously intellectually challenged and therefore have a disability themselves. So guess what people, you have been insulting yourselves!
As far as Margie's request for ramping, I am not sure if it is necessarily what she wants exactly or if she is making that request in principle to ensure that accessibility considerations are part of the planning process for any rebuilding that may or may not be done.