It’s been almost 2 years since our Disableist Rally for the Rights of all People with Disabilities where we marched through the streets of Northampton demanding for our city to become more accessible and more welcoming to disabled people.
[Photo of Disableist movement activists Jeremy Dubs and Olivia Marshall in front of the train station in Northampton, initiating the rally for the rights of all disabled . Jeremy shouts into a microphone, reading from a piece of paper. Olivia looks on, looking very cool with blue hair and fierce sun glasses. Both sit in their power wheelchairs. Photo taken for the Northampton Gazette by Sabato Visconti.]
We got together as a community to share our truths, our joy, our frustration and anger at the lack of progress we’ve witnessed over the years. We empowered each other to speak out about our experiences as disabled people, to encourage our non-disabled allies to listen to our message and respond with ACTION.
As many of you may recall, the impetus for our gathering occurred when the owner of 41 Strong Ave decided to open a dispensary on the first floor, and in the process removed access to all 3 businesses.
[image description: this is a photo of the back door at 41 strong ave. It is a red door with a black sign with yellow letters that read: DO NOT ENTER. LIMITED ACCESS AREA. ACCESS LIMITED TO AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY]
When we realized that this building which was once accessible had suddenly become completely inaccessible, and no one was doing or saying anything about it, we took to the streets. During this time and afterward, I worked with the Disability Law Center to file a complaint with the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board.
In November, I testified at a hearing.
This process took quite a while. As our Disableist anthem states, “Nobody said it was easy”.
And now, our patience and determination has turned into victory! The MAAB has arrived at the following decision: “In light of all of the foregoing, the Board votes as follows: to FIND that the Complaint was VALID; to DENY the variance requested with respect to 521 CMR 25 (Entrances); and, to ORDER that there be no public use of the ground floor space until compliance with 521 CMR is achieved except to allow access to the upper floors, and that there be no public use of the upper level spaces until either compliance with 521 CMR is achieved or access to the second floor is restored to not less than the level of access available prior to the start of construction.“
We did it! 🎉 Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen ❤️
[image description: Chris and Fares Croteau proudly holding up a banner which says, “Rally for the Rights of ALL People with Disabilities” on it. Our heroes. Photo by Cristiano Gazzara ]