Ramps, continued

South Shore reporter Beverly Ware, staff writer for the Chronicle Herald, wrote an article about this building in Lunenburg.


Which prompted me to write:

As a former Lunenburg homeowner and proud wheelchair user, I fear your article , Ramp dispute may cost volunteers will cause the real cost of this dispute to come to rest at the wheels of disabled Nova Scotians, who get nary a mention from you. A couple of things come to mind:

• In Milton Mass, where he lives, Mr. Scott Sherman

  

  Scott R. Sherman II

  would be required to meet even more stringent standards for his ramp.  The Americans with Disabilities Act would also require him to have an entirely accessible interior, including a lowered counter for transactions, level thresholds, a power door and wide aisles.  If he didn't do these things, he'd get a visit from the U.S. Justice Department.  I get the idea from his elaborate presence on LinkedIn that he cannot be unfamiliar with these requirements.  Perhaps Mr. Sherman is under the impression that us bumpkins in Nova Scotia  shouldn't require the same facilities as the good folks back home.
• It doesn't take long to uncover another side of Mr. Sherman.  Lunenburgers will remember his efforts to bring lap dancing into the Post Office (and not just to sell stamps).  I leave it to you to decide if smoke indicates fire.  He lives in this modest bungalow,

  

  333 Brush Hill Rd., Milton MA

  in a unit valued by Zillow at $1,649,708(US).  He could probably get a loan for a ramp.  His interest in Lunenburg's charms does not seem to extend to a desire to make it accessible to those for whom stairs are a challenge.  And who ever heard of tourists over age 65?

• The building needs a ramp.  Ms. Lamerson seems very nice, but no disabled person can shop at her store and no disabled person can volunteer or be employed there.  No one ever seems to consider the discrimination inherent in lack of accessibility.  Ms. Lamerson's good works do not exempt her from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  The building inspector is doing her job and enforcing the law.   Good for her.

Sherman's a guy who won't do for Nova Scotians what he is required by law to do at home.  Let's be clear about who gets harmed if there's no ramp.

Gus Reed

406 - 1540 Summer St.

Halifax, NS B3H 4R9

902 482-4017