Disability Groups File Lawsuits Against City and County

Disability groups said they’ve come a long way since the Americans with Disability Act passed 20 years ago, but at Monday’s city council meeting, they made it clear they feel there’s still work to be done. Members of the Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project gave el paso a failing grade when it comes to providing access for people with disabilities and filed three separate lawsuits against the city and county governments. “Some of our clients have actually been forcibly removed on multiple occasions from city council and told that they pose not just that they pose a fire hazard but that they are a fire hazard,” said the group’s director, Briana Stone. The groups claims access is lacking at Ascarate Park and the El Paso County Coliseum too. “They underwent excessive renovations in 2003, and still their accessible seating at the coliseum doesn’t comply with the law,” Stone said. In addition to filing lawsuits, the Civil Rights Project delivered a formal complaint about the city’s website. They say it’s impossible for people who are blind or visually impaired to access the information they need on the website. And they say all the city has to do is program special codes into the website. It’s technology, they say, that wouldn’t cost a dime. “The City of El Paso, County of El Paso, step up to the plate. You’ve had 20 years,” Stone said. “There’s really no reason that we should have any cases about lack of access in the city.”