Opinion: People with disabilities need more from Norfolk

The Norfolk Chapter of Virginia Organizing has been working on issues people with disabilities face in Hampton Roads for several years. In 2021 we won significant improvements in public transit. Since then, we have been trying to meet with members of Norfolk City Council to discuss other areas where members of the community are put at risk by poor infrastructure and other harmful situations.

Several of our concerns have begun to be addressed. At the City Council Meeting on Oct. 11, council voted to approve more than $100 million to fix sidewalks and curb cuts. The city has also improved its website so that more information about the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA coordinator’s contact information can be found easily. A bus stop in front of the Endependence Center was removed, but at the Oct. 11 meeting Councilwoman Andria McClellan announced they would bring back the bus stop.

Other issues have not been addressed. Vans that provide services for people with disabilities are being ticketed for parking on street sweeping days. We want the council to create a permit for these vehicles to be exempt from parking restrictions or have designated loading areas. Similarly, there is a lack of drop-off zones downtown. Vans have to park blocks away to drop off people in wheelchairs. There should be more loading zones with loading docks for wheelchairs.

Some privately owned businesses also have serious access problems which the city allows them to ignore. We want zoning laws to be changed so that all new businesses coming to Norfolk must be accessible to people with mobility difficulties. Grandfathered-in businesses should upgrade so that they are ADA compliant. Renovations to these businesses should be required to be accessible.

Traffic and speeding on Hampton Boulevard and Waterside Drive are dangerous for people going downtown, especially those who live at Hope House on Redgate Avenue. We need to find a way to slow traffic down on these thoroughfares. Both Jesse Monroe and Janice Taylor have encountered hazards just trying to cross the street downtown and in the Old Dominion University neighborhood. Janice walks with a cane and has balance issues, and she likes to attend events at Town Park. She parks in the parking garage across the street but can’t cross the street fast enough to avoid cars coming from Interstate 64 to Waterside. Most of the cars are speeding and they don’t stop for pedestrians.

Jesse receives services from Hope House and lives near ODU. He hopes the funding for sidewalks will make them consistently accessible to people using wheelchairs. Currently he has to go several blocks out of his way in order to find curb cuts and sidewalks that are safe to use.

Members of the chapter experience these dangerous conditions regularly. Some of us are Norfolk residents. Others live in the area and frequently come to Norfolk to shop or go to events. All voices of directly affected people need to be heard on how Norfolk can better serve the needs of people with disabilities.

The chapter has spoken at city council meetings and attempted to meet with all the members of city council. We thank Councilwomen Courtney Doyle, Mamie Johnson, Danica Royster and McClellan for taking the time to listen to our concerns and to commit to making changes. We call on Mayor Kenny Alexander, Vice Mayor Martin Thomas, and Councilmen Paul Riddick and Tommy Smigiel to do the same. We recognize that there is a Mayor’s Commission for People with Disabilities. However, it is an advisory board and we want to speak directly to the decision makers for the city of Norfolk. We think the city should have a disability liaison whose job it is to listen to the community and follow up on their requests.

Jesse Monroe, Patrice Smallwood and Janice Taylor are all members of the Norfolk Chapter of Virginia Organizing.