Daniel Rubin: Bumpy roads for wheelchairs

Philadelphia Inquirer, The, January, 2008 by Daniel Rubin Inquirer Columnist

Monday's column on Cliff Roberts wheeling his chair through the inaccessible city caused my phone to ring so much I knew I'd hit a nerve. "It's just as bad in the suburbs," said Barbara Quinn, 60, of Aston in Delaware County. She started by ripping into the nice man at her hair salon - a brand-new place in an expensive building.

"When I went in there, the first time after it was completed, the owner said to me, 'How do you like our building? It's all handicapped-accessible.' " The owner proudly noted the elevator for those who can't climb stairs, the bathrooms with rails for those who need to support their legs. All great, Quinn replied. Now if only she could get in the place. No automatic doors. The owner replied that the township didn't require that. So Quinn, who...