Access to Dem convention stymies disabled

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http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_6336534

Vivian Stovall remembers the last time she was left in the dark by the Democratic Party.

She was stranded one night outside the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, waiting for some kind of ride that could accommodate her and her wheelchair.

For hours, she watched thousands of able-bodied conventiongoers hop on buses to be whisked back to their hotels.

"They would pack the buses, and you would be left sitting there," Stovall said.

Now, Stovall and other Colorado advocates for the disabled say they are once again being left in the dark as Democrats plan for next year's national convention in Denver.

"We can't get anyone to talk to us. That's what's so frustrating," said Julie Reiskin, executive director of the nonprofit Colorado Cross-Disability Association.

Advocates for the disabled say they have tried to reach out to convention organizers for the past six months with concerns about access to buses, taxis, hotels and the convention itself.

They say they have received little response.

"We kind of hear people say it's going to be taken care of," Reiskin said. "Well, not to be rude, but we've heard this in other places and other times."

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