In the past week, I sat in Row 1 behind home plate at Target Field, the guest of a season ticket holder. I also took in a performance of The Scottsboro Boys at the Guthrie Theater for just $2. This, despite the fact I use a wheelchair and require wheelchair access.
The Twins game on September 1 included access to the Champions Club. This once-in-a-lifetime invitation came from a former Courage Center client and founder of In Home Personal Care Kevin Sullivan. A wheelchair user, Sullivan purchased his season tickets in this premier seating area at Target Field. Next time you watch a Twins game on TV see if you see a wheelchair user sitting behind home plate. It just might be Kevin or one of his guests.
It takes a lot for me me to be awestruck. Front row accessible seats at Target Field did it. The news stories and testimonials from my disability advocate friends hit home as I sat feet away from Joe Mauer, as a Liriano fastball smacked his catcher’s mitt: Target Field really does have seating in all price ranges. Now, my dilemma: how can I afford these seats for a full season! (It probably won’t happen, but it’s always nice to have a goal!)
The Guthrie seats are equally amazing when viewed from the perspective of a wheelchair user. As part of a community program, the Guthrie offers steeply discounted tickets to employees of nonprofit organizations such as Courage Center. The amazing part comes when I call the box office four days ahead of time to convert the tickets to wheelchair accessible seats. After more than half dozen times, the Guthrie box office has always been able to accommodate my access needs on short notice with the best available seats.
In July, we celebrated the 20 year anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) – civil rights legislation for people with disabilities. Those of us in the midst of advocacy efforts often don’t see or feel like much progress is being made. But, over time, change does happen through the hard work of advocates and organizations like Courage Center, VSA Minnesota, the State Council on Disability, statewide Centers for Independent Living, and the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MN-CCD) and many other disability organizations and advocacy groups across Minnesota.
The Minnesota Twins and the Guthrie Theater are two examples of organizations that have gotten the message about access for people with disabilities. There are other organizations who lead the way in employing people with disabilities. Twenty years after the ADA, let’s stop, just a moment and celebrate our successes. Then, it’s back to work, advocating for our rights.
