Deadline Set for Legislative Plaza to Become ADA Compliant

Tennessee and the federal government have reached an agreement to make state legislative facilities more accessible to people with disabilities.

US Attorney Jerry Martin looked into conditions at Legislative Plaza and the War Memorial Building after three complaints were filed. He found that the buildings do not meet standards set by the Americans With Disabilities Act, even after extensive renovations that were completed in the last five years.

House Speaker Beth Harwell says she’s experienced the difficulty of navigating the buildings first-hand. She once spent the day in a wheelchair at the urging of an advocacy group.

“One of the things we are looking at is something so simple as opening doors. The doors to our committee rooms are not electronic at all, so if you’re in a wheelchair it’s very difficult to open the doors to the committee rooms.”

A statement from the US Attorney’s office says the state has two years to modify the buildings to add more handrails, move signs so that they can be read by people in wheelchairs, and provide better access in bathrooms and public hearing rooms.

Joe White also contributed to this report