| Consider disabled tourists too
While Malaysia promotes itself as a tourist destination, it should also provide amenities for disabled tourists. MALAYSIANS greeted the New Year with greater expectations than usual as it marked the very important start of Visit Malaysia Year (VMY). The national tourism campaign for 2007 is estimated to bring in an extra five million visitors from overseas in addition to the 15 million foreigners who come into Malaysia each year. What makes this VMY even more special is that it coincides with our nations 50th anniversary as a sovereign nation. Among the tourists who will be visiting Malaysia will inevitably be people with disabilities and their families. How will travel and accessibility into buildings and on the streets affect them? I posed this question to Antony Leopold last week.
Little to No Handicapped Parking Downtown
"I have noticed a lot of money has been put out for the traffic patterns and parking lots and everything for the beautifying of downtown, but I've been down there numerous times lately and there are no, hardly any, handicap parking. (Handicap spots are) in the old Penny's parking lot, so I guess people who are handicap have to walk twice as far from the center of town, and the people who are healthy they can park right in front of the stores. I guess that's how they designed it and wanted it. I was just curious why they set it up like that and why there is no handicap downtown or little or no handicap downtown?" Red Phone: Good caller, Red Phone contacted city engineer Don Dey who said there will be permanent handicap parking, but not until the road is resurfaced and then restriped.
Parking Shortage Raises Middletown Tempers
(Middletown-Courant.com) _ Roger Beliveau ignores the urgent pounding on the window of the Downtown Spanish and American Market as he writes a ticket for a black SUV parked on Main Street. "Save your money," Beliveau tells the young woman rushing out to drop 25 cents in the meter. "Please, oh please," the woman practically moans. Beliveau's eyes are unreadable, hidden behind his sunglasses. His voice is bright, like he's enjoying himself. "Once I start writing out a ticket, I have to give it out," he says to the woman. Her hopeful smile twists into a sneer. She slams her coin into the meter and flounces away. From the market's open doorway, a male voice curses the parking enforcement officer. There is venom in the obscenities. Beliveau doesn't turn around.
Issues update: Board to vote on theatre funding
Whats new: On Tuesday, the Winnebago County Board will vote on spending $5.3 million, the countys share of $12 million needed to build a new communication arts building at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley.
The background: The current theatre space at UW-Fox is 45-years-old and isnt compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The theatre is used for drama and stage classes as well as for lectures, community performances and more. University officials say if the project is delayed again, construction costs will increase, making the project prohibitively expensive. The Outagamie County Board already approved its $5.3 million share for the project. The state of Wisconsin is expected to provide $2 million of moveable equipment for the building.
Whats next: The Winnebago County Board must approve the funding for the project to proceed.
|
