Man with CMT Advocates for Disability Accessibility

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Caught in the middle

Disabled resident's fight for more accessibility is a bumpy ride

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/1632412,6_1_NA21_YUILL_S1-\

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By KATHY CICHON June 21, 2009

Jim Yuill can tell you precisely where the sidewalk ends. He's learned from

experience.

Take, for instance, the first time the Naperville man used his motorized

wheelchair to travel along the south side of North Aurora Road. He left his

apartment near the Route 59 train station and drove for a short distance before

he could continue no further.

" I was marooned in front of some business there, and all they had is grass, " he

said.

And if he wants to go to Westfield Fox Valley Shopping Center, Yuill takes a

route that involves the ramp going under the train tracks, winding through

parking lots and adding distance to his trip. That's because the sidewalk comes

to abrupt halt at the train viaduct on Route 59.

Even going to his church, River Glen Presbyterian at 1140 Drive, he

encounters obstacles.

" There's no way to get from the west side of to the east side because

there's no continuous sidewalk on either side of the church, " he said.

Attempting to make it anyway, he has gotten stuck in the mud. So now he takes

his wheelchair onto the road for a portion of the journey.

" I either ride in the street or I don't ride at all, " he said.

These are just some of the challenges Yuill faces as he moves about the area,

and he makes no bones about calling city and county officials to express his

concerns.

" I have called the city till I'm blue in the face, " he said.

Yuill also doesn't hesitate to let a motorist know if his or her stopped vehicle

blocks the crosswalk or is illegally parked in a space designated for those with

disabilities, which is what happened earlier this year on a trip to the

pharmacy.

" She was angry because I confronted her, " Yuill said.

He even went in and told the store manager about the parking violation.

" It's a real bear. I'm not asking for special rights because I'm sitting here in

this wheelchair, " Yuill said. " I just want something done that is proper. And

they don't seem to care. "

Staying involved

At age 13 Yuill began showing signs of Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a neuromuscular

disease often referred to as CMT. It progressed to a point where he had to wear

braces. He started with metal braces, and later, plastic. " Because the braces do

not hinge at the ankle, you can't walk in them, " he said.

While he has a vehicle with a chair-lift, Yuill often just takes his wheelchair

to run nearby errands. He began using the manual chair in 2005. Late last

summer, he switched to a power chair. It was also last year that Yuill lost

Connie, his wife of nearly 50 years.

Now retired, Yuill volunteers one day a week at church and is looking to

volunteer elsewhere in the city.

" I want to do things. I'm only 72 years old, and that's OK, " he said. " I'm not

going to roll up and be idle. "

But that takes effort -- and not just on his part.

Evaluating the needs of individuals with disabilities has become a priority for

Naperville, which, for the first time this year, made it one of the city's

strategic goals.

" It was a recommendation by the Mayor's Advisory Commission on Disabilities, "

said Marita Manning, accessibility coordinator for the city.

Manning's position is a new one at the city: She has only been in the role for a

couple of weeks. But she spent the previous 13 years in the police department

working as the coordinator for senior services. When the city implemented the

Fast Track program in 2006, which helps track individuals via GPS who may go

missing and are unable to communicate, she found it wasn't just families with

seniors who are registering for the service.

" Surprisingly, the majority of families that participate in the Fast Track

program are families with children with autism, " Manning said.

But she is equally aware of people like Yuill, who depend upon accessibility to

live their lives. With that as a strategic goal, the city will conduct a survey

this summer to address this issue, among other quality of life concerns.

Residents, she said, are invited to tell the city " something we haven't thought

of or we didn't recognize as being a need. "

In addition, a public meeting will be held later this summer to gather feedback.

The hope is to have the survey results in the fall. Manning said the information

will then be used to determine what steps the city should take.

More sidewalks planned

Route 59, where Yuill often experiences difficulties, is state jurisdiction. But

sidewalks will be included in the Route 59 expansion project, once that project

proceeds, said Bob Kozurek, engineering services manager for the city.

On North Aurora Road, there are no gaps on the north side of the sidewalk

between Route 59 and Rickert Drive. " Sidewalk on the south side will be filled

in with development, " Kozurek added.

This new sidewalk will be built throughout the city in areas where one never

previously existed. Locations include portions of Eagle Street, 11th Avenue,

Main Street, Loomis Street, Hillside Road, Parkside Road and n Street. The

city's goal is to eventually build sidewalks on all streets. Target areas

include school walk zones and larger roadways.

In addition, Naperville's Comprehensive Transportation Plan calls for the

construction of sidewalks on Route 59 from 87th Street to past 111th Street. The

project also includes traffic signals at these streets, equipped with countdown

pedestrian signals.

That's all good news for Yuill as he looks to the future. But as comprehensive

as these plans all sound, they don't help him in the present.

" Today I tried to get to the ramp on the Naperville side of the tracks, " he said

last week. " I get down there and they were pouring concrete, and there was no

ramp available. "

The construction workers at the site took a board and placed it over the

concrete so he could get through. He continued on his way and did his shopping.

On his return home, the workmen and board were gone.

" The fresh concrete, " he said, " was still there. "