Wheelchair Access Issues In Hinsdale D-86: Resident

BURR RIDGE, IL – A Burr Ridge resident on Thursday pointed out wheelchair access issues at one of the facilities run by Hinsdale High School District 86.

Richard Morton, a wheelchair user, was speaking about the district's Burr Ridge Transition Center, where the school board has been meeting over the summer. The center is part of a bigger private office complex.

Morton attended the board meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.

At the first meeting, he said he was surprised when he found no marked accessible parking within hundreds of feet of the transition center's front door.

"Imagine my surprise when I pressed the switch to operate the door to gain access to the transition center, and it was inoperative," Morton said. "Imagine my surprise tonight when I pressed the same button, it was still inoperative."

He noted the $139 million in projects to improve District 86's buildings.

"Despite this orgy of spending, I wonder how you could have overlooked these tiny gestures, gestures of humanity," Morton said. "It's about a common courtesy, a basic humanity. I remind you that you all have been made aware of these on at least three separate occasions. So I ask you tonight, what's it going to take you to get your head out of the sand and fix what is simple?"

In response, board President Erik Held said, "Thank you for bringing that to our attention."

In January 2020, Morton told the board that a button for wheelchair users was not working at Hinsdale Central High School. He said he had spoken about the same issue a few weeks earlier. He asked for a permanent fix.

At the time, Principal Bill Walsh appeared to take the concern to heart.

"As a parent of a child in a wheelchair, I am appalled that our doorknob was not open or accessible or the access button was not accessible. I have already addressed this in a tone that I felt was appropriate," Walsh said. "I will be addressing it again in person tomorrow, and it will never, ever happen again."