The paralyzed Denver councilman asked to climb out of his wheelchair onto the stage

“So they said, ‘Well, how about you get out of your seat?'” Hinds told The Washington Post.

In an uncomfortable scene captured on video by audience members of the debate, Hinds rose from her wheelchair, dragged her legs to the stage and grabbed one leg of a metal chair as the audience well grumbled and the debate organizers discussed how to accommodate him.

“I felt like a circus monkey,” Hinds said.

Hinds called the experience embarrassing, and screenshots of the councilman taking the stage and a subsequent story in the Denver Post prompted criticism from politicians and disability advocates on social media. Hinds hopes it will bring awareness to the push for disability accommodation that she said she entered local politics to support.

“This should be a teachable moment,” Hinds said. ” … We should not ask for accommodation for things that should be legal.”

Denver clerk Paul López said in a statement that the debate venue, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, was approved to host the debate and said in its application that it met the accessibility requirements that outlined in the Americans With Disabilities Act. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance issued an apology to Hinds on Wednesday and said that while the dance center’s theater is accessible, the theater’s stage is not.

“No one should have to have that experience, and I apologize to Councilman Hinds personally,” López said in his statement. “Our office continues to communicate with all debate sponsors to ensure that they meet ADA requirements and other needs.”

Patricia Smith, a spokeswoman for the dance center, said it is working to make the stage accessible.

Hinds was paralyzed in 2008 after suffering a spinal cord injury in an accident while riding a bicycle, he said. He became an advocate for disability rights and won recognition from the Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) in 2018 when the governor named a bill strengthening parking fee exemptions for people with disabilities after him. He decided to run for local office that same year.

“I feel like I have an obligation,” Hinds said. “If I can represent the disability community, I should.”

That belief was confirmed, Hinds said, when he was elected in 2019 and arrived at Denver City Hall — where he discovered that neither city council chambers nor restrooms were wheelchair accessible.

“Even 29 years after the ADA was passed, the only reason City Hall has become more accessible for people with disabilities is because a person with a disability was elected,” Hinds said.

The Hinds were disappointed to encounter the same issue Monday, he said. He added that Denver’s election law added to his problem. Not participating in the debate would have meant the city would lose campaign funds to match and increase from voter donations before April’s municipal election. Hinds felt his reelection campaign was in jeopardy as he climbed out of his wheelchair and onto the stage.

“My thinking is I’m going to do what they want me to do, or I’m going to lose my campaign,” Hinds said.

After trying and failing to lift Hinds’ wheelchair onto the stage separately, the debate organizers decided to move the rest of the debate participants off the stage and continue the debate at ground level in front of the first row of spectators. theater seats so Hinds could stay in his wheelchair. But after continuing the debate and sitting awkwardly on stage in front of an audience of nearly 100 voters, Hinds said she felt nervous.

Disability advocates criticized the theater’s lack of accommodations after images of Hinds struggling from her wheelchair went viral online. Hinds said she has received “heartwarming” messages of support from as far away as Alaska and that the response has helped stop the embarrassment of the viral scene.

Filmmaker Vince Chandler, who attended the debate and captured some of the footage later shared on social media, said in a text message to The Post that his reaction was “abject horror.”

“I can’t believe how unprepared a city-organized debate is for this,” Chandler said.

But Colorado House Rep. David Ortiz (D), who is also paralyzed and uses a wheelchair, said Wednesday on Twitter that this is “Unfortunately a common occurrence for those of us living with a #disability.”

On Thursday, Hinds prepared for another debate for the candidates in his district. The councilor said he was assured that he would be able to participate fully this time.

“A lot of T’s are crossed and dotted at this point,” Hinds said, chuckling. “If there is an issue tonight, I have serious concerns about our democracy.”