Goodrich – Finding a spot to watch his son’s football game from a wheelchair has been difficult for David Wallace.
Last year he strained to see the game from near an open fence gate.
Thanks to Goodrich High School senior Mike Bradburn, this year Wallace will move up to a better seat’in the bleachers.
‘I commend him,? said Wallace, 46, a former Americans with Disabilities Act consultant.
Bradburn, 17, has spent this spring and summer developing the idea for his Eagle Scout project after noticing how challenging it was for his cousin, who has spina bifida, to attend his football games.
Original plans outlined constructing a platform next to the bleachers.
The revised plan, which calls for a ramp and a platform extending out from the bleachers, was put into action this week by a team of approximately 40 scouts, parents, Bradburn’s family, and football players. The platform will accomodate four to five fans who are disabled, enabling wheelchair-users to sit with family and friends.
Scouting values have been a part of Bradburn’s life since he was about 3.
‘My dad’s always been one of the leaders, and we had meetings at our house,? he said. ‘Scouting not only teaches about the outdoors, it teaches ethics, morals, things like that.?
An Eagle Scout project is intended to teach leadership. Once the project is complete, an in-depth project portfolio will be forwarded to a Texas scouting board of review.
‘Part of an Eagle Scout project is planning, fund-raising, getting approval, and getting people to help,? said Goodrich Board of Education President Michael Thorp, who also serves as vice president of the Boy Scouts of America’s Tall Pine Council.
In June, Bradburn sent out letters and knocked on doors seeking donations for the project. Although Home Depot and Lowe’s did not contribute, the project found support in Brown’s Do-it Center of Goodrich, as well as from Carter Lumber and James Lumber of Grand Blanc.
By obtaining donations and materials at cost, Bradburn whittled the cost of the project down to $700, which the Goodrich Board of Education approved June 28.
Mike Zelley, executive director of the Disability Network of Flint, estimates 25,800 Genesee County residents wrestle daily with mobility issues. Only 15 percent of affected people were born with disabilities; the remaining 85 percent acquired the disability by accident, disease, or through aging.
Genesee County has the second-highest population of citizens with disabilities in the state, says Zelley.
Wallace, who’s been in a wheelchair half his life, says dealing with inaccessible locations has ‘been a challenge all the way.?
‘I believe the law’s in place and I believe people should be complying,? he said. ‘When they’re not complying I believe there should be a fine. There’s a lot of places where they don’t know (ADA accessibility) is required or they don’t want to know.?
Wallace spoke up before construction started on the Goodrich High School auditorium, which he calls ‘very accessible?. It’s a welcome change to have others recognize the accessibility issue before he has to address it.
‘Sometimes it’s just easier to go on with life without having to say something everywhere you go.?
Without hearing from citizens affected by disabilities, equal access to facilities is often overlooked.
‘I wonder if there’s any other thing we’ve missed that we should be doing,? said Goodrich Athletic Director Al Martus. ‘It’s something we needed. Fortunately (Bradburn) thought of it.?
Wallace admits he never thought about accessibility before he used a wheelchair, either.
Like all accessible structures, Bradburn’s efforts won’t go to waste.
‘It’s not something that you build that’s not going to be used,? said Wallace. ‘People get older or get hurt and get to the point where they’re going to need it.?