This came from the Family Voices list--- Joy
Colleagues,
Last night, the Academy Awards broke the so-called "color-barrier." Halle
Berry became the first black actress to earn an Academy Award in a lead
role and Denzel Washington became the second black to win best actor.
How sad is it that such a wonderful milestone occurred in a brand new
facility - a facility especially built to be the home of the Academy Awards
- which fails to meet basic accessibility requirements.
The Western Law Center for Disability Rights (http://wlcdr.everybody.org/)
has filed on behalf of a wheelchair patron who says the Kodak Theater's
floor plan has inadequate wheelchair-accessible seating, in violation of
the federal Americans With Disabilities Act and California law.
In fact, if you visit the Kodak Theater's web site -
http://www.kodaktheatre.com/ - and click on "seating" then "accessible
facilities" find a note that says "page currently unavailable. Check back
soon." You find the same note when you look at the "Parking for Guests
with Disabilities" page. The site itself does not meet basic accessibility
requirements.
An article in today's LA Times gushes, "The 37 Steps at the Kodak Theatre
are a potential horror movie because you have to climb them all to get into
the main lobby after walking down the red carpet. This was true no matter
how high the heels, or how big the star." The article totally ignores that
fact that these stairs make it impossible for wheelchair users to access
the main entrance.
The Eastman Kodak Co. has agreed to pay $75 million over 20 years for the
naming rights to the theater.
The Anschutz Entertainment Group manages the Kodak Theatre as part of a
partnership formed with Canadian developer TrizecHahn Development Corp.,
which built the theater as part of the $ 567-million Hollywood & Highland
real estate project.
Eastman Kodak Company
343 State St.
Rochester, NY 14650
Phone: 716-724-4000
Fax: 716-724-1089
The Anschutz Corporation (owns the Anschutz Entertainment Group)
555 17th St., Ste. 2400
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: 303-298-1000
Fax: 303-298-8881
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
Phone: 310-247-3000
Fax: 310-859-9351
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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Los Angeles Times
March 23, 2002 Saturday
Kodak Theatre Sued Over Access for Disabled;
Courts: The new venue for the Academy Awards is accused of having
inadequate seating for people in wheelchairs.
A federal lawsuit filed Friday against the Kodak Theatre by a group that
advocates for the disabled says the opulent 3,500-seat venue for this
weekend's Academy Awards lacks proper design for people in wheelchairs.
Brought by the Western Law Center for Disability Rights on behalf of
Elizabeth Bancroft, the suit says the theater's floor plan has inadequate
wheelchair-accessible seating, in violation of the federal Americans With
Disabilities Act and California law.
"It's shocking that it is so bad," said Eve Hill, director of the nonprofit
group. She said theater officials who took her on a tour of the facility
two weeks ago "couldn't show me a single seat that complied with the law."
Hill said the suit was not filed to capitalize on publicity surrounding the
Academy Awards. "The timing is coincidental--we weren't holding it," she
said. She did acknowledge, however, that "it is a good opportunity to
educate the public and builders that this is an important issue."
According to the complaint, Bancroft, who is paralyzed below the waist,
attended a Melissa Etheridge concert in December and was seated in a
cramped, sloped area with poor sight lines, despite her request for a
wheelchair-accessible seat.
Bancroft said her view was continually obstructed by other concertgoers
standing in front of the two seats she and a friend had purchased.
"It was really frustrating," Bancroft said. "I paid the same amount as
everyone else in [the] orchestra [section]."
The theater, tucked inside the Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex,
opened in November. Owned by Canada-based TrizecHahn Corp. and operated by
Anschutz Entertainment Group, the theater was designed by architect David
Rockwell.
A TrizecHahn official said the firm had not seen the lawsuit and would not
comment until it did.
Bancroft said she remembers watching last year's Academy Awards and seeing
a nominee who used a wheelchair seated in the rear of the Shrine Auditorium.
"I kept thinking how great it was that they were moving to a new theater,"
she said. "It's a new theater, but nothing has changed."
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