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At the pace of everyday life, the bumps taken by people like Jacobi Harvey are easy to miss.
"I do this, like every day..."
"... For me, myself, I'm getting... I'm getting tired." Harvey's tiring routine is a daily visit to his mom and aunt's house in Wards Corner. NewsChannel 3 went along for the five block trip which proved to be a painful 20 minute expedition for Harvey.
It's filled with cracks, twists, turns and worst of all, countless dead-ends with sidewalks without ramps for wheelchairs to get on or off.
"This is life... You want to get around easy? We want to get around easy!"
With that in mind, federal law makers passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Title-2 requires curb ramps or curb cuts on all city sidewalks allowing equal access to people in wheelchairs.
Nearly 20 years later, a NewsChannel 3 investigation finds there are about 4,300 curb cuts in Norfolk.
The problem is the law says the city should have 6,500 ramps.
"When there is no curb cut, the curb cut I just left, I'll turn right around and go in the street."
Without curb cuts, people in wheelchairs often, without choice, risk riding in the streets. Adding further insult, Harvey says Norfolk police have even ticketed him for disturbing traffic.
"I had to pay $102 for it."
It was a slap on the face to Harvey, so after spending a day with him, NewsChannel 3 went to Norfolk Public Works.
"That's something we need to work onÂ…"
Director John Keifer, making no excuses, readily admits the city is not in full-compliance with ADA guidelines.
Why not?
For one, the department of justice, in charge of enforcing ADA doesn't do inspections. Encouraging cities to voluntarily comply is a lot cheaper.
Locally, money is also a major roadblock, since each curb ramp costs about $2,000 to install.
"So a couple of thousand of those is into the many millions of dollars. The city has many needs and we don't have unlimited resources."
Not surprisingly that's the same story we got across Hampton Roads. In fact, there isn't a single city that's met ADA's standards.
What's worse is that unlike Norfolk, none of the other cities NewsChannel 3 questioned even knows how many ramps they have or how many more they need to comply with ADA.
"I do this, like every day..."
"... For me, myself, I'm getting... I'm getting tired." Harvey's tiring routine is a daily visit to his mom and aunt's house in Wards Corner. NewsChannel 3 went along for the five block trip which proved to be a painful 20 minute expedition for Harvey.
It's filled with cracks, twists, turns and worst of all, countless dead-ends with sidewalks without ramps for wheelchairs to get on or off.
"This is life... You want to get around easy? We want to get around easy!"
With that in mind, federal law makers passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Title-2 requires curb ramps or curb cuts on all city sidewalks allowing equal access to people in wheelchairs.
Nearly 20 years later, a NewsChannel 3 investigation finds there are about 4,300 curb cuts in Norfolk.
The problem is the law says the city should have 6,500 ramps.
"When there is no curb cut, the curb cut I just left, I'll turn right around and go in the street."
Without curb cuts, people in wheelchairs often, without choice, risk riding in the streets. Adding further insult, Harvey says Norfolk police have even ticketed him for disturbing traffic.
"I had to pay $102 for it."
It was a slap on the face to Harvey, so after spending a day with him, NewsChannel 3 went to Norfolk Public Works.
"That's something we need to work onÂ…"
Director John Keifer, making no excuses, readily admits the city is not in full-compliance with ADA guidelines.
Why not?
For one, the department of justice, in charge of enforcing ADA doesn't do inspections. Encouraging cities to voluntarily comply is a lot cheaper.
Locally, money is also a major roadblock, since each curb ramp costs about $2,000 to install.
"So a couple of thousand of those is into the many millions of dollars. The city has many needs and we don't have unlimited resources."
Not surprisingly that's the same story we got across Hampton Roads. In fact, there isn't a single city that's met ADA's standards.
What's worse is that unlike Norfolk, none of the other cities NewsChannel 3 questioned even knows how many ramps they have or how many more they need to comply with ADA.
