East Bay Mom Hopes Her Bill Will Improve Access For Her Wheelchair-Bound Sons
CONCORD (KPIX 5) – Twenty-five years after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law, an East Bay mom is hoping to fine-tune the law so people with disabilities truly have equal access.
Alisa Rosillo has two teenage wheelchair-bound sons who like TV and playing baseball, but Max and Leo's excursions away from home are limited to four hours.
"I have a 12-year-old daughter who wants to go out and do things. I have two boys who want to go with her, but we can't because there's nowhere to use the restroom," Rosillo told KPIX 5.
While there diaper changing stations for babies are available, there's nothing for a larger child or an adult. If Rosillo and her boys went to a zoo, amusement park or stadium, they would most likely have to change on the floor.
"It's not fair for them to not be able to go out and experience life, simply because the ADA standards don't reach that next level of need," Rosillo said.
A bill is now making its way through Sacramento to require places like new stadiums and amusement parks to include an adult changing station. Older venues would be required to make the changes if they undergo significant renovations.
This isn't the Concord mom's first crack at legislation. In 2007, she got a law passed upping fines for misusing handicap parking placards and designating the unloading zone with blue stripes.
"Just having those lines painted blue has changed our world. Believe it or not, it really has. People really do look at that space differently now," Rosillo said.
Rosillo explains all this change started, because she wanted to show her daughter one person can make a difference. "That whole Schoolhouse Rock, 'I'm just a bill' thing, you can do that. You can go and speak to your legislators," she said.
It's not clear how much the new requirements would cost venues. The state figures about 53,000 people would be helped.
