Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Savannah city leaders say they are seeing a lot of progress in making Savannah a more accessible community for people with disabilities. The city announced today it has finished half of the 1400 curb cuts needed to make it easier for people to with disabilities to walk around in the historic district. It has taken about 10 months to get the 750 curbs cut and with the help of minority businesses, city workers continue to install them. About 18 percent of people in Savannah have some type of disability prompting leaders to look at other parts of the city that need attention as well.

" Now that we've got people on the curb we've got to get them in the businesses so they can spend money. So we are working with the city on making access improvements so we can get people through the door," said Wayne Dawson from the Fair Housing Council. Along with businesses, the city needs improvement in accessibility with taxis. Currently Savannah only has one handicap taxi available. However, the city's public buildings, parks and bus system are 100 percent accessible.

Copyright 2008 by WJCL 22 / ABC and WTGS / FOX28, The Coastal Source