Group with disabilities wants bus stop closer to Dayton Mall entrance

MIAMI TWP. — Many motorists honked their horns this afternoon in support of a small group holding signs outside the Dayton Mall seeking a bus stop at the entrance.

“We just want the Dayton Mall to support us as well,” Greg Kramer, assistant director of the Access Center for Independent Living said.

“We’re asking them as reasonable accommodation to allow the buses to go back up there,” where the RTA bus stop was before the mall changed its policy several years ago.

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Among demonstrators was Carolyn Peters, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Miami Valley chapter.

“I’m out here today to represent all individuals in the city of Dayton who are blind or visually impaired and all individuals with disabilities whether they’re visible or invisible. We’re trying to get the owners to understand that we didn’t voluntarily asked to be marginalized by not having access to the front of the Dayton Mall, and that’s what we want.

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“You can see from here that the distance is far and it’s not a safety issue, it’s a real problem for us to navigate, blind or visually impaired or in wheelchairs or whatever the disability is, to get to that front door.”

A federal lawsuit about the issue was filed in December 2015, Kramer said.

We reached out to mall management for comment but have not heard back.

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