Mayor Peter Marchetti, center, talks with community advocate Brian Fitzpatrick during a downtown tour with the Commission on Disabilities. Chair Cathy Carchedi is at left, wearing red.

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The Common on Disabilities members and advocates walked North Street toward St. Joseph's Church, pointing to areas that could be improved for residents with dsabilities.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield marked the Americans with Disabilities Act's 35th anniversary with a flag raising and a look at accessibility conditions downtown. 

"We need to work together as a team," community advocate Brian Fitzpatrick said. "We're not fighting against anybody, we're just trying to make everything better." 

The event last week was hosted by Fitzpatrick, the city, and the Commission on Disabilities. At the commission's regular meeting a few minutes prior, Mayor Peter Marchetti issued a proclamation commemorating the signing of the ADA Act on July 26, 1990. 

The civil rights law protects people with disabilities from discrimination. 

Marchetti explained that the partnership makes sense, "because you just take everything for granted, and it helps to look at life from a different person's perspective." He has been a guest on Fitzpatrick's show,  "Wheeling the Pathways of Life."

Chair Cathy Carchedi said the world changed significantly after the ADA Act was passed. 

"I think the people with disabilities who are here today value an opportunity to have a voice and to be heard. Often they feel that they're overlooked and not noticed, and their needs aren't acknowledged, so I think it's important to just have the public know, 'Hey, we're citizens too, and we are entitled to equal opportunity in our community,'" she said. 

"And a lot of the folks here today, they are active participants in the community, from going to school, working, and doing social events. Again, I think it's important that they had a voice today."

On a walk from City Hall, through Dunham Mall, and toward St. Joseph's Church, the group found needed accessibility improvements such as a touch-free crossing signal and sidewalk leveling on Dunham Mall. 

"I think, if we really stop to think about it, the issues that we saw on Dunham Mall, we can all pick up, but the issues that we saw at the crosswalk signal that not everyone could push a button, are things that you may not think of when you're doing it," Marchetti observed. 

"It's important to have a different set of eyes and ears and recognize that for each disability, there's a different barrier that needs to be crossed, and it's easier for them to articulate than it is for us to think we know what it is." 

On a monthly basis, the Commission on Disabilities reviews accessibility issues brought to their attention. The mayor feels that the partnership works well, even though some of the issues can't be fixed as soon as they should be, "But at least we're aware and at least we're working on it." 

Fitzpatrick noted that regular events such as these are important for awareness. His show on Pittsfield Community Television discusses the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of people with disabilities in Berkshire County. 

He said the crossing near Dairy Cone on Tyler Street is "very unsafe." 

"No matter how many lights you put up there, if people aren't paying attention, they're going to run you over," he said. 

"… It's very dangerous and one of the things that we need to look at." 

Fitzpatrick also noted that the crosswalk in front of Pittsfield High School needs to be evaluated because there is only one button for four lanes. The city reportedly increased the pedestrian timing for that light. 

"The downtown of Pittsfield is a beautiful place, and it's understandable that the mayor and people of all disability levels would want to join such a beautiful area down in the downtown," Commissioner Phillip Massery said. 

"I've heard so many times, 'Is Pittsfield, the place with that beautiful, wide open downtown?' I say, ‘Yes, it is.'" 

He not accommodating a third of the nation's population would be a crime, "And we're doing a beautiful job," noting that he couldn't be happier with Marchetti and Carcedi's work. 

"The mayor's office has been very supportive, and they actually partnered with us," Carchedi said. 

"It was a trio that did this, the mayor, myself, and then Brian really spearheaded this effort. Brian was really the stimulus, and felt it was important to get out and educate the public." 

When asked how long it will take to fix issues identified on the walk, Marchetti said some will be addressed in the next year as the city begins to redesign North Street. The city will also look into addressing uneven surfaces between concrete and brick on Dunham Mall and other city corridors. 

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