To the editor:

I moved here this summer from Boise, Idaho, where handicapped parking was free to anyone with a valid handicapped parking sticker or license plate. Disabled individuals were able to park in metered spots without paying the meter.ÿ

Ames is not doing a very good job of being accessible. A new ordinance has been created to allow handicapped individuals to park at meters by buying stickers for the window for every day that a person wants to visit downtown or Campustown.

Unless I work in that area or regularly go shopping there, how often would I want to pre-pay my parking? And if I did work in that area, why would I want to pay twice as much as a rented spot in a parking lot that my employer might provide for me? If my employer paid for my new stickers to park in metered spots, isn’t that punishing them for hiring a person with a disability when they probably have already spent thousands of dollars to make their establishment accessible? If I’m not able to hold a job because of my disability or if I depend on Social Security for my earnings, can I afford to shop in these areas after I’ve already spent my money on parking?

I do work in Campustown, I do have to park two blocks away from work, and I do have a disability. Thank goodness I have a wonderful employer who is willing to walk through the blazing snowstorms to bring my car to me FOR FREE!

Brenda Kotewa

Resident

Ames