[nfb-talk] House Said to Remove Hall Clutter

Fri Feb 1 08:54:38 CST 2008

Blindness aside for just a nanosecond, I have two words for the people who
have to work there every day with this furniture in the halls...fire hazard!
How are they supposed to leave the building safely if there is a fire with
all that clutter?

Alan D Wheeler
<awheeler at neb.rr.com>
Messenger: awheeler1965 at sbcglobal.net
Skype: redwheel1
http://alan-wheeler.blogspot.com/
http://reporter-guy.livejournal.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of James Aldrich
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 7:59 AM
To: NFB Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] House Said to Remove Hall Clutter

Hello!

One is tempted to say that the law applies to us but not to them.  Wonder
how much of this government furniture ends up in auction or in the hands of
collectors who place a premium value to it depending on who's office it was
in!

Jim Aldrich

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
To: <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>; <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "McCarthy, Jim" <JMcCarthy at nfb.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 6:45 PM
Subject: [nfb-talk] House Said to Remove Hall Clutter

Hello,

I found this article rather amusing.  Though the NFB is not named
specifically, I think we all know who it was they were talking about, and
personally, my group and I found the easels advertising political positions
on the stimulus plan to be quite in line with public perceptions of Capitol
Hill and Washington in general.  Get rid of the unnecessary desks, but keep
the political spirit of Congress, I say.

Joe Orozco

House Set To Remove Hall Clutter.

By Elizabeth Brotherton, ROLL CALL STAFF.

Signage and furniture sitting in Congressional hallways created obstacles
for a number of disabled people who came to lobby on Capitol Hill this week,
as advocates tripped and bumped into furnishings while on their way to
offices and hearing rooms.. But a change in House policy could soon make
things much easier for the disabled on on Capitol Hill, where corridors are
often filled with old committee tables, stacks of chairs and easels holding
a variety of large laminated signs.. Jointly proposed in the fall by House
Administration Chairman Robert Brady (D-Pa.) and ranking member Vernon
Ehlers (R-Mich.), the new hallway policy seeks to improve House compliance
with the requirements included in the Americans with Disabilities Act..
Under the proposal, House offices would not be allowed to place or store
items within a hallway or exit access, including equipment and furnishings
such as signs, tables, easels, carpets and pedestals.. Anything placed in
the hallway will be "presumed to be excess" and removed, according to the
proposal, a copy of which was obtained by Roll Call.. These items would be
held by the Chief Administrative Officer for three days and then disposed of
if not claimed. Temporary, extended and long-term storage would be available
for certain items.. The plan is waiting approval by the House Office
Building Commission, of which Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority
Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) are
members.. The HOBC is considering the bipartisan [House Administration]
recommendations that address hallway accessibility and safety issues,"
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said Wednesday.. House Administration
spokesman Kyle Anderson said that committee members expect the building
commission to approve new regulations "in the near future. The problems
created this week by signage and furniture weren't a surprise to Mariana
Nork, a spokeswoman for the D.C. -based American Association of People with
Disabilities.. There's always people with disabilities up on the Hill, and
people are always having difficulties," she said, adding that her group has
long lobbied for a policy of "no tables in the hallways, no signage, no coat
racks. The signage on the hill is horrible," Nork said. It's a tremendous
barrier. ... It's extremely difficult to get around. Nork noted that when
her group holds events on Capitol Hill, it must be careful that the
locations picked are suited for the disabled, not only by clearing out
nearby hallways but also by ensuring close access to handicapped restrooms..
An Ehlers spokeswoman said the struggles that the disabled regularly face on
Capitol Hill offer proof that the new policy should be implemented.. Fire
and life-safety conditions need to be a top priority to ensure the safety of
not only Members and staff, but also visitors," spokeswoman Salley Collins
said. We hope that the Speaker will take these policies under immediate
consideration. A Democratic aide noted that this is not the first time such
recommendations have been made to the HOBC; a similar proposal was issued
during the Republican-controlled 109th Congress but never approved.. House
Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood, Chief Fire Marshal Kenneth Lauziere and
Capitol Police Chief Phillip Morse endorsed the plan in September.. In his
Sept. 26 letter recommending that hallways be cleared of "unnecessary
obstructions," Morse writes that hallways already are narrow and crowded
during the day, which would impede an evacuation.. In the event of an
emergency, any objects, which obstruct the free flow of people or create a
tripping hazard, are a serious impediment to a timely and successful
evacuation," Morse writes in the letter.. The House is not the only chamber
seeking to improve disability access on Capitol Hill.. Sen. Mike Enzi
(R-Wyo.) distributed a guide last week that outlines ways for Members to
make their offices more accessible to disabled staffers and visitors.. And
although problems remain, officials say things have improved for the
disabled on Capitol Hill in recent years.. For example, an October 2007
Office of Compliance report found that after years of undeveloped plans,
officials had developed emergency evacuation procedures for the disabled..

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