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Nothing is more enjoyable than seeing the wonders that this country has to offer by touring our state and national parks. However, if you have mobility issues to contend with, not all state and national park attractions and amenities are accessible. This problem is not only unfortunate, but it is also illegal. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990, it is unlawful for state and national parks to neglect their responsibility to make all of their attractions and amenities accessible. This blatant disregard of federal law by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in particular spurred a woman named Ann Sieck to join in a class action lawsuit that plans on suing the National Park System for its noncompliance.

Ann Sieck
Ann Sieck spent most of her life being active. She enjoyed hiking and exploring the wild areas of our country. However, about twelve years ago her ability to walk, climb and ambulate freely was compromised by multiple sclerosis, or MS, and as a result she is now in a wheelchair. Ann Sieck still enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, however, she has faced many unnecessary obstacles when it comes to exploring the natural wonders national parks have to offer. This is because many national parks have failed to make all of their attractions and amenities accessible. This means that many national park buildings, restrooms and even water fountains are not accessible to people in wheelchairs.

The final straw for Sieck was the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This popular, national park located near San Francisco, Calif. had so many accessibility issues that she was not able to use many of the park's trails, water fountains, historic buildings, restrooms or museums. This inaccessible park spurred Sieck to join a growing class action lawsuit against the national park system.

The Lawsuit
The lawsuit against the national park system is being headed by the Disability Rights Advocates, which is a public interest law center. This lawsuit recognizes that there are funding issues that have prevented some of the updates required for making national parks more accessible, but this is not their complaint. Their complaint is that funding is only a secondary problem and that the real problem is that the national park system is simply not committing to meeting the federal law requirements enacted by the ADA of 1990 to make all national parks accessible. The Golden Gate Recreation Area in particular was chosen as the park to make an example of by the group because it is the second most-popular national park in the United States, and because San Francisco is the home of a grassroots movement for disability rights.

See Eisla Sebastian’s Profile on Disaboom 

See Eisla Sebastian’s Profile on Associated Content