Commission urges event hosts to fix accessibility gaps after antique show step blocks entry

Commission on Disability members said they intervened after a temporary raised floor and a low-visibility step at a tented antiques show prevented a wheelchair user from entering without a portable ramp. The issue arose during the July 2025 antiques event when attendee Marybeth (Commission on Disability member) said, “we actually have a portable ramp in our van,” and described returning the next day to use it after volunteers at the door were unable to provide access. The commission considers the episode significant enough to contact event hosts and planners. Brenda (Commission on Disability member) said she emailed Niles Parker at the NHA and the tent’s event coordinators to press for permanent measures, adding that “everything has to be wheelchair accessible, that they have to, have a wheelchair accessible event.” Why it matters: Commission members said temporary volunteer assistance can fail to prevent exclusion and that recurring high-profile events should plan for accessible parking, accessible portable restrooms, level routes to entrances and protective surfacing from parking to the entrance. What happened: Marybeth described arriving the first day and being stopped by a raised floor and rug at the tent entrance. She said volunteers were “very nice” but the change in flooring created a step she and her companion could not navigate without a portable ramp. The pair returned the show’s final day, used their four‑foot ramp and left it at the door after staff agreed to look after it. Commission follow-up: Brenda said she spoke in person with David Handy of the tent’s event-planning group and with NHA director Niles Parker; she told the planners they must provide accessible parking spaces, an accessible route from those spaces to the entrance, and an accessible porta‑toilet if no accessible restroom is available on site. She said she recommended a “MobiMat” or similar stable pathway to connect temporary accessible parking to the ramped entrance. No formal vote was taken. Instead, commission members described outreach steps: an explanatory email to the NHA and the event coordinators and leaving the commission’s portable ramp at the venue for the remaining event date. Concerns raised: Members noted that volunteers cannot be relied upon as a substitute for built access and that some attendees may not have a ramp available. Marybeth said, “there were perhaps, other people who would not be able” to get in, and the commission urged hosts to plan proactively. Next steps: The commission said it will contact other event venues and the town licensing official to seek accessibility conditions ahead of future permits, and will follow up with NHA and the event planners to confirm corrective steps for upcoming events.