By Summer Huechtker|February 5, 2020 at 6:38 AM EST - Updated February 5 at 7:12 AM
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Park And Recreation Commission is working to improve the accessibility of all of its parks, facilities, and programs for people with disabilities.
The commission started the process about a year ago when they started measuring sidewalks, steps, doorways across the county to see if they were considered accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The county also brought in a consulting firm to evaluate the county’s accessibility. Officials said they hope to get the full report in May.
The county will take into consideration the full report, but officials said some improvements will be made on projects that already underway, like the Folly Beach pier. They hope to make the pier more accessible while it is under construction.
The county is asking for community input on these changes and will be hosting focus groups and public forums across Mount Pleasant, Charleston, and North Charleston to find out what additional changes they would like to see.
The public forums will be on the evenings of Feb. 11 and 12 and will be drop-in type events for people to come ask questions and give comments.
The focus groups will also take place throughout the day on Feb. 13. These will be 90 minute sessions and the county is asking you to sign-up now because space is limited. They plan to have about 15 to 20 people per group.
“It’s vital that we make sure the solutions that we try to implement and the ways we try to improve, match what the community needs and the community wants. So, if we’re gonna solve those problems and make access better for them we need to hear from them and what their priorities are so that we can match up with that,” Steve Hutton, Director of Recreation for Charleston County Park and Recreation Committee said.
Hutton added they already have a good bit of people registered for the focus groups, but they still want more. The County says those who attend the focus groups will receive park passes as a thank you for your time.
You can find all of the information on the forums and focus groups here.
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