For residents who use wheelchairs, Rockville’s new District Court of Maryland could be nearly impossible to reach. Though there is parking at the courthouse for judges, there is no public parking, handicap-accessible or otherwise.
Kensington resident Brigette Woods, who uses a wheelchair, said she is concerned that if she has to go to the new courthouse at 191 E. Jefferson St., she won’t be able to get there because of the lack of handicap-accessible parking. After being frustrated by conversations with county and state officials, she said she is ready to sue.
“You can’t blatantly discriminate against a group of people,” she said.
The state rents space in the public parking garage a block away for other court employees, said Bart Thomas, assistant secretary of facilities planning, design and construction at the Maryland Department of General Services. He added that there are several public garages in the vicinity.
But Woods said the courthouse’s hilly surroundings makes traveling from the closest parking lots nearly impossible in her wheelchair.
“It was just no planning, no thought, nothing,” she said.
Legal experts say the state is not required to provide public parking, and if there is no public parking, the state isn’t required to provide handicap parking either.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, “the person would have to find his or her way there, and assuming they can get there, they have to be able to get in,” said D.C. disability rights attorney Marjorie Rifkin. “There are courthouses in rural areas. There are courthouses all over this country that are not located right next to a Metro station” or a parking lot.
Though Woods’ case is regrettable, she probably won’t win in court, said Lauren Young, director of litigation for the Maryland Disability Law Center.
Young said the court’s ADA coordinator is responsible for making sure people with disabilities can access the court. However, Woods said her interactions with Montgomery County ADA Coordinator Judy Lohman have not been promising. Lohman was unavailable for comment.
Thomas said Maryland officials are considering working with Rockville to make some of the metered parking near the courthouse priority parking for people with disabilities. But nothing has been planned.
Rockville Assistant City Manager Jennifer Kimball, the city official who has been involved with discussions surrounding the new courthouse, was unavailable for comment.
