People with disabilities ask public to keep sidewalks clear

It's been a rough winter for anyone who has had to walk on streets clogged with snow and ice.

But the winter has been dangerous for Minnesotans with disabilities, many of whom have had to navigate those areas in a wheelchair or without sight.

To help, the Minnesota State Council on Disability is asking property owners to keep their sidewalks clear. By doing so, they could make getting around easier for people like Ken Rodgers, who is legally blind.

Rogers, who takes the bus to work, called this winter's brutal weather "very long and very hard" for him and other people with disabilities. At times, Rogers and his guide-dog struggled to get through the snow, so much so that he has felt disoriented and lost his way.

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"It was a real chore to move her forward as it it's up to her eyeballs and my knees," Rodgers said. "Here I am in the middle of the snow and I can't figure out where the street is, where the sidewalk is, where my direction is. That's a pretty scary feeling."

Rodgers, of Minneapolis, said he eventually relied on his cell phone's GPS system to help him get his bearings.

He isn't the only person who has struggled to navigate snowy sidewalks.

Joan Willshire, executive director of the Minnesota State Council on Disability, said her office is receiving a larger number of complaints about unsafe sidewalks.

Willshire and Rodgers were just two of several people who attended a news conference in St. Paul to urge the public to keep sidewalks clear.

"The sidewalks are our roads," Willshire said. "So when they're not clear and shoveled out that prevents us from doing what we need to do in our daily lives. It really impacts our independence."

Willshire said local governments are responsible for ensuring that property owners have clear sidewalks. If a sidewalk isn't cleared, she said people should contact their local elected official.

In most instances, a property owner will receive a citation if they don't shovel after being notified.