Articling law student Blair Curtis says the ramp at the Corner Brook courthouse is too steep for him to get up on his own in his wheelchair, so he has to rely on the help of others. (Bernice Hillier/CBC)
A western Newfoundland man who’s training to be a lawyer says his first obstacle to getting to a day in court is just getting in the building.
Blair Curtis, who graduated from law school at the University of New Brunswick in June, is now an articling law student in Corner Brook where he said the courthouse is not accessible.
He said the exterior ramp to the Danny Williams Building — the court complex named after the former Newfoundland and Labrador premier — is too steep for him to get up on his own with his wheelchair.
Inside the building, Curtis said there are no accessibility buttons to open doors to the washrooms or courtrooms, so he has to rely on other people for assistance.
“I am somebody who wants to be as independent as possible,” said Curtis.
“I don’t mind asking for help, but I don’t think I should have to.”
Takes more than a ramp
Curtis has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which causes his joints to easily dislocate, resulting in extreme pain. He uses a wheelchair to prevent that from happening.
But getting from the accessible parking area near the Corner Brook courthouse into the building requires him to use a ramp that is steeper than current accessibility regulations dictate.
It means that Curtis has to brace the wheelchair to keep it from going too fast down the ramp, and he can’t roll the wheelchair up the ramp on his own.
The Danny Williams Building in Corner Brook, which opened in 2010, is home to Provincial and Supreme Courts. (Bernice Hillier/CBC)
The courthouse is not that old. It was completed in 2010, and named after Williams in 2014.
The exterior door of the building is equipped with a power door operator, but washrooms and courtrooms inside the building are not, so Curtis said he is forced to ask for help.
“Oftentimes that looks like someone opening the door so I can use the bathroom. I use the bathroom and then I knock on the door so that someone can open it for me,” said Curtis.
LISTEN | Bernice Hillier speaks with Blair Curtis about his problems getting into and around the Danny Williams Building:
Curtis said it’s not acceptable for the building to be inaccessible to him and other people with disabilities who might need to go to the courthouse for any reason.
“A reasonable standard is not just to say that people with disabilities should have to rely on other people,” said Curtis. “The standard should be that people with disabilities can access buildings independently.”
‘Passing code, failing people’
Nancy Reid of the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities — Newfoundland and Labrador (CODNL) said she is sadly not surprised by the challenges Curtis is facing.
She said many public buildings in this province are effectively not accessible for people with disabilities, including more than 30 schools listed on the NL Schools website as not being accessible.
Nancy Reid is the executive director of the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities NL. (Ted Dillon/CBC)
Reid said the issue is that accessibility rules have changed since the Corner Brook courthouse was built, and older buildings aren’t required to be be brought up to current standards, unless renovations or changes are taking place.
“So while the building is passing code, the building is failing the people. The code is failing the people,” said Reid.
Reid said CODNL has lobbied for many years for changes that would require buildings to comply with current accessibility regulations but, at this time, that is not mandatory.
When people encounter a building that’s not accessible to them, Reid recommends they make a complaint to a provincial buildings accessibility inspector by calling the Service NL office nearest to them.
Changes made, more to come
The province’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure declined CBC’s request for an interview about accessibility at the Corner Brook courthouse.
Instead, spokesperson Maria Browne sent an emailed statement, which said that the provincial government is committed to identifying, preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.
The statement said that the slope of the exterior ramp to the Corner Brook courthouse is in full compliance with the code requirements that were in effect when the building opened in 2010.
“There is no immediately available practical means to make the ramp less steep,” said the statement from the Department. “However, to improve the current situation, the department will be adding handrails to this ramp.”
The department said older buildings aren’t required to meet more stringent accessibility requirements until a substantial renovation, reconstruction, addition or change of use takes place.
Despite that, some changes have already been made.
“In July 2024, in recognition of enhanced accessibility requirements that had evolved since the building was originally constructed, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure installed an automatic door outside the facility and a new handrail inside the facility, modified the height and depth of the main lobby counter and made adjustments to the main washroom door,” said the statement.
As for accessibility to washrooms and courtrooms, the Department said it “will commit to engagement with building users” to make the courthouse more inclusive by adding powered door operators on some interior doors.
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