SEATTLE (AP) - The University of Washington has agreed to improve its parking access for people with mobility impairments in response to a federal lawsuit.
Three individuals who use wheelchairs - Erik Twede of Burlington, Barry Long of Woodinville and Olivia Williams of Normandy Park - sued the university in 2016, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They said there were inadequate parking spaces wide enough to accommodate vans modified with ramps; some slopes were hazardous; and that some curb cuts could case wheelchairs to tip over.
Under a settlement approved by a federal judge in Seattle this week, the university agreed to fix 77 parking facilities, to pay each plaintiff $5,000, to pay the plaintiffs’ legal fees, and to pay more than $200,000 for experts hired in the case.
Darrell Cochran, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said the university will make the fixes over the next 15 years, including structural changes at some of the parking facilities.
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