When this bad-boy post office reopened the day after Thanksgiving 2014 its postmaster shut down the ramp located in the rear of the building. At the ramp's top landing was (and still is) a doorbell for disabled postal customers to ring for service. Also there was (and still is) a shelf for resting parcels or purses while waiting. Ordinarily we'd be served outside on the top landing; and in rain, snow, heat wave, or severe cold, sympathizing postal workers often let us inside for our comfort.
After the ramp's shut-down I received a snailmail letter from the USPS postmaster general, giving me instructions on how to obtain postal services. They were quite simple: "telephone the postmaster to request service. A worker will come down the steps to help you." I doubt anyone e else in the Town of Seymour received those instructions. When seniors with disabilities moved into new senior/disabled housing a few blocks away, they had no idea how to get service after arriving at the foot of the mountain of steps. Worse, the postmaster has repeatedly refused to provide signage outside that explains how customers unable to climb the mountain can obtain services.
On May 13, 2015, members of the Center for Disability Rights came to rally and protest the post office's inaccessibility. This event was covered on TV and in print media. Senators Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro sent me a copy of their letter to USPS Postmaster general urging that the post office be made reasonably accessible, as getting service outdoors (al fresco) in rain, snow, heat, or cold is hardly reasonable. To date, Seymour's post office claims exemption from any law requiring accessibility because it was built in 1917. Thus, it is blithely celebrating 101 years of inaccessibility! read more
