MFA, Getting In

Wow, what an angry man this guy seems to be. And, totally unreasonable.

I feel sorry for him.

JR,

I assume that your comments on an angry and unreasonable man must be referring to His Sovereign Highness, Malcolm, The Graham and Ann Gund King of All He Surveys?

Surely you can't mean John Kelly, who is simply requesting that the MFA obey the law. Not twist it, bend, or comply with it only when convenient, but obey it.

As for feeling sorry for King Malcolm, don't worry about him. He has a much better salary and benefits package than most of the people who work for him.

KO

Dear JR,
Perhaps the tone of the written word can be misinterpreted. In agreement with KO, I too can't imagine anyone feeling sorry for John Kelly! He's a highly accomplished sociologist, intelligent and well spoken. What I don't understand and hope that you can clarify is this: in what way do you see his comments/requests as unreasonable? Before I get angry at a society that doesn't value the opinion and rights of all it's citizens, I hope you can clarify for me what you thought was "unreasonable" in John Kelly's comments?
Kind regards,
L.A.H.

Access to sidewalks transcends this entire debate. If a wheelchair user gets hit by a car because s/he has to wheel in the street, it will be a tragic headline and then the authorities will put up a proper temporary ramp immediately. I guess people always have to die to move a civil rights cause forward. Pretty stupid, isn't it?

I think the city should absolutely comply with this request. Museums should be accessable to every citizen

Unfortunately, the MFA's lack of consideration around the issue of accessibility is common throughout the City. As someone who walks everywhere I find it amazing that people park their cars on the sidewalks or block a crosswalk and institutions on a regular basis block access as a result of an event or construction.

John Kelly and many others such as myself are not angry. We are sick and tired of constantly being denied access to a sidewalk or building in which everyone else has access to.

Thanks John Kelly, for bringing this to light, far to often institutions do what they please without thinking about how it affects the neighborhood and people around them. I have had the privilege of attending several Redsox games this year and have had to navigate treacherous traffic conditions at the MFA and on Brookline Street near Fenway with children in tow, which is no easy task. The area near the MFA forces people to cross 2 lanes of fast moving traffic in a low visibility area, only a quick sprint will get you across in time, anyone who moves slower due to a disability, age or natural tendencies has a better chance of ending up as a hood ornament than reaching the other side safely.

There is no need to close the sidewalks off for 2-3 months; this is for the pure convenience on the part of the construction team. Work on the sidewalk could have been easily done in a week and the barriers reset on the inside of the finished sidewalk so people could pass and the work could continue without blocking access along side the MFA.

Thanks for paying attention to the pedestrian rights that are so often trampled to death.... in this city.

If Mr. Kelly is angry, it is justifiably so. Faced with an impediment to safely access his own neighborhood, he has merely cited the Museum's neglect of its legal responsibilities. The offer of "access upon request" is simply demeaning as it strips disabled people of independence they would ordinarily exercise. Why wasn't the provision of access planned for in the design process and provided during construction? The law exists to protect the civil rights and safety of but all members of society. As a society, we cannot continue to disenfranchise disabled citizens by allowing an institution to break the law with impunity. Doing so makes me angry too.

Actually, an angry response seems quite reasonable to me. This is a large institution with considerable resources at its disposal. It's not clear to me why some of Forsyth Way couldn't have been commandeered for a temporary pedestrian- and wheelchair-accessible walkway. Developer Steve Samuels did it for his 1330 Boylston Street project (across the park) on a far busier street.

Sadly, the obvious enforcer of the state law, the city of Boston, won't likely pursue this, since it has itself racked up something like $500,000 in fines for refusing to repair a sidewalk on the south side of Symphony Hall--for more than two years.

I'm happy to see Geoff Edgers adding this dimension to the Globe's arts coverage.

--SW

As a wheelchair user I am frustrated by the lack of access around the Museum of fine arts during renovations. Other parts of the city undergoing major renovations, including recently in the theater district, have taken the steps necessary to ensure access for people with disabilities as well is able-bodied people.

Blogs and protests should not be necessary for the Museum or any construction area to carry out its responsibilities and provide access for all especially during construction which can be very dangerous for people trying to pass. The safety issue itself should prompt immediate action.

Many people should get angry when they are foced to walk in dangerous streets because a construction project ignores the rights of all pedestrians. John kelly should be more angry since he and other folks like him must get around the city in wheelchairs. I would suggest the person critical of John Kelly sit in a wheelchair and navigate the areas John Kelly complains about. Sort of walking in another's shoes,only this would be sitting in another's wheelchair.

Is this situation the result of the Boston Tourist Industry moneyed interests colluding with "fine arts" patrons to minimize access for those deemed “ugly?” I agree with the writer that this situation is outrageous and support the wheelchair users on this one. Perhaps this is not about compliance with accessibility laws designed to promote safety, prevent injury, and lessen liability in the case of pedestrians who are endangered due to poor design of temporary pedestrian pathways. Perhaps the public and private powers that be who run the City of Boston’s sidewalk construction designs to appear as what I term "18th century, Freedom Trail, brick surface motif” to satisfy the Boston tourist industry has colluded with the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). I wonder if the MFA is infected with that progressive, left wing, limousine liberal, “upper crust,” attitude that persons with disabilities are inherently "ugly" and do not warrant access to that which is defined by the general public as "beauty" – otherwise known as “fine arts.” So much for the revolutionary spirit of those original Boston Libertarians, John Adams & Samuel Adams!

Where to begin? Maybe with a comment I heard recently that "history belongs in a museum." The context: accessibility vs. historic preservation. It is still mind-boggling to me (and clearly to so many others...though apparently not elected officials and those whose job it is to serve the area's residents...all of them) how egregiously backwards Boston is in providing access to everyone. This example at the MFA is merely a drop in the bucket, when one considers the logic-defying persistence of impassably narrow and/or bumpy sidewalks; non-existent or poorly designed access ramps; absent or too-short crossing lights; public facilities that continue to provide only substandard access or deny access altogether ...the list, sadly, is endless. Angry? You bet. Unreasonable? The only thing unreasonable is this city's colossal failure to live up to its cruelly ironic nickname as "America's walking city." Until that happens, Boston will never be world class.

As a legally blind wheelchair user and former Boston resident who once lived walking distance from the MFA, I agree with John Kelly's concerns.

It is worth noting that the neighborhood within 1/2 mile of the MFA has dozens of wheelchair-accessible apartments, likely the highest concentration of wheelchair accessible housing in all Boston. In addition, I would bet that 3/4 of the wheelchair users in these apartments do not have their own accessible vans. This, combined with the lack of wheelchair access at the Kenmore Square, Hynes, and Symphony Green Line stations makes them more likely to be pedestrians in the Fenway neighborhood than many other people in the city.

Construction projects are required to provide safe pedestrian access. The MFA project should be no different. Saying they will open the sidewalks shortly and provide pedestrian escorts isn't good enough and it isn't legal.

It's a shame that the MFA, which began its efforts to make its collections and facilities accessible 30 years ago, has failed so thoroughly in this instance.
Geoff Edgers and John Kelly are right to hold them accountable.

If the contact at State Street Corporation were in a wheelchair, the temporary sidewalk would have been in place and carpeted in red.

This issue is that there is a lack of compliance with the law and, as a result, people are being discriminated. The responsible parties are aware of this situation and have decided to not take any action. Thank goodness that there are people like John Kelly who push for what is right. We all should.

As a former Fenway resident and NAG supporter I get very excited to see that NAG continues to organize for basic human rights for everyone. MFA should be leading by example rather than discriminate. Go NAG!

Millions of dollars are going into this renovatation yet the MFA is dragging their feet in making the place accessible to all. MFA needs to get their act together. Accessibility isn't a luxury its a right the sooner the MFA can acknowledge its own institutionalized mass oppression towards the disabled citizens of this city the sooner they can take the appropriate actions and make the arts availible to all.

There is nothing unreasonable about wanting access, it's a quality of life issue-plain and simple. Persons who are unaffected by mobility concerns don't have to spend extra time planning how to get to their destination. There are no worries regarding curb cuts, smooth level sidewalks, handicapped parking, stairs, entrance widths among other details. Thanks Geoff and John, keep raising awareness, can't feign ignorance if we spotlight such egregious acts of inaccessibility.

If everyone did their part we wouldn't have to fight for are right to have acess to things. Just because we are disable doesn't mean that we don't like to do things like everyone else.

Every person deserves safe passage on our streets and sidewalks whether in a vehicle, bike, wheelchair or on foot. The City of Boston violates this right frequently and we are lucky that someone like John Kelly calls them on it.
As a member of the Museum of Fine Arts, I am ashamed of the institution I have long supported. I hope access has now been provided.