CLEARWATER, Fla. — Gloria Corrigan is wheelchair dependent and travels along U.S. 19 as part of her regular route. She reached out to ABC Action News to explain her everyday challenges while sharing her fight for change over the last decade.
"I've been in a wheelchair for about, gosh, it's been close to 20 years now," Corrigan explained. "I've been fighting for years to try to get safe pedestrian access into shopping centers. You can get off the bus, but then you have to get in active car lanes to try and get into shopping centers."
Corrigan showed ABC Action News' Lydia Vazquez exactly what she deals with in an area she frequently traffics.
"I could not safely get into the shopping center. I would have to travel in active car lanes and between parked cars which is a big deal when you're in a wheelchair, especially because I'm the height of a small child," Corrigan added.
Corrigan said she's had too many close calls to count and was even hit by a driver at another shopping center.
It's why she continues to push for change for more than a decade, six years at this specific plaza, calling on the City of Clearwater and developers to help.
"I don't tend to get mad. I tend to try to find solutions," Corrigan said.
And, that's what she did. Because the plaza has a post office, Corrigan decided to call on federal leaders to make a change.
"I contacted Washington D.C. I filed a complaint with the access board there and they put people on that to try to make this happen," Corrigan explained.
This week her fight for change is finally coming to fruition as crews work to create a connecting sidewalk into the plaza.
"I'm thrilled, I'm absolutely thrilled. When someone gets off a bus at this bus stop, they can safely come into this plaza," Corrigan added.
Corrigan said her fight for change won't stop until there's universal design.
"Going forward, I just, I would love to have every place meet the current standards of ADA," Corrigan said.
