Gary Poster, with essential assists from Galyn Norwood, Phiroon Phihakendr, Jose Quijada, Pavandeep Kalra. As able-bodied pedestrians moved past in a hurried blur, Breslin pulled out her cellular phone and started making calls.
Nothing is simple in the life of the disabled.
Breslin and Martinez not only live daily with such obstacles, they evaluate them as well. Despite Breslin's wheelchair breakdown, a day with them on the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area shows that commonplace life has improved dramatically for them since the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Several years ago, for example, Breslin stopped at a drugstore near her home in Berkeley. The tight turnstiles at the entrance made access difficult, the checkout aisles were too narrow for her wheelchair, and Breslin had to wheel backward against the flow of other shoppers after she paid her bill. On a recent visit, she found that the store, now run by a different retailer, was much easier to deal with.