ADEL, Iowa — Robert Fisher has been using a motorized wheelchair to help him get around since childhood, but he said that can sometimes make it difficult to get where he needs to go. But at least one barrier has officially been lifted.
When Local 5 first met Robert Fisher in September 2022, he was in the middle of a months-long fight to have a powered door installed at the Adel post office.
"I have to call the people who work there and open the door every time. That is demeaning for people in wheelchairs," Fisher said at the time.
Fisher enlisted Progress Iowa to file a petition, calling on the United States Postal Service to get that new door installed. He also filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Now, after months of waiting, Fisher's trip inside the post office has become a little bit smoother.
"My mom went to the post office to mail a letter for herself, and she noticed that they have a handicap button there," Fisher said.
According to the United States Postal Service, their buildings are subject to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, not the Americans with Disabilities Act. Power operated doors aren't required by either one. Fisher says that the Adel post office's addition was a victory, but there's still barriers to overcome in other places.
"People care about disabilities [and] handicapped people, but they don't care about handicap buttons. We need handicap buttons in every building, like in every Iowa building," he said.
Fisher isn't resting on his laurels; he told Local 5 he wants to help push for legislation that would help get powered doors in even more facilities across Iowa.