After serving a year in the House as Colorado’s first legislator to use a wheelchair, Democrat David Ortiz used the new elevator in the chambers of the House to get to the podium and make his first demotion. first.
Bente Birkeland / Colorado Public Radio
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Bente Birkeland / Colorado Public Radio
After serving a year in the House as Colorado’s first legislator to use a wheelchair, Democrat David Ortiz used the new elevator in the chambers of the House to get to the podium and make his first demotion. first.
Bente Birkeland / Colorado Public Radio
When Colorado elected Representative David Ortiz, the state’s first wheelchair-accessible legislator, staff at the 130-year-old capitol building in Denver rushed to make changes.
Wooden ramps were added, doorways widened and Ortiz’s desk modified so he could work without assistance. But in his first session in office, Democrats still failed to reach the most prominent spot in the House chamber: the speaker’s podium.
In 2022, that will change.
“It looked amazing,” said Ortiz, checking out the newly installed elevator that will give him access to the podium his colleagues enjoy on a daily basis. “I really think it goes with the aesthetic of the building.” The yellow rectangular box, adjacent to the steps leading up to the stage, was designed to blend in with the ornate style of the capital.
Ortiz said looking into the new elevator he will take to the podium to address members of the House of Representatives beginning into the 2022 legislative session.
Bente Birkeland / Colorado Public Radio
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Bente Birkeland / Colorado Public Radio
Legislatures say they believe it is the first platform of its kind installed inside a state capital anywhere in the United States.
“I love the frosted glass, that way, I don’t feel like I’m being stared at,” says Ortiz, pointing to a delicate screen that surrounds the elevator. “Although I feel like someone should play Final countdown when it is raised. “
With the lift in place, Ortiz will now be able to take turns presiding over the entire auditorium, using hammers in debates and determining winners and losers in voice votes.
“This is where the power lies with the majority over the minority,” said House Speaker Alec Garnett, also a Democrat.
During a session, every member of the majority party has the opportunity to preside over the room. Garnett says he’s happy that Ortiz will now be on that rotation.
“You can do it with humour, you can do it with fairness. Everyone has their own style and I’m really excited to watch Representative Ortiz when he gets this opportunity. “
For the 2021 session, legislators are trained to carry Ortiz to the platform in his wheelchair. In the end, however, Ortiz said he didn’t want to take that approach.
“There are many reasons. I don’t want to fail, imagine what that might look like?” But mostly, he said, “I want them to do things the right way.”
During the first elevator test, Ortiz rolled up in his wheelchair as the project supervisor watched. In 15 seconds, he was out.
“Who’s ready?” he laughs as he grabs the large wooden shovel used to turn the floor and slams it against the desk.
“It’s too noisy up here.”
When Ortiz thanked the staff for making the lift a reality, his demeanor changed from joking to emotional in an instant.
The 39-year-old man survived a helicopter crash while serving in the Army in Afghanistan and was paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, Ortiz has worked to highlight the issues faced by people with disabilities. To him, making Colorado’s capitol building more accessible was his own ability to do his job.
“Being able to see someone with a disability there is also symbolic, whereas before we couldn’t,” he said. “Any boy or girl living with a disability [and] Seeing that, they might consider running for office. And I would encourage them to do the same because being a private person can get pretty lonely. “
Lifting the podium costs $22,000 and may not be the final amendment to the House chamber – other areas still need changes before Ortiz can go everywhere his lawmakers already have the power to. access.
