Independence and accessibility. That’s what Damien Handlan, a resident of DeSoto, Missouri, is asking for. After a bone infection in 2015 led to the amputation of his leg, he became confined to a wheelchair.
He never felt disabled himself. Only when he was forced to go onto the road because there was no sidewalk, and even received a warning from a local police officer.
“He stopped in front of me, essentially blocking my path. He got out of the car and came to tell me that I couldn’t be on the road. I told him there was no sidewalk,” says Damien Handlan.
The warning says he wasn’t moving with traffic, but he argues it would have been more dangerous to cross the road. “I could have been killed. You say you care about my safety and life. Then do something about it,” adds Damien, saying, “I don’t need you to pay for the rest of my life. I just want a sidewalk.”
