Museum issues apology after disable girl denied access (wheelchair would get carpet dirty)
SAVANNAH, GA (WBTV) -
A Savannah maritime museum has issued an apology after a Charlotte family says their disabled daughter was denied access because her wheelchair would "get the carpets dirty."
Dr. Ken Haas says his family, including 11-year-old Lexi, was in Savannah over the weekend when they were told they wouldn't be able to bring Lexi's wheelchair into the Ships of the Sea Museum on Sunday.
Lexi suffers from Kernicterus, a bilirubin-induced brain dysfunction, which has left her physically non-functional. The bilirubin accumulates in the gray matter of the central nervous system, potentially causing irreversible neurological damage.
Haas says his wife lived in Savannah for a short time and the family had done research online and knew that due to limitations, it might be difficult for Lexi to be able to visit the museum, which is housed in a historic home.
But he says the reason they were kept out "didn't make any sense to me."
Haas says a woman at the front desk of the museum said the family couldn't bring in their wheelchair because it would get the carpets dirty. They then offered to let Lexi use a wheelchair that the museum owns.
http://www.wbtv.com/story/22784394/family-disabled-girl-denied-access-to-museum-because-wheelchair-would-get-carpets-dirty
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