Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Mathews County is a wonderful community. The environment, recreation, natural beauty and people could not be better.   

Accessibility, however, is a problem we all have to solve.

Our daughter visits often and she is in a wheelchair. Imagine visiting or living somewhere where you are turned away because the community’s built environment denies you access. Two different issues are apparent in Mathews:

—The new Put-In Creek dock and ramp, and

—The sidewalks in the Court House area.

The Put-In Creek dock and ramp create a series of problems because of the many compromises made in the design. The steep ramp and steps make access nearly impossible for wheelchair users. The design requires wheelchair users to leave their wheelchair behind while pulling their boat. This task is impossible for most wheelchair users.

The Mathews Court House sidewalks are an obvious hazard leading to trips, falls and injuries. Try to navigate these landm...