(NewsNation) — A Denver city councilman who is paralyzed from the chest down was forced to crawl onto a debate stage this week after discovering the venue hosting the event did not have a wheelchair accessible ramp.
Council Member Chris Hinds showed up at the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre on Monday expecting to debate his three challengers when he saw four chairs and no ramp to get on stage.
At that point, Hinds, who has been using a wheelchair since 2008 after a bicycle accident, was faced with a difficult choice.
“Either I forfeit the viability of my campaign or I get publicly humiliated,” Hinds told NewsNation affiliate KDVR.
He chose to go forward with the event. Video from the scene shows the councilman hoisting himself out of his wheelchair and struggling to move toward a nearby chair.
“What was going through my mind is, How do I remain composed?” Hinds told KDVR. “I’m about to start a debate, I’m about to do my best to share with the people who are in front of me why I am the best candidate. Meanwhile, I am out of my wheelchair, laying on the stage.”
The situation was further complicated by the fact that the debate was governed by Denver’s new Fair Election Fund law, according to KDVR. The fund is a pool of $8 million that goes toward candidates who get small campaign contributions from people living in Denver.
In order to participate in the fund, candidates must attend a certain number of debates. Hinds said his campaign would have lost $125,000 if he hadn’t debated.
“The lesson that I hope people learn from this is, We should be in an inclusive society,” he said. “The government should be representative of all the people, not just those that are convenient to represent.”
A spokesperson for the theater told KDVR that the venue hadn’t received any requests for “additional or enhanced accommodations” but that it’s working diligently on a long-term solution to address the limitations of its stage.