A Sidney couple is torqued over the lack of handicapped accessible seats in the Wild West Arena.

Amy Vincent and her wheelchair-bound husband Richard attended the sold-out concert on Saturday, June 22.

They were placed along the walkway in front of the first row of the grandstands.

Vincent said her husband, a permanently disabled military veteran, is 6’7” tall, weighing 315 pounds. He uses a self-propelled “tank-track” wheelchair to get around. His wife, at 5’6” and 140 pounds, is not able to push him over distances or uneven terrain.

When they reached the grandstands, they found that his wheelchair had to be parked in front of the first row. He sat parallel to the bleachers.

Vincent said ADA requirements state that the minimum requirement of clear floor space is 42” x 48″, which was clearly not the case.

“Sadly, this was also the case for all the wheelchairs,” she said. “When people would try to walk by, they were leaning into and touching those in chairs, which is not acceptable.”

‘Not ideal‘

In response, the NLD board said, “Nebraskaland Days is aware that the amenities at the Wild West Arena are not ideal for our patrons with ADA needs or anyone who has a challenge getting up and down stairs.”

“We began working to address this issue nearly a decade ago,” the NLD statement said. “Our first proposed solution was simply to build a secondary structure that would accommodate wheelchairs. The idea was rejected by ADA experts who informed us that a separate structure away from where the public sits would not be allowed because segregating those with ADA needs from those without ADA needs was forbidden.”

NLD said, “We were then forced to look for solutions in our existing structure, which was built in 1972, prior to the enactment of the ADA. A number of ideas have been explored and rejected because of the way the structure was originally designed.”

Vincent said the situation grew worse as the evening progressed. People with tickets in the section of the grandstands behind the wheelchairs stepped in front of and in back of the wheelchairs instead of taking the stairs to get to their seats. 

Vincent said more and more people gathered, to the point where they couldn’t see the stage, regardless of an ADA requirement to provide an unobstructed view. She said the couple left the area and went to the beer garden during Priscilla Block’s performance. Then they left entirely.

“We were unable to see the show we paid for and ended up having to leave after his (Jelly Roll’s) second song, as we couldn’t hear or see the show,” she said.

Vincent said they were also unable to find any ADA restrooms or ADA portable toilets. She said when they asked, they were told there were none.

The NLD board said they “continue to seek solutions to this issue and have a project in the development and planning stages that we believe will work to solve these concerns and are awaiting word on a possible funding source.”

The Vincents want a refund of $337.84. They bought four tickets, including two for their children, who had to leave early with them. And, Amy Vincent also asked the board of directors as well as the outgoing and incoming executive directors for a written apology to her husband.

After describing the situation in the extensive letter to the Nebraskaland Days board of directors, Vincent sent copies to all the North Platte news media too. The letter is printed on the opinion page. Lately, she has also expressed her complaints on social media.

“I am finding it hard to believe that your organization is not able to provide an actual ADA section,” she wrote to the NLD board, “based just on your 2022 IRS 990 tax form, which shows a total revenue of $3.2 million and total expenses of $700,000 (generalized numbers) leaving net assets of $2.6 million.”

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