“That’s right, the Department of Veterans Affairs is not handicapped accessible to metro riders!”

“Dear PoPville,

I work in the building above the east entrance to the McPherson square metro (at 14th & I NW). Employees who work in the building above the metro (like me) can FOB in to an underground hallway that leads to the building’s elevator, so you don’t have to go outside if you work in the building. On a couple of occasions I’ve encountered a man in a wheelchair waiting for someone to FOB him into the hallway with the elevator. He explained to me, in an effort to gain my trust to allow him into the building with my FOB, that he works at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is located above/next to the west entrance of the McPherson square metro, and apparently does not have an elevator.

That’s right, the Department of Veterans Affairs is not handicapped accessible to metro riders! On the day I encountered the man in the wheelchair, the 1 and only public elevator at the east entrance of the McPherson square metro wasn’t working. So, he had to wait until an employee from my building FOB-ed him in (which we’re not supposed to do) to gain access to the ONLY working elevator at the McPherson square metro. Even once he was able to gain access to the elevator and exit the building at the 1st floor, he had to wheel 2+ blocks back to the Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs. I know this man isn’t alone in his struggle. It just doesn’t quite make sense to me that the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, whose main constituency is handicapped veterans, is not handicapped accessible.