Councilman Who Uses a Wheelchair Is Asked to Hoist Himself Onto a Debate Stage

A debate for Denver’s District 10 City Council seat was scheduled to soon begin, but as the incumbent, Chris Hinds, arrived, organizers appeared puzzled when they saw him in a wheelchair, which he has used since 2008.

The debate stage at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, which was sponsoring the event, did not have an accessible option for wheelchairs. Realizing it would be difficult to lift the 400-pound wheelchair and the 200-pound councilman onto the stage, organizers offered a suggestion, Mr. Hinds said: Could he get himself onto the stage and then they could lift the wheelchair?

With his three opponents already there, and roughly 100 attendees in their seats, Mr. Hinds — who is paralyzed from the chest down from an accident while cycling — began to lift himself with his hands onto the stage.

“I’m thinking, ‘I look like a circus monkey. I am a circus monkey,’” Mr. Hinds said on Saturday. “And all these folks who are here to determine who their next City Council member is — they see me just floundering.”

The episode on Monday has since drawn immense criticism from advocates for people with disabilities and from others who have seen a video that captured what happened. It also underscored the barriers that people with disabilities continue to face, even three decades after Congress passed the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Mr. Hinds, 47, who was elected in 2019, said organizers eventually decided to move the candidates to the floor in front of the stage and have the debate there, where he could remain in his wheelchair.

He had felt obligated to participate, he said, because of an elections law that says if a candidate skips a debate, matching campaign funds from the city are forfeited. He said he barely remembered his debate performance because of how distracted he was by what had happened.

In a statement, Malik Robinson, the executive director of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, apologized, saying that “this incident was an important and visceral reminder that accessibility, in many forms, is critical for all members of our community.”

While the theater is accessible for all patrons, the stage is not A.D.A. compliant, he said.

“I deeply regret it took this incident to elevate the urgency for this change, and we are committed to ensuring that no one experiences lack of access to the stage again,” Mr. Robinson said.

But the question persists: How was the stage not accessible in the first place? Mr. Hinds said he had been open and vocal about his disability since being elected, and that organizers should have been aware that he would be using a wheelchair.

Patricia B. Smith, a spokeswoman for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, said organizers did contact Mr. Hinds’s campaign on Feb. 10 and on the day of the debate, and asked about any needed accommodations. Organizers relied on contact information provided by the clerk’s office, she said.

Paul D. López, the city clerk, said in a statement that “we regret that Councilman Hinds had an adverse experience.”

The clerk’s office, which did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Saturday, is not responsible for planning the debate and contacting candidates. That responsibility falls to the organizer, which in this case was Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

“I can’t emphasize enough that our team is always as accommodating as they can possibly be, and they make plans in advance to make sure things run smoothly,” Ms. Smith said.

The Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition said in a statement: “We expect every candidate for council, mayor or other city office to publicly denounce this. We will notice who does when we vote.”

Mr. Hinds said he was more concerned about using his experience to highlight the challenges facing people with disabilities.

“I really see this as an opportunity to be a teachable moment,” he said.