Staten Island, NY – The Staten Island Yankees will be presented an award by the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association on Sunday, June 17th, 2001 at the Richmond County Ballpark at St. George during their “Under the Lights” celebration for season ticket holders and guests. The evening will also include an opportunity for season ticket holders to view the new stadium and watch the 2001 Baby Bombers during their first team practice following their arrival in Staten Island Saturday.
The Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA) will honor the Staten Island Yankees for building the ballpark to be handicapped accessible. Some of the features of the ballpark include wheelchair-viewing locations dispersed throughout the stadium in lines of sight over spectators. At these viewing locations, there are family seats adjacent to the wheelchair locations so a disabled fan may attend the game with one or many friends or family members. Accessible restrooms are conveniently located throughout the park, and there are single-user restrooms for those people with disabilities who need additional space, privacy or assistance. Concession stands throughout the ballpark are also handicap accessible. In addition, ramps and elevators make travel throughout the stadium easy for those fans with disabilities.
“We worked very hard with HOK to make certain that the facility would make or exceed all accessibility requirements,” stated S.I. Yankee Chief Operating Officer, Josh Getzler. “We believe that this beautiful ballpark sets a new standard in accessibility. We are thankful to the EPVA for recognizing this.”
EPVA’s Executive Direstor, James Peters, said, “It is nice to have an organization like the Staten Island Yankees and their architects reach out to us, to see how they can improve the accessible accommodations for our members and all people with disabilities during the construction phase. The hands-on involvement of the Getzlers in this process shows their commitment to ensuring that all fans will enjoy their time at the Ballpark.”
One of the Staten Island Yankees’ Opening Day batboys, Nathaniel Cohn, is a fifteen-year-old with muscular dystrophy. Because there is a lift by the dugout, Nathaniel will be able to serve as batboy, despite the fact that he uses a wheelchair.
