New Haven Lawyer with Disability Helps Turn the XL Center ADA-compliant

A fan’s experience with accessibility issues at a Bruce Springsteen concert has now led to changes at the XL Center in Hartford, CT

The XL Center in Hartford, Conn., will be making renovations to improve accessibility for people with disabilities after a settlement in a federal complaint brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

This victory comes hugely in part because of New Haven lawyer Michelle M. Duprey, a wheelchair user who initially filed a complaint about the stadium after attending a Bruce Springsteen concert back in 2009.

Duprey says that she had been a fan of Springsteen since college, and in 2009, finally had the opportunity to watch him perform live. Unfortunately, she did not get to see any of it, despite the $125 she paid for her ticket.

During the concert, Duprey was led to a wheelchair-seating area, behind a bank of seats where able-bodied fans sat. However, the people in front of her stood for the entire three-hour concert, completely blocking Duprey’s view.

The lack of a proper seating area in the arena for people with disabilities, coupled with the lack of accessibility in bathrooms and concession stands, was what drove the ADA complaint, Duprey explains.

“[The XL Center] was not designed for wheelchair users,” Duprey remarks, “and that’s why I just decided something had to be done.”

At the time, ADA was 19 years old, but some facilities still struggled with complying with its requirements.

After getting back from the concert, Duprey sent a letter of complaint to the Department of Justice, but did not hear anything back for “quite a while.”

Not giving up, Duprey revisited the arena, and recorded some inaccessible elements of the building. These videos were what “got the ball rolling,” she says.

Now, thanks to Duprey’s efforts, the XL Center will have to add in accessible bathrooms and seating, and remove barriers to expand mobility. The Center will be monitored for the next three years for ADA compliance.

Based on her own experiences, Duprey urges others with disabilities to take a stand in order to expand accessibility.

“People should just stand up and say something about [the lack of accessibility],” Duprey says. “It’s not as scary as you think. You can certainly take comfort in knowing that you’re not going to be alone.”

“There’s not one area that ADA touches on that can’t be improved, [and] we still have a lot of work to do.”