SAVANNAH, Ga. () — A Savannah mother is raising awareness after encountering numerous difficulties while trying to navigate the city with her daughter, who relies on a wheelchair.

Twenty-three-year-old Nykiah Connelly was born with cerebral palsy, a mobility impairment due to brain damage. Her mother, Paula, explained that traversing Savannah in a wheelchair consistently poses challenges.

“My van is designed with side entry access. However, as we all know, parking downtown in Savannah means using street parking,” she mentioned. “There are handicap-accessible spots on the street, but if I deploy the ramp, it wouldn’t work effectively.”

She said it is not just the parking; it is shopping entrances and sidewalks pose risks.

“They had the little cut-ins, but they were out the road was all broken up,” Connelly said. “And if I would have let Nykiah go over the broken road, her chair would have tilted over, and she would have fell.  We had bystanders that was willing to lift a chair up to get her over to the other side, but we couldn’t do that. so, we finally found a road that was smooth enough.”

She told it was her recent visit at Savannah Technical College (STC) that pushed her over the edge. She said entrance near the handicap parking spaces did not have a ramp.

“So, on the side of the steps there, the grass with the slope,” Connelly said. “So, we went up the grass and we were able to answer that way. But coming out of the building, we had to come out the same way, come down the grass, and it was a huge slope.”

She continued, “So, as I was taking her down the slope, her chair kind of leaned over to the bit and she was afraid that she was going to fall.”

Connelly said she knows she is not alone in this fight.

“Get someone on the board, create a position for someone that’s actually can go around to all these new businesses that are coming up and talk to the contractors, talk to the architects and basically give them someone who is actually living in my shoes,” she said.

STC responded to her concerns with this statement:

“At Savannah Technical College, we are deeply committed to ensuring accessibility and are proud to maintain an ADA-compliant campus. We understand that parking and mobility can be areas of concern, and we take feedback like this very seriously. To better meet the needs of our growing community, we are currently undergoing a comprehensive campus master plan. This initiative is designed not only to accommodate our growth but also to enhance accessibility and foster an inclusive environment for everyone we serve. We genuinely appreciate the feedback shared in this instance, as it helps us identify areas where we can improve. Serving our students and community members in the best way possible remains at the heart of our mission.” 

We are still waiting on a response from the City of Savannah.