Disabled woman, 33, sparks wild debate for complaining about Charleston’s historical features – but is she right?

A disabled woman complained that she could not enter historic buildings because of the steps in front of the doors.

Jayne Mattingly has been in a wheelchair for the past two years due to chronic illnesses and said she struggled to live in Charleston, South Carolina.

The 33-year-old suffers from Ehlers Danlos syndrome, intracranial hypertension, endometriosis, an autoimmune disease and a spinal cord injury.

Mattingly posted a video on social media explaining her disappointment at not being able to get into Harken Café & Bakery on King Street.

The cafe had a small step in the century-old building leading to the entrance, and without a ramp, her wheelchair couldn’t get over it.

“These are the moments that are heartbreaking, and this is most of Charlestown,” she said.

Mattingly, who complained that she was nervous about going outside after getting her hair done, also showed a store she couldn’t get into because of a small marble step.

“Not welcome,” she wrote at the top of the video.

‘Being disabled in an inaccessible world. Charleston can do better. Being disabled doesn’t have to be that difficult. period of time. End of story,” she added.

“I literally just want to pay for food and be a business customer! The irony of the car parked at the curb and then the cafe doesn’t have a driveway… all we need is a piece of wood.”

Jayne Mattingly has been in a wheelchair for the past two years due to chronic illnesses and said she struggled to live in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mattingly suffers from Ehlers Danlos syndrome, intracranial hypertension, endometriosis, autoimmune disease and spinal cord injury

Mattingly later complained to local media that Charlestown’s historic city center was too difficult to navigate and needed to be made more accessible.

“You know, instead of saying, ‘historic buildings are more important than people,’ we should think about people first,” she said. WCSC.

‘Because we can all become incapacitated at some point. I think that’s really the moral of the story, that passionate heart for the law.”

Mattingly received some support from locals who noted that Charlestown’s historic architecture was difficult to navigate, even with a stroller.

But others argued that the century-old buildings did not need to be changed for her, and that the businesses were not unwelcome because the buildings predated them.

“Not being able to enter a 120 year old building is very different from being actively NOT WANTED. Stop thinking that everything is an insult to your sensibilities,” one person wrote.

Mattingly later complained to local media in Charlestown that the historic city center was too difficult to navigate and needed to be made more accessible

‘When my mother got older, she had a lot of trouble climbing small steps… she never thought it was an attack. The poor cafe didn’t design that damned architecture.’

Others suggested Mattingly could have contacted the cafe and store in advance for help getting in.

They also recommended a portable ramp for her wheelchair, which she could use when she encountered an inaccessible entrance.

“This is a historic building code issue. No one said you were ‘not welcome’. It’s notable that a store like this might have a lightweight curb, but that’s just a conversation,” one person wrote.

‘They also attach to the back of most wheelchairs. No one is the bad guy here.”

Viewers argued that the centuries-old buildings did not need to be changed for her, and that the businesses were not unwelcome because the buildings predate them.

Another suggested: ‘Have you tried calling them? An owner will have no problem helping you over the threshold, or maybe they have a temporary ramp in the back that they can pull out.”

A third added: ‘You’re welcome. Wrong wording. I’m sure they would help you if you asked. I had to ask for help after two knee replacements. They all enjoyed doing that.’

Mattingly has undergone 14 brain and spinal surgeries, plus other procedures, as well as a total hysterectomy. She relies on her wheelchair, walker and her service dog, Wheatie.

She explained in a 2019 fundraising that her health problems started with numbness in her face and severe pain in her upper body in July 2018.