As if to illustrate the point, one of the disabled attendees tripped on a sunken, uneven area of brick walkway on the park's edge as she arrived at the rally, skinning her knee and elbow. Her caregivers did not want her to be identified.

Charles Bertram/Staff Lenon Hardy pushed Belinda Sellers in her wheelchair as part of Project Easy Access Lexington’s event to raise awareness of accessibility. More than 50 people with disabilities and their advocates rallied in Triangle Park to draw attention to downtown access issues.

"Did you see that?" said Lexington's Wilma Penman, 59, an amputee who uses a wheelchair. "That just makes me so mad."

Penman said she's committed to try to make Lexington a better place for people who use wheelchairs, walkers or who have mobility problems. "You don't need legs to stand up for what you know is right," Penman said. "People who don't complain don't get anything."

Penman's pet peeves include the trees and plants on Vine Street, which are placed so close to the transit center that it's hard for a wheelchair user to squeeze through. And the proliferation of sidewalk cafes due to the indoor smoking ban means there's often little room for her wheelchair on downtown walkways near restaurants, she said.

Among the speakers was Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac, who said the ...

community wants the city to be easier to navigate. "Lexington is very committed to removing barriers," she said. "We try to do a good job as a city, and we can do better."

Isaac noted that the city also has made strides, such as providing special recreation opportunities for people with special needs and enforcing federal fair housing rules that help the disabled.

Isaac said steps would be taken to improve access problems on city property. Jay Whitehead, the city's commissioner of public works, said feedback on problem areas is welcomed.

Bruce Burris, one of the event's organizers, said the city seems "really willing to do the right thing and correct things we're faced with."

The event was part of Project Easy Access Lexington, sponsored by Latitude Artist Community, a day arts program for people with disabilities, and IdeaJam, a discussion group that meets weekly at Latitude.

Burris, one of the owners of Latitude, also led a three-block tour of downtown Lexington yesterday pointing out access "hot spots" for people with disabilities.

"Some of these things are dangerous, some of these are just a standard inconvenience," Burris said.

Among them:

• Uneven pavement in a crosswalk on Main Street between DeSha's restaurant and Triangle Park. Uneven pavement was common at nearly every wheelchair curb cut; wheelchair users can easily get stuck there.

• Five sets of heavy doors without automatic openers to access the pedway between Lexington Center and Victorian Square.

• Wheelchair curb cuts in front of the Lexington Opera House that go directly into the street, instead of into a safer crosswalk area.

• Limited signage directing wheelchair users to elevators in Lexington Center or to the pedway.