Lynn Gressley was well known in the community as a blind man who, in an effort to improve access to public places, would lead blindfolded officials on walks around Port Townsend to show them what it's like to have a disability.

So it's fitting, said Marion Huxtable, a member of Disability Awareness Starts Here (DASH), that a simple bench in front of the new Jefferson Healthcare Emergency Services and Specialty Building (ESSB) is planned in Gressley's memory.

“Simple improvements such as a bench can make life better for all of us,” said Huxtable.

Huxtable said DASH members are hoping to raise about $2,000 to buy a permanent bench to be placed in front of the new building, providing patients with a comfortable place to wait for their ride.

“DASH has supplied specifications for a bench that will be comfortable and ergonomic for people of all abilities,” she said.

Gressley served as president of DASH until his death in 2013. His photo is still on the DASH website,

dashproject.org. Gressley is seen leading a blindfolded Sarah Bowman of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute on a walk around Jefferson Healthcare hospital.

For years, streets around the hospital had been considered some of the most difficult for people with disabilities to navigate because there were no defined sidewalks and there were curbs – barriers, essentially – where there shouldn't be.

Gressley and other members of DASH repeatedly pointed out the access problems.

Huxtable said DASH is working with hospital CFO Hilary Whittington, who also is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator for the hospital, on the bench, which has not yet been built.

“We expect that it will be a wood and metal bench, likely 6 feet in length, with a plaque honoring Lynn,” Whittington wrote.

ABOUT GRESSLEY

Gressley had worked with youths with disabilities before retiring to Port Townsend, where he was a member of DASH, served on the Council for the Blind, was on the Jefferson Transit Advisory Board and worked with other county and city departments on access issues.

“Once a year for about eight years, we sponsored Disability for a Day events until we ran out of people to invite,” Huxtable said of efforts to make public officials keenly aware of the issues.

Since DASH was started in 1999, members have been instrumental in improving access to streets, sidewalks, trails, paths, buildings and restrooms.

DASH has consulted for the City of Port Townsend, Jefferson County, the Port of Port Townsend, Port Townsend Police Department and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson Healthcare, Fort Worden State Park, school districts and churches.

DASH also produced a map of Port Townsend that shows areas accessible to people who require mobility aides, such as wheelchairs. DASH also offers a “disability friendly” guide to restaurants.