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

A disabled woman has complained she cannot get into historic buildings because steps in front of the doors stop her wheelchair.

Jayne Mattingly has spent the past two years wheelchair bound with chronic illnesses and said she struggled to live in Charleston, South Carolina.

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

Mattingly posted a video to social media explaining her disappointment at being unable to get into Harken Café & Bakery on King Street.

The café had a small step in the century-old leading into its doors that her wheelchair wouldn’t be able to get over without a ramp.

‘These are the moments that are heartbreaking, and this is the majority of Charlestown,’ she said.

Mattingly, who complained she was excited to go out after getting her hair done, also showed a shop she couldn’t get into due to a tiny marble step.

‘Not welcome,’ she wrote over the top of the video.

‘Being disabled in an inaccessible world. Charleston can be better. Being disabled doesn’t need to be this hard. period. end of story,’ she added.

‘I literally just want to pay for food and be a patron of businesses! The irony of the car being parked in front of the curbcut and then the café not having a ramp… all we need is a slab of wood.’

Mattingly later complained to local media that Charlestown that the historic city center was too hard to navigate and should be made more accessible.

‘You know, instead of being like, “historic buildings are more important than people,” let’s think of people first,’ she told WCSC.

‘Because we could all be become disabled at some point. I think that really is the moral of the story, that passionate heart before the law.’

Mattingly got some support from locals who noted Charlestown’s historic architecture was hard to navigate even with a baby pram.

But others argued the century-old buildings shouldn’t have to be changed for her, and the businesses weren’t unwelcoming because the buildings predated them.

‘Not being able to access a 120yo building is very different from actively being UNWELCOMED. Stop thinking everything is affront to your sensitivities,’ one wrote.

‘As my mum got older, she had a lot of trouble climbing tiny steps…not once did she thinks it was an attack. The poor café didn’t design the damn architecture.’

Others suggested Mattingly could have contacted the café and shop in advance for assistance getting inside, and that someone would likely help her anyway.

She could also carry a portable ramp on her wheelchair and whip it out whenever she encountered a step to get over.

‘This is a historical building code issue. Nobody said you “weren’t welcome”. Notable to maybe have a lightweight curb ramp at a store like this, but that’s just a conversation,’ one wrote.

‘They also strap to the back of most mobility chairs. Nobody is the villain here.’

Another suggested: ‘Did you try calling them. A owner would have no problem assisting you over the bump or maybe they have a temporary ramp in the back they can pull out.’

A third added: ‘You are welcome. Wrong wording. I’m sure they would help you if you asked. I had to ask for help after two knee replacements. They were all happy to do so.’ 

Mattingly had 14 brain and spine surgeries, plus other procedures, as well as a total hysterectomy. She relies on her wheelchair, rollator, and her service dog Wheatie.

She explained in a 2019 fundraiser that her health issues began with numbness in her face and severe pain in her upper body in July 2018.