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Dealing with Inaccessibility
Columnist Brianna Albers did a great piece this week about inaccessibility: https://smanewstoday.com/2018/07/02/sma-inaccessibility-makes-life-difficult/?amp
Everything from parking to steps to cracked roads can make travel especially difficult. I was in NYC a couple months ago, and it was crazy trying to maneuver around the city.
What stories do you have in regards to this topic? Do you ever issue a complaint when there’s an inaccessible building or area? Share your tips and experiences.
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3 Replies
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Living in the greater Boston area I can say to that most of the “historic” areas are totally inaccessible. If you visit Gloucester for example most stores have a single step to even enter, and they can’t add a ramp or anything because of the historic importance.
Most homes in this part of the world also have steps to enter. This means I can’t expect to just be able to visit friends without knowing in advance that I can get into their homes.
Still, I have it much better than some others.
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I can relate in terms of older buildings being inaccessible. I went to NC State University, and some of the older buildings there were terribly difficult to navigate. Fortunately my department was in a much more modern, very accessible building. Overall I had a great experience there, and the university has a fantastic disability services department.
I’m curious though, what’s public transportation like in your area?
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“Fully accessible” according to transit authority. Reality is that it is an older system in need of much upgrading.
Currently only the busses are fully accessible. Trains and subways are mostly accessible if you live in the city. Outside of the city stations are far less accessible.
For a number of years I took public transit to work in the city. I needed to climb or descend 32 steps and then climb aboard the train. A fourteen inch step.
If you live further away you may need able to qualify for public wheelchair car pickup, but it needs to be arranged several days in advance and is very unreliable.
A couple months ago I was gifted a van for my own use. It has made life so much better.
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