Despite recent strides in accessibility, advocates say NYC still has a long way to go

With the 26th anniversary of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act arriving next week, the de Blasio administration released its plan to place New York City on the vanguard of increasing access to jobs, transportation, education and other services for New Yorkers who are disabled. The AccessibleNYC report was billed as a first annual snapshot of city agencies’ efforts to help residents who are disabled; however, some disability advocates say the city avoided addressing some key, ongoing challenges.

The report, released by the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) on July 10 to coincide with the Disability Pride Parade, states an intent to make New York the “most accessible city in the world” for 948,208 New Yorkers with disabilities.

“Understanding where we are today with issues of accessibility will allow us to set bold goals and propose innovative solutions,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “AccessibleNYC will help us to study ambitious and innovative ideas that have the potential to bring lasting improvements to the lives of New Yorkers with disabilities.”

The administration’s plans include increasing the pool of affordable housing for those with disabilities and hiring inter-agency liaisons. It also includes job initiatives such as allowing qualified people with disabilities to bypass the civil service tests for city jobs and establishing a business development council to encourage private-sector employment in high-growth industries.

The plan also mentioned making “great strides” related to a 2012 special education initiative launched in the schools, but reports show there’s still much work left to be done. Last year, after a two-year investigation, the U.S. Justice Department found limited accessibility at New York City's public elementary schools – six school districts do not have a single fully accessible school. The administration has fought this finding. Also, earlier this year, the Department of Education revealed that nearly 40 percent of students may not be getting the special education services they’re entitled to. 

In June, the state did make it easier for students with disabilities to graduate from high school without passing the Regents exam, in response to concerns over testing.

Many of the strides, and issues, unsurprisingly revolve around transportation – one of the most difficult city systems for people with disabilities to access. In the report, City Hall emphasized a program to expand on-demand car dispatch services for wheelchair users. There are 500 yellow cabs and 900 green cabs accessible to wheelchairs, a number expected to rise to 7,000 by 2020 and 9,000 as early as 2024, respectively. There are also 1,275 taxis with “induction loop” systems that transmit sounds directly to hearing aids.

However, some of this progress only emerged following legal actions. Sid Wolinsky, the co-founder and supervising attorney of Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national organization which has brought numerous lawsuits against the city in recent years, dismissed the report as “political puffery,” and called New York “the worst big city in America in terms of hostility to people with disabilities.”

“I actually don’t fully understand it,” he said about the city’s historic gaps in services. “Part of it has to do with the labyrinth of bureaucracies in New York City … we litigate all over the country and we’ve never seen anything like it.”

Last month, the group sued the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a state-run agency, accusing it of disregarding the needs of the disabled in subway renovations. Wilinsky cited other recent lawsuits over inadequate disaster evacuation plans for disabled New Yorkers in high-rises and a 2014 legal challenge over inaccessible sidewalks. “I hear things like, ‘But we’re an old city,’” he said. “Well, so is Washington, D.C., and it has a very effective sidewalk and curb cut program.”

City Hall spokeswoman Rosemary Boeglin said the report was a roadmap to incentivize agencies to look through the lens of disabilities. “Never before has City Hall convened agencies from every corner of government to itemize our services, commitments and goals, so that New Yorkers can track our progress and hold us accountable,” she said.

Only 110 of 469 subway stations meet ADA standards, according to the report. “Although the MTA continues to improve accessibility, the number of accessible stations anticipated equals less than a quarter of all stations,” it states. The city is planning to improve accessibility to stations near developments subject to land-use procedures and those with renovations that would trigger ADA compliance. 

Nancy Miller, CEO of VISIONS/Services for the Blind, told New York Nonprofit Media the release of an annual report was “terrific,” but noted she’d like to see MOPD focus and report on outcomes, particularly for seniors. Seventy-one percent of disabled residents are over the age of 50, according to the report, with many suffering from vision loss as they age.

The MTA offers a paratransit service, Access-A-Ride, for those who can’t use mass transportation. Miller said the program needed an overhaul, noting that a “Yellow Taxi Debit Card” program, which allowed some users in Manhattan to pay subway-level fares to use accessible taxis, expired in November. “It is urgent to have it renewed and expanded,” she said. “The city will save money by allowing Access-A-Ride users to hail taxis and even use Uber, Lyft or VIA rides as part of the Access-A-Ride program. This is a lifeline for Access-A-Ride users that are blind of all ages.” 

Boeglin said the program ended because of banking regulations that prohibited the payment methods, and noted that several agencies are working on an alternative.

Miller also said the Summer Youth Employment Program needed to add more opportunities for youth with disabilities to access summer work consistent with their education and career goals. “The city should carve out monies and target slots for youth with disabilities rather than leaving it up to chance to be chosen by lottery,” she said. 

Boeglin said last year 2,962 young people enrolled in the SYEP program who identified as disabled, a five-year peak, and they would collaborate with DOE staff to increase student readiness for entry-level jobs, create a coalition of higher-education staffers to offer internships and job training, and focus specifically on the District 75 special education district. 

Under the “NYC: AT WORK” initiative, the Poses Family Foundation will support a pipeline, to launch in the fall, that will direct 700 individuals with disabilities, including high school and college students, those enrolled in state- and nonprofit-based employment services and other job seekers, into jobs.

Chris Widelo, AARP’s associate state director for New York City, called the report a step toward developing solutions for transportation, housing, jobs, healthcare and other services. “AARP nationally has a long history of ensuring people with disabilities have the services and supports they need, and this report can guide our policymakers in making sure New York City provides them,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, which provides services to people across New York state with developmental disabilities, said the state was working on its own plans, referring to a February report they released containing 61 recommendations around developing supportive homes, increasing job assistance, fostering self-determination, helping employees and families, and making spending more efficient. 

Wolinsky, who said DRA is preparing a forthcoming lawsuit over the inaccessibility of police precincts, said accessibility improvements help all New Yorkers. He recalled visiting an elevator at the Dyckman Street station in Upper Manhattan following a 2011 settlement with the MTA over access, when he realized it wasn’t just wheelchair-bound riders using the new lift. “The door to the elevator opens up and out comes a woman with a baby carriage and a toddler in tow, an older lady with a great big shopping cart, a guy with a suitcase and a workman with a dolly,” he said. “No disabled people in sight.”