We are committed to making our programs and services more accessible to New Yorkers with disabilities. This Proposed Plan outlines our strategy to make improvements over the next five years.
We welcome your feedback! Comments can be submitted online using the form below. For additional ways to comment, see the Notice link above.
8 Responses
I have four comments on the proposed initiatives.
1. Audio Pedestrian Signals (APS). More needs to be done to ensure proper installation that does not immediately degrade. The signal on 77th/3rd is basically inaudible. The one on 79th/3rd was installed very recently and is already very quiet. I can only assume that this is related to poor installation, and this needs to be rectified before the city installs thousands more. Additionally, the city should invest to have the signals state the name of the street being crossed. This crucially gives blind visitors access to street sign information and is invaluable for navigation, especially in areas outside of the Upper Manhattan grid. I did not see any mention of this in the proposal.
2. Bus stops. There were mentions of enhancing bus stop accessibility, but I noticed a couple things missing. For one, many bus stops are located where there is scaffolding, and this creates a hazard for people with mobility disabilities and blindness. I’m aware that there is an initiative to reduce sidewalk scaffolding, and part of that should be prioritizing areas where the scaffolding overlaps with a bus stop. Additionally, the city has begun installing tactile floor strips at bus stops so visually impaired riders can know where the stop is. This is great and should be included in the proposal as one element of bus stop accessibility. Similarly, I’ve seen the city begin to roll out audio bus information buttons, and the rollout of these should be included in the proposal.
3. Sidewalk integrity. The presence of sidewalk cellar doors is extremely dangerous. While the city has a program to inspect them, their structural integrity is often questioned by New Yorkers, and doubly so by those using heavy mobility equipment. More pressing, however, is the ambiguous responsibility of business owners to protect them when open. Especially in dense areas with narrow sidewalks, an open, unguarded cellar door poses an enormous danger to the blind, low vision, and those with impaired balance. This proposal needs to include an initiative to clarify the legal obligation of businesses with cellar doors to protect public safety.
4. Outdoor Restaurant Program. I am pleased to see this included in the proposal as a priority, specifically to protect pedestrian pathways. As a blind New Yorker, the proliferation of outdoor dining spaces poses a constant and taxing challenge in navigating sidewalks. I think the proposal would benefit from speaking with blind pedestrians to understand how they travel (often by trying to identify the center of the sidewalk and walking straight) and how restaurants need to allocate space to enable efficient movement. This should also be extended to decorative items placed outside by businesses–the centerline walkway must be protected.
Finally, I would like to comment on the accessibility of the proposal document itself. While it met basic needs to be readable with the use of a screenreader, the document would benefit from proper heading structuring. The title of the document on page 1 should be labeled a heading level 1, all section titles heading level 2, and subheadings as heading level 3, for instance. As of now the heading structure is not logical and makes it difficult to review the proposal. Additionally, the web form to submit this comment requires a Recaptcha, but the Recaptcha is not easily found by tabbing through the website. This is an oversight that makes it very difficult to fill out when using a screenreader.
Please open up or re-instate the pilot program that allowed for 1,200 people with disabilities to order a limited amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis anywhere across the five boroughs for a reduced-fare.
I understand this was a pilot program that was shut down to knew users due to some costly over-usage; however, most folks in the disability community were not actually aware of this program when it hit, especially disabled folks intersectioned with other marginalizations, due to lack of information dissemination and knowledge gaps often found within disability communities.
I request to open up this pilot, with measured limitation, to another 1,000 or so residents, with the express intention of ensuring multi-marginalized disabled folks have the access and opportunity to partake in the program, and to design a demographics intake measuring the impact of this program on these individuals, their independence, and ability to work, provide for their families and contribute to the local economy.
DOT notes that ASL interpretation will be available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. It should be mentioned that there are deaf individuals who do not use ASL and who need support beyond assistive listening devices. For these individuals, captioning is the best practice and should be part of the accessibility plan.
Congestion pricing will further exclude people with disabilities when it comes to traveling to Manhattan. As you are aware the subways are not fully and consistently accessible. AAR is not equal or equitable, and due to curb cuts and weather conditions, the bus is not always an option for people with disabilities or conditions like cancer. Not to mention that Manhatten offers specialized care that may not be offered in the other boroughs. As a result, people with disabilities rely on private vehicles for traveling.
The DOT should strongly consider making an exception or significant price reduction so that PWD are not forced to be excluded even more than they already are from traveling around the city.
One thing I would like to see in this plan is a specific action plan to improve accessibility on cobblestone streets. These streets are very difficult to cross if one is in a wheelchair or if one has an unsteady walk. I’d like to see more paved crosswalks across cobblestones please. Thank you!
Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (“DIA”) submits these comments, in the annexed letter, in response to the New York City Department of Transportation’s (“DOT”) request for comments concerning its Proposed Five-Year Accessibility Plan (“Plan”), posted online on or about January 24, 2024.
4-2-2024 Final – Sent to NYC DOT-DIA Comments to NYC DOT Proposed 5 Year Accessibilty Plan
Disability Rights New York (“DRNY”) submits the attached comment in response to the New York City Department of Transportation’s (“DOT”) request for public comment on the DOT’s recently published Accessible Streets: NYC DOT’s Proposed Five-Year Accessibility Plan.
2024.04.26.DRNY Public Comment to NYC DOT Accessible Streets
Need bus stops at all places where buses stop, with benches , benches with backs for support for those with spinal issues, awning protection from bad weather.
Leaning benches do not give physical support or address need to sit and waste money and space where usable benches could be provided