Accessibility for Everyone
“The world needs a better system that can help everyone.”
July 26, 1990. The day the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. You know those blue wheelchair signs that you see in front of a parking spot? Instead of white lines, there are blue ones? That’s one change out of many that this act proposed around the United States. Public transportation got “better” and ramps on sidewalks were put almost everywhere. Almost.
In 1973, the Federal Rehabilitation Act was signed. A provision of it was interpreted to require all public transit systems to become equally accessible to disabled people. The MTA argued in favor of a separate transportation system for disabled people because it’s too expensive to improve. Luckily because of the ADA, things changed for the MTA. They started to add more elevators, better speakers, wheelchair ramps on buses — all this to make everyone “equal”. This is universal design. Designing and building everything to be accessed, enjoyed. A lot of accessibility features are great for people with disabilities but are also helpful for everybody else. In Airports. In the MTA. In Buildings. On Streets. Everything about transportation changed due to this act. But it’s not perfect. There aren't elevators in every building and in every train station. Barely any wheelchair ramps on roads. Everything should be accessible for everyone. People who are temporarily disabled, and people who are permanently disabled. And to you. Equal for everyone.
Mr. Magaldi is an English teacher who teaches 9th grade at our school. He has type-one diabetes. He told me how the ADA really improved the United States, but how they didn’t do everything they proposed. He added on, saying how government buildings have elevators to comply with the law but those elevators don’t work or are out of service “temporarily.” Magaldi also explained how the elevators at MTA stations could be dirty, damaged or under construction. So even if it says that those stations are accessible, it doesn't signify that they are. The ADA’s ideas and plans aren’t happening to the extent that they proposed.
At JFK Airport, Mr. Magaldi had to take his insulin pump off in security because no one was there to serve him. He uses an insulin pump which helps with his disability. A part of his insulin part is called CGM, which is the part he cannot remove that contains metal. The TSA stopped him from going through and they told him to take it off. He stated that he would usually get patted down but this time there wasn’t anyone there to assist him. The TSA said that everyone with his disability just takes it off without any problem. That’s just terrible. Taking off a part of your body that could end your life, just to travel. Only because there aren't any workers to pat him down. Why is that the only option? Mr. Magaldi had to wait 15 minutes, seeing everyone who's “normal” skip him and continue with their day. And no one knew he had this disability. They probably suspected him of doing a terrible thing.
You cannot assume these things about people, especially when they're disabled. Risking his life, Mr. Magaldi took off his pump. Luckily, he was fine and proceeded to put on the insulin pump right away. This is unacceptable, for him and every other person who has to go through the same thing. If the whole line was filled with people with this disability, most of them would not be so lucky.
Mr. TK teaches 20th century history as well as Latinx studies for 12th grade at Comp Sci High, currently with bodily trauma (serious injuries to the body). He feels that the ADA act needs to be severely expanded because of the many cases of these institutions where they fail to comply with the act. On June 30th 2023, the day of TK's birthday, he was driving his car when a truck hit him on the driver's side. Wrists broken, fibula broken, ribs broken, collar bone out of place, and lungs punctured. The accident required an immediate response. TK spent the whole summer in the hospital or in bed in his own home. While TK was in a wheelchair, his friends would take care of him, assisting him on walks and being there to support him.
Walking around in Brooklyn, some streets had no sidewalk ramps, and it was difficult for him to get up them. His friends had to pick him up. Put him on the sidewalk. Pick up the wheelchair. Put it on the sidewalk, to allow Mr. TK back on. It usually took him 5 minutes just to cross the street.
While the school offers elevators and ramps, the MTA does not. We study in a school with elevators and wheelchair ramps but what about Elder Ave, a train station that serves 6,372 people as of 2019? The MTA said that they will add elevators to 95 percent of all stations by 2055. That's 33 years. 85 stations by 2035, and 180 by 2055. TK had to check the app to see if the elevators at the station worked; if not, he would have to travel longer. Now, without a wheelchair, he still struggles with the stairs at the station, putting one leg down and the other one next to it, repeating the process. He said to me “You can't see all disabilities.” I totally agree. Even if that person looks fine and normal, what if they have a disability that you might not know about? This is where universal design really plays in and will make a difference.
Youtuber and motivational speaker Molly Broke is blind. When she was four years old, she was diagnosed with a rare genetic eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa which causes the progressive loss of vision. It wasn't long after her diagnosis that she realized she was different. She had to grow up in a world that wasn't meant for her. She started taking O&M, or orientation and mobility class, to learn how to physically navigate the world. She believes in universal design as well. She wishes there were more curb cuts. “Slanted sidewalk crossings to help people in wheelchairs, or who use walkers. And for mothers pushing their babies in strollers, for kids on skateboards, or couples riding bikes. Automatic door openers are perfect for people in wheelchairs and for when your arms are filled with groceries.” This would make the ADA’s ideas work.
Sasha Blair-Goldenshon is the co-founder of Elevator Action Group. They mention how 25 elevators on the train go out on a daily basis, meaning a quarter of the time, a station is just completely offline, and people are left not being able to go in or out of a station. This violates the ADA act. They go on saying how the city was built on elevators, so why is it difficult to make all stations accessible? It takes Sasha an hour to get to and from home to go to a station that's farther from his own station, when it would take a few minutes for a “normal” person.
There is no such thing as a “normal person.” The world needs a better system that can help everyone. Disability that’s permanent, disability that’s temporary — a system for people who need it or who don’t need it at all. Improve the ADA’s plans and ideas so that everything can be accessible for everyone. Make universal design for public transportation, streets, buildings and people. Together we could achieve this goal. Let’s fight for what’s right.