GRATIFIED TO BE A FEATURED EXPERT SPEAKER

AT STARKLOFF DISABIILTY INSTITUTE UNIVERSAL DESIGN SUMMIT

I have delivered more keynote speeches and featured presentations than I can count.

All share my advocacy and expertise on Universal Design and building a better built environment for people with disabilities.

My upcoming appearance incorporates my award-winning journalism and marketing experience.

My presentation, in November, in St. Louis:

Steve Wright, Universal Design Journalist — From DEI to ROI: Rebranding the Endless Benefits of Universal Design in an Era of Political Pushback.

Hope you meet me in St. Louis.

https://starkloff.org/universal-design-summit

EVERY CITY SHOULD HAVE AVENUES WITH SIDEWALKS AS WIDE AS NEW YORK’S

MIAMI’S TYPICAL SIDEWALK, EVEN IN IT’S MOST DENSE URBAN AREAS, IS NOT EVEN HALF AS WIDE AS MANHATTAN’S

The width on the older parts of Lexington Avenue is 13 feet.

New buildings provide 20 feet of sidewalk width, as per updated zoning rules.

This provides a safe path of travel for wheelchair users and all pedestrians.

Wide sidewalks provide space for outdoor café seating, bike racks, benches, waste receptacles, signs and other urban needs – while still providing more than six feet of unobstructed pedestrian pathway.

Along with safety, wide sidewalks encourage people to visit mom and pop visits and to take in the beautify of the city.

Here, the sculptural Chrysler Building shrouded in fog and framed by the polished awning and unfurled flag of the equally splendid Waldorf Astoria.

We love the walkable, rollable sidewalks – that serve early 20th century NYC Art Deco architecture.

PRAISE FOR CONEY ISLAND BOARDWALK WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

HOPE THE $1 BILLION REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT WILL ADD SHADED SPACES AND ENHANCE INCLUSION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The Coney Island Boardwalk is fully wheelchair accessible.

It features a wide wooden/concrete boardwalk with a gentle slope (under 3% grade) and plenty of passing space.

Wheelchair-accessible public restrooms on the Coney Island Riegelmann Boardwalk are located at Stillwell Avenue, West 16th Street and West 22nd Street.

Temporary mobility mats are laid out at major access points including Stillwell Avenue, West 5th, West 8th, West 22nd, West 29th, West 32nd, West 33rd Streets, and Ocean Parkway.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE MOST DURABLE, SUSTAINABLE AND COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO BUILD

PLUS, PEOPLE LOVE IT. THEY PICK RAMPS OVER STEPS BY A HUGE MARGIN

The end of the line — Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station.

It has ramps & steps.

90% use the ramp.

Proof positive that Universal Design works even for those who are not disabled.

So why can’t more stations have ramps?

KUDOS TO HOTEL EDISON TIMES SQUARE NEW YORK

FOR HAVING A LINK DEDICATED TO ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES

Hotel Edison is an Art Deco gem in the heart of New York’s Theater District. 

Thomas Edison turned on the lights when the 26-story, 1000 guest room hotel opened in 1931.

It now has 810 guest rooms, with 23 designed for accessibility.

Trivia note: scenes from The Godfather & Birdman were filmed there.

Here’s the link to details on access at the historic property that turns 100 in five years:

https://www.edisonhotelnyc.com/accessibility?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20139307422&gbraid=0AAAAADO5I2SIqJWQ583JGDq31VGqO1a86&gclid=CjwKCAjwmozTBhAeEiwAkEGZzmuXr5jMWUNiF9A3386IZHZES_L001gak8yIKncyh8fOYpw78lrRHxoC0vgQAvD_BwE 

THE HIGH LINE NYC’S 10TH AVENUE SQUARE IS A SERIES OF TURN RAMPS

A FOR EFFORT ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND ACCESSIBILITY

 In a city of 8.5 million people, one solitary soul watches the Independence Day Weekend / America’s 250th draw to a close in Manhattan.

The High Line’s 10th Avenue Square is a wheelchair accessible window of the city.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE MOST DURABLE, SUSTAINABLE AND COST EFFICIENT WAY TO BUILD – ESPECIALLY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

THOSE THAT RESIST IT DO SO AT THEIR OWN (ANTIQUATED) PERIL

The end of the line — Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station.

It has ramps & steps.

90% use the ramp.

Proof positive that Universal Design works even for those who are not disabled. So why can’t more stations have ramps?