THIS STUFF WORKS

I’M LIVING PROOF

When we wanted to go someplace outdoors and different, we drove, but we did what planners strive for in 24-7 downtowns and main streets. 

We parked the car once and walked all over Brickell, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, Coral Gables and beyond.

When it was safe to travel to Manhattan for a major project (after I got second COVID vaccine) in May, I vowed to not take a taxi, car service or rideshare – even from JFK.

I used transit, stopped in Jackson Heights on the way in to Manhattan and walked all over that diverse neighborhood.

THIS STUFF WORKS

I’M LIVING PROOF

I took advantage of living between two major urban corridors – Miami’s Calle Ocho and Coral Way – and walked to pharmacies, markets, hardware stores and other daily needs.

I bought local food and cooked it for lunch for my also working from home spouse.

We walked all over the neighborhood, masked, to the point where we documented and shared with the city – every broken sidewalk, messed up crosswalk, vacant lot, derelict house and broken bus bench in a vast swath of urban Little Havana.

THIS STUFF WORKS

I’M LIVING PROOF

For many years, I was one of the planners/planning storytellers who wasn’t so good at practicing what he preached.

I loved walkable places, mixed-use, wide sidewalks, bike paths, premium transit, parks, TOD, compact development and the like.

Then COVID hit and I could work from home, so I wasn’t in the car to commute to an office.

That meant a chance to break free of the drive through greasy lunch break and then bring home a supersized pizza on a slight detour on the way home.

IF THANKSGIVING IS ABOUT FRIENDS, FAMILY AND FOOD…

 …NOTHING CAPTURES THAT SACRED TRIO BETTER THAN EL CONTENTO RESTAURANT IN NEW YORK’S HARLEM

Steve Wright with Yannick Benjamin -- Contento

A handful of things define my purpose in life and what gives me joy.

Exquisite food is on the list.

Travel to experience new place and people is right up there.

Design that is universal, inclusive, equitable, warm and wheelchair-accessible is on the mountaintop too.

I have had the great fortune to make friends, work on planning projects and sample unique cuisine of more world cities than I can count.

Yannick Benjamin -- Contento -- accessible outdoor dining

On the Thanksgiving weekend, I want to highlight Contento.

It thrives on fresh ingredients, fabulous seafood, a nod toward the cuisine of Peru, a world class curated wine list and access for people with disabilities – from the outside tables to inside dining to a lowered bar to a fully-accessible unisex restroom.

The cozy, convivial space is in a hip location – close to the northern end of Central Park and in the heart of El Barrio – the colorful, historic East Harlem.

Many people contribute to the amazing team that is Contento. Yannick Benjamin -- master sommelier, entrepreneur, activist and leader who uses a wheelchair for mobility, heads to collection of veteran restauranteurs. 

He’s always at the front of the house, recommended a daily special, pairing it with a rare and perfect wine, making sure everyone is comfortable and happy.

Steve Wright with Oscar Lorenzzi -- Contento

Executive Chef Oscar Lorenzzi oversees the compact but powerful kitchen – turning out fresh approaches to ceviche, wonderful grilled octopus and sinful olive oil cake with fresh berries.

The wonderful thing is that while many national publications have noted and praised the wheelchair access and inclusive design – they are NOT evaluating the hottest restaurant in town simply in terms of accommodating people with disabilities.

No, everything from the New York times to Eater has heaped praise on Contento for its luscious cuisine and notable wine list – by the bottle or glass.

On this day of thanks, I am thankful for counting Yannick and his team as friends.

Yannick Benjamin -- Contento -- accessible indoor dining

PLEASE-U-RESTAURANT

BREAKFAST ALL DAY IN NEW ORLEANS SINCE 1946

Cool New Orleans photo of the day.

Please-U-Restaurant.

Since 1946.

Breakfast All Day.

Po Boys.

Biscuits.

St. Charles Avenue.

Garden District.

STANDARD LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF LOUISIANA

CLAIBORNE AVENUE, NEW ORLEANS

The classic pylon sign remains, the building is long shuttered.

Despite the popularity of and increased focus on Treme, Claiborne Avenue remains haunted by the freeway rammed through it.

The 1968 Interstate-10 Claiborne Expressway, a massive, elevated highway bisects the town.

Its endless concrete pillars further devastated the existing structure, character and vitality of several core-city neighborhoods.

We believe the freeway should be demolished in the city core, homes and jobs built in its place – and the Rampart Street Car line extended, bus service improved and connectivity enhanced along Claiborne Ave.

URBAN BEAUTY

ABANDONED STREET CAR TRACKS

Urban beauty is everywhere. 

Just take a walk and pause to look around. 

This brick road features abandoned street car tracks.

It's in the Lower Garden District/Central City area New Orleans.

Sunrise on parallel lines. 

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

“I have a ton of family history with it.  

It took my grandfather out and it took my father super early,” Howk said. 

“I had years and years of drinking and having this bad relationship with alcohol for 20 years.”

“The isolation and sedentary life of COVID stirred up a lot of my demons.

I’m grateful that it did,” he continued. “I could see my body falling apart, I gained a bunch of weight.

For the extent alcohol and some of the pills I was using helped spasms in short term, it was ruining my life…killing me.”

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

 ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

“I had a million excuses not to go to rehab.

“`I haven’t driven my car off a bridge. I haven’t killed myself. 

I’m drinking a bottle of whiskey a day, but I’m holding it together.

I’m a successful touring musician. 

I can address this 10 years from now,’” he said, recounting the ways he put off getting clean.

This exclusive, first published by United Spinal, is the most lengthy, candid sharing of his substance issue story Howk had ever done.

He said even if there are many musicians and people with disabilities that have substance problems, he feels his is a genetic issue.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

“COVID hit, the quarantine started and I started drinking like a fish. 

I always a had a troubled relationship with alcohol, but all that stuff exploded with the isolation, the unknown,” Howk said. I was asking, `is my job ever going to come back.’”

Howk said he once was clean and sober for 40 days, then he had a glass of wine at dinner.

Before the night was over, he had downed a bottle of hard liquor.

MIAMI COMMISSIONERS ORDER MOTORIZED SCOOTERS TAKEN OFF CITY STREETS IMMEDIATELY

SCOOTER FIRMS REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT CARELESS RIDERS THAT PERPETUALLY ENDAGERED WHEELCHAIR USERS

This is a huge victory for people with disabilities.

The Wild West approach to scooters left them blocking wheelchair access on sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks and transit stops.

I am not anti micromobility, but if it is done -- IT MUST be highly regulated. 

There must be marked docking stations for scooters.

There must be draconian fines (on both scooter user and company that owns it) for haphazardly and selfishly discarding scooters in areas that block the accessibly pathway (something done in Miami every 10 minutes).

Also, there are scooters and bikes that are accessible to some people with disabilities.

Any plan that does not include these is ableist and discriminatory.

Finally, because most micromobility is a hazard, not a help to wheelchair users -- revenue from firms authorized to place them (with heavy regulation) in the city, should be in a fund earmarked for barrier-removal...so people with disabilities enjoy a more inclusive built environment.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still” went 6X platinum, broke the record for most plays in a week and most weeks on the Alternative charts, and was used in ads for Apple and Vitamin Water. 

“Live in the Moment” hit number one on the Billboard Alternative chart and broke a record for most plays in a week. 

All the while, its guitarist was continuing a pattern of heavy drinking and using some pills. 

A silver lining of the ongoing pandemic was that its impact motivated Howk to modify his behavior.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

Howk is trying to raise awareness of the need for more accessibility and the need for a database or other easy-to-access way of getting accessibility information.

Howk is sharing every frank detail of his recovery as part of the band’s PTM Foundation’s focus on National Recovery Month (always observed in September) 

Last year, the human rights-focused foundation raised thousands of dollars for the United Spinal Association in observance of the 30th Anniversary of the ADA.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

Many of the nation’s largest, multi-state providers of residential addiction treatment shied away from going on the record for this story, or declined to provide any details about how accessible they are or how they accommodate treatment seekers who use wheelchairs for mobility. 

American Addiction Centers, a publicly-traded company with several residential and outpatient treatment facilities, issued this statement: 

“Several of our facilities are wheelchair accessible and regularly care for patients with disabilities. 

Our main prerequisite is that the patient be able to perform activities of daily living and meet other criteria to qualify for addiction treatment services.”

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the federal Health and Human Services agency, has a stated mission to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities. 

Sadly, the agency’s searchable treatment center function on its website contains zero information on finding ADA-compliant, or even minimally-accessible in-patient facilities.

A simple search of “wheelchair access” among the millions of words on the SAMHSA website produces fewer than 10 results – none of them pertaining to accessible residential substance treatment centers.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

Howk hopes telling his story will empower people with disabilities to push for more readily-accessible in-patient facilities.

“We tour a bunch; we do a couple hundred shows a year in non-COVID times. 

“I’ve toured all over Eastern Europe and South and Central America, so I’m used to adapting,” Howk said of less-than-ideal access on the road.

“But people with disabilities seeking sobriety, it should never be prohibitively difficult to be accommodated at a facility – to have difficulty even getting through the front door, let alone every other area that you will need access to during a month of in-patient treatment.”

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

 ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

“I would say the ADA applies, but they would need to be as accessible as any other public accommodation,” Matthew W. Dietz of DIG said of residential rehab facilities.

“They need to be proactive in ensuring that barriers are removed if it’s not previously made or built accessibly. 

Because sober homes were almost originally all homes, they would need to be accessible, and would need to do what is readily achievable.”

Dietz said a person with a disability seeking to stay at such a facility has the right to request a reasonable accommodation or modification to make it accessible.

 

THANKS MAYOR DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA

FOR ENSURING WHEELCHAIR ACCESS IS PART OF DIVERSITY/EQUITY/INCLUSION

My companion of more than a third of a century – Heidi Johnson-Wright – has been an expert ADA coordinator for two decades.

She is a lifelong public servant.

She has used a wheelchair for mobility her entire adult life.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava truly supports people with disabilities and their many needs as constituents of Miami-Dade County.

The latest accolade is Miami International Airport being named the overall winner of the 2021 Airport Accessibility Award during the 6th Annual Airport PRM (Passengers with Reduced Mobility) Leadership Conference, after earning 50 percent of the votes from the virtual conference’s 159 attendees from 42 countries.

“Congratulations to MIA for being recognized as a global leader in passenger accessibility by its industry peers. Miami-Dade County is committed to ensuring all our residents and visitors can access our airport facilities, including people with diverse abilities and disabilities. I'm extremely proud to see MIA leading the way in expanding accessibility and inclusion worldwide.” Levine Cava said.

“We have made a concerted effort at MIA to engage with the local disability community, understand their needs and provide a smoother travel experience for them. We are honored to receive the 2021 Airport Accessibility Award because of those efforts, and to be recognized by other industry leaders from around the world,” added Ralph Cutié, MIA Director and CEO.

The full story is at:

https://news.miami-airport.com/mia-wins-top-accessibility-award-at-global-leadership-conference/

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

The reality is that many treatment facilities are not fully accessible and very few advertise wheelchair access as part of their online presence.

Matthew W. Dietz, founding member and Litigation Director of Disability Independence Group, has spearheaded hundreds of ADA, Fair Housing Act and civil rights cases over the past 25 years.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

Howk is sharing his story, not as a personal complaint, but as way of shining a light on the issue of far too many substance abuse in-patient facilities not having accessibility.

I went in 10-10-2020 for 28 days,” Howk said. “I went to an old building — a former retirement community built before the ADA. 

It had some wide doorways – but some unbelievable angles to negotiate and some questionable decisions with overall design. 

I made it work, they put me in the room they thought could work – but even that had two doors to get into bathroom and big lip on the bath.

“I wasn’t sure till I brought my bags in and they took my phone and shoe laces away, was I certain this would work for me.”

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

“I haven’t done any hardnosed research on it, but I’ve noticed a tendency in people dealing with traumatic injury and pain management to self-medicate,” he said.

“I know people who have gone through the sobriety journey as a disabled person. 

They probably started doing the research and couldn’t find real answers (on accessibility at a facility) or they got the dreaded vague answers.”

Howk, who admits that he cropped his wheelchair out of his photos for the first few years after his injury, opens in a new windowcreated a straightforward, personal video celebrating the 30th anniversary of the ADA.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

“Addicts, people chemically dependent: the justifications, the excuses – it’s something we’re all really good at,” Howk said.

“It’s not good, because of lack of access, to provide one more excuse to not seek treatment. “It’s not good, to have the best facility saying `I don’t know if you can get in, maybe through the side door.

Or the bathroom can’t work, well…but maybe we can take the door off the hinges, but you’d have no privacy.’”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Studies estimates that roughly five million people have both a substance use disorder and a co-existing disability. 

The over-prescribing of opioids for pain has contributed to growing addiction rates. 

Studies have found that up to 50 percent of individuals with spinal injuries, orthopedic injuries, and traumatic brain injuries indulged in heavy drinking.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

The guitar riff power behind Portugal. The Man’s huge hits, “Feel It Still,” and “Live in the Moment,” was used to traveling in cramped vehicles, maneuvering through tight spaces and finding most rock clubs do not have wheelchair lifts or ramps to the stage.

But when it came time to getting clean and sober, he wanted to stay at a facility that had wheelchair access in the sleeping quarters, bath, dining hall, grounds, therapy session and more.  

It’s a pretty simple request in the 21st century, but Howk kept striking out when he searched for an in-patient treatment facility with even the most basic of access. 

And the band is now based in Portland, not some isolated one-horse town with only one tiny substance facility available.

ERIC HOWK OF PORTUGAL. THE MAN

ROCKING AND ROLLING INTO RECOVERY

Anyone who has heard Portugal. The Man’s Grammy-winning music or seen Eric Howk’s guitar work during a seminal American Music Awards appearance knows he can rock.

The question, when the 40-year-old guitarist-vocalist owned up to years of substance abuse and sought treatment, is could he roll…into a residential treatment center that accommodated people with disabilities.

Howk, a member of Portugal since 2015, grew up with the band’s singer John Gourley and bassist Zach Carothers in Wasilla, Alaska. Howk sustained a spinal cord injury in 2007 and uses a manual wheelchair for mobility.

He was sitting against a wall in a friend’s yard when the wall collapsed. Howk fell 12 feet and ended up with a T4 spinal cord injury.

SHAME ON THE UN FOR PERPETUATING TOXIC ABLEISM

ISRAELI ENERGY MINISTER NOT ABLE TO ATTEND CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT BECAUSE SHE USES A WHEELCHAIR FOR MOBILITY

Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar was not able to attend the UN climate change conference in Glasgow because it is not fully accessible by wheelchair.

Failure to be inclusive is not an accident or oversight.

Hatred toward people with disabilities hurts all of us.

Once a week, some place has a hideous lack of wheelchair access and they say it's an oversight and won't happen again and 99% of the world gives them a pass and forgives the toxic ableism.

Then the next week comes and more dignity is stripped from people with disabilities and the place with the barriers says "sorry, it was just a little oversight, won't happen again..."

Then it does, again and again.

Will I live long enough to see ALL people outraged by lack of accessibility?

Read my column on this in Medium:

https://stevewright-1964.medium.com/shame-on-the-un-for-perpetuating-toxic-ableism-c4a22cd7ccb3

EXECUTIVE HOTEL LE SOLEIL NEW YORK

SUPER-EFFICIENT, CLEAN AND QUIET ROOM WITH MINI-FRIDGE AND LOCATION NEAR TONS OF TRAIN TRANSIT

The only other thing I would add to the super-comfortable room is a grab bar and shower wand in the outstanding shower.

Grab bars and wands are not just for people with disabilities.

We all like to have something to steady ourselves with late night in an unfamiliar shower.

And the shower wand -- it just plain reaches places that even the nicest overhead nozzle cannot.

Bottom line, if work is taking you to Midtown – or your vacation needs a very well-run lodging close to transit, book an Empire State Building-facing room at Executive Hotel le Soleil New York.

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE HOTEL LE SOLEIL NEW YORK

SUPER-EFFICIENT, CLEAN AND QUIET ROOM WITH MINI-FRIDGE AND LOCATION NEAR TONS OF TRAIN TRANSIT

I specifically wanted a room with a mini fridge.

I have lost more than 100 pounds and the key to it is eating fruit and grains for breakfast and storing healthy snacks along with almond milk for cereal, etc. 

I even emailed to confirm the fridge at booking time.

On arrival, the fridge was room temp, but I figured they maybe just plugged it in.

The next day, my berries looked like they were not doing well.

By the night of the first full day, my nonfat milk had spoiled and I realized that the fridge was barely cooling.

On the plus side, I phoned the next early morning and they switched out the fridge for a great one.

Whoever came to the room put every last item in the fridge exactly as I had left it + they did not disturb one square inch of the other parts of the room. 

Bravo. 

EXECUTIVE HOTEL LE SOLEIL NEW YORK

SUPER-EFFICIENT, CLEAN AND QUIET ROOM WITH MINI-FRIDGE AND LOCATION NEAR TONS OF TRAIN TRANSIT\

For less than $3 one-way, the ferry takes you to Long Island City, Wall Street area, Upper East Side and several key stops in Queens.

I used the Hornblower NYC Ferry Service for a lot of work and leisure mobility.

It worked for Manhattan skyline photos at dusk, for running along the river for exercise and for transit that also gave tourist-class views of the city in late summer.

EXECUTIVE HOTEL LE SOLEIL NEW YORK

SUPER-EFFICIENT, CLEAN AND QUIET ROOM WITH MINI-FRIDGE AND LOCATION NEAR TONS OF TRAIN TRANSIT

I never used a taxi or ride share. 

Koreatown food is blocks away.

A huge Whole Foods is a few blocks up by Bryant Park, so I could get milk, berries, cereal and more for breakfast in the room.

The 34 special bus stops very close by and it's a great east-west connector, especially the route that stops at FDR and the East River.

That's exactly where the NYC Ferry (water taxi) stops.

EXECUTIVE HOTEL LE SOLEIL NEW YORK

SUPER-EFFICIENT, CLEAN AND QUIET ROOM WITH MINI-FRIDGE AND LOCATION NEAR TONS OF TRAIN TRANSIT

Daily housekeeping was not done due to COVID.

But I don't like daily intrusions and if I needed a spare towel, shampoo, anything -- it was in my room in lightning speed.

The front desk as warm and fast for check in. 

View of Empire State building through large window in room was a cool bonus.

The neighborhood was quiet at night -- as this is not exactly hipster ground zero location.

There is major train transit nearby at Herald Square, Penn Station and Times Square.