WHY AMERICAN CITIES STILL AREN’T ACCESSIBLE AFTER 33 YEARS OF THE ADA

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT HAS MADE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT — BUT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE LEFT TO BE DONE

Over the course of my career working in all aspects of planning, I’ve seen ableist design in virtually every city I’ve spent more than half a day in — and despite 33 years of the ADA, a lot of it was “technically compliant.” 

I’ve seen final building plans where the accessible restroom is too small, the hand dryer is mounted far out of reach of a wheelchair user, and the grab bars are in the wrong place and blocked by a waste receptacle.