WHEELCHAIR USERS IN DIVERSE PLACES ALL OVER THE WORLD
Internationally acclaimed linear green space created from a former elevated railway.
It features multiple elevators and ramps for wheelchair access.
OR BACK OF BUILDINGS ARE BIGOTED ABLEISTS. PERIOD.
They ruin the façade.
Fire escapes.
So sculptural, they enhance the
façade.
If the same architect makes both of
these statements, they hate disabled people.
Only ableists reject access ramps.
ARE ACCESSED BY ELEVATORS – FIX THIS MAYOR MAMDANI
This phase of the plan will make 60
additional stations newly ADA-accessible while modernizing dozens of older
elevators.
Long overdue.
The MTA is not under the New York
mayor’s office, but its high profile progressive Mayor Mamdani MUST ensure this
work does not fall behind.
THEY ARE ESSENTIAL TO INCLUSIVE MOBILITY WITH DIGNITY
E. Union Square & E. 16 St. — next
to the Union Square subway station, the 4th busiest in all of New York.
Mayor Mamdani must make wheelchair
access a priority.
DURING SIDEWALK REPAIRS AND BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
New York uses these all the time, but
they are virtually nonexistent in Miami.
IT IS TOXIC ABLEISM
But isolation prevents chance
encounters/diverse experiences that maintain mental health.
Only 25 percent of MTA subway stations
are accessible.
Adding broken down lifts and people
with disabilities are denied chance encounters and societal immersions that
other commuters enjoy.
PATH OF TRAVEL IS LEVEL, GENTLY GRADED, UNOBSTRUCTED & OVERALL OUTSTANDING & RAMPED/ELEVATOR ACCESS IS GOOD
This one is at 14th Street and 10th
Avenue.
At any given time, at least one
elevator is out of service.
NO, THEY ARE THERE BECAUSE THE SIDEWALK IS NOT SAFE
the sidewalk is buckled, blocked or otherwise
obstructed.
LES— Chrystie & Stanton.
Sure hope NYC Mayor Mamdani's campaign to go to bat for the marginalized includes millions of disabled constituents.
WHEELCHAIRS = FREEDOM, NOT LIMITATION
The Carna, on display at MOMA, is
colorful & has high–tech style.
Since it had to be light and easy to
carry, an improvement over most collapsible wheelchairs, Kawasaki used a
titanium frame, with aluminum honeycomb–core wheels and rubber seat and tires.
CURB EXTENSIONS MAKE THIS CROSSWALK SAFER FOR ALL
Kudos to these pedestrian friendly, super wheelchair accessible curb extensions.
They calm traffic while providing an
excellent route for people with disabilities across Meridian Ave. at Lincoln
Lane and just north of Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach.
Every Miami Beach official embrace this and bring it to hundreds of other intersections.
People with disabilities
depend on safe crosswalks.
BUT EVERY 10TH STREET HAS A POORLY DESIGN, TERRIBLY BUILT AND HORRIBLY MAINTAINED SIDEWALK
More than half of this sidewalk in a heavily pedestrian part of Miami Beach has a severe angle that makes it treacherous for people with disabilities.
It is on 16th St. at Lennox Ave. in Miami Beach.
Wheelchair mobility is virtually impossible.
Not only is the more level part closer to street (worse for pedestrian safety) but it also is an impossible route for wheelchair users -- because outside dining, valet stands and other obstructions block the pathway.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS HUNDREDS OF REGULATIONS FOR CARS IN STREETS – BUT WE SHAMEFULLY HAVE VIRTUALLY NO REGULATIONS TO PROTECT PEDESTRIANS ON SIDEWALKS
This is the first delivery bot that I’ve seen that can back up.
When they don’t, it is catastrophic
for a wheelchair user. 90% of the bots that I have seen stop when a disabled
person approaches.
That blocks essential curb ramps and
narrow sidewalks.
The City of Miami, Miami-Dade County
and other cities MUST regulate these hogs of the sidewalk bots.
Only those programmed to back up out
of the way of people with disabilities should be allowed.
Wide, safe, lit, wheelchair accessible simple scaffolding to keep sidewalks open during construction.
What is so hard about this Miami?
How do we have this perfect solution
by Flagler St. — then allow both sides of the street to be closed a few blocks
north?
I am at a total loss for why Miami
officials do not require scaffolding to maintain sidewalks during years of
development construction.
Most solutions require tens of
millions of dollars.
This requires zero.
MIAMI CLOSE SIDEWALKS FOR YEARS WHILE PEDESTRIANS, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, RISK THEIR LIVES CROSSING THE STREET TO CONTINUE THERE JOURNEY
Is there something Miami’s water in
that turns big developers & major construction firms into incompetent
fools?
Because every city I have lived in +
every city I have visited — does not close sidewalks for 3 years of work.
How is it that gigantic, 50-story buildings
can be built everywhere else while maintaining sidewalks – but in Miami our
development community is incapable of this simple task?
In Miami, we kill pedestrian safety
for no reason.
There are 100s of American cities that
require developers to maintain sidewalks during construction.
Simple scaffolding preserves safe
mobility for pedestrians and independence for people with disabilities.
I HAVE DONATED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF PRO BONO UNIVERSAL DESIGN, PLANNING AND MOBILTY EXPERTISE
I have, for the past decade, set a goal of 500 hours per year of pro bono planning work. All of it is focused on Universal Design, as it increases mobility for people with disabilities, supports aging in place and creates diverse, inclusive communities.
I have exceeded my volunteering goal each year. I think it is incredibly rewarding to share my experience and expertise.
Sadly, the design and planning community often push back against the Americans with Disabilities Act and design for all.
Putting my passion into educating people about the huge upside -- well, it is a way of showing that planning is a calling, not just a profession, for me.
IT’S THE LAW. MIAMI BEACH IS VIOLATING IT
This bumpy, steep & horrible 20+ feet of tar pretends to be an ADA accessible sidewalk.
This is Lincoln Road at West Avenue in Miami Beach.
It must be fixed immediately.
Lengthy construction means temporary sidewalks and ramps must be compliant.
It’s the
law.
WHEELCHAIR USERS CANNOT SEE WHAT’S COMING BEFORE CROSSING BUSY ALTON ROAD AND LINCOLN ROAD IN MIAMI BEACH
Every wheelchair user’s safety is threatened by bollards along Lincoln Road at Alton Road in Miami Beach.
The car in the photo is a lane over.
It’s impossible to see what’s coming
north on the closest lane.
We all know Miami drivers run red
lights serially.
The bollards are there on the one in 1
in 10 million chance that a terrorist drives onto Lincoln Road.
In an urban area that consistently
rates as one of the most dangerous for pedestrians, the odds of an accident
because of the bollards are probably 1 in 10,000.
Very bad planning guards against the extreme
outlier while ruining independence, inclusion, mobility and dignity of all
people with disabilities.
THESE MACHINES DO NOT BACK UP
OR MOVE OUT OF
THE WAY OF WHEELCHAIR USERS
My worst fear came true in Miami Beach
near Lincoln Road.
I walked up & even pushed this—it
didn’t budge.
I tested another in Coral Gables near
Miracle Mile.
It stops when it detects motion, but
it blocks the sidewalk.
Do all of these endanger the lives of
wheelchair users by pushing them into the street?
Has not one city official cared enough
to demand that these are programmed to retreat and clear the sidewalk path wide
enough for a wheelchair user?
THAT DELIVERS FREEDOM,
INDEPENDENCE, MOBILITY AND DIGNITY?
“I’d rather die than use a
wheelchair,” says the bigoted woefully ignorant ableist.
The same person ironically jumps into
a sedan to drive 10 miles — because that wheeled machine covers more ground
more quickly than his body.
Assistive mobility devices are
liberating.
HOW TO DETECT ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES IN ANY PROPERTY
My five minute video is online, unlocking
the value of Universal Design for millions of viewers.
Viewers learn practical tips for recognizing
modifications and opportunities that make a property accessible for people with
disabilities.
From doorways and kitchens to bathrooms, pools and parking, my expert insights help REALTORS better serve a broader range of clients.
I spoke at the Florida REALTORS
statewide convention last year.
Florida has more REALTORS than any other state
-- even more than giant California.
For two decades, I have written cover stories
and center spread features for On Common Ground, a smart growth publication of
the National Association of Realtors.
Many of my stories have featured
groundbreaking Universal Design and wheelchair access insights.
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I also crafted a first of its kind, hourlong
visual and verbal presentation of Universal Design, Aging in Place and enhancing
wheelchair access – for the Ohio REALTORS.
My unmatched Universal Design and Town Planning expertise has been featured in far more than 100 articles, webinars, podcasts, radio/television interviews and books.
https://www.floridarealtors.org/news-media/video-library/learning/how-detect-accessibility-features-any-property
