Even after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1991, there have been persistent issues with accessibility in various public spaces throughout America. One of those issues, arguably one of the most persistent, is that of transportation. Public transportation has improved drastically, with all of America’s publicly-funded buses, trains, rails and subways being (mostly) accessible to the people with disabilities. There is, however, one realm of transportation that’s regulated by (while not necessarily funded by) the government that has seen very little improvement: taxis.
New York City, arguably America’s most taxi-driven metropolis, fewer than 2% of the city’s taxis are accessible. Previously, the model that NYC commissioned as its official line of taxis was Ford’s Crown Victoria, and just as iconic as it was in its design, it was notorious in its inaccessibility. Last May, New York City penned a deal for a new taxi design with Nissan, the NV200. Many were outraged by the new design, by its radical design, its technological overload, and how short it fell in increasing accessibility. Luckily, this December, following months of protest and threats of legal suit and backed seemingly unanimously by NYC councilmen, the city comptroller rejected the Nissan proposal on the grounds that it may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and, beyond its illegality, it just didn’t seem right. You can read more about the growing likelihood that NYC’s taxis will become accessible in the future here and here.
But the push and progress towards a more accessible taxi doesn’t end in New York City. Washington DC is set to begin overhauling its taxi system this year, adding more accessible vehicles to its fleet. And, a little more surprisingly, where an abundance of taxis are way down the list of things that are brought to mind when you think of the city, Atlanta is slated to add more accessible taxis this year as well.
Aside from taxi cabs–which seem to be coming along just fine–have you experienced treatment in a public sphere that you felt was inhospitable to a disability that you or a loved one may have? We can be your first ally in advocacy. Feel free to contact us.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Dirk Klein