ELLIE'S BLOG on Living Well with MS

As my remission is continuing with a little help from the change of medication I'm on, I'm out and about much more. Living here on Caroline street in Saratoga Springs I'm close enough to pop in my electric wheelchair and go downtown to the library, city center, restaurants or shopping.  And now that I can walk a little bit and with my cell phone I'm also safe to do it alone. As this is a walking city I should fit right in.  However I now notice the lack of curb cuts again.

Interestingly a recent article in USA today mentioned the lack of curb cuts hampering people with MS and other disabilities from safely crossing the street to access the new Mets stadium.

                             " NEW YORK (AP) ? Some disabled Mets fans have marked Opening Day at Citi Field with a pregame protest over the nearby subway station.

They say the Mets-Willets Point station is not fully accessible for the disabled, despite a recent $15 million upgrade by New York City Transit. It included some accessibility improvements.

But some 22 members of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society say it was even difficult to cross the street from the subway to the stadium. There were no curb cuts to accommodate canes, walkers and scooters.

A New York City Transit spokesman says there are no plans for a fully accessible station.

City Councilman John Liu (LOO') says the lack of accommodations appears to be a flagrant violation of the federal law.

Pictured above : to the left are New York City Council Member John Liu and New York State Assembly Member Micah Kellner. Seated are MS activist Alexis Alexander (right) and Todd Kreisler from the NYC Center for Independence of the Disabled.  

Picture to the left shows MS Activists Protesting Inaccessible Subway in NY and lack of curb cuts to safely cross the street.

I was personally very pleased to see them protesting.  I'm not a protesting person by nature. I don't like discord. I'd rather accommodate, go along, find another way but. . .  Never to protest or stand up is not right either. Sadly I've come to believe that if people don't protest and complain vigorously many times change will never never happen. And if all it takes is to put in curb cuts that allows wheelchair or walker dependant people to be able to safely get out like other people I don't understand why it's not being done.

I know the feeling of needing to cross the street and there being no curb cut at an appropriate crosswalk site.  Or crossing the street in a crosswalk and finding no curb cut on the other side. And then having to go down the street looking for a curb cut to get up onto the sidewalk. And not finding one having to go back to the original crosswalk and re-cross the street. Then you start looking for another crosswalk with a curb cut hoping that there is a curb cut on the other side. 

I understand that it was only in 1990 that the ADA finally was past by Congress and signed into law.  And that people have difficulty changing but c'mon now!  If you have a disability and you can't walk like a non-disabled person can but you can use a cane,walker,or wheelchair then all you need is curb cuts to be out and about like everyone else!  So why is there a problem putting in curb cuts?  The law is the law never mind the morality of allowing people to get out of their homes and move about if they can't walk.

But there's also a safety factor too!  To have a crosswalk with a curb cut on one side but not on the other creates a total unsafe situation for that person.  I just don't understand how a crosswalk or an intersection would not automatically have curb cuts on both sides!!

Here in Saratoga Springs we also have some areas where curb cuts are on one side of an intersection and not on the other.  This is really a matter of public safety.  For example, I went down to the city center from my home on Caroline Street in my electric wheelchair with my orange flag and my son concerned for my safety.  There are two areas of major concern I'd like to talk about.  

The lack of curb cuts at the intersection of Circular Street and Lake Avenue. This is a major intersection it is just below the Lake Avenue School and before the Fire Department.

Going downtown on the Lake Avenue side of the street I came to the intersection of Circular and Lake.  I could not continue down Lake as there was no curb cut on the Circular Street side.  There was a curb cut on the Lake Avenue side so I crossed Lake Avenue. However, there was no curb cut on the other side. I then had to go down Circular Street until 

I I found a driveway on the other side of the street to enable me to get up on a sidewalk.  I then preceded down Circular to Lake and then down lake Avenue.

   The other area of concern is the City Center. There is no curb cut on Broadway in front of the main entrance (the entrance for the disabled) at the City Center. In order for a person with a physical disability( a wheelchair,walker user) to access the City Center from Broadway they would have to go down further on Broadway with major traffic to go up onto a driveway to get up onto the sidewalk in the front of The City Center. Or go down the side street(Ellsworth Jones PL) quite a distance before they would be able to get up onto the sidewalk in front of City Center.

If a person with a physical disability was coming down Maple Avenue they would also have a problem with curb cuts.  There is no curb cut on Maple Avenue on the City Center side.  In order to be able to get up onto the sidewalk in front

of the City Center They would have to go up the side street (Ellsworth Jones Pl) toward Broadway to find a curb cut.

Or they could go back down Maple Avenue to Lake Avenue  to Broadway take a right on Broadway and go down the sidewalk to the crosswalk with a curb cut on both sides on Broadway to cross Ellsworth Jones Pl to the City Center.

This is  really is inexcusable!!  I plan to buzz around the city in my electric wheelchair now that I'm feeling great with my remission.On days when it's not too hot I'll map and take pictures of the areas  that limit accessibility for people with disabilities . Then I'll try to do something about it.  Want to join me?                     Ellie