Accessible public space: a right and a benefit to all

Truly well-managed, people-centered public space must be accessible to all New Yorkers. But far too often, our streets, parks, and plazas have been built with one type of person in mind. The result is plazas that aren’t accessible to people using wheelchairs and sidewalks that are difficult or dangerous to use any New Yorker with low vision, hearing or mobility. Even poorly maintained sidewalks can cause major barriers to daily life. The Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY) works to fix these issues. They are an advocate for people with disabilities who have been historically left out of conversations about public space, and a catalyst for building more inclusive, accessible spaces.

As fellow advocates for people-centered public space, Open Plans is honored to work with CIDNY to ensure our City plans for everyone’s experience of streets, sidewalks, and transit systems. We recently spoke with Jeff Peters, CIDNY’s Director of Communications, about CIDNY’s vision and how public space advocacy fits into their goals for widespread independence for New Yorkers with disabilities.

Tell us about CIDNY and your advocacy work.

First and foremost, the Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY is here to serve people with disabilities in the New York City area. We work with and for people with disabilities to advocate for a variety of topics. Much of our advocacy work has been focused in the areas of transportation, health care, and voting. For example, CIDNY, along with other advocates, was instrumental in the recent legally binding agreement to ensure that 95% of the subway system be accessible to those who need stair-free access by 2055. That’s just one example of some of the changes that we have been a part of over the last 40 years of service to the community. 

CIDNY is a fellow member of the Alliance for Public Space Leadership, a coalition of like-minded organizations that propose an inclusive, people-centered approach to New York’s public realm

To be truly independent, New Yorkers with disabilities must be able to navigate public space, including streets and sidewalks. Are our public spaces currently designed to facilitate that independence? 

 The simple answer is no, they are not. Even in 2023, 33 years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, so many public spaces are not fully accessible to all. Even newly built public spaces or projects are sometimes non-ADA compliant or still present issues for people with a variety of disabilities. We’ve seen this with the Hunter’s Point library in Queens. We’ve seen this with the existing subway system in NYC. We’ve seen this in the lack of seating in public spaces and so much more. It is our hope, and part of our mission, to help ensure accessibility and independence for all.

What does the city need to do to make our streets more accessible for everyone? 

Make sure our streets and public spaces are ADA compliant and accessible to all. A key component of that is maintenance and upkeep. Cracks and holes in the streets and sidewalks need to be fixed. Accessible signals should be at every intersection. Curb cuts and tactile strips/markings make sidewalks navigable and safe for everyone, but they need to be ubiquitous and kept in good order. Sidewalks should remain barrier free, this includes ensuring snow and ice removal in the colder months. Oftentimes, our culture and city prioritizes cars moving through streets and intersections first and considers everyone else second. Accessibility needs are often at the bottom of that priority list. But simple things like these make the city easier to navigate and more accessible for not only people with disabilities, but everyone.

Tell us what livable streets and sidewalks mean to you.

Everyone should have the ability to safely and successfully navigate the streets. That’s a liveable street. Steets, sidewalks, public spaces, are public for everyone, not just some, and that should be reflected in the construction and maintenance of them.

Why do you believe it’s important to center the voices of New Yorkers with disabilities when planning our public spaces, streets, and sidewalks? 

It has been our experience that people with disabilities are often among the last “invited to the table” when it comes to planning, legislation, and similar things. The disability community often says “nothing about us without us.” That includes including people with disabilities in the conversation from the start. As we’ve said before and will say again, accessibility benefits everyone. It’s not just people with disabilities that need stair-free access to spaces and services such as public transit. It’s not just people with disabilities who benefit from having public seating, restrooms, or shade from the sun. It’s not just people with disabilities who benefit from having sidewalks and walkways being safe and uncluttered. It benefits everyone.

Some New Yorkers may not think twice about sidewalk cracks, but they can cause real problems with wheeled devices, canes, or balance issues.

What’s your greatest hope for the future of New York City as a home for people of all abilities? 

 As an independent living center, our goal is to ensure that people with disabilities are able to live their lives in their community, independently. We want people to be able to do the same all throughout NYC. It’s an achievable goal if we think inclusively.Upgrades and improvements, as well as adhering to and enforcing ADA-compliance will go a long way to ensure that everyone can access all that this great city has to offer.  It’s unfortunate that most of our streets, sidewalks, parks, and plazas have not been designed with accessibility in mind, but we can fix them. And we can change our mindset going forward so that the experience of all New Yorkers is taken into account. 

What is your best memory doing this advocacy work?

Anytime we hear from someone who has benefitted from the work we have been part of is a tremendous memory. It’s unfortunate that we have to deal with so much inaccessibility, but when something is changed to become more accessible, and we hear from the people whose lives are changed, whether it’s transportation, health care, or something else, there are few things that can match that.

Jeff Peters is a lifelong New Yorker who currently serves as the Director of Communications for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY). He is a communications professional with 20+ years and is a veteran of the entertainment and advertising industries. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.