I Really Really Wish New York City Was More Accessible

I really really wish New York City was more accessible

I’m currently in NYC and because of the repurposing of buildings rather than building new ones in many parts of the city they end up being inaccessible.

I understand wanting to save and repurpose buildings rather than tearing them down and rebuilding but there has to be a better way to repurpose that can include being accessible.

Yesterday I went to a CVS that was in an old bank building and guess what no automatic doors and the only way in was a flight of stairs.

Today I went to the Chelsea market and sure getting in was fine enough except the lack of automatic doors and cobbled crosswalks/streets (my enemy) outside but even inside the floor is so bumpy and uneven that I constantly feel like I’m going to fall and have to be hyper aware of where I’m putting my feet and cane.

There has to be a way we can do better as a society and as people.

Also the amount of doors people have let shut in my face when they see me coming on my crutches is ridiculous when they were just holding it open for someone else like sure I can do it and I will but it would be nice if you’d at least keep it open long enough for me to grab it with my foot or crutch or something

On the good side though I have seen a ton of wheelchair accessible taxis and that makes me really really happy. I’ve seen more of those than of regular taxis actually.

Edit: in the comments on this post I have been let know that the taxis that I mentioned are not in fact as accessible as they appear and are rather unsafe for those who are in wheel chairs so I guess that’s just one more shit thing. Go look at the comments to find more explanation/lived experience with this

“Let us put it generally: if a regime is immoral, its citizens are free from all obligations to it.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago.

[Pictured: Captain Pia Klemp sitting in a chair beside her controls.

@VivianAngrisani on Twitter wrote on 6/8/2019: “Pia Klemp, a German biologist & boat captain faces 20 yrs in prison for rescuing 1,000+ migrants at risk of drowning whilst crossing the Mediterranean. Seeking asylum is a human right. Only 1 in 100 sea captains are female. This woman is a humanitarian, not a criminal. #FreePia”

@Galactic_Rabbit quote-tweeted on 6/10/2019 and wrote: “Thinking about all those videos of people honored in their old age for hiding/protecting Jewish people.”]

At LGA (LaGuardia airport) and sure it sucks being on crutches in such a huge airport (or any airport really) BUT they let me go through the priority lane which was super nice.

Also saw some sunflower signs regarding invisible disability which was cool too

I HATE cobbled streets with a passion OML my cane and crutches both struggle with them and keep slipping into cracks especially since it rained today

hi ! you ! please don't blame yourself for the secondary effects of your disability. the weight changes are not your fault. the muscle atrophy is not your fault. the malnutrition is not your fault. the new/worsening mental health condition is not your fault. the low hygiene is not your fault. none of it is your fault!

are there areas of your self care that need improvement? of course, that's true for everyone! but it's hard to be kinder to yourself when you're disabled. sometimes we downright can't do things because of our disabilities. and it all snowballs and self perpetuates. that's not a moral failing - that's scary and difficult to go through!

you don't deserve blame, ridicule, or hatred. you just have limits. you just need support. and that's, morally, neutral. it's okay. you're not doing anything wrong, and i hope things get easier soon. give yourself a little more grace, okay?