Author: Stephen

Photos from Sandy Hecker

In New York City’s Central Park at Columbus Circle, activists held a march and rally to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

On the sidewalk outside of a Duane Reade store in Manhattan on 38th Street and 7th Avenue, a group of people in wheelchairs are gathered for the press conference of the Duane Reade settlement that will make for its chain of stores accessible to people with disabilites. In the center of the picture, Carr Massi (holding yellow sign), Toby Edwards (with headphones), and Luda Demikhovskaya (with sign poster on her lap reading ACCESS IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS). At the far right of the picture is Jean Ryan, holding 3 different signs on her lap.

On the sidewalk outside of Manhattan’s Penn Station, a group of people in wheelchairs protests the inaccessibility of New York City yellow cabs to people who use wheelchairs and electric scooters. From left to right (in wheelchairs), Alexander Wood, Luda Demikhovskaya, Frieda Zames, Carr Massi, and on an electric scooter an unidentified woman. In the background, Anne Davis (in red jacket, standing on the left) is seen talking with Councilmember Margarita Lopez (in gray suit, standing on the right).

Alexander Wood holds up a sign reading “Have YOU Signed onto INTRO 84 yet?” Carr Massi holds up a yellow sign reading “We Want YOU INTRO 84”. Luda Demikhovskaya, Frieda Zames, and the unidentified woman in an electric scooter all have signs reading “Taxis for All Campaign – Mayor Bloomberg: It’s Time We Got a Ride!”

Councilmember Margarita Lopez introduced this bill, Intro 84, to require that when a taxi is taken out of service—as it must be after three to five years with rare exceptions—a wheelchair accessible vehicle must replace it.

On the street looking up Manhattan’s Seventh Avenue (and 34th Street), with pedestrians (and a security officer) walking on the sidewalk, there are three New York City yellow cabs. The cab closest in our view has its side doors slightly ajar.

According to a May 4, 2005 report by NY1’s Gary Anthony Ramsay, “there are 29 wheelchair accessible cabs in the city in a fleet of more than 12,700. Even though that is four times higher than the number last year, it still means that New Yorkers who are wheelchair disabled would have a 1 in 400 shot of getting one of those taxis under the best of circumstances. During rush hour it’s one in a 1,000.”

Several pedestrians stand alongside people in wheelchairs and electric scooters in a line at the taxi stand in front of Manhattan’s Penn Station. Pictured left, in a long sleeve shirt and long skirt, sitting in her motorized wheelchair is Edith Prentiss. Pictured center, in sunglasses and also sitting in a motorized wheelchair on the taxi line, is Jean Ryan.

A line of people, some sitting in wheelchairs and electric scooters and one woman using a walker, waits at a taxi stand in front of Manhattan’s Penn Station. Pictured left, in the background, wearing a suit is Marvin Wasserman from the 504 Democratic Club. One of the people pictured on the taxi line (center of the photograph, just right of woman with walker) is Michael Imperiale, who is seen wearing his hat and vest. Pictured right is a man wearing stereo headphones and holding a big microphone in his right hand. The taxi line is marked on the sidewalk by a series of chain links connected with metal poles.

Some of the people in wheelchairs talk with news reporters in front of Manhattan’s Penn Station. Others are seen standing around like Sidney Emerman (pictured center, wearing cabbie hat). Pictured right in his wheelchair is Alexander Wood, with his back turned to our view and talking with a bystander standing to his right.

At Manhattan’s Penn Station taxi stand, there is a sign that reads “This Taxi Stand is provided for your convenience by the 34th Street Partnership. This dispatcher cannot accept gratuities.” Below these sentences is a logo of the 34th Street Partnership which is basically composed of the number 34.

At Manhattan’s Penn Station taxi stand, a couple of cameramen (pictured center, in the street) are holding cameras pointed to the taxi line. On the left, someone is seen reaching for the car door while sitting in a yellow New York City taxi cab. Pictured right, on the taxi line in her motorized wheelchair, is Edith Prentiss. In front of Prentiss stood a female bystander holding her jacket in her left arm and holding on to her suitcase and its extended handle with her right hand.

A line of people, some sitting in wheelchairs and others sitting in electric scooters, waits at a taxi stand in front of Manhattan’s Penn Station. Pictured left, sitting in her electric scooter, is Frieda Zames who is seen talking to a woman standing next to her. Pictured center, sitting in his electric scooter, is Michael Imperiale. Pictured in the background is Alexander Wood. Attached to two of the scooters in the photo is a paper sign reading “Michael Bloomberg – It’s Time We Got A Ride!”

In front of Manhattan’s Penn Station, a man in a motorized wheelchair with a red base is on the sidewalk and parked in front of an open door of a small yellow cab car. Behind the motorized-wheelchaired man is a woman in a blue denim, long-sleeved shirt and using a manual wheelchair while in front of the motorized-wheelchaired man is the cab driver looking at the open car door.

On the sidewalk in front of Manhattan’s Penn Station, five people in wheelchairs line up for their so-called “chance” at a taxi. The woman in front of the line, in a motorized wheelchair and wearing a hat and sunglasses, holds a sign reading “TAXI!”, while two other people in wheelchairs behind the woman holds signs with letters too small to read from this picture view.

With yellow taxi cabs parked along the streets in front of Manhattan’s Penn Station, the sidewalk holds the taxi waiting stand with a group of several people in wheelchairs lined up for their so-called “chance” at a taxi.

Carr Massi (pictured left) holds up a sign reading “TAXIS FOR ALL!”. Jean Ryan (right) holds up a yellow sign reading “WE HAVE A CIVIL RIGHT TO ACCESSIBLE TAXIS – INTRO. 84 NOW!”. Behind the two women stands a man with a beard in blue shirt and sunglasses. To the far left, in the background, are two men, one of which holding a portable television camera.

A group of people in wheelchairs, as well as some people who are seen standing, are gathered in a circle outside on the sidewalks in front of Penn Station.

A woman in a motorized wheelchair with a closed big umbrella hanging on the back handle is parked in front of an open door of a small yellow cab car. To the right of the open car door stood a policeman with his hands in his jacket pockets.

Inside a room at City Hall, Anita Apt and Lucy Birbiglia receive awards from New York City Comptroller William J. Thompson Jr. The ceremony was held on October 27, 2003 in recognition of achievement for disability awareness.

Photos by Antonnette Brumlik

A group of about 14 people, some in wheelchairs and scooters, are standing around Councilwoman Margarita Lopez at a podium that holds one microphone. Lopez looks to her left side (our right side). Most of the people in the group are holding up pieces of paper stating names of cities such as “BUFFALO”, “LOS ANGELES”, “WEST PALM BEACH”, “BALTIMORE”, “LAS VEGAS”, “BATON ROUGE”, “DENVER”, “SAN FRANCISCO”, and “SAN ANTONIO”.

Photo by Karl Crutchfield

Protesters walk (and ride in wheelchairs and scooters) from City Hall Park heading to the offices of the Human Rights Commission on March 13, 2003.

A woman in a dark brown leather jacket sitting in a wheelchair in the lobby of the Human Rights Commission looks to her left (our right) and holds a blue and white plastic cup full of coffee in her left hand while holding a sign in her right hand that reads ACCESS-A-RIDE IS A THIRD MODE OF MASS TRANSIT. IT’S OUR CIVIL RIGHT! DISABLED IN ACTION. Her right hand covers the word ACCESS on the sign.

The front glass door of the Human Rights Commission office with white text on the glass reading CITY OF NEW YORK MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG MAYOR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS PATRICIA L. GATLING COMMISSIONER with the New York City government logo traced in white underneath the words. At the front door is Michael Imperiale in a white parka sitting in his wheelchair and looking in the office.

Photos by Philip Bennett