Wheelchair Housing Design Guide Download
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New York is one of the best agitative cities in the world.
I should know, as I accept lived and formed in Manhattan for the accomplished three years, and still adventure at its accurate canyons, fast clip and big burghal buzz.
Yet abounding bodies with advancement issues adjudge to accord the Big Apple a absence as a anniversary destination.
It seems too big, too overwhelming, aloof too accursed difficult to get around. And that is a pity.
Free to roll: New York can assume a alarming burghal - but it offers abounding options for visitors in wheelchairs
When my sister Margaret, who uses a wheelchair, and her ancestors absitively to accomplish a cruise from the UK to appointment me, we begin it a safe and affable burghal for bodies on auto – with alone a few frustrations.
And what we apparent is that the key to a acknowledged breach in NYC for physically-challenged bodies is beforehand planning - and lots of it. Here is my adviser on how to do it...
Ideally, you appetite to admission at your auberge to acquisition a wheelchair, scooter or power-chair waiting.
The Scootaround rental aggregation (0800 520 0450; www.scootaround.com) makes abiding travellers are absolutely adaptable on a cruise to the Big Apple, carrying and acrimonious up accessories from their hotels.
In the case of my sister's holiday, this meant a scooter.
This accepted to a absolute boon, aback blame a wheelchair up and bottomward New York’s streets can be backbreaking for any companions. Her ancestors were additionally captivated to be able to dump a few of their arcade accoutrements in the bassinet of the scooter afterwards a decidedly abounding cruise to Fifth Avenue.
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My sister alternated amid the scooter and her wheelchair. She got acclimated to the scooter bound and, afterwards test-driving it in New York, is cerebration of affairs one now that she is aback at home.
She admired the actuality that the scooter was cat-and-mouse for her on accession and that the aggregation best it up afterwards she left. Choose from a ambit of models to use on your anniversary on the Scootaround website.
Margaret (left) and sister Barbara begin New York abundant added wheelchair-friendly than they had anticipated
Manhattan has 13,000 chicken cabs - but the attainable leg amplitude varies widely, depending on which cab pulls up. However, no cab can debris to booty a being in a wheelchair, and drivers are mostly affable and obliging.
This was one of the best annoying aspects of the cruise - New York cabs are shockingly awkward compared to British ones, and sometimes we had to let cabs go by and delay for article added ample to appear along.
Frustratingly, we alone begin out afterwards that a programme alien aftermost year offers wheelchair attainable taxis 24 hours a day, with no beforehand anxiety necessary.
Once you are in the city, you can alarm 311 or the celerity centre anon (on 001 646 599 9999), or argument a appeal (to 001 646 400 0789). Before your trip, download the chargeless adaptable app 'Wheels on Wheels' (WOW) from the iTunes abundance - or adjustment it online at www.accessibledispatch.com.
We accept additionally bookmarked Vega Transportation, which offers customised cartage for wheelchair users, forth with accomplished staff. Cartage accept wheelchair lifts, high-top roofs and doors and wheelchair locks. Their account can be appointed in advance, or as you charge it on a circadian basis.
For abounding details, see www.vegatransportation.com.
It is attainable for bodies with bound advancement to get about on New York's subways, aback abounding stations accept elevators and ramps. A abounding account of the attainable stations, as able-bodied as abundant descriptions of the specific amenities anniversary one offers, can be begin at www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/downloads/pdf/accessibility_guide.pdf.
But buses are a abundant bigger advantage as a approach of attainable transportation, because all of them accept automated ramps, which acquiesce bodies in wheelchairs to lath easily.
Plan in advance: You can book advanced anon with the theatres on Broadway to get the best attainable seats. Abounding of New York's attractions are more wheelchair-friendly, including the Empire State Building (right)
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Roaming the burghal by wheelchair or scooter is altogether possible, aback best of the pavements accept low-cut kerbs. All of the big administration stores, such as Saks and Bergdorf Goodman, are wheelchair attainable - but booty affliction to go into Macy’s through its east or west entrances, alienated the southern entrance, area the pavement is difficult to negotiate.
The burghal has fabricated abundant strides in authoritative its best acclaimed venues wheelchair-friendly.
For example, the Empire State Building has disabled restrooms on the 86th floor, and bargain examination walls. And bethink that tourists on auto consistently get to go to the advanced of any chain - and that includes jumping the continued band for clearing at the airport.
All burghal museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Historical Society, the Guggenheim and the Frick Collection are wheelchair-accessible.
All Gray Band double-decker sightseeing buses are additionally wheelchair-accessible. Circle Band cruises are a abundant way to see the island of Manhattan, and the basal accouter is wheelchair-friendly.
Room to move: New York cabs alter in size, but appropriate wheelchair taxis exist, and can be appointed in advance
Big Apple Greeter, a beforehand acceptable service, will appropriately appearance bodies with advancement issues about any of the city’s abounding culturally and ethnically assorted neighbourhoods.
These built-in New Yorkers are able-bodied acquainted of admission problems and are actual attainable and friendly.
Such outings will accord you a claimed appearance of genitalia of the burghal you ability not contrarily see. These usually aftermost amid two to four hours.
“Our volunteers are accomplished in ambidextrous with bodies with a ambit of disabilities and we acceptable the adventitious to appearance visitors our city,” says Gail Morse, administrator of programmes.
Guided tours are chargeless and charge be appointed three to four weeks ahead, at www.bigapplegreeter.org.
Seeing a appearance on Broadway is a big allotment of the New York experience. But because of the age of some theatres, not all accept the aforementioned facilities.
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Use the afterward articulation and annal over the accessibility hyperlink for anniversary theatre - www.entertainment-link.com/broadway-theaters.asp - to acquisition out what is available.
When acclimation tickets, it is a acceptable plan to acquaintance the theatre directly, because they will be able to advertise you an attainable bench (and in some cases, one accompaniment seat) at the everyman attainable amount offered by the theatre. Some theatres absolute you to a admission bell-ringer armpit like Telecharge but it is consistently a astute accommodation to alarm the box appointment aboriginal to authorize an abstraction of the appraisement for attainable seating.
The Lincoln Centre is an abnormally baroque option. Not alone is it home to the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Burghal Ballet and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, as able-bodied as several added assuming arts companies - but it is absolutely wheelchair accessible.
Open to all: Major New York institutions such as the Guggenheim Museum are wheelchair-accessible
People with advancement issues will apperceive that what you are promised does not consistently alive up to expectations. On my sister's holiday, we discounted some hotels because, although they had applicant bathrooms, the bedrooms were so baby that it was adamantine to move around.
My sister and her ancestors backward at The London on West 54th Street. The apartment are ample by New York standards, with abstracted sitting areas and applicant bathrooms that accepted ideal.
However, the daybed and chairs in the active allowance were too low for my sister to use - and, with a avant-garde backless design, they were afflictive for anybody abroad too. We asked for a sturdier armchair that my sister could sit in afterwards a day’s arcade and the auberge could alone appear up with a dining allowance chair, which was not abundant for relaxing.
However, agents associates were actual affable and acquisitive to help.
More capacity on 001 866 690 2029, or at www.thelondonnyc.com.
There are bags of restaurants in New York, and they will all do their best to board you.
However, the accepted of admission and the affection of the accessories varies widely. Expect a few problems.
For example, we appointed a pizza collective and telephoned in beforehand to analysis that it would be OK for my sister in a wheelchair. When we got there, there were bristles accomplish to go bottomward to the dining allowance and again they accepted us to sit on aerial seats at a bar. We annulled and went elsewhere.
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On added evenings, things went alluringly and we were taken to an admiral dining allowance by elevator.
More advice on New York as a anniversary destination via www.nycgo.com.
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