Today an old industry comes into the 21st century. New York
City is one of the busiest cities in the world. It is the center of commerce and
art mecca, and it often represents cultures from many parts of the world.
Although New York is a place of change, one group that was not usually able to
participate in the shift may today finally be able to get their wheel in the
door.
As the below article states, from
the New York Times, by way of the AAPD, Thursday, a landmark case was settled
in New York court, allowing the disabled access to the taxi industry. While
this may seem like something small, it is an excellent step in disability
equality. With access to taxis now, the quiet disabled population will have
easier access to a city that the world pays attention to regularly.
City Agrees on Access to Taxis for
Disabled
By BENJAMIN WEISER and MATT FLEGENHEIMER
Ending years of acrimony, New York
City has agreed to settle a significant class-action lawsuit and adopt
regulations requiring that half of the city’s more than 13,000 yellow cabs be
accessible to people with disabilities within six years, a person involved in
the negotiations said on Thursday night.
The deal calls for half of all new
medallion taxis put into service in any given year to be wheelchair
accessible until the goal of 50 percent of the city’s fleet is
reached, the person said.
The lawsuit filed in 2011 charged
that the city, with only a fraction of its medallion taxis accessible to
wheelchair users, violated the federal Americans With Disabilities Act.
Documents related to the settlement are
expected to be filed on Friday morning in United States District Court in
Manhattan. Judge George B. Daniels, who has been overseeing the case, will
eventually have to approve any agreement. The deal is expected to be announced
formally on Friday morning at a news conference attended by city officials
and disability advocates.
