City Reliquary’s entrance looks deceptively simple for a wheeler to access; usually a low lip at the threshold can be surmounted, though with a jarring bump. Unfortunately, getting in the door at City Reliquary is only the beginning of the access problems. The floors are uneven, the display space cramped, and to top it all off there’s a turnstile at the inside entrance. Sadly, this relic of old New York City will function as a wordless “No Wheelchair Users Need Apply” sign. Let’s hope their budget someday becomes a little more than shoestring so that they can make space for us.

With smooth, flat surfaces in the parking lot and an entrance flush with the patio outside, Marie’s Gourmet seems almost purpose-built for wheelchair-using patrons. Inside is a mix of booths and tables, the latter easy to fit under with a wheelchair and cheerfully moved around by the staff when reconfiguration is necessary. Photographs of the interior available on Where You Eat.

Be warned: service can be slow at times. Bet this will whet your appetite:

There's a ramp under there somewhere.

There is a store in my favorite shopping center – The Chelsea Markets, NYC called Chelsea Baskets. Here’s the system .. you buy a basket, fill it, they charge you for it, you leave…great idea. I used to be their best customer but I could walk then. Three weeks ago I went there and the wheelchair ramp was piled high with baskets and the manager made the face famous in the original  Home Alone movie, face slap when I brought it to his attention and then apologised, blamed a intern and cleared the ramp.

Today I went to Chelsea Markets for the best espresso in the western world at Buone Italia, and while there headed for Chelsea Baskets to spoil the munchkins in my life. The ramp had several dozen South American style shopping baskets along the side of the ramp, with many more hanging on the wall beside the ramp. (See photo above.)  If, unlike me, you could get down it without jamming your spokes on the baskets littering the side of the ramp, you would find yourself stuck at the bottom. The exit was 18 inches wide because it too was being used as storage.  If that wasn’t enough, as I got to the bottom the bags on the wall fell off onto my head, my chair and behind me causing me to be blocked in even further. Which intern would be blamed this time, I wondered? I yelled for help and was ignored because I wasn’t spending money.

 Well Chelsea Baskets the cheque might not be in the mail but the pics and the statement are on the way to the Mayors office and the FDNY for your violations.  The City rules on using disabled access for retail display are clear, so let’s see that famous Home Alone face slap get you out of this one. (By the way, the intern already told me she didn’t do it.)

 If I was you New York City, I would turn your chair and fill my basket somewhere where we are not treated like the contents of one!

G’day everyone, from this ex-pat Aussie with wheels under her ass. I’m Mia G. Vayner and my blog is www.disabledaccessdenied.wordpress.com  I have been living in the Big Apple for the last 14 years, the last 5 in a wheelchair. My blog started out of my anger at the inconsiderate, upright section of the community who seemed to think we the wheelchair bound were pinballs to be bounced all the way to a higher score every time they would smash into my chair. Prior to my disability kicking in, I was world class in karate and judo and had another way of handling this problem. The main squeeze of my life, yes another woman, suggested that round house kicks thrown in my mind didn’t work as well and screaming bothered the neighbors and above all in New York City a confrontation could end up in health or legal problems. As usual she was right, but don’t tell her that I’ll deny it!

Disabled Access Denied had been screamed at by the universe so many times, whether actual or by the simple arrogance of their apathy to our rights and the laws all ready in place, so the name of my blog became their insult turned around to be my war cry. I write and scream with a thesaurus and throw kicks with my intellect.

I have over 60 blog entries up one of which highlighted an experience I want to share with you all today. After 5 months in my native land of Australia, my partner and I were meeting  our dear friend Rachel. She had been great about babysitting our beloved cats while we were abroad. While waiting for her arrival this espresso addict decided to spend some time and money at Starbucks. After enjoying the espresso, my wheelchair was knocked violently not once but twice by a fellow customer. I ignored the first and commented the second time letting the person know to be more careful. The incident itself was over in mere seconds and attracted the attention of no one else in the store, except…. the manager apparently, and not in a good way. Instead of coming over and being accommodating and nice, he choose to immediately take the stance that I was in the way. A confrontation of his creating ensued, during which he uttered the insulting phrase “wheelchairs congest our store and you are in the way.” I pointed out that he was treading on very dangerous ground with that comment as the rights of the disabled are protected against this type of behavior. Shortly thereafter we were thrown out. Just to be clear this was the Starbucks located at the corner of Greenwich and Bank Streets in NYC.

Management of Starbucks were contacted, horror was dutifully expressed, all promises of grandiose mea culpa were offered to the degree that we were told the offending manager was being fired as we spoke.  In those initial calls I was also told that  ”a dutifully appropriate corporate apology would be offered.”  At this point it seemed that Starbucks was handling it with all seriousness and that a resolution would be reached swiftly.

Next came the involvement of the Regional Manager Jennifer Gurtov. She contacted us and told us the manager wouldn’t be fired if he apologized and asked if we could meet. She assured us he would apologize and afterward she wanted to chat? This sounded all above board and like the “dutifully appropriate corporate apology” part. We arrived and yes an apology was offered and then the meeting seemed to halt to an end. When I looked perplexed, Jennifer plead ignorance and said she had no idea of any further offer. If we left it would be 100% solved in 24 hours. That was 3 weeks ago, and we got a call 48 hours ago offering “a couple of free coffees”. After I laughed, she washed her hands of it and said another would have to be brought in another 24 hours was promised. Today i was offered a $50 voucher.

Let’s get one thing clear, folks; I don’t want their money. I never brought up compensation; they did. They are grossly in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, they are in breach of a dozen New York state laws and several city laws, and they take it so lightly they think $50 dollars worth of product is the fine they pay for their  bigotry?

My sign off line is respect our existence or expect our resistance!

So Starbucks, choose door A or door B.  Door A, we flood every Manhattan and major city store with bothersome wheelchairs till you get the message, or door B: I have this reposted on every disabled site in every country where you have franchises, and you become the corporate pariah of the wheelchair world. Remember, for every person in a wheelchair there are family and friends who buy coffee and care about them.

STARBUCKS DOESN’T WANT DISABLED BUCKS, SO LETS NOT GIVE THEM OUR MONEY. BOYCOTT STARBUCKS UNTIL THEY START RESPECTING OUR EXISTENCE.

Killmeyer's Old Bavaria Inn on Staten Island.

Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn has a wheelchair ramp, but watch for the three-inch high bump at the entrance to the dining room; a motorized wheelchair will not be able to traverse it independently.

Killmeyer's Old Bavaria Inn dining room

Wild Goose exterior, Staten Island. Note the petite ramp at the entrance.

… but you’d better not drink too much Guinness, because this is what they call a bathroom.

Wild Goose bathroom, Staten Island. They weren't kidding when they called it the water closet.

It’s also rather dimly lit, so people with low vision or using sign language might have trouble seeing. On the plus side, deaf people will appreciate the fact that all their TVs have closed captioning turned on.

The Wild Goose has a wide selection of beers, pizza, and a few traditional Irish dishes like shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash. Sadly, several of the “traditional Irish dishes” are no more authentic than pouring some Bailey’s on rice pudding. However, the warm soda bread is to die for, and full Irish breakfasts are served on Sunday mornings.

There’s an inaccessible second floor for dancing when live music or a DJ is present.

In 2003 and 2006, the United Spinal Association, working with disability advocacy groups in the New York City ‘Taxis For All Campaign,’ managed to get the language of the law changed to allow for accessible taxis. New York City soon had 13 wheelchair accessible taxis on the road, but the early models were fraught with problems.

The side-entry Chevrolet Uplander model has had many complaints from people unable to fit in the taxi:

Most of the Uplanders have been phased out now, and the Toyota Siena and Dodge Grand Caravan models are wider.

Today, wheelchair and scooter users can call 311 to request a wheelchair-accessible taxi via the Accessible Dispatch Program. This system links passengers who use wheelchairs with accessible vehicles through a central dispatcher. The dispatcher collects the passenger’s pick-up location and communicates electronically with participating drivers. The closest available driver accepts the dispatch and picks up the passenger. But beware… many drivers hate the dispatch program, and will try to avoid picking up wheelchair passengers (especially if the trip is to the outer boroughs).

Some drivers of wheelchair taxis will give you their business cards or phone numbers, and urge you to call them privately to arrange in advance for a ride. You may be tempted, as this will eliminate the problem of waiting for an available driver in your area, but know that they do so in order to avoid fees associated with legitimate taxi fares, and possibly charge you more to boot. (Also, such rides would not be recorded in demographic information about the number of trips taken by wheelchair passengers, making it seem like we don’t use the accessible taxis as much as we really do.)

The fare for an accessible cab trip is the same as the metered rates for all New York City yellow taxis. The Accessible Dispatch System is for passengers who use wheelchairs or scooters only; if a non-disabled person attempts to use the system but no wheelchair is in evidence when the cab arrives, they will be fined.

There is some hope on the horizon; New York City politicians are deliberating the winner of the Taxi for Tomorrow contest, which will decide the model of taxicab New York City uses for the next ten years. The requirements were originally supposed to include wheelchair accessibility, but only one of the three finalists included it in their default model. Should the vote go to Karsan, New York City wheelchair users will soon enjoy the magical fairyland of accessible transportation whenever we want.

Karsan's Taxi of Tomorrow entry

In addition to privately operated lots, there are two DOT Municipal parking lots at St. George Ferry Terminal. Parking is $5.50 per day or $5.00 per day with Muni-Meter Parking Card or $300 per quarter.

Once you pay at the Muni-Meter, you have to schlep back to your car to display the receipt on your windshield.

Waiting in the Terminals

Though elevators are available at both Whitehall and St. George terminals, passengers using wheelchairs are encouraged to use lower-level boarding. This means waiting in the bicycle waiting area.

Bomb-sniffing dogs will screen bags and bicycles, though their handlers generally steer them clear of people in wheelchairs and those with service dogs.

Boarding the Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry features state-of-the-art magnetic locks at each dock, so the deck will be (reasonably) level with the dock ramp.  There may be a bump, but it will be passable by motorized wheelchairs.

About the Fleet

Three of the newer boats have ADA-compliant elevators to take you to any passenger deck, including the observation deck up top.  Try not to use the elevators during boarding and disembarking, though; there may be a long wait.

Amenities for Blind Travelers

As recently as 2008, a $300,000 talking kiosk for the blind with information about New York City attractions and tactile maps was installed in Whitehall Terminal.  It was to chirp like a bird to alert blind people to its presence.  Unfortunately, I’ve never seen nor heard this fabled kiosk in all my ferry trips.  I suspect it broke down and there was no money in the budget to have it fixed.

Fun fact: did you know there’s a cocktail named after the Staten Island Ferry?  It consists of equal parts Malibu Rum and pineapple juice served over ice in a highball glass.  In flavor it resembles a Piña Colada  but does not require coconut cream, and thus is more easily mixed in bars that lack the specialty ingredients and blender that a Piña Colada would require.  Now you can’t get a Staten Island Ferry on the Staten Island Ferry… but you can purchase beer from the concession stand.

If you need further information on the Staten Island Ferry, you can contact Desiree Mercado at dmercado@dot.nyc.gov… or leave a comment here and maybe we can help with your accessibility question!