We have freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly. What about freedom of accessibility? The freedom to use public transportation. For anyone to use public transportation. Yet in many of the major cities across the world accessibility is a struggle especially when it comes to subway transportation. New York City in particular is dealing with a huge accessibility crisis. The New York Times reports hust 126 of its 472 stations, or 27 percent are accessible. And to make matters worse many of the stations are extremely far from one another making it difficult for someone with a disability to get to their destination in a reasonable time.

A focus upon college students who are trying to navigate the subway system demonstrates the scope of the issue. Pratt Institute, a leading art school in the heart of Brooklyn, is a case in point. Two of the closest nearby subways stations, Classon and Clinton Washington Avenue, are used by many students to get around the busy city. hat's shocking is that neither station is wheelchair accessible. In fact the next closest G train station that is accessible is Greenpoint Avenue which is a 23 minute drive. In 2019 Cheyenne Leonard, a Las Vegas native moved to Manhattan to attend graduate school at NYU. Leonard states, “I quickly realized that my prior visits to the city were filled with tourist activities, all of which were built for a wide variety of people and therefore, offered better accessibility.” Leonard is just one of the many students who struggle with a disability in the city. Blair-Goldensohn, another wheelchair user in the city stated that using the subways are extremely hard for someone with a disability. Why is this still an issue? Why isn't this a priority?

NYC’s subway system predates the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. As many of the subway stations were already constructed, it is not easy to rebuild in keeping with contemporary accessiblity standards. “Though there will be progress made to many of the stations. The New York Times states, Under the settlement, the transportation authority will make an additional 81 subway and Staten Island Railway stations accessible by 2025. It will then make another 85 stations accessible by 2035, 90 more by 2045 and then 90 more by 2055.” Stations like Canal Street Station is a major hub in Manhattan yet it’s only partially accessible by certain trains. Will these stations become modified to be fully accessible? At Jay St. Metro-Tech when asking the question, “ what are your opinions on the new york city accessibility and how they affect people with disability?” Student at Pratt Institue, Brooke Miller stated, “I can name a couple locations, Columbus Square, where we are right now. It's a really good point because you never really notice it. I think it's important because how else are people going to get down.” While many who do not have disabilities may not notice, the issues of accessibility are starkly and obvious for those who are trying to navigate the subway stations in NYC. The issue of accessibility is the subject of a settlement with the MTA that would add elevators and ramps to 95 percent of the subway’s stations by 2055 - in 33 years! A more recent class action lawsuit brought by NYPIRG on behalf of wheelchair users and the blind addresses the issue of the gaps between trains and subway platforms . Overall, the accessibility in subway stations is a major problem in NYC that affects not only people with disabilities, but everyone who has a mobility issue, including parents with strollers, for exampleClinton Washington Ave, Canal Street, and Jay Street Metro-Tech subway stations are all examples of how accessibility can vary.