New York Students, Families Struggle with Lack of Accessible Schools

Rebecca Kostyuchenko carries her 75-pound daughter, who has difficulty walking, up two flights of stairs every Wednesday to her computer class at Public School 321, in Brooklyn, so she can work on her coding skills with the other fifth graders.But that seems like a cakewalk to the Kostyuchenkos. Three years ago, their daughter, Jacqueline, had class on the second floor. They made multiple trips there each day to tote her to class, to the cafeteria for lunch and to the gym for physical education so she could attend school near home, like other children in their Park Slope neighborhood.

Rankings of Most Livable Cities

When searching for a new city to call home, most people share a common list of priorities — affordability, jobs, schools and attractions among them. But people with disabilities often have a larger list of considerations. Factors such as the accessibility of various facilities, the quality of health care and even the cleanliness of the air can take precedence over others. The availability of such elements allows them to play an important role in the community and make significant contributions to the economy.

On ADA Anniversary, Texas Businesses Called Noncompliant

AUSTIN, Texas -- On the 21st anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a state advocacy group said Tuesday that it is suing several Sixth Street businesses and the Domain shopping center, accusing them of preventing people with disabilities from entering and fully enjoying the restaurants, music venues and shopping mall.

Clinical Pathology Laboratories is also among those named in the lawsuits, said Joseph Berra, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project, which filed the suits on behalf of several plaintiffs.

Mass. Residents with Disabilities Sue State Health Care Agency

BOSTON -- Eight disabled residents and a local advocacy group filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday against the state agency that provides health care to more than a million low-income people, arguing it has failed to comply with laws that require documents to cater to the needs of the deaf, blind, and other physically and mentally impaired recipients of care.

On the 21st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Boston-based Disability Policy Consortium and other plaintiffs - four who are blind, two who are deaf, and two with other disabilities - filed a suit in US District Court in Boston, alleging MassHealth violated the law by failing to provide written notices in Braille or other electronic forms, failing to use American Sign Language to communicate, and not listing phone numbers to help the hearing impaired on the agency’s website.

“The ADA was pretty clear that state governments have to make communications accessible to people with disabilities, so they can participate as fully as anyone else,’’ said Bill Allan, executive director of the Disability Policy Consortium. “The Commonwealth has ignored this issue for years. It has been brought up to them in reports and by individuals. It’s time for them to take action.’’