Blog

RECENT

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM
Accessibility takes center stage in the City of Brotherly Love

Blog 14, October 2022

Accessibility takes center stage in the City of Brotherly Love

Philadelphia is the cradle of U.S. freedom, providing a fitting backdrop to the U.S. Access Board's recent town hall meeting. Ten presidentially appointed Access Board members and representatives from various federal member agencies were present to hear from the local community about the state of accessibility in Philadelphia, covering a host of topics including housing, transportation, recreation and outdoor areas, and design for neurodiversity.

Access Board chair Taryn Williams, assistant secretary of labor for Disability Employment Policy, and Katy Kale, the deputy administrator for the General Services Administration, attended. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Amy Nieves, executive director at Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, both spoke at the event.

Addressing the needs of people with disabilities, according to Phil Bratta, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Access Board, begins with listening.

“Hearing from members of the local community about the state of accessibility in the Philadelphia region gives the board a chance to hear, firsthand, about accessibility experiences and issues facing the community and how the board might address them,” said Bratta, who coordinated the event.

Accessibility is vital to independent living, of course. Automatic doors, installed and maintained with this in mind, support independence and give people with disabilities the chance to live, work, and play on their own terms.

Members of the public, including many from the disabled community, turned out in force to the town hall. Community members raised specific concerns, including a lack of accessibility at a local post office and the low inventory of affordable, accessible housing. Chair Williams noted that many of the issues facing this area of Pennsylvania are common to the rest of the country.

Mayor Kenney delivered prepared remarks and praised the efforts of the Access Board to engage with local communities. Kenney also noted that the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities is available to help.

Office director Nieves discussed a five-year ADA transition plan to bring the city in compliance. She also outlined a map of disability characteristics in Philadelphia, created to increase awareness and encourage community organizations, businesses, and individuals to engage with those experiencing disabilities and other physical challenges.

The town hall culminated two days of learning and training sessions sponsored by the Access Board, focused on a variety of topics, including an overview of ADA and ABA accessibility standards, accessible information and communication technology, and accessible historic buildings and facilities (appropriate as Philadelphia is a city steeped in history).

The Access Board is committed to advancing accessibility for all in the built environment and with information and communication technology. To this end, the board will continue holding town hall meetings across the country. These meetings are open to the public. More information about upcoming events is posted on the board's events page.


SHARE ON:

International Persons with Disabilities Day: Enhancing Accessibility for All
Vote for Accessibility: Removing Physical Barriers at Polling Places
Opening "Automatic" Doors for Employees with Disabilities
The Modern Office Building in a No-Touch World
Summer's Here and the Time is Right for ... Addressing School Access
July is Disability Pride Month: Why Aren't Automatic Doors Mandated by the ADA?
The Important Work of the U.S. Access Board
Rolling Out the Red Carpet for National Automatic Door Day
New Certification Program for 2024
International Persons with Disabilities Day
The Right to Vote
The Modernity and Aesthetics of Automatic Doors
July is Disability Pride Month
A Lot to Learn
ASSA ABLOY's Dave Timmerman is New President of American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers
Automatic Doors: Champions of Access
AAADM Leadership Delivers U.S. Access Board Webinar
AAADM at 30: Safety is the Great Uniter
Philadelphia Freedom
Door Doctors
Safe With Us
State of the ADA
A Clear Path to Voting
"GREEN" Doors: Earth Day and Automatic Doors
Do the right things, get money back
The Second Annual Automatic Door Day
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Restaurant patrons overwhelmingly say they want automatic doors
My Electrician Says He Can Fix My Automatic Door. Should I Let Him?
Automatic Doors Have Graduated Beyond Entryways
Greet Your Guests in the New No-Touch World
Automatic Door Day
IBC Building Code
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

Top
X