Strike a Chord: Navigating the Subway with a Disability

Edith Prentiss is a disabilities rights advocate who uses a wheelchair herself. She and I took a ride on the A train from Washington Heights to Harlem to take a look at some of the challenges of using a wheelchair in the subway. We ran into the problems fairly quickly. 

Prentiss' Metrocard got stuck in the accessible gate. 

"The problem is that the autogates suck the card in," she explained. "When you swipe the card, you don't let go of it. It sucks it in, and they jam." 

However, there were more problems awaiting us. Just after, the elevator door would not stay closed. Prentiss told me to push the door a bit to keep it closed. It worked, and the elevator moved. 

Prentiss said elevator breakdowns are fairly common. 

The train arrived, and Prentiss then pointed out the height difference between the platform and the door as another issue. 

"Now, it's higher here at this point because it's empty. If I'm getting on at 7 AM on a Monday morning, perfectly flat," said Prentiss.

Prentiss did agree that the MTA has made progress. In the past six months, they have added elevators to two stations in the Bronx. And they've dedicated over 500 million dollars in the next long-term capital budget. Prentiss said people just need to put themselves in the shoes of someone with a disability. 

"People have to realize we're just like anyone else," she said. 

An MTA spokesperson said the agency is "well on their way" to having 100 accessible stations by 2020. 

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See our other stories in the Strike a Chord series here:

Making Communication Accessible, One App at a Time