Wheelchair in New York

Hello,

I know this topic has been covered and have read the various posts - all of which have been very useful. However, I thought i%26#39;d post about my specific situation to see if I can get any further advice...

My family and I are planning to take my disabled 17 year old brother to NY just before Christmas (know it will be busy!). He is completely wheelchair dependent and not able to walk at all. I have been to NY and so am a bit worried for our visit - even though posts on here have put my mind at rest somewhat. I would really like some advice on the following:

* Transportation from Newark/JFK

* Hotels that are central, wheelchair friendly and not too expensive (!)

* How to get around. Are all the buses wheelchair accessible, if so, are they going to be so crowded we won%26#39;t be able to get on? Taxis are out of the question as he%26#39;d never be able to be lifted in and out. We were thinking of hiring a car... is this a silly idea?

* Are all of the main attractions wheelchair friendly.

* Any suggestions for a 17 year old boy? (He%26#39;s not big on shopping, like me and my 2 sisters!)

THANK YOU for any help you can give!

Lynsey (Essex, UK)

Wheelchair in New York

All sidewalks have ';curb cuts'; now - I guess you would spell that ';kerb cuts';? They are little ramps in the sidewalk edges - so he can wheel away down all our streets. The biggest problem will be the crowds of oblivious tourists looking up at the big buildings!

I believe that all buses are now ';kneeling'; and have wheelchair wells in the back for loading up wheelchaired folks. Bus drivers ';know the drill';, and will help your son up. If a bus is too crowded, the driver will holler from the driver seat to inform you.

Only certain subway stations have elevators.

Most B%26#39;way theatres are NOT wheelchair accessible, and will indicate that on their websites. I beleieve that most ticketing websites, like broadwaybox and theatremania also indicate that.

Some theatres - even a hanful of the older ones - reserve some orchestra space for wheelchair parking and viewing.

Madison Square Garden has many wheelchair spaces in good locations. Go to a hockey game! Go Rangers!!!

(If you came here in warmer weather, you can see the Mets and Yankees. Both stadiums have wheelchair spaces.)

Many of the bigger museum are now better at handling wheelchairs than in the past. Check their websites.

Wheelchair users are part of the daily fabric of NYC. Yes, there will be challenges and frustrations, but getting around can be done!

Wheelchair in New York

A central suite hotel is Doubletree Suites. It is located in Times Square. They have rooms for the handicapped. All buses are kneeling unless the mechanism is broken. On the newer buses wheelchairs enter in the front of the bus, older buses wheelchairs enter near the rear of the bus

Once you decide on a hotel list those attractions you want to visit. I am certain local experts, such as Queens Blvd., and others will let you know if the attraction is wheelchair friendly and how to get there using the buses. The subway is not wheelchair friendly since few stations have elevators.

In my opinion, a car is not a good idea. If your brother can%26#39;t be lifted in and out of a taxi how would you lift him in and out of a car?

Big Apple Greeters, a non profit group has lots of info on this.

http://www.access-able.com/dBase/results-usa-can.cfm?Continent=North+America%26amp;Type=1,2,3,4,5,6%26amp;Key=2%26amp;KeyValue=New+York

While you say you%26#39;ve read previous posts, many of the questions you ask have been answered on those posts so I wonder if you%26#39;ve seen the right ones.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k796932-鈥?/a>

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k746755-鈥?/a>

Hi again,

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

The links are useful and he would love a hockey game! What team has their home in NY? (Rangers? Sorry to ask, I%26#39;m a soccer fan!)

We could lift my brother in to the front seat of a larger car/people carrier, (have had a Kia Sedona in Florida), but there%26#39;s no way he could get low down in a taxi and with the leg room provided.

Sounds like we%26#39;ll walk to most places and rely on hopefully uncrowded buses. i%26#39;ll definitely look into the link you sent to find a company who can transport us to and from the airport and at the hotel recommended too. Any other recommendations for a central, inexpensive location would be appreciated.

Does anyone know if the ice skating rink in Central Park has any provision for wheelchairs?

Many thanks again!

Lynsey

The Rangers are the local hockey team and they play at Madison Square Garden. Here%26#39;s a link for the schedule. The blue boxes are the home games

www.newyorkrangers.com/tickets/schedule.asp鈥?/a>

For a ';central inexpensive location'; depends on what you call inexpensive. The Affinia Manhatta or the Affinia Dumont are both well located and suite hotels that I think would be good for you.

Lynz---when I was at the rink in the park last New Year I did notice a spectator in a wheelchair quite close to where i was standing. There is a path into the rink and no stairs at all from what I can remember. There are also lots of tables and seats for spectators to sit at, so I%26#39;m sure it would be no problem finding a comfy area, although it does get very busy. Have fun on the trip.

For information about taxis and car services that are designed to accommodate wheelchairs, look at this:

nyc.gov/html/鈥heelchair_access.shtml

The Sony Wonderlab has many games people can play if he is able to use computers. You could check out a day bus tour and see if any are wheelchair accessable, such as Marvelous Manhattan Tour or Party Shuttle.

Hi Lynsey

Your brother would love the Museum of Natural History. I have never been a museum kind of gal, but recommend this to everyone. In February, my hubby took me around the museum in a wheelchair and we had no problems.

It will take at least a full day to see everything, so it should keep little brother interested for quite some time!

Mikala