RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY PROJECTS - SCHOLARSHIP IN ACTION
Polling Place Accessibility
Local Groups Survey Polling Sites to Ensure Compliance with Voting Laws for People with Disabilities
ARISE, Syracuse University's Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies, the Public Interest Law Firm of the SU College of Law, and SU student organizations surveyed polling sites to check for barriers such as stairs, lack of or poorly designated accessible parking, no directional signage, heavy doors, narrow hallways or lack of instructions on voting in Braille or other alternative formats. The results were made public at Manlius Fire Station #2. Center faculty, staff and students continue to work with ARISE and the County Board of Elections to ensure that all polling places in Onondaga County are accessible to voters with disabilities, in accordance with the Help America Vote Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
| Total Number of Places Surveyed |
70 |
| No accessible parking |
21% |
| Inadequate parking |
57% |
| Lack of directional signage |
34% |
| Inadequate entrance |
44% |
| Lack of Braille available |
98.5% |
| Lack of large print instructions |
98.5% |
| Lack of audio tape available |
100% |
Press Coverage
- Polling place survey will help everyone vote, October 24, 2005, Post-Standard Letter to the Editor
- Polling sites off-limits to many disabled, November 9, 2005, Post-Standard
- Our Opinion: Some choose, some lose, November 10, 2005, Post-Standard
Transportation Accessibility
A graduate student in the School of Education's Cultural Foundations of Education wrote a report analyzing the experience of people who are blind and ride Centro's busses. With the contribution of two of Disability Rights Clinic students of the College of Law, this graduate student placed her findings within the context of the law.
Project Accessible Syracuse
In May, 2006, we received a grant in the amount of $12,000 from Central New York Community Foundation to initiate Project Accessible Syracuse, a multi-year, first of its kind, study of the barriers to access to Syracuse buildings and services. The goal of this Project is to address the shortage of accessible buildings and services in Syracuse, not by litigation against one building at a time, but through community education. According to the 2000 Census data, 20% of Syracuse residents over the age of 15 have a disability. Of those residents, about 17% have a disability that limits basic physical activities, 14% have a disability that makes moving inside of their homes difficult, and 11% have a disability that makes traveling outside of their homes difficult.
This Spring, based on input from people with disabilities in our local community, we began our project by surveying approximately 100 local restaurants in downtown Syracuse for accessibility. Our findings will be published in a report entitled, Project Accessible Syracuse: A Guide to Accessible Eating Establishments in Downtown Syracuse.
This Guide will include a description of each restaurant, including its cuisine, service, ambiance, as well as a rating based on its level of compliance with disability accessibility laws.
This Guide will be distributed widely and used to inform current resident and visitors to Syracuse which restaurants are most accessible. The Guide will also serve as a tool to begin educating restaurant owners and the downtown community about the requirements of accessibility laws, ways to provide or increase accessibility, and possible funding sources or tax incentives available for necessary modifications or renovations. It is our hope that this Project will become a model to other cities nationwide as we work to re-imagine Syracuse as a community that is committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Post-Standard Article
Americans With Disabilities Act Celebration in July
In cooperation with major local disability organizations, the Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies is planning Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Celebration events to take place throughout the month of July to celebrate the enactment of the ADA in July 1990:
- 2nd Annual March from ARISE to the Federal Court House, July12, 2006.
- Stories in the media highlighting "success" stories of people with disabilities.
- Regional workshops on access requirements under Title III of the ADA open to the public..
- A presence at community events taking place throughout July in an effort to inform the community about agencies that serve people with disabilities.
The goal of the ADA Celebration month is to inform the local community about the positive aspects of the ADA, and to educate the community about people with disabilities as positive contributors to society, challenging common stereotypes.