MTA: Take Me Home from the Ballgame!
April 20, 2009
I am pictured here with two activists from the NYC Chapter of the MS Society and Councilmember John Liu protesting the inaccessible subway stop at Citi Field.
I may be the world’s biggest Mets fan, and on April 13, the night of the Mets home opener, I attended a protest, organized by the New York City chapter of the MS Society, outside of Citi Field at the Mets/Willets Point subway station to highlight the inaccessibility of that subway stop for Mets fans.
The subway station, which is on the Number 7 line, is only accessible to people with disabilities on one side. People traveling from the stadium to Manhattan who require accessible accommodations can’t access that platform because the accessible entrance is on the Queens-bound side. To get back to Manhattan, a wheelchair user needs to travel against the crowd, and take the 7 train in the wrong direction to the very last stop on the line. Once they arrive at the last stop, they are then supposed to transfer to a Manhattan bound train and go all the way back to in the other direction to continue on to Manhattan.
The entire process is an enormous inconvenience and totally unnecessary. The MTA could have easily installed a ramp on the Manhattan-bound side of the station. I hope that because of this protest, they will now rectify their error. The protest received some great coverage including a story by the Associated Press that was picked up by most sports news outlets, including CBS Sports (“Disabled fans protest poor accessibility near Citi Field”), and a local piece here on the Upper East Side in Our Town (“Subway Stop Not So Amazin’ for Kellner“).
The NYC Chapter of the MS Society’s press release about the protest has further information about the problems at Citi Field, “MS activists raise awareness about inaccessible MTA subway stations at Mets home opener.”
Last May, I introduced two bills to address accessibility issues in our mass transit system. The first would create the MTA Riders Council for People with Disabilities (A.10734-A/S.7817-Duane). The Council will have 14 appointed members who represent riders who use NYC Transit, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North systems. The Council will have a non-voting seat on the MTA Board and make recommendations for improved services.
The second bill (A.10420/S.7348-Duane) requires daily inspections of elevators, escalators, bus lifts and other accessibility features in MTA facilities and establishes documentation requirements and oversight for their repair.
May 9th: Free Mammography Screenings
April 14, 2009
My office, in partnership with the American-Italian Cancer Foundation, is coordinating a free mammography screening program on Saturday, May 9th from 10 am to 3 pm in front of Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, located at 331 East 70th Street between First and Second Avenues.
Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, there were 182,460 new cases of breast cancer in the country last year and 40,480 deaths from the disease. While there are treatments, early detection of breast cancer is the best way to prevent its worst consequences. I hope that by providing this service, women who may not have been able to get a mammogram in the past will take advantage of this important opportunity.
This service is available for any woman over 40 years of age who has not had a mammogram in the past 12 months, regardless of whether or not she has health insurance. Space is limited and appointments are necessary, so women who would like to take advantage of this opportunity should schedule their appointments as soon as possible by calling my office at 212-860-4906. All appointments must be made by May 1st.
It is recommended that women who make appointments come wearing a two-piece outfit, and refrain from using any oil, powder, deodorant, or perfume that day. If you have Medicare, Medicaid or other health insurance, you must bring your card with you, though you will not be charged any co-payment fees. If you do not have health insurance, the mammogram, provided by Multi-Diagnostic Services, Inc., will be paid for by the New York State Cancer Services Program Partnerships. Results will be sent to you will be sent to you within 10 business days.
- Via @MicahKellner + @MMViverito NYPD, never sensitive to Trans NYers, but if these allegations true its beyond the pale http://t.co/UGWWI9Tn
9 hours ago from ÜberSocial for BlackBerry
