More than Just Curb Cuts and Wide Doors - Cambridge, Massachusetts
Introduction
When most people think of accessibility they conjure up images of marked parking spaces, wheelchair ramps, and automatic doors. Kids picture the “short bus” shuttling some of their fellow student to and from school. Less often, people think of the more subtle obstacles, like attitudinal barriers, that limit the full participation of people with disabilities in their local communities. Even less frequently, people become aware of universal design and other concepts that promote global inclusion. How is it possible to overcome this perception?
This year, Cambridge, MA won the National Organization on Disability’s “Accessible America” contest1, winning a $25,000 cash award. The winner demonstrates exceptional commitment to offering people with disabilities full and equal opportunities to participate in the life of their community, including access to jobs, education, religious worship, voting, transportation, housing, and emergency preparedness planning.
What makes Cambridge different? This case study2 highlights some of the reasons: City Council history, leadership within the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, strong backing and collaboration of the City Manager and staff, and community-focused inclusive culture of the city. A focus is given to the Commission and to several of the many city initiatives.
Formal integration of disability issues into everyday business in the City of Cambridge started over a decade before the passing of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Mary Ellen Preusser, while on the City Council and Chair of the Human Services Committee back in 1979, was involved in the Disability Task Force and introduced Ordinance no. 927 that established the “Cambridge Commission on the Handicapped.” City Council’s FY07 goal no. 2 (of 9) states, “...Cambridge will continue to be a city that welcomes, values, and respects people of all abilities.”
Commission for Persons with Disabilities
The Commission for Persons with Disabilities was established in 1979 to act as a clearinghouse on disability and access issues throughout the City of Cambridge. The volunteer board of eleven Cambridge residents is appointed by the City Manager. The majority are people with various physical, mental and sensory disabilities, while others are friends and supporters of those with disabilities.
Gail Enman was hired, part time at first, to lead the Commission in 1981. By 1990 when the ADA was passed, Gail was well equipped to fulfill the requirement that each city in the nation conduct a self-evaluation and develop an action plan regarding accommodation of persons with disabilities as now required by law.
The current mission of the Commission is to, “act as a centralizing force in the City of Cambridge by providing information, referral, guidance, coordination, and technical assistance to public and private agencies, individuals, organizations, and institutions engaged in activities and programs intended to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities.”3 “We strive to raise awareness of disability matters, to eliminate discrimination, and to promote equal opportunity for people with all types of disabilities – physical, mental and sensory.”4 The goal of the 11-member citizen advisory board, comprised primarily of individuals with disabilities, is to maximize access to all aspects of Cambridge community life.
The Commission is housed within “Department of Human Service Programs,” which, created in 1980, provides a breadth of services and programs that touch almost every sector in the city: from newborns to senior citizens, from school-aged kids to homeless parents, from non-profit organizations to local employers. Cambridge has an Inclusion Policy for Out of School Time Programs which includes a full-time Inclusion Specialist to provide staff in Community Schools, Childcare and Family Support programs, Recreation, and Youth Centers with on-site coaching and help in developing or adapting existing activities to include children with disabilities. The Department provides significant support for the Commission, including providing the resources needed to publish and mail the Commission’s newsletter, “AccessLetter,” every two months, and providing translators for meetings when needed.
The Commission currently has two full-time staff persons. Michael Muehe has been the executive director of the Commission since 1994, and Carolyn Thompson, Disability Project Coordinator, has been with the Commission for seven years. Both are highly respected by the community and within the City’s bureaucracy, successful at the delicate balance between addressing constituencies wanting more action faster and the need to work collaboratively with all the layers of city government. Ellen Semonoff, Assistant City Manager for Human Service Programs, remarked on the critical role the Commission staff plays in forming the bridges that link the needs and concerns of people with disabilities to the programs and policies of the City.5
A major component of the work of the Commission is fielding questions and requests. About 50-75% of the Disability Project Coordinator’s time is spent fielding questions and requests. About 300 phone requests come in per month and about the same in email requests.
Information management has changed significantly over the past decade in the department. The Commission understands that communication of materials on the web is different. As paper files can easily get out of date, the Commission is relying more and more on the internet for up-to-date information, and the City’s website for information dissemination. While paper copies are still provided to fulfill some information requests, providing links to information online has become the norm— the role of the Commission is to be able to quickly and easily direct people to the right place. In addition, many requests to the Commission come in by email, and require a level of confidentiality greater than other types concerns submitted electronically.
Each year the Commission hosts a community wide event in October during National Disability Employment Awareness month. The evening includes a keynote speaker or panel to explore some issue relevant to the employment for people with disabilities; programs in the last several years have included mentoring, assistive technology in the workplace, and transition for young adults from school to jobs.
Integration with City Administration
The Commission for Persons with Disabilities is housed within the Human Services Program, and there is a long history of support. Jill Herold was hired in 1978 to oversee the Human Services Programs, and within 2 years became Deputy City Manager and has been until her retirement in 2003. She has been a champion of issues pertaining to disabilities for her entire tenure. The City manager has been in his position for 25 years as well, and has been very supportive as well, ensuring that all departments under his purview cooperate and collaborate with the Commission.
“One of our more significant problems we have in Cambridge isn’t money. It’s making sure people know what services are available to them,” Jill Herold once explained. “Once people recognize they need a service, the next step they have is how to find it. Nine out of ten times we do provide a service that fits their needs.”6
A number of publications about living in Cambridge – Your Guide to Dining in Cambridge by the Office of Tourism and Chamber of Commerce, Living in Cambridge: a guide to City resources and services and The Cambridge Life (biannual magazine) by Cambridge’s Public Information Office, and the Resource Guide (fall, spring & summer editions) by the City’s Department of Human Service Programs – all include information for people with disabilities about access and services.
Streetscape/ Open Space
The Commission sits on the interdepartmental transportation committee which meets once a month.
Cambridge is considered a leader in streetscape-related urban design, with active traffic calming, pedestrian, and bicycle programs.
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Details Make Parks More Accessible
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Photo above: Hoyt Field park equipped with tables that leave a space for wheelchairs and accessible water fountains.In 2005, The Department of Public Works finished surveying all the pedestrian ramps at intersections and is in the process of developing a citywide plan to upgrade the ones that need to be repaired or replaced. The current status is compiled onto a GIS map that can continually be updated as ramps are repaired or replaced.
The Commission is part of the interdepartmental Open Space Committee that reviews access for people with disabilities to the City’s parks and recreation areas. Over two dozen parks and playgrounds have been made accessible since 1992.
Commission staff and board members also sit the City’s Open Space Committee, the Special Events Planning Committee, and Fair Housing Committee; and the Local Emergency Planning Committee
Buildings
"We do get quite a few complaints," said Michael Muehe, executive director of the city's Commission for Persons with Disabilities. "A lot of businesses have done the right thing. Still, a significant number of businesses have a wait-and-see attitude." In 2000 a survey of more than 400 licensed restaurants and bars in Cambridge found "more than half with significant barriers to access."7
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Historic Buildings Pose a Challenge |
Photo above: Accessibility ramp seamlessly integrated into the Cambridge Center for Adult Education on Brattle Street in Harvard Square. Built in 1727, it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is now fully accessible.All of the city’s building codes to not necessarily incorporate all ADA requirements. The primary guidance for the city comes from the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB) standards, which are sometimes more stringent than the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG). A part-time Access Analyst is employed by the City's Inspectional Services Department to review incoming architectural drawings for compliance with accessibility codes.
The Commission provides training and technical assistance to business owners on entrances, restrooms, floor plans, elevators and signage. Commission staff and volunteers work with the Community Development staff and architects to provide advice to business owners on ways to maximize access for customers with disabilities, and provide information on federal tax breaks available to businesses that remove barriers to access.
The Commission works with City planners and architects on designs for major renovations and new buildings; a new main library and a new police station are both currently under design.
In addition, the Commission participates in the Housing Committee. Operating out of the Commission on Human Rights, the focus is on affordable housing. While the committee hasn’t met much in the past year, issues that do arise will have the eye of the Commission.
The City’s capital improvement budget includes $50,000 a year for the removal of barriers in existing City buildings to make them more accessible. The Cambridge City Hall Annex renovated several years ago is not only a model for accessibility and universal design, but also has received the LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
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Façade Program Includes Accessibility |
Photo above: India Foods and Spice, located on River Street near Central Square, participated in the façade program and now includes an accessible entrance with automatic door that integrates into the streetscape.Transportation
A key component of any community's ability to promote participation by people with disabilities is the availability of accessible, affordable transportation. Public transportation in Cambridge is provided by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The City is served by five subway stations, one commuter rail station, one light rail station, 3 trackless trolley routes, and 29 bus routes, all of which are accessible to people with disabilities, including people who use wheelchairs. MBTA offers reduced fares for seniors and people with disabilities. Many are also eligible for The RIDE, a paratransit service operated by the MBTA. Cambridge persuaded developers of a new shopping mall to provide a free accessible shuttle bus between the mall and the nearest MBTA subway station.
In 2004, the MBTA put into service state-of-the-art launched into service new electric trolley buses (ETBs). These vehicles are the world’s first low-floor, fully automated, electric trolley buses with passenger doors on both sides of the vehicle. Although the vehicles have a similar appearance to a standard, 40-foot bus, having rubber tires, and doors on the right hand side, the actual operating systems are more in line with a light rail vehicle.
Taxicabs play an important role in the daily transportation needs of those who cannot drive or afford to own a vehicle. Cambridge funds a Taxi Discount Coupon Program for Cambridge residents who have a disability or who are 60+ years of age. The free coupons help residents pay for cab fare, and the drivers redeem them for their face value. In 1995, Cambridge inaugurated an accessible taxicab program which resulted in seven wheelchair accessible taxis (vans and mini-vans each equipped with a ramp or lift), and in 2005, the City funded a centralized dispatching service (Accessible Cambridge Taxi – ACT) to ensure that these accessible cabs are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The accessible taxicabs give priority service to elderly and disabled passengers; they charge the same rates and accept the Taxi Discount Coupons just as the conventional taxis do. Each month one of two CCPD staff (both have disabilities) teaches disability awareness and etiquette to all new Cambridge cab drivers in their mandatory classes at the Cambridge Taxi School.
Cambridge was also noted for the seven wheelchair accessible taxis the City has had for over ten years and its new centralized dispatching service, Accessible Cambridge Taxi, that has improved the availability of these taxicabs. To make the taxi services more affordable to disabled and senior residents, the City funds a taxi discount-coupon program, and has raised the value of the coupons as taxi fares have increased.
Special events
Commission staff take part in the citywide Special Events planning committee, which includes representatives from police, fire, parks, traffic, and licensure. Though organizers of annual events are “regulars” at these meetings, there are many newcomers who need to be educated on the importance and details of making their events accessible to people of all abilities. Repeated messaging over time has shown to be a successful tool in making accessibility status quo for Cambridge events.
Education
The one public high school in Cambridge consists of the academic-oriented Rindge and Latin school, and the more vocational Rindge School for the Technical Arts. The majority of the 37% of students that have “ Individual Education Plans (IEPs)” are classified as having learning disabilities. The overall demographics of the school are heavily weighted toward racial minorities and economically disadvantaged.
In 1989, a group of teachers at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School recognized the void of appreciation for students struggling with disabilities and decided that their quiet battles were worth honoring.8
A committee on Students with Disabilities was formed by the founder of the Institute for Community Inclusion. Meetings are monthly at the high school focusing on how to build a better transition out of high school for people with significant disabilities.
In 2004, Cambridge Department of Human Service Programs launched an Inclusion Initiative to enhance the capacity of all of its dozens of out-of-school-time programs to better serve children with disabilities, and to increase the enrollment of children with disabilities in these department’s programs. Training and coaching is provided to program staff working with children and youth. A consultant with the Massachusetts Federation for Children with Special Needs facilitated the planning process, which also involved families and representatives of the Cambridge Public Schools. The process was assisted by the adoption of a citywide policy on Inclusion by the Kids’ Council, the City Council and the School Committee.
During the summer of 2005, inclusion training was provided to over 80 of the Department’s staff in the Community Schools, Childcare and Family Support programs, Recreation and Youth Centers. The Department recently hired an Inclusion Specialist who works with staff and families to ensure the necessary resources to make programs safe and welcoming for all children, providing on-site coaching and help in developing or adapting activities to include children with disabilities. Staff-to-child ratios have been changed, and program space rearranged. Children currently enrolled in these programs have a variety of disabilities: some use wheelchairs, some have disabilities on the autism spectrum or developmental delays, some are nonverbal, and some have emotional/social/behavioral difficulties.
Looking Toward the Future
The long tenure of the two staffers of the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, has its pluses and minuses. Much information and resources are in their heads. Consistency and experience are their strengths. The challenge is to have the time to get things down on paper in an organized fashion. There is always more to be done than can be with the available staff.
The past 25 years has been spent integrating disability issues into practices throughout city operations and outreaching and educating the public. Compliance with ADA and other regulations have been the focus.
Cambridge is at the beginning stages of approaching traditional accessibility using the concept of Universal Design. Universal Design is a framework for the design of places, things, information, communication and policy to be usable by the widest range of people operating in the widest range of situations without special or separate design. Most simply, Universal Design is human-centered design of everything with everyone in mind. It is not a design style but an orientation to any design process that starts with a responsibility to the experience of the user.
The way disability is defined and understood has also changed in the last decade. Disability was once assumed as a way to characterize a particular set of largely stable limitations. The World Health Organization defines disability as a contextual variable, dynamic over time and in relation to circumstances. One is more or less disabled based on the interaction between the person and the individual, institutional and social environments.9 This is the direction Cambridge is moving in.
Additional Highlights
Cambridge Profile
Cambridge, first settled in 1630, is now the fifth most crowded city in the US with its 100,000 residents living in an area of about six square miles.
Median household income is $48,000, 10% higher than the national average. Over 20% of residents are foreign born. 70% of residents rent, and 15% of all units are either publicly owned or subsidized.
Cambridge is unique in its mix of cultural and social diversity, intellectual vitality and technical innovation.
Home to internationally known Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, over one-fourth of all its residents are college students.
But with a long history of industrial innovation, Cambridge is considered much more than just a college town.
Parking at Cambridge Common: Being in the Loop
There long had been complaints about the lack of accessible parking for those with disabilities near Cambridge Common, one of the City’s oldest parks, near Harvard Square. The Commission was made aware of a plan to upgrade the streets around the Common and collaborated on developing viable solutions and incorporating them into the contract for the project. Reserved parking spots, an extended sidewalk, and additional curbcuts improved access significantly.
Timeline
1979 City Counselor Mary Ellen Preusser forms “Handicapped Taskforce.”
1979 Cambridge passes ordinance no. 927 forming the “Commission for Persons with Disabilities”.
1981 Gail Enman hired, at first part time, as first executive director of the Commission.
1990 ADA passed.
1991 Commission hires second staff person.
1992 ADA implementation in effect. Cambridge completes ADA requirement to conduct self evaluation and develop an action plan.
1994 Michael Muehe hired as second Executive Director.
2005 25-year anniversary celebration.
2006 Cambridge wins National Organization on Disability award
Commission for Persons with Disabilities: collaborations with other city departments and agencies
Peace Commission: Holocaust commemoration incorporates persons with disabilities.
Police Department: Training for apprehension of persons with mental illnesses.
Purchasing Department: Procurement standards for equipment and furniture to ensure accessibility.
Inspectional Services: Building inspection for MAAB compliance.
Historical Commission: Rehabilitation of older buildings and streetscapes, balancing historical significance with accessibility.
Geographic Information System: Information on property ownership is needed to follow up on many of the complaints called in
Election Commission: Review of existing polling stations, and locating of new ones, balance with political issues is critical.
Community Learning Center: Ensuring computer access for persons with disabilities in the classroom.
Community Development Department: Façade improvements include accessible entrances, major city redevelopment projects.
Arts Council: Making public arts projects and annual RiverFest events more accessible.
Affirmative Action: Incorporating persons with disabilities into mission
Charles Hotel: Early Adopter
At the Charles Hotel, General Manager Bob Holland pointed to a low-privacy peephole in the middle of a hotel room door, the low-pile carpeting, the handlebars on the bathtub and other features that garnered high marks from the association. With the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act a few weeks away, Holland said, the hotel probably will make another five rooms accessible, increasing the total number of rooms with access to 20. The cost? About $ 6,000 to $ 10,000 per room. Other changes will include expanded entrances and removal of bathtubs to allow people in wheelchairs to use showers unhampered. Will the rooms be profitable? Holland wasn't sure. "There is a fair demand for these facilities, but I'm not even worrying about return on investment," he said. "We're looking at this from a social standpoint."
—Boston Globe, January 10, 1992, Diane E. Lewis
ADA Helps Transportation
Local transportation has also improved as a result of the ADA. Michael Muehe, Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities in Cambridge, reported that the Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority (MBTA) has committed to purchasing accessible trolley cars and to making 85 key stations accessible. "And thanks to the ADA's requirement of accessible public transportation," Muehe stated, "the MBTA ended its policy of refusing to allow people with walkers to use the wheelchair lifts in the stations."
— March 1995
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/1995/voices_1.htm
The MBTA and organizations representing people with disabilities have reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit brought over accessibility problems that denied people with disabilities equal access to the public transportation system. Under the agreement, the T will undertake major improvements in equipment, facilities and services that promise to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities while improving service for all T passengers.
— April 2006
http://www.mbta.com
Harvard Square’s MayFair: “Carrot & Stick” Approach
MayFair, a 1-day outdoor festival held once a year sponsored by the Harvard Square Business Association, attracts over 100,000 visitors who crowd into the Square for food, entertainment, and crafts.
For several years, the Commission had been bringing up concerns of accessibility at the event at the Special Events Committee. Blocked crosswalks and wheelchair ramps were of primary concern, hindering access to the festival for those with disabilities. But each year, when it came time for setup, festival organizers neglected to ensure vendors followed these rules— even though the vendor instruction sheet clearly states, “Sidewalks and curb cuts must be kept clear.”
The Commission wrote a letter to the MayFair indicating they would press the police department to shut down the festival if accessibility rules and regulations were not followed. Instead of simply following through on the threat, several members of the Commission arrived at the festival at 6am during setup to work collaboratively with the festival staff to ensure that vendor location chalking was done properly, and worked with vendors to ensure they understood the importance of maintaining access.
The combination of a firm threat to take action, and the collaborative approach of the Commission was very successful.
Interfaith Outreach
Cambridge has an outreach program to some ninety Christian, Jewish, Muslim and other religious congregations in the City to help them make their facilities, programs and services accessible to all people.
In a city as racially, culturally, linguistically diverse as Cambridge these faith communities play a particularly important role. These churches, synagogues and mosques also nurture public life and strengthen community by opening their doors to a variety of human service and cultural programs.
Commission board volunteers perform site visits, meet with building committees, and provide technical assistance for matters ranging from ramps and elevators to large print materials and web accessibility.
This outreach program benefits from the experience of the Disability Project Coordinator, Carolyn Thompson, who is a seminary graduate active in state, national and international disability ministry networks. She has helped draft several ecumenical statements on theology and disability, and will be a delegate – with a specific role representing people with disabilities – to the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly in Brazil in February 2007.
Notes
- N.O.D. was founded in 1982 at the conclusion of the United Nations International Year of Disabled Persons. - Back to Text (1)
- This case study is heavily based on interviews in June 2006 with Michael Muehe and Carolyn Thompson at the Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and from articles from past issues of AccessLetter newsletter. http://www.cambridgema.gov/DHSP2/disabilities.cfm - Back to Text (2)
- From the Bylaws of the Cambridge Commission for Persons with Disabilities - Back to Text (3)
- http://www.cambridgema.gov/CityOfCambridge_Content/documents/access0506.pdf - Back to Text (4)
- AccessLetter Dec 2004 - Jan 2005. - Back to Text (5)
- http://www.studio180.com/casestudies.cfm - Back to Text (6)
- Boston Globe, Mary Hurley, July 27, 2003 - Back to Text (7)
- March 31, 1990, Boston Globe “Cambridge school honors students who are winning personal battles.” - Back to Text (8)
- http://adaptiveenvironments.org/index.php?option=Content&Itemid=3 - Back to Text (9)