News and Notes

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced an additional $749 million in housing assistance funds for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

On October 21, 2011, the MV-1 wheelchair accessible taxi was officially approved for the streets of New York. While taxi drivers now have the option to ride in the MV-1, most disability advocates consider this only a small victory.

As we near the end of October, leaves are falling and the air is filled with the smell of spices and crisp apples. But don’t forget to celebrate this glorious time of year by honoring Disability Awareness Month along with Handi-Lift.

New York City infrastructure is complicated.  The triple-layer city spans 160 feet underground to the 1,454 foot super structures of the Empire State Building, making transportation above and below ground, an elaborate undertaking. This is one of many reasons that Handi-lift’s intricate installation in the 44th street and 8th avenue subway has won the organization Project of the Year for the fifth year in a row!

Wheelchair accessibility issues seem to concern governmental agencies most as emergency situations arise, but Hurricane Irene left many wondering if it concerns them enough....

In the day of designer babies, some parents feel entitled to know every detail of their child’s genetics, even before birth.  Genetic insight is not only used to choose hair color, eye color, or sex; but may also affect parents’ decisions about whether or not to have their child at all....

Just one year ago, Handi-lift showed the world (not just Elevator World) what they could accomplish by installing the New York City Subway’s first wheelchair accessible lift...

A self-made millionaire by age 27, Kenneth E. Behring built his fortune in vintage car sales, real estate development, and the purchase and sale of the Seattle Seahawks.  When there was nothing more he wanted to buy, he decided to dedicate the rest of his life giving back.  Thus begot The Wheelchair Foundation...

From my days as a special educator, I will never forget the exhausting daily routine of loading students onto the big yellow “cheese” buses trailing down 23rd street in Manhattan.  Everyday we blocked traffic for an hour, listened to pedestrians complain and car horns blare while we used lifts and straps to get 37 students in wheelchairs onto their appropriate school buses.
It was a lengthy and physically exhausting process for everyone involved.  So I often wonder, as I meander up and down endless sets of stairs in the NYC subway system,  ‘When will New York provide full access to people in wheelchairs?’

You’ve heard of wheelchair basketball and wheelchair hockey, but Aaron ‘Wheelz’ Fotheringham is taking wheelchair sports where they have never gone before.

In conversations elicited by our previous post on the “R-Word,” I’ve been introduced to YouTube sensation, Josh Perry a.k.a. the Ponceman a.k.a. The Retarded Policeman.

Plenty has been said about the abuses of the TSA searches, and now the organization is hearing outrage from a married couple who felt unfairly targeted due to their wheelchairs. This is not so long after the TSA mistreated an elderly woman who is also a wheelchair user.

Sail to Prevail is a nonprofit that provides sailing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. They design sailing equipment for each individual's needs and allow sailors with disabilities to compete among "able-bodied" crews.

In an effort to trim the nation’s budget deficit, major reductions to Medicaid are on the table.  To help deal with the potential cuts, many are advocating for greater financial support for community-based services rather than funding for expensive private institutions.  Its not hard to see why: these institutions can cost near $137,000 a year to serve a person with an intellectual disability, while assisting the same person with community-based services requires on average only $44,000 a year.

Tracy Morgan and other public figures have recently been criticized for using the word "retard" inappropriately. People First Language has started a campaign to end the offensive use of the R-word.

We’ve all teared up watching Team Hoyt win their awe-inspiring father-son duathlons, marathons, triathlons, and even Iron Man Competitions.  But now Rick & Dick Hoyt aren’t the only ones representing for athletes with disabilities.

On July 13th ESPN will be celebrating 2 premier athletes with disabilities in their ESPY Awards!
Read more to see some of our favorite nominees .

A recent report by the World Health Organization and World Bank reveals that more than 1 billion people across the globe live with a disability.

Warm weather has arrived in the Northeast, summer break approaches and the season for travel begins. Check out these blogs & websites for news and stories from the travels of wheelchair users around the world.

Is America really the land of opportunity? That depends on your perspective. For some individuals with disabilities, who face discrimination in hiring practices, company policies, and workplaces, it may not be so simple.

Elevated NY is a website dedicated to sharing the stories of inspiring people who have overcome unthinkable situations to thrive and succeed, created by Dave from Access Elevator of Farmingdale, New York. Just Say Something! is a project from the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities that encourages people to speak up when they see something that’s wrong and when they see something that’s right.

Custom designed vertical platform (wheelchair) lifts are our specialty at Handi-Lift. We enjoy the process of working with an architect or client to design a lift that complements the space and blends into the aesthetic of building. We had the opportunity to design such a custom lift for Boeing Company’s ADF-East building in Vienna, Virginia. For the Boeing lift, we collaborated with Scott Hobson of Area Access. Area Access bought the base lift system and shipped it to our shop. Handi-Lift created a custom design to fit the heavy duty base drive system and the surrounding…

Ramps and Lifts both have advantages and disadvantages, depending on the site and building configuration. Ramps are not always the answer to a particular accessibility challenge. Vertical and Inclined Platform (wheelchair) Lifts may be the first choice, depending on the application and should not be considered only a last resort when there is no way to make a ramp fit.

The new 2010 updates to the original 1991 ADA Standards for Accessible Design were announced by President Barack Obama on July 27 2010, and are now available on the ADA website. There are new requirements for recreation facilities such as amusement parks and pools, and public facilities such as courthouses and correctional facilities. Additional changes to the 1991 Standards include reach range requirements on accessible elements, and new regulations for accessible routes in workplaces, assembly areas, and parking structures. President Obama also signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The UN…

Do you feel that the standard vertical platform (wheelchair) lifts available are “Light-Duty”, flimsy, slow, or clunky? There is an option that won’t break the bank. Sometimes you need a heavy-duty vertical solution that will give you the ride quality you are looking for without the cost of a LULA (limited use limited application) Elevator. Vertical Platform lifts are not limited to having 42” high platform side walls. If you put a standard cantilevered open platform style vertical lift in a sheet rock and metal stud runway, the end user is left feeling a bit exposed, and traveling…

Brazil will be hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Organizing Committee has been working with the Brazilian Paralympic Committee to ensure that the event is truly accessible for all. Andrew Parsons, the President of the BPC, believes now is the time to create “a culture of accessibility” as a legacy for future generations. Rio De Janiero will also be hosting the XXXI Olympic Summer Games in 2016, so the world’s eyes will be on Brazil for the next few years. This is an important opportunity to create awareness of the need for accessible architecture world-wide.…

Recently Handi-Lift was contacted by Chan Keng Whatt of Chevalier Group for information about a custom designed platform lift for a prestigious project in Singapore. The project is called Skyline @ Orchard Boulevard, a luxury residence building developed by Far East Organization, the largest private property developer in Singapore. The breathtaking building was designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Fumihiko Maki. Maki most recently designed Tower 4 at the former World Trade Center site set to open in 2013. Chevalier Group was inspired to contact Handi-Lift after seeing the beautiful custom designed lifts made for the Pierpont…

Handi-lift was recently given the opportunity to install the first wheelchair lift in the NYC subway system. Tishman Corp. had developed the property at 44th Street and 8th Avenue and was responsible for providing updated accessibility to the existing subway entrance below the new Hotel Intercontinental. Handi-lift was already consulting on another accessibility project for the MTA and was brought in to help with this unique challenge. Space limitations made it impossible for a traditional elevator to provide full access for mobility impaired riders from the street level. The MTA needed a lift that was durable enough to…

For the second year in a row, the Yankees dedicated one week out of their busy August schedules to HOPE: Helping Others Persevere and Excel. For this special event, Yankees players and executives were inspired to give their time and enthusiasm to appreciate and encourage extraordinary everyday people. Among the people honored was Jane Lang, a blind woman who has attended over 300 Yankees games with her seeing eye dog. The Yankees met her at her home in Morris Plains, New Jersey and made the 2 hour public transit commute with her to Yankee Stadium. The Yankees…

Jackie Jackson, an extraordinary advocate for public accessibility, joined Handi-Lift as a special guest at our recent All Company Meeting. This was a unique opportunity for our staff to gain new insight into the experience of the end users of our equipment. Together we discussed Anti-AwD, the opposite of our credo, Accessibility with Dignity. Jackie graciously told us some of her personal experiences of Anti-AwD while using all different types of accessibility solutions, like getting stuck in a traditional elevator for hours because the phone system did not work. On another occasion, Jackie’s daughter gave…

One of the things holding back the platform lift industry is the inconsistent enforcement of safety standards. We are very happy that NYC has finally decided to implement periodic inspection procedures for vertical and inclined platform lifts in public buildings.  Prior to 2009 these lifts were only inspected by the city upon initial installation and never looked at again. In many cases, where an immediate need was not apparent, these lifts were not maintained and fell into disrepair. In 2009 platform lifts were brought under the same inspection procedures as full commercial elevators. Periodic testing was always…

An article in the Home News Tribune last October caught my attention: "Mayor, Chief visit town hall in wheelchairs."

Jackie Jackson, the accessibility advocate featured in the article, has done a wonderful job raising awareness in a creative way...

At our January ’09 meeting of the ASME A18.1 main committee we had the privilege of honoring Greg Harmon. Greg sold his company, National Wheel-O-Vator and retired from the industry to pursue his hobby farming, full time. Greg began his code work back in 1986 as a member of the ASME A17.1 Part XX,XXI sub-committee. He worked with others such as Don Boydston, Marie McDonald, Dave Balmer and Ted Cheney to develop the safety standards that govern vertical and inclined platform lifts and stairway chair lifts.  He lead the effort to establish a separate standard for this…

After the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations were en acted in the early 1990s, buyers began to look for low-cost, quick solutions to comply with the law. This desire to install any product that met minimum code and standards meant that good performance and reliability were rare. Because of the poor quality of the average platform lift, the government enacted debilitating regulations on the entire elevator industry. Platform lifts became the pariah of the industry and a last resort. Of course, in some situations a ramp or a full-size commercial elevator is appropriate, but the trend today is to avoid platform lifts at all costs! The buyers sought to fulfill the minimum requirements of the law with a cheap lift because they believed it would never be used. This negativity became a self-fulfilling prophecy.