PROJECT ACCESSIBLE SYRACUSE
A Project of the Syracuse University Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies
The Syracuse University Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies (CHPLDS), together with Arise, Enable, the SU Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee, and the College of Law's Disability Rights Clinic propose a multi-year project, entitled Project Accessible Syracuse. The goal of this project is to increase accessibility of buildings and services in Syracuse. This first of its kind university-community collaboration on accessibility will raise awareness within our community about the need for accessible buildings and services in Syracuse. The first phase will begin with a study of restaurants, cafés, and self-service establishments in downtown Syracuse. Thereafter, other buildings and services will be the subject of study.
The project will be coordinated by the CHPLDS, with volunteers from the community and Syracuse University. This first phase will involve surveying approximately 100 eating establishments in downtown Syracuse and then publicizing the results of the survey. The survey will assess the accessibility in the following areas: path of travel, entrance and exits, interior space, rest rooms, drinking fountains, telephones, and parking. The results of the Survey will be compiled and each establishment will receive a rating based on the extent to which it complies or goes beyond compliance with the law.
Upon completion of the survey and the related qualitative research, the Center will publish the findings in a report entitled, Project Accessible Syracuse: A Guide to Accessible Eating Establishments in Downtown Syracuse. The guide will be made public at a press conference and distributed through contacts with the television, print and electronic media, the University, community groups, and perhaps, the Chamber of Commerce as well. This guide will be useful to the owners of eating establishments as well as the residents and visitors to Syracuse, their families, friends, and others who dine with them.
As a collaborative project between the Center on Human Policy, Law and Disability Studies, and local disability rights advocacy and service organizations, Project Accessible Syracuse promises to increase awareness about the needs and rights of people with disabilities by educating the owners and operators of buildings about their legal obligation to comply with accessibility laws. This project also places people with disabilities at the center of discussions about accessibility in Syracuse, thereby helping to change the way people may think about the importance of accessibility to the greater Syracuse community. Students and staff involved in Project Accessible Syracuse also will facilitate conversations within our community about ways in which the Center and local disability organizations can work together to re-imagine Syracuse as a community committed to inclusion of people with disabilities and as such, a model for other cities and communities across the nation.
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For More Information, please contact:
Luisa Manfredi-Batki
Legal Program Coordinator
Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies
Syracuse University College of Law
Syracuse, NY 13244-1030
(315) 443-2926
lbmanfre@law.syr.edu