The ramp was also the only way to access the rooftop terrace. In addition to the much-discussed staircase, a stepped seating area in the children’s section could not be reached by wheelchair, and SHA “failed to provide required space for wheelchair and companion seating (or appropriate signage) as required by law.” On the fifth floor, the lawsuit alleges, a ramp that connected the elevator to a seating area exceeded the maximum slope legally allowed. The city’s lawsuit makes the case that SHA was in violation of this in regards to numerous aspects of the building’s constructed design.
The lawsuit alleges that in the design contract SHA entered into with the DDC, SHA agreed to “comply with all local, State and Federal laws, rules and regulations applicable to this Agreement and to the services to be performed hereunder,” including “without limitation, … the Americans With Disabilities Act.” The contract further contained a series of task orders, including one that stipulated that “All areas of the building shall provide the greatest level of accessibility as required to persons with disabilities or limited mobility, which shall include, but is not limited to, features of entrance / egress, elevators and stairs as applicable,” and that “Interior spaces are to be inviting in approach with easy access for the general public, for persons with disabilities / limited mobility and shall have natural transitions between spaces.”
The partnership between SHA and the city began with a design contract in May 2007, though it was not until July 2010 that SHA was officially awarded the design. The library opened on September 19, 2019, and within a few months, was the subject of investigations by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) over the library’s possible violations of Title II of the ADA, the New York City Commission on Human Rights, and a lawsuit from the nonprofit Disability Rights Advocates. In response to criticism, the library moved books from the inaccessible stacks to fully accessible ones, and the three levels remained empty save for its current periodicals selection. While the library sought compliance with the ADA by offering to have librarians retrieve books from the stacks for patrons, the inequity in this was widely called-out by other architects and visitors alike. Three of the five levels, however, are only accessible via the staircase and do not have elevator access. The library’s central staircase connects to five floors of stacks, and allows visitors to take in views of the Manhattan skyline. Criticism of the $40 million project revolved around SHA’s lack of compliance with basic standards of accessibility, which the firm defended. The branch of the Queens Public Library, which opened in Queens’s Long Island City neighborhood in 2019, received immediate backlash over its inaccessible portions.
0 kommentar(er)
