Snowstorms Are Hell for Wheelchair Users—But They Don’t Have to Be |
Nearly all people using wheeled mobility devices face serious obstacles getting around in winter.Anadolu/Getty
It took over a week for Mia Ives-Rublee, a wheelchair user and senior director of the Center for American Progress’s disability justice initiative, to be able to move more than a block past her home after one of the country’s most extensive winter storms in years hit her home of Washington, DC, at the end of January.
“Living in a city that you know has the resources, and still dealing with these issues, shows just how poorly cities are ready to deal with accessibility issues,” Ives-Rublee told me.
When sidewalks in her area were cleared, she said, the snow was moved into curb cuts, making it practically........