Today, July 26th, is the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Last week, I spoke on a panel commemorating Disability Pride Month and the ADA. The ADA is a piece of civil rights legislation the guarantees access to employment, public services, and government agencies. We still have a long way to go when it comes to full inclusion and accessibility, and I would like to highlight one area in particular today: transportation and the MBTA.
I live in Newtonville, three blocks away from the Commuter Rail station. As a person with a physical disability, I cannot walk down those (36) very steep stairs to get down to the platform, never mind the steep steps to get on the actual train itself. Couple my disability with my recent graduation from college, I will need to find a job. I will need to use the RIDE.
My parents bought the townhouse that I live in specifically so I could get downtown via that commuter rail independently. By not updating that station – and the two other Newton stations that are out of compliance – the MBTA is illegally harming those with mobility needs and others who use those stations on the daily.
I am grateful for Rep. Kay Khan and for her leadership on this issue, as well as other elected officials who are continuously advocating for the funding to rebuild these stations. I join Rep. Kay Khan in her recent letter about leaving “no stone unturned” and her disappointment that Newtonville did not get the funding when they applied for the ASAP grant. We need to keep advocating for these stations to be made accessible. And the MBTA needs to do its job by complying with the law.
It’s been 34 years. Something more needs to be done.
Nathan Persampieri
Newtonville
