The Twin Cities: Not the Most Livable Place for Wheelchair Users

In Andriana Abariotes’ latest blog, the Twin Cities holds the top spot for highest unemployment rate in the nation for blacks.  Now, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation’s Top 20 list of Most Livable Cities for Wheelchair Users is out.  The Twin Cities did not make the list.

I’ll argue with the Reeve Foundation about how they defined the Top 20 and how they received input to make their decisions.  But, it’s also a wake-up call to show us that perhaps we’re not as good as we think we are when it comes to livability for people with disabilities, especially those of us who use wheelchairs.

How they chose their list
Of 100 major U.S. cities looked at, the Reeve Foundation said they avoided cities with extreme temperatures or snowfall. Which doesn’t explain why Chicago, Denver, Miami and several Texas cities made the cut. Extreme heat and humidity can be dangerous to folks with impaired circulation due to spinal cord injury. And, winter in Denver can be just as dicey as it is here.

Other criteria they used:

• air quality
• number of physicians, rehab specialists and rehab centers
• accessible fitness and recreation facilities
• paratransit systems
• if the city had large numbers of physically disabled people
• employment rate of people with disabilities
• age of the city (old building are harder to make accessible)
• spending and eligibility requirements for Medicaid

My argument for why we should have made the list:

• Paratransit systems are no longer the only transit to consider for people with disabilities. In the Twin Cities, we also have light rail, accessible mainline transit buses and even taxis. Also, Minnesota is one of the nation’s leaders in employment of people with disabilities.

• My employer, Courage Center, was one of the first in the nation to offer a fully accessible fitness center.  And, these places prove the “if you build it they will come” theory.  We continue to expand and offer even more fitness options throughout the metro area.

Where we need to improve
Seattle, Atlanta and post-Katrina New Orleans, lead the nation in housing and other public access issues, such as curb cuts. Chicago was called out for its Healthy Community Mapping System, which aims to point out the real accessibility of buildings and streets.

Earlier this year, I wrote about visitability. I encourage you to read more and help us make changes so there is no debate that the  Twin Cities is the most wheelchair friendly city in the nation.  With or without our climate.