Working in New York City With a Disability: Nowhere Near Easy
By: Milette Millington
This project investigates the common challenges that people with disabilities faced prior to COVID-19 when finding a job and keeping it, and explores how the pandemic may have changed things.
Transportation
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Finding, Getting and Keeping a Job, and Remote Work
Disabled New Yorkers Left Stranded as Access-a-Ride Increasingly Fails to Show Up
By Milette Millington
Thousands of disabled New Yorkers rely on mass transit’s Access-A-Ride, to get to work, doctor’s offices and grocery stores. Yet the agency’s own figures show drivers are failing to show up in increasing numbers, especially in the most recent months of the pandemic.
“Before the pandemic, but when I used to work in-person it was the only way I could get to work. There were several instances where the broker vehicles contracted by AAR wouldn’t show up. There were even times that no AAR vehicle would show up because they would contact the ride out to a taxi service, yet there would be no taxis in my area,” said Sonia Seehra, who became paraplegic due to a tumor in her spinal cord at a young age. She was a research assistant for a study at Columbia University Irving Medical Center at the time.
Source: Access-a-Ride Dashboard of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
Drivers also fail to show up on time at levels that fall short of the agency's own targets. Overall, the drivers are showing up late more often now, at the worst levels since September 2018.
“AAR can be late and have me on the van for hours with multiple pick-ups and drop offs before I get to my destination. So, by the time I actually get to where I’m going, I’m exhausted especially because I have to get up early just to get on the van on time,” said Elizabeth Flint, who has cerebral palsy, uses a motorized wheelchair, and lives in Far Rockaway.
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According to AAR data, in October 2021, there were 4.68 primary driver no-shows out of 1000 scheduled trips, which equates to 645 no-show trips for primary providers in October 2021. There were 6.07 broker driver no-shows out of 1000 scheduled trips, which equates to 1,912 no-show trips for broker providers in October 2021. There were a total of 10.75 no-shows out of 1000 scheduled trips, which equates to 5,461 no-shows of the total trips made in October 2021.
Since June 2021, just before shared rides were reinstated, performance numbers got much worse.
In October, the latest month for which there is data, Brooklyn is the borough with the worst driver performance numbers. For 11% of all primary provider trips (primary providers drive blue and white AAR vehicles), drivers arrived at least 30 minutes late to their scheduled pickups, while for 18% of all broker provider trips (drivers in taxis and other cars contracted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA, for AAR), drivers arrived at least 30 minutes late to their scheduled pickups. Most of the riders in other boroughs are not getting much better service.
In Manhattan, during 9% of primary provider trips and 19% of broker provider trips, drivers arrived at least 30 minutes late for their scheduled pickups.
In the Bronx, in 7% of primary provider trips and 17% of broker provider trips, drivers arrived at least 30 minutes late for their scheduled pickups.
In Queens, in 7% of primary provider trips and 14% of broker provider trips, drivers arrived at least 30 minutes late for their scheduled pickups.
Staten Island is the one borough exceeding the MTA’s goals (Broker drivers are rarely used there).
Source: Access-a-Ride Dashboard of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
AAR exists to the disabled, elderly and others who need it, since public transportation is very often not accessible for disabled people living in NYC, according to local NYC residents who use AAR regularly, and disability advocates. According to Lisa Daglian, Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC), “Over 70% of subway stations are currently inaccessible to people with limited mobility, leaving many New Yorkers without reliable and accessible transit options.”
AAR is a shared-ride program, which means you may ride with other customers. AAR customers book and manage their trips online, using the Manage my Trips website. Once customers create an account, they can log in and go through the process. They can either schedule a one-way trip or roundtrip for specific one-off days , or schedule a subscription, which covers a series of trips during the time period the customer chooses.
Advocates and experts are frustrated with how the program is being run, and it’s nothing new, as indicated in testimony from the December 2019 NYC Council meeting.
“Having to schedule trips before 5 P.M. a day or two in advance, enduring the number of late pickups, and the often-circuitous rides of the five boroughs made AAR very frustrating to use at best,” Gian Carlo Pedulla said at the meeting. Pedulla is the Educational Vision Services Supervisor at the NYC Department of Education. He is a long-time Access-A-Ride (AAR) user who is totally blind and lives in Brooklyn.
Stefan Henry, a C5-C6 quadriplegic, has had experiences with AAR vehicles being routinely late.
“Back in the day when I was using AAR almost all the time, there was an instance when I went to therapy at The Mount Sinai Hospital in Harlem. I went to therapy with my good friend who was my physical therapist, and I got out of therapy around 8:15pm. The ride was supposed to come at 8:20pm, but it never came, and I didn’t get a ride until after midnight.”
New York City Transit President Craig Cipriano, in an MTA meeting on December 13, 2021 said that NYCT, which runs AAR, has acknowledged that there are challenges with brokers, and he is confident that performance numbers are going to turn a corner.
Frank Annicaro, Acting President for MTA Buses, who gave the Paratransit report on performance and service quality, at this same meeting said, “Paratransit ridership remains at approximately 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Recognizing our immediate challenges, we are implementing action plans to address service issues and have declared an immediate operating need to quickly enact contractual initiatives designed to improve service. We are also working closely with our new brokers to help mentor and train them so they can ramp up service even faster.”
Left: Sonia Seehra, Middle: Elizabeth Flint, Right: Stefan Henry
Unequal Job Market Created for Disabled New Yorkers Because Remote Work Provides Insufficient Support
By Milette Millington
New York City has one of the most competitive job markets in the US. For disabled New Yorkers, the market is even tougher. The increase in remote work opportunities due to the pandemic may be one answer to helping level the field for disabled workers in the US, but they are still underemployed and need more support to reach the parity with nondisabled workers that the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) promotes.
28-year-old Emma K. Farley has muscular dystrophy and lives in Brooklyn. Having muscular dystrophy means that her muscles get weaker over time. It also means that daily activities like traveling and work can cause fatigue. “It’s always hard to find a job, but with working remotely from home, it’s much easier,” she said of her experience.
Farley said that it’s been easier for her to work in this way because the pandemic provided her with more opportunities to work. As a full-time wheelchair user, it eliminated the physical obstacles of her daily commute in New York City, which is rated 12th on WalletHub’s Best and Worst Cities for People with Disabilities list published on September 28.
NYC was at the epicenter of the pandemic in Spring 2020, and may have changed the way we work forever. It may have brought beneficial changes for the disabled in the US. Some disabled New Yorkers, though, are realizing that finding a job has become an even harder and a longer process during the pandemic.
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Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that in October 2016, there were approximately 6.1 million disabled people aged 16 and older in the workforce. Two months ago, there were approximately 7 million people in the workforce in that same age group.
Disabled People in the United States Workforce, 16 and over (January - October, 2016-2021)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
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Despite this increase of disabled people in the workforce, challenges for disabled workers still remain. Eli Ramos is the business engagement associate for NYC: ATWORK, the employment program at the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). He provided his insight on disabled workers and workplace access.
“The pandemic brought about this economic phenomenon of ‘The Great Resignation.’ Many people were either leaving their jobs or leaving the city and/or state altogether. It also led to employers’ increasing interest in hiring disabled people. Employers saw the need to get creative, as things were done remotely, but it’s a double edged sword,” said Ramos.
For disabled people, having a stable job can help to contribute to better livelihoods. A report from NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on the Office of Mental Health, published in July stated that in 2018, there were approximately 1 million working-age adults with disabilities in New York, and the employment rate of working-age people with disabilities was 33% at that time. For people without disabilities, the employment rate in 2018 was 75%.
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Another report from NYS Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, on New York City’s Economy and Finances published in June stated that between April 2020 and March 2021, unemployment rates for people with disabilities averaged 16.2%, an increase of 8.9% over the prior year. The monthly average unemployment rate for all New Yorkers is 11.3%.
Remote work is one of many opportunities that partially may help to bring disabled workers closer to employment levels on parity with the non-disabled. NYS Dept. of Labor (NYSDOL) Commissioner Roberta Reardon spoke at a virtual hearing held in October 2021 before the New York State Assembly about the significance of giving disabled people equal opportunities. “We must anticipate providing services for people who may not realize that they are even eligible for supportive services, and we need to raise awareness about the contributions that people with disabilities can make to the workplace, making their employment the norm rather than the exception.”
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Many local organizations in NYC are still slowly getting back to their pre-pandemic numbers of disabled staff members. The Jewish Community Center of Staten Island (SIJCC) is one of them.
“Prior to COVID, I believe we had approximately 10 employees that were disabled. I believe we have around 5 now,” said Timothy Esposito, the director of the Department for People with Disabilities at SIJCC.
Jene Smith is the intake coordinator at Daybreak Independent Services, located in the Bronx. She helps the disabled learn life skills including job readiness, time management, and communication skills.
Some of the programs offered at Daybreak include Day Habilitation and Community Habilitation, and it is a collaborative effort amongst all of the individuals' support systems. This would include their care manager, needed in order to obtain waiver services, and a close support network, such as family, friends, and advocates.
“We meet throughout the year to review their life plan. The life plan is person centered and is all about the wants and needs of the individual and helping to ensure the individual has the support to make informed choices. It will reflect the individual's goals and based on their goals we are able to assign goals to the program to work on with the individuals,” Smith said.
“Finding a job as a disabled person has been very difficult. I tend to struggle to find a job that is accommodating to me, since I use a wheelchair, but in the beginning of the pandemic, I did have a remote job and it was very convenient,” said 21-year-old Desteny de Leon, who lives in Manhattan, in the Washington Heights neighborhood.
Journalist Cara Reedy, who has dwarfism and ADHD, along with chronic arthritis said, “Getting jobs for me has been difficult the whole time. I have been of working age since I was in my teens. My first summer job was in sales. I have been making decisions about my capability for jobs since then,” she said.
Reedy has been consistently working remotely in NYC for a total of five years now. She used to be a freelancer for NPR, doing so for approximately four years. Following her departure from NPR, she began working at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), based in California.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been in effect for more than three decades. The law states that employers should not “discriminate against a qualified individual on the basis of disability, in regard to job application procedures, the hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, employee compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.”
“The pandemic has actually been a productive time for me, in that I have been offered and completed a number of these kinds of projects remotely, including some performance-based projects. I can reasonably say that many of these opportunities would have been less available to me if I did not have the opportunity to participate in the work remotely,” said Alejandra Ospina, who has cerebral palsy and has worked remotely from her home for the past six years as a media access provider.
Left: Emma K. Farley, Middle: Cara Reedy, Right: Desteny de Leon.