Here’s an alarming fact: most NYC elementary school are violating the Americans With Disabilities Act, according to a federal investigation. This is not only terrible news for students with disabilities, but it’s an embarrassment that educators are failing to do what they’re supposed to: provide an equal and accessible education to all.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara claims that 83% of the city’s public elementary schools are not fully accessible to children with disabilities. Apparently, six school districts don’t even have even one school that is fully accessible. That translates to 50,000 students.
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Bharara made a public statement:
“Children with disabilities and their families are being denied the right to equal access to a public school education…We have asked the City for a response, including an outline and timeline of corrective actions that will remedy this unacceptable state of affairs.”
Since 1990, the ADA became the official law to end discrimination against people with disabilities. That’s been 25 years, which is much too long for any excuse, especially considering New York City is one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
