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We are taking my son to NYC for his 16th birthday in March. He is in a wheelchair. He can't walk but can do transfers out of his chair to a cab or a train, etc. He cannot do steps.
We reserved a hotel in Secaucus, NJ because the rates were better and we could get a larger room for our family of 5. We found a hotel with a bus stop right out front with a bus that takes you right into the Port Authority Bus terminal. Awesome, right?
So now I am reading that while I can probably get my son into the PABT, I probably can not get him home from there. According to the NYC Access Guide, most of the boarding areas in the Port Authority Bus Terminal are NOT handicapped accessible.
Seriously? Is this true? Not in my wildest dreams I would imagine that a major bus terminal in the largest city in the U.S. would not be ADA compliant?
So now I am wondering, what is the best way to get my family back from NYC to Secaucus, given what now appears are inability to use the bus. I do see where I can take the train to Penn Station, but then what? I really have do desire to use the NYC subway with a handicapped son.
Residents are eligible for Paratransit- consider in this case an accessible van, or unfortunately bite the bullet and take the subway.
It's strange that nearly every station is built ADA complaint with elevators, ramps, etc... but you SELDOM ever see anyone in a wheelchair on the subway.
This could be incorrect because I rarely travel through NJ via public transit- but I would look into taking a NJ transit train from Penn Station to Secaucus Junction. I'm like 90% sure it's wheelchair accessible at each of those stations.
Thanks! Sounds like the train may be our best option. I did inquire about para transit and I may be able to get him a visitor pass but it will take a lot of documentation. I don't mind paying for a taxi. This may sound ignorant, but I haven't been to NYC in 15 years: will a taxi take us from the city to Secaucus? I don't mind paying $75 or so in fare if that's our only option.
Thanks! Sounds like the train may be our best option. I did inquire about para transit and I may be able to get him a visitor pass but it will take a lot of documentation. I don't mind paying for a taxi. This may sound ignorant, but I haven't been to NYC in 15 years: will a taxi take us from the city to Secaucus? I don't mind paying $75 or so in fare if that's our only option.
You could definitely get a taxi/car service but I wouldn't give up on the public transit yet .
This could be a longshot but perhaps you could try calling the Mayors office for people with disabilities. They might be able to point you toward some resources. Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities - About
The Seacacus hotel may be cheaper, but getting around with a wheel chair on public transport is going to a bit of a hassel, and likely unpleasant!
I also strongly suggest limiting your travel times to NON "rush hour" times. Otherwise you are going to make people late with the inordinate amount of time it takes to load and secure a wheel chair.
So now I am wondering, what is the best way to get my family back from NYC to Secaucus, given what now appears are inability to use the bus. I do see where I can take the train to Penn Station, but then what? I really have do desire to use the NYC subway with a handicapped son.
Thanks in advance!
Lauren
Please note that not all NYC subway stations have handicapped access and you will need to make sure on the day of usage that there no outages on the elevators of the ones that you are planning on using.
This unfortunately sounds like a recipe for a million different things that could go wrong and ruin your trip. I would NOT rely on public transit to be 100% wheelchair accessible (even if it is supposed to be) because as others have said, elevators can be broken, buses and trains can be extremely crowded, etc. etc. There is a reason why on the supposedly "handicap accessible" subways you very very rarely ever see anyone in a wheelchair. I would get a more centrally located hotel room. If not manhattan, maybe look for cheaper areas of Brooklyn or Queens with easy cab access to manhattan? LIC comes to mind.
Another thought would be to contact NYC organizations that might have recommendations for tourists with disabilities? I'd be willing to bet you can google search it and come up with some good advice, things that people have done in the past that have worked out well for them.
Thanks. His wheelchair does not need to be secured it can fold up. He does not travel in his chair. We can't afford a hotel in the city.
We will have a car. My husband thinks we should drive into the city and park in a garage instead. Bad idea?
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