Hunters Point library violates the ADA, new federal lawsuit claims
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A civil complaint filed in federal court claims that the new Hunters Point library violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Photo via the DDC.
By Jonathan Sperling
A class action lawsuit filed by a nonprofit group in federal court on Tuesday argues that the newly renovated Hunters Point branch of the Queens Public Library violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit against the $41.5 million library was filed by Disability Rights Advocates on behalf of the Center for Independence of the Disabled – New York and Tanya Jackson, a Long Island City resident with a mobility disability who says she has been “discouraged” from accessing all of the library’s features.
The suit, which names the Queens Borough Public Library, The Board of Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library, and the City of New York as defendants, specifically alleges that there are at least three levels of the library that are completely inaccessible to people with mobility disabilities. That includes the library’s children’s section and the upper level of the rooftop terrace, which looks out onto the East River and the Manhattan skyline.
“It is shocking to me that a brand-new public library would not be fully accessible to people with mobility disabilities like myself. Libraries should welcome everyone, not exclude whole populations of people,” Jackson said.
When Jackson entered the library for the first time, the complaint alleges, she struggled to get herself up a steep ramp that led to one of the library’s indoor seating areas. Because she uses a rollator — a type of walker — Jackson is unable to use staircases.
“This morning we learned that a disability rights organization filed a lawsuit against the Library and the City of New York alleging that Hunters Point is not accessible to people living with disabilities,” Queens Public Library spokesperson Elisabeth de Bourbon told the Eagle on Tuesday. “It is always the Library’s goal to be welcoming, open and available to everyone, including customers with disabilities. We are taking this matter very seriously.”
Since opening in September, the Hunters Point branch has garnered criticism from Queens residents with disabilities. Visitors quickly pointed out that a fiction section had been placed on tiered shelves that are only accessible by stairs — the library’s elevator did not stop at the section.
Areas of the library that are accessible by its single elevator are also difficult to access, the lawsuit alleges, because there are often long waits.
“Twenty-nine years after the ADA promised open doors and equal opportunities for people with disabilities, we find the doors of a brand new library shut to children and adults with disabilities. This should not be allowed to happen. The Queens Borough Public Library and the City of New York must obey the law and make this right,” said Susan Dooha, executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled – New York.
