Department of Public Charities and Hospitals, Roosevelt Island (New York, N.Y.), 1942. New York City Municipal Archives.
This July, in celebration of Disability Pride Month and the anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we’re showcasing selections from the Municipal Library that trace New York City’s evolving journey toward accessibility, inclusion, and justice for people with disabilities.
The story begins nearly a century ago, with a 1932 issue of the University of the State of New York Bulletin titled “The Organization of Special Classes for Crippled Children.” While the outdated language is jarring today, the article also reflects flawed assumptions—that children with disabilities were inherently unable to thrive in standard classrooms.
By 1941, the tone had shifted. In Physically Handicapped Children in New York City, the NYC Board of Education highlighted the city’s pioneering work in disability education. Despite still drawing lines between “normal” and “handicapped” children, the publication promoted a more forward-thinking vision: rather than isolating students with disabilities, it advocated adapting existing programs to support their success alongside their peers.
It’s the Law: Rights of People with Disabilities. New York City Mayor’s Office for the Handicapped, Spring 1989. NYC Municipal Library.
Momentum built in the 1970s following the passage of federal legislation like Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. These transformative laws outlawed discrimination in federally funded educational settings and demanded sweeping changes. In response, the Mayor’s Office for the Handicapped (now the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities) released The New Federal Education Laws for Handicapped Children: Promises, Programs, Problems in 1978. The introduction called the implications “so vast… they will alter the lives of every one of us.”
One year later, the same office published A Right and Not a Privilege, a bold declaration of empowerment and advocacy for what it called the “emerging handicapped minority.” In 1989, just before the ADA became law, the city issued It’s the Law: Rights of People with Disabilities, a guide to federal, state, and local protections that armed New Yorkers with tools to fight discrimination in jobs, housing, education, and beyond.
New York City wasn’t waiting for federal mandates. With Local Law 58 in 1987, the city required accessible design in all new construction and major renovations. A 1991 guide from the Department of Buildings, How to Work with Local Law 58/87, laid out the blueprint for barrier-free design, work that would later be integrated into the 2014 Construction Code.
AccessibleNYC. New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, 2021.
Following the passage of the ADA in 1990, the city continued to push forward. In 1992, the MTA and NYC Transit released their “Key Station Plan,” outlining steps to make subway stations accessible. That same year, the Landmarks Preservation Commission published Access to Preservation, a thoughtful approach to making historic buildings ADA-compliant without compromising their architectural integrity.
Today, progress continues. Since 2016, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities has issued AccessibleNYC, an annual report tracking efforts to build a more inclusive city. The 2021 edition captured the evolving mindset: “While there is still so much more work to be done… there is a greater recognition that making the city more accessible for people with disabilities benefits everyone—with disabilities and without.”
From exclusion to empowerment, these documents tell a powerful story of transformation—of a city moving ever closer to equality not just in law, but in practice and spirit.