There are many attractions and places in the area that are accessible and can accommodate those with accessibility needs. Here’s a roundup of a few places in the Hoboken and New York City area that are definitely worth visiting and most importantly, are accessible for various needs.
In Hoboken
Places to eat
While many restaurants do have steps in front of them, making them inaccessible, there are restaurants that are wheelchair accessible or provide accommodations. For instance, Tacoria has a ramp available upon request. Other restaurants and places to eat that are wheelchair accessible include East LA, Panera, Chipotle, The Ainsworth, and more.
Places to go
A few accessible attractions in Hoboken include the Hoboken Waterfront Walkway, Pier A Park, the Hoboken Historical Museum, and the Barsky Gallery. Additionally, the Hoboken PATH station is accessible as it has an elevator, so traveling outside of Hoboken is accessible. The Stevens Shuttle also accommodates those with accessibility needs and NJ Transit can also provide accommodations as well.
In New York City
New York City has quite a few attractions that are accessible.
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
As stated on their site, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens “is committed to making its gardens, exhibitions, programs, and facilities accessible to all who visit.” In fact, the Alice Recknagel Ireys Fragrance Garden, created in 1955, was the first garden in the country designed for the visually impaired. Visitors are encouraged to touch and smell the plants, which have been selected for fragrant or tactile qualities and are all nontoxic. Plants are grown in elevated beds for accessibility by persons in wheelchairs. A continuous metal railing offers guidance, and Braille labels identify the specimens.”
Each entrance and information booth at the grounds are also “equipped with induction loops that transmit directly to hearing aids with T-coils” and “The Garden provides learning opportunities for visitors of all ages. Experienced educators work with both children and adults at all developmental and cognitive levels.” Moreover, The Garden also provides free guided tours for individuals with memory loss and their caregivers. For anyone in need of other accommodations, those can be arranged by contacting The Garden.
The Empire State Building
The famous 86th and 102nd observation decks in the Empire State Building are wheelchair accessible and “The 86th floor features lowered walls and sightseeing binoculars to accommodate visitors in wheelchairs. The 102nd floor has a higher wall that may be difficult for wheelers to see over. Accessible restroom facilities are available on the 86th floor. The Empire State Building is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
The Noguchi Museum
This museum and sculpture garden provides access programs upon request so that visitors of all abilities can have a positive experience. The museum is wheelchair accessible, has live captioning for all online programs by request, sign language interpretation for all programs upon request, and “guided tours and art workshops for visitors who are blind and partially sighted include detailed verbal descriptions and contextual information during tours.” The museum also offers guided tours and workshops for adult visitors with developmental and learning disabilities that “are carefully designed to meet the physical, emotional, and developmental needs of participants. Trained educators create experiences with art in the galleries using visual, verbal, and tactile interactions.”
Other accessible museums include the Guggenheim Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, which offer similar accessible programs to the Noguchi Museum.
Broadway Performances
For Broadway performances, the Theatre Development Fund “provides a membership service for theatregoers who are hard of hearing or deaf, have low vision or are blind, who cannot climb stairs or who require aisle seating or wheelchair locations.” Anyone who will benefit from these services is eligible and encouraged to apply for this membership. These services include accessible seating, audio description at select performances, open captioning at select performances, and sign language interpreting at select performances.
Accessibility is important to consider when planning places to go as it ensures that all people in the group can be included. These are just a few places in the area that are accessible but there are plenty of resources online that provide more examples of places to go and things to do that are also accessible!
