In New Orleans, the "Big Easy" Includes Accessibility Too

"Wheelchair user Mark Raymond was sitting at an outdoor table at Loretta's Pralines on Frenchmen Street, the quieter alternative to Bourbon Street's tourist trap, as powdered sugar from a deconstructed crabmeat beignet cascaded onto his lap like Mardi Gras confetti. We were seated out back because the ornate Parisian-inspired front entrance has steps. "In New Orleans, it's often a battle over whether aesthetics will win over function," he told me."

"His battle is one I know all too well. It plays out in every historic city I've ever rolled through. As a Brit, I come from a world where "listed building" is practically legal shorthand for segregation. London is so old that wheelchair users are routinely turned away from restaurants, bars, and hotels simply because steps are deemed too beautiful or too invaluable to be replaced or supplemented by ramps. It can feel like buildings take precedence over people."

"Take the vintage Perley Thomas streetcars that rattle down St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. Those army-green relics are postcard-perfect by anyone's standard. Inside, handcrafted Honduran mahogany seats, fitted with brass fixtures, hold smiling passengers. Outside, they gleam beneath centuries-old live oaks like moving pieces of history. The streetcar line has operated since 1835, with the current green vehicles dating back to 1923. Until a few years ago, when local parents of an eight-year-old wheelchair user sued, they were completely inaccessible."

A wheelchair user sits at an outdoor table at Loretta's Pralines because the ornate Parisian-inspired front entrance has steps, demonstrating how historic aesthetics can impede access. Powdered sugar from a deconstructed crabmeat beignet falls onto his lap. Local preservationist priorities often trump functional accessibility, prompting prolonged battles over whether aesthetics should override ramps and other accommodations. Quadriplegic transit officials have challenged preservationists and say change is inevitable. In London, listed-building protections routinely prevent installation of ramps, excluding wheelchair users from many venues. Vintage Perley Thomas streetcars retain historic features but remained inaccessible until parents sued, leading to limited level boarding at some stops.

Read at Conde Nast Traveler