NYC BID Association, NYC Department of Small Business Services & NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
Empowering Accessibility
How can we increase accessibility compliance among small businesses in New York City?
NYC BID Association
NYC Department of Small Business Services
NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
People living with disabilities have the right to participate in everyday activities like shopping at a store, going to a neighborhood restaurant, or interacting with a website. City, state, and federal accessibility laws protect this critical right by making sure that businesses and other public places make their physical and digital spaces accessible. Businesses in New York City must comply with this complex web of regulations to meet accessibility requirements and avoid lawsuits.
Public Policy Lab is partnering with the NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (NYC MOPD), NYC Department of Small Business Services (NYC SBS), and NYC BID Association (which represents the city's 75+ Business Improvement Districts) to support small business owners in better understanding and complying with accessibility requirements, with the goal of fewer compliance penalties for businesses and increased access for all New Yorkers.
Following a human-centered process of research, co-design, and field-testing, PPL developed a set of policy recommendations for the NYC BID Association; a website, www.businessaccessibility.nyc, where businesses and BIDs can find information and resources on accessibility compliance; an outreach model for BIDs to use in raising awareness and supporting business owners; and a set of printable outreach materials that can be downloaded from the website. In 2019, NYC MOPD issued a press release announcing the launch of the website and highlighting the City's commitment to ensuring that small business owners fulfill accessibility mandates.
Judy Park Lee
David Frisco
Kanna Atarashi
John Buckley