City of Cambridge Participatory Budgeting

Committee: Facilities, Parks and Recreation

Cost: $175,000 total

Location: Throughout Cambridge

Short Description: Let’s make our schools, libraries, and public buildings more accessible for all by adding automatic door openers to entries that are wheelchair accessible but lack this feature. The City will work with the Disabilities Commission to prioritize locations.

Long Description: 

Under the ADA, city programs and services may not discriminate against people with disabilities. One way to provide equal access for people with mobility disabilities is to install automatic door openers on exterior or heavy interior doors, ensuring that visitors and occupants can enter and exit city buildings safely and easily.

Many schools, libraries, and other public buildings in Cambridge that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can still be difficult to access because they lack automatic door openers. Push buttons to open doors benefit those who are elderly, pregnant, using wheelchairs or walkers, pushing strollers, concerned about germs on door handles, or anyone who has their hands full! Though automatic door openers are not a federal requirement, this funding would enable the City to “ramp up” their installation and to prioritize accessibility in Cambridge, converting existing non-automatic doors to those that can be automatically opened through use of a push button. The 10+ high-priority doors to be improved with this funding will be identified by the Disabilities Commission, other relevant City Departments, and with feedback from the public.