New York City hosted its first parade on Sunday supporting people with disabilities, with more than 3,000 participants heading up Broadway using wheelchairs, canes and guide dogs.
“We’re here in full force,” said rapper Namel Norris, 33, in a wheelchair after being shot in the Bronx and paralysed as a teenager.
“I thought my life was over, but music is my calling, I have a purpose in life.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio kicked off the inaugural NYC Disability Pride Parade, saying he’s proud his city is a leader in supporting rights for disabled people.
The grand marshal was former US Senator Tom Harkin, the Democrat who 25 years ago sponsored the Americans With Disabilities Act.
De Blasio said his administration was “very, very committed already on the issue of accessible taxis, but all Tom Harkin had to do was say London was doing better to get my competitive fire going,” the mayor said, laughing.
About 4% of New York’s yellow cabs are accessible, said Allan Fromberg, a spokesman for the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, compared with London, where every taxi could handle wheelchairs.
In New York City, de Blasio declared July as “Disability Pride Month” in honour of the 25th anniversary of the landmark US act that aims to guarantee equal opportunities and rights for people with disabilities.