Comptroller urges state parks to strengthen ADA compliance

Aug. 12—The New York State Comptroller's Office thinks more needs to be done to improve the experience for people with disabilities who visit state parks.

In an audit released Friday, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli urged officials with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to take the steps needed to ensure state parks and historic sites are accessible and accommodating to people with disabilities.

The audit, which covered state parks operations from January 2018 to October 2022, determined that accessibility has not been actively incorporated into the process for maintaining and operating New York parks and that information on accessibility at reviewed sites was not always accurate.

The audit recommends state parks officials do a better job of communicating and training staff on requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and develop procedures for monitoring and addressing accessibility complaints. In addition, the comptroller urged state parks officials to monitor new construction and improvement projects to ensure compliance with ADA standards.

"New York state strives to promote inclusivity and broad access to all the resources it has to offer, and this includes our state parks and historic sites," DiNapoli said. "The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation recognizes the importance of improving accessibility to the New York State parks system, but must do a better job incorporating this goal into its processes for maintaining and operating its sites, and improve its communications with and responsiveness to the public."

At 40 parks statewide, auditors examined 1,446 amenities such as restrooms, campsites, swimming areas, playgrounds, pavilions, elevators, boat launches and parking, and found that 62% of them could be improved to enhance accessibility. These included correcting mislabeled "accessible" signage, fixing rough or uneven access routes, increasing the number of wheelchair accessible bathroom stalls and ensuring there are more accessible, clearly labeled parking spaces.

In 2015, the state parks office developed a transition plan as required by the ADA after identifying physical obstacles for people with disabilities at its parks and historic sites. However, auditors found that the plan did not include a specific timetable for making accessibility improvements, had not been updated for eight years, and little action had been taken to implement the provisions. State parks staff said they perform periodic walk-throughs or try to address complaints related to accessibility, but most were not aware of the plan.

Auditors found that several parks had accessibility information misrepresented online, while others had incorrect accessibility signage on-site.

The audit did find some parks had taken steps to improve accessibility and a spokesperson for the Office of Parks said Friday that the goal remains to continue addressing issues raised by the comptroller's office.

"We take these findings and recommendations very seriously and continue to work to address accessibility for all New Yorkers in our 250 state parks and historic sites," said state parks spokesperson Dan Keefe, who noted that the audit involved 44 parks, less than 20% of all state parks sites.

Keefe further noted that many state parks facilities pre-date the 2010 implementation of federal ADA standards, while saying the office continues to make progress updating facilities to better accommodate disabled visitors.

Included in a list of ongoing and recent improvement projects, Keefe said state parks has:

—Developed a landscape plan at Niagara Falls State Park to make pathways more accessible

—Installed directional signage for accessible amenities throughout Niagara Falls State Park and Saratoga Spa State Park

—Developed an inclusive mile-long series of autism nature trail sensory stations at Letchworth State Park

—Started offering wheelchairs for patrons with mobility limitations at state beaches and pools

—Added accessible roll-in kayak launches at boat rental and launch areas

Keefe said state parks views the audit as helpful.

"We continue to work to improve aging infrastructure with financial means and resources and look for ways to remove barriers and improve accessibility to our facilities," he said.