[Blindtlk] FW: Lincoln Center Pledges to Make Avery Fisher Hall More Accessible

[cheryl echevarria]

Article from the NY Times
By ROBIN POGREBIN
Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center will become more accessible to people with disabilities under a court settlement reached Wednesday between the performing arts center and the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan.Civil rights investigators for the office had brought a lawsuit against Lincoln Center for failing to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 at Avery Fisher, home to the New York Philharmonic.The settlement, in the form of a consent decree, was approved on Thursday by Judge Colleen McMahon of United States District Court in Manhattan.Under the decree, Lincoln Center agreed to install additional wheelchair seating, including locations closer to the stage, seats with removable armrests, Braille signs and an automatic door to the balcony. The center will also renovate food and retail areas as well as add accessible parking locations, all over the next year and a half. No fine was imposed.Center officials said the hall would not need to be closed for any extended period of time during the renovations. They declined to estimate the cost of the accommodations.In a statement, Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, described the corrective measures as comprehensive.Avery Fisher, originally known as Philharmonic Hall and renamed in 1973, was the first of Lincoln Center’s stages to open in September 1962.The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s civil rights unit initiated its investigation upon receiving a complaint from a member of the public, whose name was not disclosed, that the hall was not fully accessible because of architectural barriers.



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