Lesson 10: Whose job is it to fix the blocked route? Educator guide

Twelve minutes at Elm and 4th

The story: A detour that starts with stairs

It is Tuesday at 4:05 p.m., at the corner of Elm Street and 4th Avenue. Sami is heading to a free community workshop run by the city’s parks department. It starts at 5. Sami uses a manual wheelchair, and her bus comes in 12 minutes. Mateo is with Sami.

The curb ramp on the northeast corner is blocked by construction fencing. A sign reads “SIDEWALK CLOSED AHEAD. PEDESTRIAN DETOUR.” Its arrow points to a path that begins with a flight of stairs. “The sign says detour,” Sami says. “The detour starts with stairs. So, no.”

Mateo already has the sign on video. His first idea is to post it. Sami asks one question: does that get her on the bus? It does not. So Mateo puts the camera down. He checks the other corners for a ramp while Sami looks up the next bus stop. The report can wait an hour.

What one video can show

Later, Mateo wonders whether the city is breaking the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. That is a big claim, a word from Lesson 1. A claim is a statement that something is true. You can check a claim with evidence. But one video of one corner cannot prove what a whole city is doing. It can show what happened, where and when.

A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part. The fenced ramp is one barrier. The workshop flyer may be another. It says “All welcome!” but gives no way to ask about an accessible entrance.

In Lesson 9, you learned that a jurisdiction is the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority. The city runs the workshop, so the city is responsible. An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints. That is who should get the report, not Mateo’s followers.

Program access is an ADA rule that a city’s services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities. A good report names the corner, the day and time and where the sign points. It asks one question: is there an accessible detour, and how long will the ramp be blocked? Mateo will send it only if Sami says yes. Your job is to write down the corner, the time and the sign before anyone posts.

How the ADA began

On March 12, 1990, about 60 disabled activists set aside their wheelchairs and other mobility aids and climbed the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The youngest was eight-year-old Jennifer Keelan. The protest became known as the Capitol Crawl. It showed Congress what stairs do to public life. The ADA was signed that July (HISTORY, July 24, 2020).

Key terms in this passage

Program access

Program access is an ADA rule that a city's services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities.

Barrier

A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part.

ADA coordinator

An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints.

Claim

A claim is a statement that something is true. You can check a claim with evidence.

Jurisdiction

A jurisdiction is the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority.

Real sources cited

• HISTORY, “When the ‘Capitol Crawl’ Dramatized the Need for Americans with Disabilities Act,” July 24, 2020. Open the source (opens in a new tab)

From a video to a report the city can answer

The story: The camera goes down

At 4:05 p.m. on a Tuesday, Sami and Mateo reach the corner of Elm Street and 4th Avenue. She is on her way to a free community workshop run by the city’s parks department, starting at 5. She uses a manual wheelchair. Her bus arrives in 12 minutes.

The northeast curb ramp is behind construction fencing. A sign reads “SIDEWALK CLOSED AHEAD. PEDESTRIAN DETOUR,” and its arrow points to a path that begins with a flight of stairs. Sami’s summary is four short sentences in the group chat: the ramp is fenced off, the detour sign points to stairs, so no, bus in 12.

Mateo had the sign on video before he even thought about it. He asks whether she wants him to post it. Sami answers with a question: does that get her on the bus? He admits it does not. He puts the camera down and checks the other corners for a ramp while she looks up the next stop. Sami also sets a rule for the future. He can film the ramp and the sign. If he wants to film her, he asks first, and ideally not while she is busy missing a bus.

In this case, your role is to write down the corner, the time and the sign before anyone posts. The report comes later, once Sami is on her way.

Sizing the claim to the evidence

Mateo’s next thought is legal: is the city breaking the Americans with Disabilities Act? That is a claim, the Lesson 1 term for a statement that something is true that you can check with evidence. The evidence is narrow. The sign went up Monday. Mateo recorded it Tuesday at 4:05 p.m. The route map shows five stages: home to the corner, the blocked northeast ramp, the bus stop, the bus to the parks department building and the workshop entrance and room. Nobody has checked that last stage yet. One corner and one sign cannot show whether another accessible route exists or whether the whole city is out of compliance.

A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part. Sami meets one at the ramp. The workshop flyer could be a second one. It says “All welcome!” and “Call the front desk,” but it gives no information about accessible entrances or how to request access.

Program access is an ADA rule that a city’s services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities. Access covers the whole visit: finding the information, getting there, going in, taking part and leaving. That is why a good report looks at all five stages, not just the corner.

Lesson 9 introduced jurisdiction, the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority. Here it answers “whose job is it?” The city runs the workshop and manages the street. An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints. Mateo puts it simply. The report goes to the city’s ADA coordinator, not his followers. It lists the corner, the time, the sign and one question: is there an accessible detour, and how long will this stay blocked? He sends it only if Sami says yes.

What the law and history add

The Justice Department explains that Title II of the ADA covers state and local government programs and services. Its guide for cities also covers keeping curb ramps usable during street work (U.S. Department of Justice, updated February 24, 2020).

The ADA itself came from protest. On March 12, 1990, activists climbed the Capitol steps to show what stairs do to access, and the law was signed that July (HISTORY, July 24, 2020). Thirty-five years later, NPR looked at what the law changed and what barriers people still report (NPR, July 22, 2025).

Key terms in this passage

Program access

Program access is an ADA rule that a city's services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities.

Barrier

A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part.

ADA coordinator

An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints.

Claim

A claim is a statement that something is true. You can check a claim with evidence.

Jurisdiction

A jurisdiction is the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority.

Real sources cited

• U.S. Department of Justice, “The ADA and City Governments,” February 24, 2020. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• HISTORY, “When the ‘Capitol Crawl’ Dramatized the Need for Americans with Disabilities Act,” July 24, 2020. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• NPR, “35 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act — celebrating the success and concern,” July 22, 2025. Open the source (opens in a new tab)

A barrier, a bus and the right office

The story: The next twelve minutes

Sami studies design and photographs things most people walk past. She also uses a manual wheelchair and wants access planned before an event, not offered as an apology afterward. At 4:05 p.m. on a Tuesday, at the corner of Elm Street and 4th Avenue, she is on her way to a free parks department workshop that starts at 5. Her bus comes in 12 minutes.

The northeast curb ramp is fenced off for construction. The posted detour, “SIDEWALK CLOSED AHEAD. PEDESTRIAN DETOUR,” points to a path that begins with stairs. Sami says it without drama. The sign says detour, the detour starts with stairs, so no.

Mateo is with Sami, and his reflex is a filmmaker’s. He has the sign on video before he has thought about what the video is for. When he offers to post it, Sami asks whether that gets her on the bus. It does not. Mateo puts the camera down and checks the other corners for a ramp while Sami looks up the next stop. The order of priorities is the first lesson of the case. The person facing the barrier decides what the moment needs and what gets said about her. The report can wait an hour.

Your role is to write down the corner, the time and the sign before anyone posts, so that the later report rests on a clean record.

Evidence, barriers and program access

Mateo’s next question is whether the city is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. That is a claim, a statement that something is true that can be checked with evidence, and Lesson 1 taught you to match a claim to what the evidence can support. Mateo draws the limit himself. His video shows one fenced ramp and one sign at 4:05. It cannot show whether another way around exists, so he cannot call the whole route illegal.

The route map widens the frame. Sami’s trip has five stages: home to the corner, the northeast ramp, the bus stop, the ride to the parks department building and the workshop entrance and room. The last stage has not been checked. The flyer adds a different kind of gap. It invites everyone, lists a front desk number and says nothing about accessible entrances or how to request access.

A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part. The fenced ramp is a physical barrier. The flyer’s silence may be an informational one. Program access is an ADA rule that a city’s services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities. The standard applies to the program, not to each building separately. It generally does not require every older building to be accessible, and a city can relocate a service to an accessible place. Existing buildings and new construction have different requirements. Access still covers the whole visit: finding the information, getting there, going in, taking part and leaving.

The last question is who can fix it. Lesson 9’s term jurisdiction, the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority, points to the city, which both runs the workshop and manages the street. An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints. Mateo’s planned report is short: the corner, the time, the sign and one question. Is there an accessible detour, and how long will the ramp be blocked? It goes out only if Sami agrees.

The law’s origins and its limits

The Justice Department’s guide for cities explains that Title II of the ADA covers state and local programs, including keeping curb ramps usable during street work (U.S. Department of Justice, updated February 24, 2020). The law’s history explains its focus on steps and routes. On March 12, 1990, activists climbed the Capitol steps to show what stairs do to access, and the ADA was signed that July (HISTORY, July 24, 2020). Minnesota’s disability council notes that the protest involved ADAPT, which began as Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, March 1, 2015).

Enforcement is uneven. In New York, a North Bronx subway station is set to get elevators nearly a decade after an ADA lawsuit (THE CITY, October 3, 2025). Federal auditors found gaps in checking whether paratransit services for disabled riders actually work (GAO, November 15, 2012).

Professional codes speak to both people at the corner. The ASPA code asks public servants to “respect and assist all persons in their dealings with public organizations” (ASPA Code of Ethics, 2013). The NPPA code asks visual journalists to “be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects” (NPPA Code of Ethics, no date listed).

Key terms in this passage

Program access

Program access is an ADA rule that a city's services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities.

Barrier

A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part.

ADA coordinator

An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints.

Claim

A claim is a statement that something is true. You can check a claim with evidence.

Jurisdiction

A jurisdiction is the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority.

Real sources cited

• U.S. Department of Justice, “The ADA and City Governments,” February 24, 2020. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• HISTORY, “When the ‘Capitol Crawl’ Dramatized the Need for Americans with Disabilities Act,” July 24, 2020. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, “The Capitol Crawl,” March 1, 2015. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• THE CITY, “North Bronx Subway Station to Get Elevators, Nearly a Decade After ADA Lawsuit,” October 3, 2025. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Government Accountability Office, “ADA Paratransit Services: Demand Has Increased, but Little Is Known About Compliance (GAO-13-17),” November 15, 2012. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), “ASPA Code of Ethics,” 2013. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), “NPPA Code of Ethics for Visual Journalists,” No date listed. Open the source (opens in a new tab)

Program access and the ethics of reporting a barrier

The story: A detour that excludes

At 4:05 p.m. on a Tuesday, Sami, 23, and Mateo, 22, reach the corner of Elm Street and 4th Avenue on the way to a free parks department workshop that begins at 5. Sami uses a manual wheelchair. Her bus arrives in 12 minutes. The northeast curb ramp is fenced for construction, and the posted pedestrian detour begins with a flight of stairs.

The case opens with a small ethical sequence that many well-meaning allies get wrong. Mateo has already filmed the sign and offers to post it. Sami asks whether posting gets her on the bus. It does not. He stops filming, checks the other corners for a ramp and lets her look up the next stop. She is clear about consent. The ramp and the sign are fair to film. Filming her requires asking, and not in the middle of a missed bus. The advocacy can wait until the person most affected has what she needs.

Your role is to write down the corner, the time and the sign before anyone posts. That record is the raw material for everything that follows.

From observation to an answerable question

Mateo’s instinct is to ask whether the city is breaking the Americans with Disabilities Act. Framed that way, the question is a claim, a statement that something is true that can be checked with evidence, and the evidence cannot carry it. One video establishes one fenced ramp and one sign on Tuesday at 4:05 p.m., posted since Monday. It does not establish whether an accessible alternative exists, how long the closure will last or how the city manages its program elsewhere. Mateo reaches that conclusion himself. He cannot call the whole route illegal from one corner.

The route map and flyer extend the analysis. Sami’s trip has five stages, and the workshop entrance and room have not been checked. The flyer, “Free Community Workshop Series … All welcome! Questions? Call the front desk,” offers no information about accessible entrances or how to request access. A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part. The fence is a physical barrier, and the flyer’s omission may be an informational one.

Program access is an ADA rule that a city’s services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities. The standard is structural rather than site-by-site. It generally does not require every older building to be accessible, and a city can meet it by relocating a service. Existing buildings and new construction are treated differently. What the standard does require is that the program, from information to arrival to participation, work for disabled residents.

The Lesson 9 concept of jurisdiction, the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority, identifies the responsible party. The city runs the workshop and controls the street. An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints. Mateo’s report is built to be answerable. It gives the corner, the time and the sign, then asks one question: is there an accessible detour, and how long will this stay blocked? It is sent only with Sami’s agreement.

Law, history and professional norms

The Department of Justice’s guide for city governments explains Title II program access, curb ramps during street work and effective communication (U.S. Department of Justice, updated February 24, 2020). The law’s history is inseparable from stairs. In the Capitol Crawl on March 12, 1990, activists climbed the Capitol steps to dramatize exclusion, and the ADA was signed that July (HISTORY, July 24, 2020). The protest was associated with ADAPT, which began as Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, March 1, 2015).

Implementation remains contested. Advocates continue to press the MTA over broken elevators that block subway routes (amNewYork, March 24, 2025). A North Bronx station is set to get elevators nearly a decade after an ADA lawsuit (THE CITY, October 3, 2025). A federal audit found that little was known about compliance in ADA paratransit services (GAO, November 15, 2012).

Professional codes frame the duties on each side. ASPA asks public administrators to “respect and assist all persons in their dealings with public organizations” (ASPA Code of Ethics, 2013). NPPA asks visual journalists to “be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects” (NPPA Code of Ethics, no date listed). For lawyers, the ABA’s model rules require a basis in law and fact before bringing a claim, and they call for learning the facts first (ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, 1983, as amended). A report sized to its evidence meets all three standards.

Key terms in this passage

Program access

Program access is an ADA rule that a city's services, taken as a whole, must be usable by people with disabilities.

Barrier

A barrier is something that blocks or limits a person from taking part.

ADA coordinator

An ADA coordinator is the staff member a government names to handle disability access questions and complaints.

Claim

A claim is a statement that something is true. You can check a claim with evidence.

Jurisdiction

A jurisdiction is the place or area where a particular government or rule has authority.

Real sources cited

• U.S. Department of Justice, “The ADA and City Governments,” February 24, 2020. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• HISTORY, “When the ‘Capitol Crawl’ Dramatized the Need for Americans with Disabilities Act,” July 24, 2020. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, “The Capitol Crawl,” March 1, 2015. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• amNewYork, “Elevator advocates push for better subway accessibility,” March 24, 2025. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• THE CITY, “North Bronx Subway Station to Get Elevators, Nearly a Decade After ADA Lawsuit,” October 3, 2025. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Government Accountability Office, “ADA Paratransit Services: Demand Has Increased, but Little Is Known About Compliance (GAO-13-17),” November 15, 2012. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), “ASPA Code of Ethics,” 2013. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), “NPPA Code of Ethics for Visual Journalists,” No date listed. Open the source (opens in a new tab)
• American Bar Association (ABA), Center for Professional Responsibility, “ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct,” No date listed. Open the source (opens in a new tab)