Making Philadelphia streets more accessible to all

Dougherty has built a career in disability access. He currently serves as an access and functional needs coordinator for the City, to ensure that public health services are accessible for all residents. He previously worked at Liberty Resources, the lead plaintiff in the case, where he was a policy and project coordinator.

everyone wins with a lot of the access victories. And, not just in terms of specific victories, but with the feeling of inclusion and broadening the consideration of who is able to use things.”

By Jay Nachman

When his daughter, Rosie, was a baby, Liam Dougherty, 33, would hold her safely on his lap while he went about his day using his wheelchair. However, there were other times when traveling alone that he would fall out of his wheelchair at street corners because there were no curb ramps – a cutout between the road and the sidewalk that makes it easier and safer for pedestrians to travel.

That was among the reasons why Dougherty agreed to be one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit Liberty Resources, Inc., et al. v. City of Philadelphia, which sought to make the City’s non-conforming sidewalks compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Under a settlement reached that was announced in October, the City will install or remediate at least 10,000 curb ramps over the next 15 years with 2,000-ramp milestones every three fiscal years. In addition to the City’s obligations under the ADA to install, remediate and maintain curb ramps, the City will also perform such work on curb ramps annually in response to requests from Philadelphia residents through the City’s 311 system.

“The biggest priority for me was ensuring that I would be able to traverse the city, safely, with my daughter on my lap,” said Dougherty, who lives in Fairmount.

Feedback sought on Master Plan for Older Adults

“It’s important to me that there is as much equity as possible for the residents of our city,” Dougherty said. “It’s always been a priority to me, speaking widely, to ensure that things are built with disability in mind,” he said. “The wheel is an old invention, but it is only recently that cities are being built with the wheel in mind.”

Dougherty said a big part of the lawsuit victory is that it allows for all people to use the city equitably and not be segmented. In addition, he said, the lawsuit settlement gives power of oversight and lets residents know “that the City has your back.”

The more that society thinks of disability as an afterthought, the more alienating disability can be. “If infrastructure is built with disability in mind and interwoven into the way that things work, that’s important to me and to everyone who wants to live in an inclusive space,” Dougherty said.

In July, Dougherty and his wife will have another child. Thanks to the lawsuit, he’ll be able to travel more freely and safely on the sidewalks and streets throughout Philadelphia.

Access can provide helpful outcomes to the entire community. “We like to say in the disability community that the access wins we make are really wide-reaching,” Dougherty said. “People pushing strollers, medical equipment and luggage, or older adults with grocery carts —

To request an ADA curb ramp be installed or repaired, contact the City of Philadelphia by calling 311 or visiting Phila.gov (type “curb ramp” in the search).

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is gathering recommendations for its Master Plan through listening sessions hosted by local Area Agencies on Aging, including Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. All Pennsylvanians are encouraged to learn more about the plan and to submit their comments, opinions and questions at aging.pa.gov. You can also submit comments by email to AgingPlan@pa.gov and by U.S. mail to Pennsylvania Department of Aging, c/o Master Plan, 555 Walnut St., 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101. Stay tuned for an upcoming schedule of listening sessions in the next issue of Milestones. We hope you can join one of these events to provide valuable feedback!

Tips for taking care of aging feet

viding a counterforce. The toenails prevent the soft tissue underneath from shifting and provide a protective layer when someone stubs a toe.

For these reasons, it is important to maintain your toenails. “You don’t want them to be too big or too small,” Dr. Khan said. “If there is discoloration, it needs to be looked at.”

By Jay Nachman

When it comes to healthy feet, the adage “use it, or lose it” is sage advice, according to Dr. Khurram H. Khan, chairman of the Department of Podiatric Medicine at Temple University.

If you are not on your feet regularly, you will lose muscle and bone strength. “We always tell patients, we want you to be active,” Dr. Khan said. “Walking is probably the best exercise for most people, young and old. Bone grows along stress lines. So, wherever there is stress, the bone will grow or be maintained. We want patients to walk. We want them to maintain the calcium definition that comes from ambulation.”

A high percentage of older adults have arthritis and are not active because it hurts to move. “If it is early-stage arthritis, you actually do want to move. That will help with the arthritis,” Dr. Khan explained. “Moving that joint will help. If it is latestage arthritis, we try and do something to help prevent the motion. In those instances, orthotics can be put into shoes so patients can walk without pain.”

If a patient has late-stage arthritis in the big toe, he recommends a shoe that doesn’t bend in the front. “The shoe does some of the motion for you, so your big toe doesn’t have to bend as far as it normally does,” Dr. Khan said. “If that doesn’t control the pain, an insert can be put in the shoe to help prevent the motion.”

When considering foot health, the toenails are also important. When walking, toenails help toes grip the ground by pro-

Visit the area’s largest shoe collection

Discoloration can be caused by a fungus, mold or yeast. Nail psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that can occur in the toenails. When nails split, it can be caused by a vitamin deficiency. Fingernails and toenails are an important window to overall health. “The nails play an important role in guiding us to ask what else is going on in the body,” Dr. Khan said.

He also recommends frequent changing of socks because they hold onto fungus, molds and yeast. Dry skin on the feet should be treated to prevent cracks and fissures. When putting lotion on dry feet, don’t put it between the toes because it’s an area that retains moisture and can cause fungus and bacteria to grow.

For people with diabetes or at risk for diabetes, it is important to see a podiatrist at least once a year. A study by the American Podiatric Medical Association found that one visit to a foot doctor reduces hospitalization and the risk of ulcers and amputation by 25%.

Flip-flops are the worst shoes for older adults. “When wearing flip-flops, you’re relying on just two toes – the big toe and the second toe – to hold the shoe onto your foot,” Dr. Khan said. “We are walking all the time and we use our feet to ambulate, so we want to make sure they are well supported and in good health.”

The American Podiatric Medical Association offers healthy feet tips, resources and a podiatrist finder at apma.org.

BY JAY NACHMAN

Temple University’s School of Podiatric Medicine, located at 148 N. 8th St., has an enormous shoe collection, The Shoe Museum, with approximately 1,000 shoes on display in 13 exhibits.

The museum was founded in 1976 to coincide with the nation’s bicentennial as an added attraction for visitors to the Liberty Bell and Independence Park, which are located two blocks from the museum. The international shoe collection was originally supplied by a long-term loan from the Dr. H. Augustus Wilson shoe collection of the Mütter Museum. Wilson was a noted Philadelphia orthopedist and world traveler who collected footwear from more than 30 countries.

Exhibits at the museum include The Anatomy and Physiology of Shoes, Mummer Shoes, The Locker Room, Shoes in the Arts, A Style for Every Occasion and Shoes of the World.

Admission to the museum is free, but visits must be scheduled in advance by emailing the museum curator Dr. Andrew Meyr at ajmeyr@temple.edu. Tours are available on weekdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. For more information, call 215-777-5750.