NYC Sentinel

Finishing the race with David Fraser

By Lynsey Chutel As marathon fever died down, with the refreshment stands dismantled and crowds dispersed and New York City returned to its routine, wheelchair marathoner David Frasier pushed his way to the finish line with his team of guides by his side.

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Wheeler trains for himself, but races for love

By Lynsey Chutel David Fraser will spend today pushing himself backwards in his wheelchair, using his left foot to power the 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon. He’ll do it for the personal challenge, but also to honor his wife.

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Love in the time of activism

By Lynsey Chutel There are few places in New York City as romantic as the top of the Empire State Building. For a couple using wheelchairs, this would have been an impossible sight until 1994. Nadina La Spina and Daniel Robert met at the landmark’s foot protesting its inaccessibility. Today, they still protest for the right to proper healthcare and the chance to marry.

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Navigating a Foggy World: The independent life of Lavar Phillips

By Lynsey Chutel Lavar Phillips is living in his first apartment. Like most people his age, Phillips is trying to assert his independence. Almost legally blind, his disability makes his life one of adjustments and adaptations. His determination to live that life on his own terms makes him part of a history of civil rights for people with disabilities.

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First drink at the “Blind Bar”

“This place is kinda packed for a Wednesday.” Lavar Phillips ushers his friend Shoniqua Hamilton into a midtown dive-bar. Hamilton turned 21 a few months ago, and this is her first visit to such an establishment. The Limerick Pub near 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue is an Irish pub full of all the clichés. Four-leaf clovers [...]

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Organizing Action: Disabled in Action monthly meeting

There was a certain informality, bordering on disorganization, about the monthly Disabled in Action meeting held in the first floor auditorium of Selis Manor in Chelsea on Sept. 13. Although chairs had been put out, many members rolled their wheelchairs right up to circular tables arranged around the room. By 1:30 p.m., the meeting had [...]

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Healthcare debate hits NY streets: Protesters target Aetna

Chaos blocked the entrance to the Aetna Health Insurance building on Park Avenue and East 40th Street on Tuesday morning as protesters carried placards demanding “Medicare for all.” With the help of a single snare-drum, charged with anger and determination, a crowd of nearly 30 loudly chanted slogans like “People, not profit” and carrying placards [...]

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