[pavel_lishin]

I became very aware of which subway stops have elevators after my elderly father came to visit us, and had to walk down the two long flights of stairs to the subway platform. (Luckily, there's one - one! - escalator that goes to the main mezzanine from the lower level, but if you're on the middle level, it's the staircase for you again.)

Another "temporary disability" that most people don't think of is carrying a baby. Suddenly, doors that can be operated one-handed (or even better, hands-free) are wonderful when you're trying to get your kid someplace where you can change that blow-out.

[CydeWeys]

Yeah, the stations I was mentioning don't have escalators either. Few in NYC do. Contrast with the DC Metro system, which is much more recent and has escalators in almost all stations. Still not good for wheelchair users, but much better for people on crutches.

[pavel_lishin]

We used to live at Parkside in Brooklyn, and one night my wife and I carried a guy in a wheelchair up the stairs.

He had no idea how to check which stations were handicap-accessible and which weren't, and when we showed him, it turns out he would have to go halfway further into Brooklyn, then get on a bus just to undo the journey above-ground. At something like 1 or 2am, too.

He just sort of deflated when he realized the journey ahead of him, so we just offered to lug him up the stairs, and did. Good thing he wasn't there alone.

[TheCoelacanth]

The DC metro has elevator access throughout the whole system as well. Judging by the frequent announcements I hear, there is almost always at least one or two elevators out, but they operate shuttles to take people with wheelchairs to the nearest station with working elevators when there is a outage.