St. Louis ranks high nationally for accessibility, but could be better, advocate says
St. Louis recently ranked as the third-best city in the country for people with disabilities, in part due to family physician options and access to public parks.
WalletHub named St. Louis third in its Sept. 27 study Best and Worst States for People with Disabilities, which compared more than 180 cities. St. Louis ranked fifth for quality of life and 24th for health care, but fell behind in some economic metrics.
The city had an overall score of 56 out of 100, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for people with disabilities. Minneapolis, Minn., had the highest score at 56.63, and Gulfport, Miss., had the lowest at 35.17.
Accessibility in St. Louis
Aimee Wehmeier, president of Center for Independent Living organization Paraquad, said she was excited to see St. Louis recognized as a good place for people with disabilities to live, but that more improvements are still needed to promote accessibility.
“I think there are very good things about St. Louis, certainly the cost of living for a major metropolitan area is phenomenal,” Wehmeier said. “I think also we have probably some of the best health care in the country, you know, partially that’s due to some of the universities. There’s a lot of support in the health care system for folks with disabilities.”
Wehmeier uses a power wheelchair for mobility, and she said one barrier to accessibility in St. Louis is the historic nature of many of its buildings.
“I think the hardest part is it’s just a really old city. You know, there’s a lot of history in St. Louis, and so a lot of the older buildings are not accessible, and there’s a lot of maintenance and things that need to be done on the streets, so that’s certainly an issue within the city and county and prioritizing accessibility for people with disabilities,” Wehmeier said. “There’s some areas that we can certainly improve, and I think other areas are a little bit harder when you’re working with an older city.”
Making accessibility a priority, especially considering an aging population, is important, Wehmeier said. While historic buildings may need more work than newer construction to promote accessibility, there are improvements that can be made, she said.
Wehmeier said accessibility has been prioritized in many newer St. Louis building projects, including the green space around the Gateway Arch National Park and other parks. The challenge lies more in the backlog of accessibility renovations that are needed in historic buildings.
COVID-19 has worsened conditions for people with disabilities in a number of ways, from higher death rates in people with certain conditions, to health care staff shortages, to other issues.
“Transportation has always been one of the top barriers for people with disabilities, but that is exacerbated in our new world in which there are not workers available, there’s not resources available, and so I think the impact on people with disabilities has been significant,” Wehmeier continued.
There is a lack of affordable, accessible transportation in St. Louis, Wehmeier said. Accessible vans can cost anywhere from $50,000 to $60,000, and rideshare options such as carpooling or taking an Uber or Lyft are not accessible for everyone.
Inaccessible sidewalks are another area in which St. Louis infrastructure could be improved, Wehmeier said. Walkways in disrepair throughout the metro may create transportation issues for people who use mobility aids.
A lack of transportation can hurt employment opportunities for people with disabilities, which can contribute to economic inequity.
“Employment has been an issue that Paraquad has been working on for many years and continues to be one of the areas of greatest need, especially as we look at equity and independence,” Wehmeier said. “Because if folks don’t have the opportunity to work, they never have the opportunity to move out of poverty.”
Regulations prohibiting people from collecting disability benefits while working are a major barrier to employment access for people with disabilities, Wehmeier said.
“Because when you work, oftentimes you lose disability or you lose your benefits, and so people have to pick. And so I think in some other cities, more progressive cities, folks can access health care and work,” Wehmeier said.
While accessibility reform is still needed in St. Louis, especially in the areas of transportation and employment, Wehmeier said she was proud to see her home city recognized for its health care, cost of living and other benefits.
“As a person who lives in St. Louis, it’s exciting that in some areas we do really, really well for people with disabilities,” Wehmeier said.
More on the ranking
Here are St. Louis’ accessibility results, from WalletHub:
Housing affordability: 85th place
Cost of living: 87.1 out of 100 points, 18th place
Median earnings for people with disabilities: $23,485, 107th place
Employment rate for people with disabilities: 82.69%, 156th place
Share of people with disabilities living in poverty: 32.06%, 158th place
Share of homeless people with disabilities: 2.76%, 69th place
Annual cost of in-home services: $65,780, 95th place
Presence of U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for disability and health programs: 1st place
Presence of public housing waiting list for seniors and people with disabilities: 1st place
Presence of “disability insurance” programs: 49th place
Presence of Employment First: 107th place
Share of people with disabilities: 15.3%, 28th place
“Special education” teachers per 1,000 school-aged people with disabilities: 154.28, 133rd place
Graduation rate for students with disabilities: 76.7%, 40th place
Wheelchair-accessible restaurants per capita: 0.434779, 19th place
Wheelchair-accessible grocery stores per capita: 0.03442, 16th place
Wheelchair-accessible art, entertainment and recreational establishments per capita: 18th place
Wheelchair-accessible trails per capita: 0.025054, 112th place
Share of population with walkable park access: 97.21%, 10th place
Walkability: 24th place
Effectiveness of state medicaid programs: 14th place
Share of young buildings: 6.2%, 162nd place
Share of accessible homes listed on Redfin.com: 6.57%, 75th place
Portion of residents who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19: 59.49%, 128th place
Cost of doctor visit: $81.57, 6th place
Average health insurance premium per person: $439, 111th place
Family medicine physicians per capita: 81.6, 5th place
Occupational therapists per capita: 49.17, 43rd place
Home health aides and personal care aides per capita: 12.33, 47th place
WalletHub “Doctors” ranking: 68th place
WalletHub “Nurses” ranking: 131st place
Hospitals per capita: 5.62, 35th place
Quality of public hospital system: 87th place
Share of uninsured population: 10.2%, 109th place
