New York City Transit is working to make our system as accessible as possible for riders of all abilities. From Oct. 16, 2019, to Jan. 17, 2020, we used Jay St-MetroTech Station in downtown Brooklyn as a “living lab,” giving customers to test them in a live station environment and provide feedback directly to NYCT. All of the physical features remain at Jay St-MetroTech until further notice.

We tested more than a dozen new features designed to make subway travel easier for everyone, including riders with vision, hearing, mobility or cognitive disabilities. We tested physical infrastructure, like tactile signs and maps and textured floor tiles. And we tested new smartphone apps that gave riders tools like audio navigation, high-contrast maps, a step-by-step breakdown of the experience of riding the subway, and more.

We chose a busy transfer hub for our lab because we wanted to as many riders as possible to tell us what worked and what didn’t.

The Systemwide Accessibility Team conducted over 30 tours totaling over 300 people and received more than one thousand overall survey responses. This feedback will help us as we explore ways to improve subway accessibility.