No wheelchair access at Flushing LIRR

It's early afternoon, long before rush hour, but the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street still teems with cars, buses and people.
The crush would intimidate many an able-bodied person but Christopher Rosa sails down the sidewalk, expertly maneuvering his &#8220power chair,” an Invacare Arrow wheelchair, weaving through the crowd, and grinning and chatting - he's in his element.
&#8220Flushing is the cultural, business and entertainment center of my world. I grew up here and I lament not having the opportunity to make it part of my daily life,” Rosa, 39, said. Rosa, who's been confined to a wheelchair for the past 27 years, has found himself an exile in his hometown due to a complete lack of wheelchair access to the Flushing Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station.
He navigates through the LIRR underpass, the haunt of hawkers selling jewelry, watches and Chinese CDs. Music blasts from a loudspeaker and the air is thick with the smell of Chinese cooking and heady aromas of ripe fruit. Then Rosa, confronted by a flight of stairs, the only means of access into the Flushing LIRR station, comes to a halt.
&#8220I could take the subway, but there are always issues with the elevators, not just here but in Manhattan, so it's sort of pot luck. The gap is a problem too. With the LIRR the conductors are so good. They're really helpful in getting you over the gap,” Rosa, who was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at nine, said.
Rosa works just blocks from Penn Station, but faced with no wheelchair access at the Flushing station, he has to travel to the Broadway station, two stops east of Flushing and over 30 blocks or about 1.5 miles from the Main Street station. &#8220This is unfortunate.” It's a 30 minute &#8220roll” in his wheelchair which, &#8220can go seven to eight miles per hour - maybe faster with a steep hill and a steady tailwind!” says the always cheerful and optimistic Rosa.
&#8220I serve as director for student affairs for the City University of New York (CUNY). In this role, I have oversight over aspects of student affairs operations for CUNY's nineteen campuses in all five boroughs,” he said.
Because of the nature of his job, which requires both flexibility and often late nights, it isn't unusual for him to arrive at the dark, deserted station and have to navigate his wheelchair home which is a block north of Queens College.
&#8220I carry a light and it's not so bad in the summer, but I have problems with circulation and on a night like this (with temperatures in the low 40's) it can take me all night to thaw after a roll home,” he says with his characteristic steadfast resolve.
Understandably, however, Rosa admits that he often arranges a ride rather than roll on cold nights. &#8220As much as I'd like, it is nearly impossible to arrange for a wheelchair-accessible taxi to pick me up. I own a wheelchair-accessible van and I hire a driver, as an independent contractor, at a rate of $10-$15 per hour,” he explains.
There is always Access-a-Ride, but it's unreliable, unsafe and inflexible,” he said. Events come up at short notice, there are always spur-of-the-moment meetings, and Rosa invariably makes the professional commitment to attend. &#8220It just puts a strain on everyone involved because the way things are; especially in the winter I'm forced to rely on others,” he said.
Rosa pushes his chair to the base of the stairs. All around the stench of urine is overpowering and garbage overflows from bins onto the pavement and it's clear Rosa won't be catching the train at Flushing LIRR station any time soon.