Seattle, Denver, Chicago Among Top 20 Most Livable U.S. Cities for Wheelchair Users

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Jul 26, 2010, 12:01 ET

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Rates Cities to Commemorate 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

SHORT HILLS, N.J., July 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Denver and Chicago are some of America's Top 20 most livable cities for people living with paralysis, rated by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The Reeve Foundation commissioned the list in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA was passed by Congress on July 26, 1990, to protect against discrimination based on disability.

The Top 20 Most Livable Cities represent several regions of the country and highlight those communities that provide the best combination of health and livability-related factors, which enable a disabled person to live a fuller, longer life. Health factors include clean air, Medicaid eligibility and spending, access to physicians and rehabilitation facilities. Livability factors include access to fitness facilities and recreation, access to paratransit and the percentage of people living with disabilities who are employed. The city's age and climate are also taken into account. Find out more details at www.ChristopherReeve.org.

"Our Top 20 list highlights the great work taking place across the country to help Americans living with paralysis live their lives to the fullest, thanks, in large part to the passage of the ADA," said Peter Wilderotter, President and CEO. "However, there is still so much more we can do as a nation to improve the quality of life for the tens of millions of Americans living with a disability."

The cities named are as follows, in ranked order:

1. Seattle, Wash.
2. Albuquerque, N.M.
3. Reno, Nev.
4. Denver, Colo.
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Chicago, Ill.
7. Birmingham, Ala.
8. Winston-Salem, N.C.
9. Orlando, Fla.
10. Lubbock, Texas
11. Miami, Fla.
12. Tampa, Fla.
13. Durham, N.C.
14. Fort Worth, Texas
15. Virginia Beach, Va.
16. Arlington, Texas
17. Baltimore, Md.
18. New Orleans, La.
19. Arlington, Va.
20. Atlanta, Ga.

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy. For more information, visit www.ChristopherReeve.org.

SOURCE Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation