The settlement will result in significant changes to ensure visitors with mobility disabilities are able to visit, benefit from, and enjoy the library to the same extent as non-disabled visitors.
Queens, New York—On October 9, 2025, Magistrate Judge Steven Tiscione granted final approval to a class action settlement of a case filed against the Queens Borough Public Library, the Board of Trustees of Queens Borough Public Library, and the City of New York, challenging the inaccessibility of Hunters Point Library in Long Island City. Read the order granting final approval.
Hunters Point Library is a popular library branch that opened in 2019 and provides stunning views of Manhattan. The settlement will result in significant changes to ensure visitors with mobility disabilities are able to visit, benefit from, and enjoy the library to the same extent as non-disabled visitors. Among other fixes, the library will remedy inaccessible multi-level seating in the children’s area and rooftop terrace and provide stair-free access to two previously inaccessible tiered sections of the library. The library will also remediate over a hundred other smaller accessibility barriers, including in the bathrooms and study areas.
The settlement resolves a long-standing case, originally filed in 2019 in the Eastern District of New York, by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) on behalf of Center for Independence of the Disabled New York (CIDNY) and one individual. Read the complaint and settlement agreement.
“The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) is pleased that a settlement agreement was reached in this case. Our mission is to ensure full integration, independence, and equal opportunity for all people with disabilities by removing barriers to the social, economic, cultural, and civic life of the community. This means that a person with a disability can engage in the pleasure of reading, writing, studying, watching movies, participating in community events and much more within their local library. It is crucial to obey the law, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), when engaging in new construction projects. The ADA ensures that all people must have access to public spaces. This library built in 2019 was a monument to stairs and excluded the independence of users with disabilities who could not access all points of this library without using stairs. We applaud our attorneys, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), in fighting this battle for equal justice for all disabled New Yorkers living in Queens.” said Sharon McLennon Wier, Ph.D., MSEd., CRC, LMHC, Executive Director of CIDNY.
“I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Disability Rights Advocates for 30 years of impactful work in our communities. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the fight for accessibility at the Queens Library. My hope is that future architectural planning will prioritize inclusive design, ensuring accessibility for all,” said Plaintiff Tanya Jackson.
“This settlement will result in crucial changes to the library, and means that library patrons with mobility disabilities will have the same opportunity as non-disabled patrons to enjoy this beautiful library branch,” said Madeleine Reichman, Senior Staff Attorney at DRA.
“We’re pleased that this settlement ensures that people with mobility disabilities can use their community library, and it reaffirms that libraries are for everyone,” said Amelia Evard, Staff Attorney at DRA.
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), founded in 1993, is a nonprofit disability rights legal center that seeks to advance equal rights and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities nationwide. DRA represents people with all types of disabilities in complex, system-changing, class action cases. For more information, visit dralegal.org.
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