Tampa and Jacksonville are two of the most accommodating cities for individuals with disabilities, according to a study published this month.
Both Tampa and Jacksonville ranked in WalletHub.com’s top 50 best places for individuals with disabilities to live.
The study analyzed 150 of the most populated American cities both best and worst suited for living with disabilities in observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Ten cities in Florida made the list. Tampa ranked eighth, while Jacksonville came in at No. 49.
Gainesville did not make the list.
Getting around Gainesville is not easy for the physically disabled, said Nancy Burns, a 67-year-old retired secretary.
Her last place of employment was Emerson Alumni Hall, where she worked for the UF Alumni Association for about 15 years.
Burns said she’s been disabled since 2001, when she lost her leg to blood clots that wouldn’t stop producing.
She said Gainesville would benefit from more transportation services, like UF’s Gator Lift Service.
UF is continuing to create better accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Last month, the school broke ground on Cypress Hall — UF’s 25th residence hall — and housing was designed specifically with the physically disabled in mind.
The dorms will have 255 bed spaces, 35 of which will be available to students with higher levels of physical disability, featuring lift systems to transport them through their rooms.
One reason Tampa did so well in this study, according to Jill Gonzalez, spokeswoman at WalletHub, was its doctor costs.
The city had the ninth-best ranking, at about $80 per visit last year.
“Jacksonville actually came in first at $67, and Madison (Wisconsin) came in last at $182,” Gonzalez said.
“So that can kind of put it in perspective for you.”
Gonzalez said Tampa ranked seventh in number of hotels with wheelchair access.
Overland Park, Kansas, was ranked No. 1 and Providence, Rhode Island, was ranked No. 150.
Miami ranked No. 148, as Gonzalez said about half of its disabled population lives in poverty.
“It’s something that they should really work on,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 10/3/2014]
