I encountered this wheelchair-bound woman several times on the streets of Uptown during the mid-1970s. Despite her amputation, she managed to get around. She was feisty and determined. However, I took this shot almost two decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act created access standards for people like her in 1990. When I asked her how she managed to get around so well, I hit a raw nerve. She was definitely NOT happy. She started a venomous diatribe against politicians that had the power to create better access but didn’t. Things that we take for granted today, like wheelchair ramps at curbs were non-existent. Not long after taking this shot, I experienced her problems first hand. I broke my ankle playing basketball and was on crutches for several weeks. Getting up the stairs to ‘L’ trains and even riding on them was a challenge!
On an unrelated topic, notice the wooden planking on side of the storefront behind her. These were popular at the time. They were part of the back-to-nature movement that was a legacy of the hippie movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
This shot was taken on the east side of Sheridan looking south across the Windsor intersection. Google Maps Street View shows that the building in the distant background is still there. So is the building next to the woman. However, the storefronts have changed. So has the direction of traffic on Windsor. At the time, it was heading east.