A recent livability rating by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

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).

Here is the criteria that was used for the ranking.

“First we looked at how hospitable a city’s climate is for those living with paralysis and tried to avoid cities with extremes in temperature or snowfall. Then we ranked the cities based on their air quality, number of physicians, rehab specialists and rehab centers, accessible fitness and recreation facilities and paratransit systems.

We also looked to see if the city population contained large numbers of physically disabled people and whether those people have been able to get employment.

Lastly, we examined the age of the city (old building are harder to make accessible) and checked out the spending and eligibility requirements for Medicaid.”

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.

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