Inaccessible Tulsa

City of Tulsa ADA Wall of Shame

How many violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act do you see?

*These can all be found in Tulsa. If you are interested in reading about them, look through previous posts.

E 30th Pl and S Harvard Ave, Tulsa, OK

Truncated domes provide tactile feedback and a visual warning (yellow for high contrast) to pedestrians – especially those with visual impairments or vision loss – to note dangerous transitions. In this case, it is intended to alert to a street and potential oncoming traffic.

The City of Tulsa must think visual impairments are only a concern going North-South and not West-East? What were they thinking with only one set of truncated domes (and improperly oriented at that) on one path and none on the other? One could reach the street without encountering any truncated domes.

We are including a satellite image of the intersection, as well as a pic and schematic from the federal Access Board regulations.

2745 S Harvard Ave, adjacent to Village Inn, Tulsa, OK

Is this an obstacle course or a sidewalk?

Settled concrete sidewalk, missing curb, debris, concrete parking curb, bent guy wire anchor, and utility pole.

According to the ADA, these issues would all be remediated with the current construction on Harvard north of 31st, but that did not happen on Harvard between I-44 and 41st. (See previous posts on April 19, 20 and 22, 2026.) ADA violations, including inaccessible bus stops and the absence of sidewalks, remain unaddressed.

Is this ignorance of the Americans with Disabilities Act or a choice of noncompliance by the City of Tulsa?

We are seeing heartening comments about how addressing accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities helps others, too. Absolutely! It’s not just for wheelchair users, individuals with vision loss, or others with disabilities. It’s walkers, bicyclists and parents pushing strollers. Curb cuts, ramps, repaired sidewalks, the presence of sidewalks, obstructions removed…we all benefit.

It’s called The Curb-Cut Effect.

We’re all in this together! Thank you for being here.

19th and Harvard, in front of Lanier Elementary School, Tulsa, OK

There are three cables and metal supports sunk into the concrete of the sidewalk in front of the school. The fourth, the cables have been removed, but the support remains as a dangerous hazard.

Every single cable support is an obstruction, limiting the width of the path. Additionally, see previous post about the pole on the corner that limits the path’s width to just 17 inches. The ADA requires accessible routes to maintain a continuous clear width of at least 36 inches.

This path is impassable for a walker, stroller, wheelchair, or bicycle. That this sidewalk is in front of an elementary school makes this wholly unacceptable.

More than one follower’s post warrants filing an ADA formal grievance with the City of Tulsa for noncompliance.

We recommend submitting formal grievances to the City of Tulsa by mail, return receipt requested to obtain proof of delivery. The clock starts for a response and determination from the point at which your grievance is received by the City of Tulsa.

Here is the link:

City of Tulsa The City of Tulsa hereby adopts the revised internal grievance procedure to provide for prompt and equitable resolution of the complaint alleging any action that is prohibited by Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (hereinafter "ADA").

19th and Harvard, adjacent to Lanier Elementary School, Tulsa, OK

Here we go again! And adjacent to an elementary school this time.

No one using a wheelchair, stroller, bicycle, or other mobility device can get around this utility pole on the sidewalk. In fact, there is barely enough space while walking. With 17 inches on the west side of the pole and significantly less on the east, this violates the Americans With Disabilities Act. Note: The ADA requires accessible routes to maintain a continuous clear width of at least 36 inches.

Northeast corner of 11th (Route 66) and Utica, adjacent to The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, Tulsa, OK

Oh, the irony, finding violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act at this particular intersection.

The Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges provides programs for “people with a variety of challenges, including cerebral palsy, hearing loss, Multiple Sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, seizure disorders, spina bifida, spinal cord injury, spinal stenosis, stroke complications, traumatic brain injury and vision loss.”

Truncated domes look like a grid of small, raised bumps that have had their tops cut off. Their typical yellow color provides high contrast against the color of concrete. They are a detectable warning for individuals with visual impairments to identify the transition between the safe sidewalk and the dangerous roadway. They became legally mandatory in the United States on July 26, 2001.

Twenty-five years later, do you see them on these ramps in front of The Center? Do you see them on the ramp on the opposite side of the street? Nope and nope!

Come on, City of Tulsa. If you can’t get it right at THIS intersection, your ADA compliance folks (if they even exist) need replacing ASAP.

Southeast corner of 11th (Route 66) and Lewis, Tulsa, OK

Even AI can recognize the problem: “Accessible routes must maintain a continuous clear width of at least 36 inches. Because this pipe is positioned directly in the middle of a pedestrian walking path, it reduces the usable, unobstructed path width.”

The pipe sticking out of the sidewalk is not only an obstruction and ADA violation but is a dangerous tripping hazard for an individual with no or low vision.

Take care of this, City of Tulsa.