Moscow - Post Report Question and Answers
Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes, I think they would have a lot of difficulties. Nothing is built for people with physical disabilities and very little is straight and level too. - Dec 2023
Moscow would be a difficult city for persons with limited mobility or with a physical disability. Many times to cross the streets, you have to go down and up stairs to cross beneath the roads (which is handy, but not with physical limitations). The Metro system is fantastic, but again, often have to use stairs. - Mar 2019
Getting around on the streets could be a challenge. For example the tremendous metro system relies upon stairs that for those with physical disabilities can be a challenge. - Nov 2018
Yes perhaps, but getting better with construction for FIFA World cup - Oct 2017
Maybe a little but most metros and stairwells have elevators or ramps. - Sep 2016
Yes. - May 2016
Yes, definitely. The metro is entirely suitable for people with disabilities, and very few buildings and public areas are adapted to their needs. - Sep 2015
Yes - the sidewalks can be narrow and uneven. Also, there are no elevators in the metros and no ramps into buildings or for the buses and trams. - Jun 2015
Moscow is not very ADA compliant. - Oct 2014
Yes. - Feb 2014
There are virtually no handicap ramps anywhere in the city and it can take a lot of time for the streets and sidewalks to be cleared of snow. This would be a very difficult city for someone with physical disabilities. - Nov 2013
The Metro isn't very disabled friendly, at least the older stations. - Jul 2013
Oh, too many to list here. 90% (or more) of the Metro system is not wheelchair accessible. Curbs aren't cut to accommodate wheelchairs. People park cars on sidewalks, so getting around for even the able bodied can be challenging at times. Sidewalks are icy in the winter. If you have a physical disability think twice about coming here, or else you'll be pretty much embassy-compound-bound. Which would be very dull. - Jul 2013
A lot of difficulties. The city is not made for the disabled in any way. It is hard to get around with strollers too. - Jan 2013
Depends on the disability. If you can walk and see, you'll be fine. In Moscow, Russian drivers now largely obey crosswalks, but it's always best to be wary. - Mar 2012
Many. There aren't any curbcuts or ramps or anything you'd need to get along in a wheelchair. The streets and sidewalks are uneven, potholed, and crowded. You see an occasional wheelchair, and I've seen bystander help someone out but I often wonder how they manage. No handicap parking spaces, either. - May 2011
Plenty! This city is not equipped for disabled persons. - Jan 2011
Moscow does not offer any accommodations for the disabled. High street curbs and stairs (with no elevator alternative) are the norm. People with physical disabilities are treated either with pity or as children. In 2008, a Russian domestic airline required disabled passengers to bring a note from their physician giving that person permission to fly. - Jul 2010
Lots. Nothing is set up for physical disabilities. - May 2010
Lots. Beside the large amounts of ice and snow in the winter, there are loads of 'perihods' or underground walkways. Some have ramps - which are nice - but many are stairs. Expect stairs to get into the metro. - May 2010
There are no handicap entrances, and most buildings have stairs, even a just a few, to raise them above the slow and slush level. - Feb 2010
Many -Moscow is not a very friendly city for disabled, mostly due to the fact that the streets are covered with ice and snow for much of the year. There are no elevators for the metro, only escalators. Most of the underground passages (Perekhod) to cross streets have wheelchair ramps, though. - Jan 2010
Lots of problems. It's not wheelchair friendly at all. The Metros are packed, so if you have mobility issues, it would be hard. - Nov 2009
I don't see any support for the disabled. - Oct 2009
The city is not designed for people with physical disabilities. - Aug 2009
This city is not friendly for the physically disabled. We were in Moscow for a year before we realized we hardly ever saw physically disabled people, except some who beg on the street or in the metro. The physically disabled are confined to their homes. It is quite sad. - Aug 2009
Moscow is not a good place for people with physical disabilities. It is next to impossible to get around on public transportation, and few establishments make any effort at all to accommodate disabled people. - Sep 2008
The city is not handicap accessible. - Aug 2008
