Talk:Edith Prentiss

	New York City portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject New York City, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of New York City-related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.New York CityWikipedia:WikiProject New York CityTemplate:WikiProject New York CityNew York City articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Biography

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography articles

Women

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Women, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of women on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.WomenWikipedia:WikiProject WomenTemplate:WikiProject WomenWikiProject Women articles

Disability

Edith Prentiss is within the scope of WikiProject Disability. For more information, visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.DisabilityWikipedia:WikiProject DisabilityTemplate:WikiProject DisabilityDisability articles

Women in Red

This article was created or improved as part of the Women in Red project. The editor(s) involved may be new; please assume good faith regarding their contributions before making changes.Women in RedWikipedia:WikiProject Women in RedTemplate:WikiProject Women in RedWomen in Red articles

A fact from Edith Prentiss appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 8 May 2022 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that disability-rights activist Edith Prentiss objected to the title of a documentary about her, Edith Prentiss: Hell on Wheels, for being too mild?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2022/May. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Edith Prentiss.

Wikipedia

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by SL93 (talk) 22:07, 29 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

(

Comment or view
Article history

)

... that in 2004, New York City disability rights activist Edith Prentiss described catching a wheelchair accessible taxi cab as “like a unicorn” since there were only three in the entire city? Source: ”There are now only three cabs, all minivans with wheelchair ramps, and people like Ms. Prentiss have one chance in 4,162 of hailing a cab able to accommodate them. Ms. Prentiss, who lives in Washington Heights, said that the auction improved the outlook for disabled New Yorkers, but that there would still be too few accessible cabs. "They're like unicorns," she said. "You have to be pure to catch one."”The New York Times
- Reviewed: Germaine Bailac

Moved to mainspace by Thriley (talk), Persicifolia (talk), and Innisfree987 (talk). Nominated by Thriley (talk) at 05:07, 28 March 2022 (UTC).[reply]

The hook does not succeed in being hooky, surprising, or interesting; as it's not news that accessibility is really bad or that 1/1000 is rare. Part of the problem about this hook is it's not really about the subject but about the number of accessible cabs in NYC. (t · c) buidhe 06:49, 29 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Restoring struck hook. Must be me but I found the hook interesting and it appears that the New York transport systems thanked Edith for her inspiration to tackle the problem. I offer the following alt. Victuallers (talk) 09:28, 29 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

- Alt1 ... that New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority thanked Edith Prentiss (aka "Hell on Wheels") for inspiring their accessibility improvements (plaque pictured)?
  - I fixed the misspelling of "accessibility". Not a full review, but if ALT1 is used the MTA's name should be spelled out completely; its name is not "New York Transport Authority". However, and this is a bigger consideration, Prentiss was not the sole reason for the MTA making the accessibility improvements. In fact, the MTA was already being forced to do so under city and state laws. In any case, I was pretty interested in the fact that she objected to the title of a documentary for being "too mild". Epicgenius (talk) 14:49, 29 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
    - Thanks for the partial review @Epicgenius:. I have included the full title of "Metropolitan Transportation Authority" though I think few will recognise the name. Your bigger consideration that "Prentiss was not the sole reason for the MTA making the accessibility improvements" is surely your interpretation as the hook doesnt say that - it says she "inspired" it - and that is exactly what the MTA say on their plaque. I think most people know that there is a legal accessability requirement (which is why the MTA set targets to 50% comply with them). The activists "inspire" them to try harder. If you would like to see another hook then by all means have a go. Victuallers (talk) 17:47, 30 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
      - I don’t like that we are attributing something to her that isn’t demonstrably the result of her actions. The plaque is on the elevator is pretty vague. Thriley (talk) 18:16, 30 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
        That's OK good luck with your nomination I struck my hook and the vague pic but its up to you as to whether to re-strike your hook. Victuallers (talk) 19:27, 30 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
        I’m not a historian of the MTA, but maybe the hook could mention the years of inaction by the MTA on many of the issues Prentiss sought to solve? I guess that require a bit expansion of the article. Otherwise, I think my initial hook is fine and interesting to the reader. Thriley (talk) 19:34, 30 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
        A hook like that might work, too. As I also mentioned above, I found interesting Prentiss's objection to the title of a documentary about her: Epicgenius (talk) 17:09, 31 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
        ALT2: ... that disability rights activist Edith Prentiss objected to the title of a documentary about her, Edith Prentiss: Hell on Wheels, for being too mild? Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/28/nyregion/edith-prentiss-dead.html
        
        ALT3: ... that disability rights activist Edith Prentiss thought the title of a documentary about her, Edith Prentiss: Hell on Wheels, was too mild? Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/28/nyregion/edith-prentiss-dead.html
Thank you! ALT3 reads well. Thriley (talk) 20:42, 31 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]
- Full review needed now that hook issues have been settled. BlueMoonset (talk) 04:56, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
  - Interesting life, on good sources, no copyvio obvious. Both ALTs are fine, but I believe the last flows a bit better. I trust that you will introduce the abbr MTA. - I'd prefer too short sentences combined (many), and too short paras combined (many), - up to you. Example: what comes under "Career" isn't really career. Sorry for possible being too late for April, for what should have been better in March. (I have a nom of the same problem, in case of interest.) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:27, 26 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]