Access to Independence:
Whether it’s by plane, train, bus, or automobile, people with disabilities also need to get around. Inadequate and inaccessible transportation remains an obstacle that confronts people with disabilities. 30% of Americans with disabilities have a problem with inadequate transportation, compared to only 10% of those without disabilities. Access to transportation is vital to independence; it affects the employment, political participation, entertainment, socializing, and religious attendance of all people with disabilities. Learn how the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) is working to help people with disabilities increase their transportation options.
Transportation Statistics - from N.O.D./Harris Surveys
Air Travel and People with Disabilities - Information on rights and procedures for assistive devices, security screening, and discrimination complaints
Resources and Links - on various topics concerning transportation and disability
Nation's First Braille Assistance Cards for Airline Passengers in Use at San Diego International Airport
Date: October 5, 2006
San Diego International Airport has become the first airport in the nation to use Braille and large-format text assistance cards to make the security screening process at airport checkpoints easier for airline passengers with hearing and/or visual disabilities. The assistance cards are available for use by screeners at all of the airport’s security checkpoints, and cover the twelve most frequently asked questions by passengers.
Disability Rights Organization Calls Out U. Texas Area Taxi Companies
Date: July 11, 2006
In a July 10 press conference in Austin, Texas, the disability rights organization American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) demanded equal rights in transportation for all Austiners with disabilities. The organization is calling for the city's Urban Transportation Commission to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, by requiring all cab companies to have accessible cabs available for use by individuals with disabilities.
What Disabled Riders Endure
Date: March 5, 2006
What is it like for riders on MetroAccess, Washington DC's public transportation system for people with disabilities? On Tuesday, February 28, a dozen Washington Post reporters rode along with MetroAccess passengers in order to find out. While most reached their intended destination, failures were not uncommon. According to the city's transit authority, out of 4,265 trips made that day, 332 were botched: the rides were either late or did not appear.
Bus Lines Cites in Federal Probe
Date: March 2, 2006
In a recent sweep by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of bus carriers that operate in the busy Washington-New York-Boston corridor, 11 carriers were found to violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the case of bus carriers, the ADA requires that large carriers have at least a portion of their buses outfitted with wheelchair lifts, and that bus carriers find a way to accommodate a passenger with a disability who gives 48 hours' notice to the carrier before his or her trip. The alleged violations are being probed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Grievances Spike After Metro Access Transition
Date: February 13, 2006
Poor service has plagued Washington, DC's Metro Access system, which provides essential transportation services for people with disabilities in the DC metropolitan area. More than 2,400 complaints were filed by angry and frustrated riders in the month of January- a 445 percent increase over the previous year. Riders complained of rides arriving late or not at all, and about inefficiencies stemming from rules that prevent drivers from contacting riders directly or from leaving their vehicle to assist riders. Metro officials contend that the problems are temporary "bumps in the road" in the recent transition to a new service provider.
Maryland Commuters with Disabilities Settle Lawsuit (Registration Required)
Date: December 28, 2005
On December 28, Maryland officials announced the settlement of a lawsuit calling for improvements to the state's public transit service for people with disabilities. The settlement calls for the Maryland Transit Association to hire a consultant to review current services for riders with disabilities and to make recommendations. Fifteen riders with disabilities will then meet with the MTA and the consultant to go over the recommendations. Riders with disabilities will also have legal recourse through a federal magistrate or a court hearing, should the state reject the consultant's recommendations.
According to Kristen Cox, Secretary of the Maryland State Department of Disabilities, 60 to 70 percent of Marylanders with disabilities are unemployed, and lack of adequate transportation prevents many of them from finding or keeping jobs.
Disability Awareness Day Stresses Transportation Needs of People with Disabilities
Date: October 20, 2004
Members of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) joined people with disabilities from across metropolitan Washington and members of the media to raise awareness about the important role accessible transportation plays in getting people with disabilities to work. To highlight the typical workday commute of people with disabilities, several travel teams—each including a person with a disability, a regional transportation leader from the TPB and a member of the media—trekked to today’s press conference at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) headquarters near Union Station. The TPB’s Access for All (AFA) advisory committee sponsored the event, Disability Awareness Day, which focused on pedestrian, bus, rail and para-transit access.
For more information on Disability Awareness Day, please visit http://www.mwcog.org/transportation/activities/disabilityawareness/default.asp
N.O.D. President Alan Reich Suggests Revising Emergency Strategy for People with Disabilities in New York City Transit System
Date: May 5, 2004
On May 2, 2004, a letter from N.O.D. President Alan Reich appeared in the Editorial section of the New York Times. The letter was in response to an April 27 news article entitled "Staying One Step Ahead of Disaster", which discussed evacuation training for employees of the New York City transit system. In particular, Reich took issue with advice given by instructors during a simulated emergency training exercise, where subway employees were told to move a person in a wheelchair off to the side, and to have them wait until firefighters could come to evacuate them.
New Yorkers with Disabilities Are Calling For Accessible Taxis
Date: April 22, 2004
Advocates with disabilities in New York City are calling for an increase in the number of accessible taxis. Out of 12,187 yellow cabs in New York City today, only five are accessible for wheelchair users. The city says that it plans to expand to fleet of accessible cabs to 900 over the next three years. Advocates are also urging the City Council to pass a bill requiring a conversion to accessible taxis once the current fleet of taxis wears out.
Riders with Disabilities in Washington, DC Plan Suit Against Metro
Date: March 25, 2004
A class-action lawsuit was filed against Metro by a dozen Washington-area residents with disabilities, who claim that the MetroAccess van service for people with disabilities is in violation of federal law due to its poor quality. Among other allegations, the lawsuit claims that MetroAccess vans "often are late, appearing hours after they were expected, or fail to show up at all, and that the service takes too long to transport passengers", who rely on the service to get to and from work, or to medical appointments.
Hotels Dealing with Accessibility
Date: February 17, 2004
According to a 2003 study by the Open Doors Organization, travelers with disabilities spend around $3.6 billion a year, and would travel more frequently and spend more if the travel industry worked harder to accommodate their needs. This article from the New York Times indicates that hotels in particular are aware of this growing market, and are taking the steps needed to ensure more comfortable visits for their customers with disabilities.
Walk Arlington Encourages Getting Around by Foot- and by Wheelchair
Date: December 10, 2003
Walk Arlington is an initiative of Arlington County, Virginia that views non-vehicular transportation as a key to healthy, enjoyable and environmentally sustainable communities. It promotes a "pedestrian-friendly" community design, making getting around easier for those who travel by foot or by wheelchair.
N.O.D.'s own Nancy Starnes toured the Ballston-Virginia Square area for Walk Arlington, pointing out its conveniences for all pedestrians, with and without disabilities.
DOT, Three Airlines Reach Settlement Over Treatment of Passengers With Disabilities
Date: August 28, 2003
The U.S. Department of Transportation reached settlements with three airlines regarding the carriers' treatment of air travelers with disabilities. The orders found that America West Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines violated the Air Carrier Access Act and federal regulations by failing to provide a stowage space for a passenger's standard-size folding wheelchair inside the cabin of their aircraft. The orders also assessed civil penalties against the carriers.
Disabled Woman Suing City Over the Need for Mobility
Date: July 22, 2003
Houston resident Kristen Jones, a wheelchair user from a diving accident six years ago, is using the city under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to make all sidewalks accessible to people with disabilities.
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