Sunday, May 10, 2020

AMERICA'S GO-TO JOURNALIST FOR COVERING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

PULTIZER-NOMINATED, AWARD-WINNING EXPERTISE IN UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND INCLUSIVE MOBILITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT


Two of my editors, one at America’s most-prestigious planning magazine, another at the nation’s leading smart growth publication, humbled me recently.

Both were reaching out days after I got back to the U.S. after an urban design project in Cairo almost stranded me in Egypt (first due to record flooding, then greatly-reduced flights due to the pandemic) to see if I could write comprehensive stories in little turnaround time.

Each basically said I was not just their go-to journalist, but I was arguably America’s go-to reporter on issues of Urban Design, Town Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Mobility Engineering and related disciplines that impact people with disabilities.

I was gratified that a 40-year career in storytelling (yes, I earned my first hefty paycheck as a reporter before I was even old enough to drive with a learner’s permit) was appreciated.

I am humbled that my writing voice has been able to push for a more-inclusive public and private realm.

There are dozens, hundreds of top-flight reporters, columnists and editors who have mobility, visual or mobility disabilities.

I simply understand wheelchair access and barrier-removal because I have been my soulmate’s caregiver for a third of a century.

I vow, for as long as I live, to continue to share best practices in human-scaled urban design.



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