ALL DRIVERLESS VEHICLE TRANSIT PROTOTYPES MUST ACCOMMODATE WHEELCHAIR USERS

AN OPEN LETTER TO USDOT SECRETARY PETE BUTTIGIEG.

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

Why doesn't USDOT (and all other relevant agencies) require all robotaxis/driverless rideshare vehicles to accommodate power wheelchair users? Every prototype I've seen is a sedan.

This is as bad as granting highway dollars to an agency the will not allow people of color to drive on its roads.

It is discriminatory to allow autonomous fleet vehicle firms to roll out "innovative" transportation that excludes people with disabilities.

Imagine an airline that says it will ban women for a decade -- until it figures out how to accommodate them on their new planes.

I have great respect for what USDOT, under your leadership, is being done for air travel for people with disabilities.

I think you are an excellent people-first, inclusionary leader.

But I think the ball is being dropped on ableist transit alternatives.

https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2023/12/02/robotaxis-wont-get-us-there-so-lets-stop-being-used-to-sell-a-future-that-doesnt-serve-us/

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Justice must adopt clear guidelines that municipalities can use to make meaningful accessibility changes to their pedestrian infrastructure. 

DOT should ensure accessible transit facilities, and the DOJ needs to enforce the law for barrier-free public rights of way.

Marsha says United Spinal is also working on micromobility and how dockless scooters and bikes can be hazardous for people with disabilities if not strongly regulated.

Cities must also do more to ensure that buildings are in accessible condition – so elevator outages are not ignored for long periods in residential or commercial buildings.

This is all an incredibly long to-do list. 

It encompasses everything from health and well-being to getting reckless scooter punks to dock their wheels properly. 

But United Spinal’s vision is a world where people with spinal cord injuries/disorders, wheelchair users, and others with disabilities can realize their full potential.

And the whole team is passionate about bringing that inclusive world into being.

 

 

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

Kleo King, United Spinal’s Accessibility Services Senior Vice President, has a team featuring Marsha Mazz, a three-decade veteran of the U.S. Access Board and United Spinal’s Director, Accessibility Codes and Standards. 

She adds three goals that would lead to a more inclusive future:

Improve ADA standards – and state building codes – to provide for better wheelchair maneuvering and positioning. 

Without this, building codes fail millions of people using mobility devices.

Revise the Fair Housing Act’s accessibility requirements. 

Until the 1989 rules are updated, people with disabilities will continue to face significant shortages in affordable, accessible housing.

We will also continue to be forced to make accessibility adaptations at our own expense.

 

 

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

Kleo King, United Spinal’s Accessibility Services Senior Vice President, has a team works nationwide with large and small clients to implement universal design. 

“We tell them to look at universal design that makes facilities easier to use for everybody. That’s good business,” she says as she ticks off trends to watch for. 

“A big thing coming soon is adult changing stations in public bathrooms.

It is a crucial need. 

We must also ensure that electric and autonomous vehicles and all charging stations are accessible.”

 King said anyone who owns or leases a building used by the public could benefit from United Spinal’s Accessibility Services.

“Every building needs an access audit, and every business should have an accessibility consultant,” she says.

https://unitedspinal.org/program/75200/

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

Kleo King, United Spinal’s Accessibility Services Senior Vice President, is a primal force for access.

She consults with governments and businesses on why they must make their built environments work for everyone.

“We always tell states and cities that code is the floor, not the ceiling. 

Their building codes can require more than the ADA,” says Kleo. 

“In New York City, 100% of entrances have to be accessible – more than the 60 percent required by the ADA.”

And it’s an ongoing battle.

“We need to constantly educate architects and builders about really good inclusive design practices,” she says. 

But when something is built right, it’s a joy to use. 

“Think of airports where you walk or roll around divides for privacy — there are no doors.

That approach could remove heaving, obstructing doors in many public facilities.” 

Then, accessibility would be gracefully inclusive.

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

We have an ally in U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was instrumental in creating the first Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights. 

In an interview, he said he is committed to better onboard wheelchair access for air travel.

“The number of times that people arrive at their destination without their wheelchair working, which is basically as though some of you didn’t get there at all.

It can be wildly disruptive for a professional person, for anyone,” he said.

“We can take the … Bill of Rights as a tool that can empower travelers [who use wheelchairs]. 

We can create some healthy pressure on the travel industry to respect those rights,” Buttigieg says.

“It’s one thing to say the right thing.

But we’re putting our money where our mouth is, and I’m especially excited about that.

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

“I never met Gaby, but I sure knew she was my soul sister,” says Kent Keyser, a Public Policy Fellow with United Spinal. 

“When I heard that we lost another one to the airlines, I was sick to my stomach and prayed I didn’t know them.

Then when I read the news story, I was just plain pissed off that this happened to someone I sure know but never met. 

Damn it, she was my soul sister in a policy fight that’s David versus Goliath all over again.”

To say United Spinal is passionate about making airlines work for wheelchair users is a gross understatement.

Join our efforts to take the fight to the airlines by joining its Grassroots Advocacy Network.

https://unitedspinal.org/grassroots-advocacy-network/

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

Being a CEO didn’t protect Enzo from mistreatment at an airport. “I was dropped to the floor,” he told Atlanta News First in May 2022.

Although two agents were supposed to help transfer people into aisle chairs, only one assisted Enzo, and one was insufficient. 

Fortunately, another passenger was willing to help, but many passengers with disabilities are not that lucky.

“It was very concerning to me because I could have hit my head or broken my leg,” United Spinal Association CEO Vincenzo Piscopo told Atlanta News First.

“On top of that, it is an undignified experience.

It’s not dignified for a human being to be dropped on the floor in front of people.”

The worst has happened to other wheelchair users.

Disability advocate Engracia Figueroa died from a pressure wound after United Airlines destroyed her $30,000 customized wheelchair.

And Gaby Assouline died from injuries sustained after flipping out of her chair on a jetway.

 Her family says she did not receive the requested help. 

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE 

“We can be healthy, we can have the best access, and people can think the best of us – but we still cannot reach our fullest potential if public policy is not changed.

We cannot have insurance that is so difficult for so many to access.

We cannot have hiring policies that fail to be inclusive.

We cannot have gaps in transportation, mobility and housing.

We are working from the federal to the local level to change policy,” said United Spinal Association CEO Vincenzo Piscopo.

“The way airlines treat people with disabilities is not humane,” says Enzo.

For one, manufacturers must rebuild planes to allow wheelchair users to board in their mobility devices. “There are structural, root changes that must take place.”

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

“If a wheelchair user’s place of work is not accessible, he cannot make money, and he cannot be empowered and pay bills.

If she goes out to a park and it’s not accessible, she cannot live life to the fullest. 

If tech is not accessible, it is not inclusive. 

So, making everything accessible across the board is a big factor,” said United Spinal Association CEO Vincenzo Piscopo

Removing stigma. 

“Stigma is the belief that we, people with disabilities, are less than others. 

And when that belief exists, all the inequities we regularly see in our community become OK.

When people think less of us, they are less inclined to hire and invest in us. 

We need to work on removing such stigma. 

An airline executive once told me that making the plane truly accessible was just too expensive.

To me, that means he believes our dignity is not worth the investment. 

That’s what stigma does to us.” 

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

United Spinal Association CEO Vincenzo Piscopo uses the analogy of a four-legged table to explain what needs to change for wheelchair users to enjoy the quality of life they deserve. 

Each leg must be strong, or the table will not hold anything for long.

Wellbeing. “We must ensure our people are well and healthy,” says Enzo.

“We must address all domains — spiritual, mental, physical, social, sexual health – and all the nuances that come with them.” 

He points to United Spinal’s Community Support and Peer Support programs as places our members can find resources and support for all these areas of their lives.

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

“We want to go out, but we experience places that are not accessible.

It’s ableism, and what makes it worse is that people don’t even realize they are ableists.

The belief that we are less than nondisabled people is so ingrained in them that discrimination is considered OK,” said United Spinal Association CEO Vincenzo Piscopo.

Enzo lets these experiences fuel his passion for improving the lives of everyone with a spinal cord injury and all people with disabilities. 

He allowed me a sneak peek at how he plans to change society’s view of disability. 

THE FUTURE IS INCLUSIVE

HERE’S HOW WE GET THERE

United Spinal Association CEO Vincenzo Piscopo wakes daily to dozens of tasks. 

And they are all focused on making the world a safer, healthier, and more inclusive place for wheelchair users and all people with disabilities.

In the dozen years since he joined the disability community and started using a wheelchair for mobility, Enzo feels everything boils down to civil rights.

“Society allows for the abuse of people with disabilities. It’s so ingrained in our culture’s DNA that we don’t even recognize it,” he says.

He runs through a list of indignities he regularly experiences, from the inaccessible scale at his doctor’s office to the limited accessible seating at Braves’ games.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

BUTTIGIEG: 

We have to work on the steps that we know have the potential to unlock a better life for so many. 

We must [create an environment where people with disabilities can] reach their fullest potential.

Steve Wright is a Miami-based writer, planner, and educator.

He frequently lectures nationally — including at APA 2022 in San Diego — and globally on the subject, and works with teams on inclusive urban planning projects.

He also tweets and blogs daily about diversity, disability, and the wealth of cities.

 

 

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

BUTTIGIEG: 

All of us have a stake in it. 

The state must support a society that allows everybody to thrive. 

That is really what is so urgent about this, because there are many problems that society or America hasn't solved — like, we are trying to figure out nuclear fusion.

But unlike particle physics, a lot of questions about accessibility have been addressed.

We've figured out how to do things from curb cuts to safe transportation of people who use wheelchairs for mobility. 

And yet, it's not happening everywhere.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

WRIGHT: Too many elected and appointed officials act like accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities is some kind of charity or favor. 

How are you addressing this?

BUTTIGIEG: The cost of inaccessibility comes down hardest on the people who are directly affected by it. 

But it really comes down on everybody and anybody who might benefit from an invention, an innovation, that comes from a well-employed person meeting their full potential, regardless of disability.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

WRIGHT: A buckled, broken, or missing sidewalk on the way to the most accessible commuter train ever could still make that transit off limits for someone who uses mobility aids. 

How is the DOT working to create a seamless accessible transportation network?

BUTTIGIEG: This is where it really comes down to the influence we can have with state and local leaders, and it's considerable what we fund under our control. 

We are doing as much in partnership with states and cities that we can. We advance accessibility through our grant making. 

When we do something like Safe Streets and Roads for All, which is a new program funding [projects in many] communities, we truly are envisioning safer roads and streets for people with disabilities. 

Creating safe wheelchair accessibility at all intersections is a good example of what they ought to be thinking about when they design for pedestrians.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

BUTTIGIEG: 

The biggest obstacle has been funding. 

Many transit agency leaders who very sincerely want to do the right thing have been forced into impossible decisions with their backs against the wall financially because of that lack of funding. 

Frankly, the $1.75 billion won't be enough on its own to resolve [the lack of wheelchair access] at every station, but it's a major investment in progress.

It's going to mean that many more commuters are able to benefit and, again, be able to contribute where maybe they couldn't have before.

It even changes where people have the option to live. 

If you [have accessible rail stations connecting your home to work and necessities], it changes all of your possibilities in life.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

BUTTIGIEG: 

New York is a good example. 

It should be a transit planner's dream in the sense that even people with access to a luxury vehicle might choose to take the subway because it's just more efficient and convenient, right? So it could be the gold standard — but not everybody has access.

There are two layers of what we've got to do. 

The first is the threshold condition of just making sure that everybody has access. 

We need to also pay attention to whether it's convenient and comfortable for everyone. 

And that's another level that we need to build towards.

PETE BUTTIGIEG WANTS TO MAKE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE — AND PAY FOR IT, TOO

THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION TALKS MOBILITY JUSTICE, MISSING SIDEWALKS AND ELEVATORS, AND BILLIONS IN FEDERAL GRANTS CURRENTLY UP FOR GRABS

WRIGHT: Let's talk about legacy public transit systems. 

Take New York City, for example. All buses are wheelchair accessible, but only a fraction of subway lines are, while elevators at stations, which are already rare, are often broken.

BUTTIGIEG: Largely thanks to the leadership of Senator Tammy Duckworth, an important provision in the infrastructure package is $1.75 billion dollars for making transit stations and rail stations accessible.