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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