NIDILRR-Funded Consumer Products: Accessible Transportation

People with disabilities have the right to move around their communities, their states, their countries, and around the world, just like people without disabilities. However, people with disabilities may have difficulties getting around in their communities due to transportation being inaccessible or even unavailable. Inaccessible transportation may include buses without ramps or accessible seating, a lack of curb cuts at intersections, airplanes without accessible bathrooms, or even a lack of reliable public transportation, among others. On the other hand, features of accessible transportation include ramps, level boarding surfaces accessible seating, peer-to-peer service platforms, audible and visual announcements, tactile maps, and more.

For people with disabilities, accessible transportation and its availability in all communities helps them to participate in their communities independently and to travel to new or familiar places around the world. But accessible transportation benefits people with and without disabilities. Those curb cuts that people with disabilities use to step off the curb? Parents without disabilities may use them while pushing their child in a stroller. The audible announcements on buses? They may alert people without disabilities that their stop is coming if their minds have wandered. Indoor wayfinding systems at airports? They may assist people without disabilities in finding their way in an unfamiliar airport.

NARIC’s information specialists are often asked for information and resources about accessible transportation by people with disabilities, their families, and service providers. This month, we are highlighting evidence-based consumer products from the NIDILRR community on accessible transportation, which may include guides, calendars, factsheets, and more.

Below, you will find just a few examples of evidence-based consumer products produced by the NIDILRR community:

• The Place-based Solutions for Rural Community Participation, Health, and Employment (RTC: Rural) conducts research and knowledge translation activities across health, community living, and employment domains to explore, develop, and test strategies to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities living in rural areas. The RTC: Rural provides consumer resources in a variety of topics related to community living in rural areas, including resources on accessible transportation. These resources include a list of rural transportation resources, which is based on information from the NIDILRR-funded Toolkit for Operating a Rural Transportation Voucher Program. The RTC: Rural also offers links to rural organizations that provide information, resources, and services related to transportation for people with disabilities living in rural areas. RTC: Rural is currently conducting a study about rural transportation options and are looking for people with disabilities who live in rural areas in the US to interview over the phone of via video chat.
• The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) on Physical Access and Transportation empowers consumers, manufacturers, and service providers in the design, utilization, and evaluation of accessible informational services, transportation equipment, and physical environments. This RERC provides a factsheet, Universal Design & Accessible Transit Systems: Facts to Consider When Updating or Expanding Your Transit System, that provides useful information on accessibility and the benefits of universal design to local and state organizations that manage transit systems. The RERC also provides links on universal design, accessible public transportation, and more to assist readers in learning more about accessible transportation.
• The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of People who are Blind or Have Low Vision conducts a number of research and training projects aimed at improving employment outcomes for people with visual disabilities, from youth transitioning to college or employment to those in the workforce experiencing vision loss. Among their resources are a Transportation Guide for Persons who are Blind or Have Low Vision; a tool that individuals can use with their employment counselors to build a customized transportation plan; and transportation briefs on orientation and mobility, white cane use, public transportation, and navigating the neighborhood.
• The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) enhances the use of research-based information to inform decision making by burn injury, spinal cord injury (SCI), and traumatic brain injury (TBI) stakeholders and to improve the lives of and services for people with burn injuries, SCI, and TBI. These resources include a quick review on returning to driving after a moderate to severe TBI and a factsheet for returning to driving after SCI.
• NARIC’s Research In Focus series features reader-friendly summaries of the latest research from NIDILRR-funded projects and covers a variety of topics related to disability, rehabilitation, and independent living, including accessible transportation and the benefits of transportation for people with disabilities and their communities.  Summaries on transportation-related research include Independent Transportation Can Lead to More Opportunity for People with Disabilities and For People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired, Managing Transportation May be Key for Employment Success.

Would you like to learn more about accessible transportation? Look at NARIC’s FAQ on accessible transportation to get started. To learn more, inquire about resources or to learn more about NIDILRR-funded consumer products on accessible transportation, contact NARIC’s information specialists via chat, email, or phone.