#Accessible Transport

[healthplustransportation]

When it comes to seeking reliable transportation services in Ypsilanti, Michigan, it’s essential to consider a few key factors to ensure that you or your loved one receives the highest quality care and comfort. Begin by researching local NEMT providers, looking at reviews, and checking their safety records. Reliable transportation services should always prioritize punctuality and patient comfort, ensuring that you can attend medical appointments stress-free.

[areliablecaretransportation]

Getting to and from appointments can be a challenge, especially for those who require reliable and comfortable rides. Non-emergency medical transportation in Oakland, California, offers a dependable option, ensuring that individuals arrive safely and on time.

[ablehelperstransportation]

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) plays a pivotal role in ensuring individuals have access to essential medical services, paving the way for holistic wellness. Let’s explore the profound impact of NEMT on the health and well-being of individuals, emphasizing its key contributions to fostering a healthier society. Read more information about NEMT here.

[care-ritehomecareservices]

In the realm of home care, ensuring comfortable and secure wheel chair transportation is a vital aspect of enhancing the quality of life for our loved ones. We understand the unique challenges associated with wheelchair transportation and have compiled effective tips to make the journey smoother for both caregivers and clients.

[reasonsforhope]

"This week, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a new rule requiring airlines to make bathrooms more accessible for disabled people. All new single-aisle aircraft will be fitted with fully-accessible lavatories.

Most flights inside the United States are single-aisle and as technology has improved, they are used more frequently for long flights, including coast-to-coast trips that can last as long as six hours. Double-aisle plans are already subject to the regulation but are primarily used for international flights.

Out Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced the new regulations, saying, “Traveling can be stressful enough without worrying about being able to access a restroom; yet today, millions of wheelchair users are forced to choose between dehydrating themselves before boarding a plane or avoiding air travel altogether.” ...

The secretary has made it a priority to improve service on airlines during his tenure. In 2022, six airlines were forced to pay millions of dollars in refunds to hundreds of thousands of customers and were also fined millions for causing the issues. The department’s firm stance on the side of customers has continued through this year after multiple companies have had meltdowns, stranding thousands of travelers.

All planes delivered to airlines starting in 2026 must include several upgrades. Planes already in service will not need to be retrofitted unless the plane is renovated.

“These aircraft must have at least one lavatory of sufficient size to permit a passenger with a disability (with the help of an assistant, if necessary) to approach, enter, and maneuver within the aircraft lavatory, to use all lavatory facilities, and leave by means of the aircraft’s onboard wheelchair if necessary,” the DOT said in a statement.

Accessible faucets and controls, grab bars, accessible call buttons and door locks, minimum obstruction to the passage of an onboard wheelchair, and an available visual barrier for privacy are also required upgrades."

-via LGBTQ Nation, July 28, 2023

Wayyyyyyy fucking overdue but I'll take it!! Also, very nice curb cut effect: We all get to be less miserable on airplanes, and older people don't have to worry as much about airplane bathroom fall risks.

[hands-onamericaservices]

Medical transportation is not just about urgent trips to a healthcare location. There is another aspect of medical transportation that may not contain as much urgency but remains as important as ever.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The study from urban accessibility expert Dr. Jan Scheurer set out to determine whether Melbourne, Australia's trams are the most slugging worldwide, and instead pinned that unfortunate distinction on Toronto's TTC streetcar network. Using the Spatial Network Analysis for Multimodal Urban Transport Systems (SNAMUTS) methodology system, the study looked at data from transit systems across the world that operate trams, streetcars and similar urban light rail networks. As for the poorest performance, the study states, "that dubious honour continues to go to Toronto," noting that "Toronto stands out as a laggard" in the study.

Continue Reading

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[justabunny]

PSA:

if someone who is using a mobility aid is trying to get on public transit first please just let them.

The other day I was trying to get on the public transit bus for my area, (which is primarily used for university students, but anyone can use it) and I usually stand at the front so I can be one of the first people to get on since I am a mobility aid user and use priority seating.

well, I was trying to get onto the bus and this guy tries to cut in infront of me and in the process bumps into me and makes me lose my balance and almost fall into other people.

if someone has a mobility aid usually it's safe to assume that they aren't the most stable on their feet, give them space and let them go first.

[healthplustransportation]

When it comes to mobility chair transportation, many individuals face significant challenges that can make travel difficult. Whether it’s for medical appointments, daily errands, or social engagements, accessibility remains a critical concern. Transportation services in Ypsilanti, Michigan, offer a reliable solution to these issues by ensuring that individuals using wheelchairs can travel comfortably and safely. These services are equipped to handle various needs, offering vehicles that are fully accessible and designed to accommodate a wide range of mobility aids.

[neat-deadandlive-things]

Had to take the car into the shop for some very expensive maintenance (apparently it's important that your brakes work) so if anyone wants to hire a freelance ecologist, I charge $3000. I work with live and dead things in water, sludge, and dirt.

[beranibear]

👏Your👏 baby👏in👏that👏foldable👏pram👏does👏not👏belong👏in👏the👏reserved👏wheelchair👏spot👏on👏the👏train👏when👏the👏train👏is👏packed👏and 👏people👏in wheelchairs👏are👏forced👏to👏just👏park👏👏their👏wheelchair👏in👏the👏middle👏of👏👏a👏walkway👏

You can literally fold the pram and hold your child.

Those spots are there so we are safe and out of the way. So we are able to get emergency help if needed via the emergency assistance button. So we don’t slide down the middle of the train or slam into people if it comes to a sudden stop.

I can not just fold my chair and get out of it. I don’t have the privilege or ability to do that. It is not a pram parking spot, the symbol on the floor and walls is not of a pram, it’s of the universal symbol for people with disabilities.

Wild how people will still do this when there is literally a sign stating that you will be fined if you don’t give up the spot. If your baby has mobility, if you have mobility; your pram was literally made to be folded and compacted. Please DO IT when the train is full and people with mobility aids are forced into spots that aren’t safe.

Fuck you. I should not have to be unsafe so you don’t have to fold a pram and hold your child.

[alpaca-clouds]

Cars vs Accessible Worlds

Alright, let me talk about one thing in terms of accessibility in science fiction settings - and Solarpunk specifically - that also has more than one side to it: Cars and accessibility. Because it is more complicated than you'd thing.

See: The fact that our world is so car centric really, really hinders accessibility. Wide streets are a hindrance for even normal pedastrians, cyclists and so on. If I want to get from A to B, and the route crosses a street, and there is only a traffic light every like 500 meters, it means tat I usually need either to risk my life or take the long way around to get there. And that is a fucking bother even when you are healthy and can easily take that long way around. And the more car centric a society is, the worse the issue becomes. Here in Germany it is a lot easier still to cross a street than in many places in the US.

And of course this gets a lot worse if you are disabled. Be it that you just cannot walk that far. Or if you are blind and cannot even see in what direction you could go for the next traffic light. Or if you are hard of hearing or deaf, you might be more in danger of being surprised by a car. (And that is without going into how electric cars being so fucking quiet makes stuff even more dangerous.) And, you know, neurodivergent people might also just struggle with the fucking noise that is created by roads and is often inescapable in big cities.

And of course even outside of the environmental issues, the constant presence of cars is also a health risk. Not just because of the risk of accidents, but also due to the pollution and how it interacts. Even if we all were driving electric cars, there would still be all those microplastics created by tires and streets and stuff.

So, really. We do need to move away from car centric infrastructure to make our lives healthier and to make the world more accessible for disabled people too.

BUT...

But there is the issue that some disabled people still might be in need to use some sort of personal transportation device that can cover both short and large distances, because for one reason or another public transport just does not work and cannot work for them.

For example someone with severe anxiety issues, or someone who will be easily suffering from sensory overwhelm. There might be other issues, too. Just some folks will always need something like cars.

And of course there is also the fact that stuff like emergency services will still need streets accessible to cars. Because the emergency services will just not get around using something like cars to get to all the places they might be needed.

And this... makes things complicated. Because infrastructure should not be car centric, no. But it needs to be accessible by cars - and be it just for emergency services.

This is just something that I would love to see more talked about especially within the Solarpunk sphere.

[feminist-space]

Gothamist Twitter on 1/29/24:

"Emergency exit gates at three subway stations will soon take 15 seconds to open, MTA officials announced Monday, as part of an effort to crack down on the "super highway of fare evasion.""

Twitter user notchrisvolpe on 1/29/24:

"If you were in that Brooklyn subway station when the NYPD failed to stop a terrorist attack and then let the mass shooter get away - just know the @MTA wants you to be stuck for 15 seconds when the next emergency happens."

Twitter user notchrisvolpe on 3/19/24:

"Welp, it happened." Followed by link to article in Gothamist by Giulia Heyward and Ramsey Khalifeh on 3/17/24 with title "Fleeing riders forced to exit single file at nearby Brooklyn station after subway shooting, riders say" and accompanied by a photo of an MTA subway exit gate.

https://x.com/notchrisvolpe/status/1769863721059340683

[thestarlightforge]

If you could reblog this @amtrak-official, it would mean a lot. Happens almost every day here in DC, and these are only the 4 train stations I’m even subscribed to alerts for. A daily reminder that our transit is not anywhere near “the most accessible in the nation” (or if it is— Yikes), and it desperately needs to improve

[miodiodavinci]

im being so so brave but also i am gripping you by the shoulders and leaning in and letting you know i am so tired of being brave

[lemonbombsfjl]

In my city, four new elevators and other ♿️ accessability features are being installed at a busy, major train station, thanks to this effort. As I have difficulty walking down (yes, down!) stairs, this makes a major difference to me and so many others!

💙

♿️VOTE!