Document Type
Social Sciences
Date
2024
Submission Date
May 2024
Abstract
This paper addresses the need for accessibility in public transportation from a disabled perspective, focusing on four key areas wherein states can enact meaningful change. These areas as specified are physical accessibility, which concerns the built and engineered environment of public transit and surrounding areas; informational accessibility, which concerns the availability and clarity of information passengers need to navigate transit; management accessibility, which refers to the way information processing is handled by transit agencies when exchanging information with transit users; and social accessibility, which deals with the interpersonal environment that public transit creates and facilitates. Specific areas of attention are universal design, the ability of disabled transit users to get to transit stations as needed, the availability of helpful information in multiple accessible locations, using multiple modes of communication in information transmission, simplifying the application process for paratransit users, broadening the avenues for exchanging information with a transit or paratransit provider, and facilitating social inclusion of disabled people. This paper uses terminology from the disabled community, including ableism, the marginalization of disabled people, and neurodivergent, which refers to the state of one’s mental processes working in a way different from the assumed norm. When referring to people with various hearing disabilities, the paper uses the terms deaf and hard of hearing. In the Deaf community, “Deaf” with a capital D is used to refer to Deaf culture, where “deaf” refers to a person’s hearing. This paper does not address cultural Deafness, so the word “deaf” is used.
Rights
© The Author(s)
Is Part Of
Auctus
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25886/42cr-2m86