Mission – Overcome transportation gaps in the community
Multi-modal education
30th Anniversary of ADA Panel Discussion
Panelists: Judy (National Federation of the Blind), Jamie (CCDC), Eugenia (Association for Community Living), and Aaron (Center for People with Disabilities)
We have come a long way, but there is room for improvement. What and how?
Enforcement – smaller communities don’t always have someone knowledgeable in ADA compliance
Input from public – Guidelines are flexible and can be tailored to each community
Need to focus on rural access – access is important in order to interact with community and stay employed
Accessible parking in open areas that people don’t think of (i.e. hiking)
Continued education – let people know that these things play a critical role in inclusivity
Digital Accessibility – websites & maps to help people navigate transportation are not always accessible.
COVID-19 has forced us to focus on online engagement. What barriers has COVID posed to accessibility?
Isolation – this often leads to depression
Communication barriers (especially for people with low vision) – wearing masks makes it hard for people who read lips or rely on hearing more
Lack of transportation – Blind people touch everything, so traveling on public transit has become more scary and dangerous with the Corona virus
Virtual movement – more people are on every meeting (since there is no travel obligations) so people have to learn new virtual tools more quickly
Inconsistency in applying rules (wearing face mask) – people who are already at high risk are even more at risk.
What role do you see the ADA playing in the next 30 years?
A more inclusive society – everyone benefits from ADA
Sky is the limit – anticipation that growth will happen more quickly especially with growth of technology
Accessibility – would like to see 50% of all housing to be accessible, want a land use policy that all needed services could be found within 1/3 mile from accessible housing
Valued for skills – would like to see people with disabilities fully in the workforce and to be seen for their strong skillsets
LCC updates
Tech workshops
7/16 – RTD apps
7/22 – Lyft app
7/29 – Uber apps
8/13 – Google maps
Last 2 hours with a follow up Q&A session
Working on creating a video on how to download the apps before the training
Used to do this in person, but making a video now that they are virtual
