Submitted by Terry from New York in response to “What Are Your Issues”.
My issue is accessible transportation. One of the greatest needs is more wheelchair-accessible taxis everywhere. I have used wheelchair-accessible taxis in Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale, and in Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria in Canada, and I have found them to be very convenient and inexpensive. All you need to do in most communities is make a telephone call and within a few minutes, your taxi arrives. That’s convenience. If you are taking a short trip, a wheelchair-accessible taxi ride will not cost a lot of money either. Acessible taxis are a quick means of travel, too, because they do not make multiple stops like buses, trains and shared-ride ADA paratransit vehicles. Perhaps my most important reason for wheelchair-accessible taxis is that taxis operate everywhere–in cities, suburbs, and yes, even in rural areas. Just imagine how one or two wheelchair-accessible taxis could change the lives of wheelchair-users who live in rural American communities! I’m also a sometimes public transportation user, both in my hometown New York City, and in many other cities when I travel for business or pleasure. And while I strongly encourage other persons with disabilities to use accessible public transportation systems, we should–no, we must–have access to all forms of transportation currently available to the general public, and this includes taxis. Still, too many persons in the community of people with disabilities are not employed, yet a primary purpose of taxis is trips to work. Accessible taxis will be an important component for persons with disabilities entering the workforce. The first factory-built, wheelchair-accessible taxi–the MV-1–will begin to be manufactured in October of this year in Indiana. I think that it is in the best interests of all Americans with disabilities to spread the word to our colleagues about the MV-1. It will also be available for sale to individuals, to ADA paratransit operators, and to any other entity that uses automotive vehicles to transport people.
You can check out the MV-1 wheelchair accessible vehicle at:
http://www.usatechguide.org/blog/mv-1-wheelchair-accessible-vehicle-from-humvee/
Hooray for you, Terry, for your advocacy on transportation all these years.
If all people with disabilities had access to taxis and other public transportation, they would be able to live a normal life in the community. They could go to the grocery store, keep medical appointments, take their kids to school and activities, participate in their faith, vote and be employed.
May I add that traveling is also difficult since I have to be carried into and out of the buses. Yet, I know that the system to walk invented in Israel will change everything, GOD Willing. Youtube Rewalk. It is being sold in other countries now. Please look into it.