Guest column: Better transit for people with disabilities is a civil right
By Mark Raymond Jr. The Advocate, March 8,2022
Photo: Crista Rock
The Advocate
March 8, 2022
Transportation is essential for any functioning society, and unfortunately the lack of transportation remains the biggest barrier for people living with disabilities.
You can’t get to health care facilities, work, school or spend time with friends. Why? There’s no truly regional public transportation system in the New Orleans metro area. On the private side, you can’t order a wheelchair-accessible vehicle from Uber, Lyft or a taxicab company in the metro area because they don’t offer the vehicles. The same goes for rental car companies. And keep this in mind: 1 in 4 Americans live with a disability.
It’s long past time that we address the transportation issue not just in the New Orleans metro area, but across the state and the country.
I know what it’s like to be isolated because of these transportation obstacles. When I suffered a diving accident in 2016 and became a C-5 quadriplegic using a power wheelchair, my transportation options became very few. My wheelchair is indispensable, allowing me to move independently in most spaces, but it also weighs at least 400 pounds, so you can’t throw it in the trunk; nor can you rent or order a vehicle.
And while public transit routes in Orleans Parish use wheelchair-accessible buses, what about riders like me whose disability requires curb-to-curb pickup and delivery?
