Building the Infrastructure of Access
Over the course of the last month a number of “trade associations and shows” have really highlighted the “status” of Autonomous vehicles in all their stages of development and of course in our current dualistic mindset many doubters have raised concerns about the wisdom of this technology.
Well there were a number of folks who thought the smart phone just wouldn’t catch on…. oh well.
The point is I am going to continue to provide some education about this technology and keep spreading the word in the disability community because traditionally people with disabilities and the poor are the last to have access to technology that impacts all lives and in this auto revolution this simply cannot or should not happen again. So… that’s what this version is about.
I am not starting out with a technical description of the vehicle technology, nor am I starting with the BIG number of 80 percent which is about how many people with disabilities experience transportation as a major barrier to work and social life…..
No I am starting by asking everyone who reads this to pass it along to a person who has one of four roles:
- Anybody with a disability
- Anyone who works for a State Vocational Agency at any level
- Any state or federal legislator, their staff, and anyone who works in a big building tax payers pay to heat,and provide wages in.
4 Anybody who works in the auto industry who has a family member or friend with a disability (which is everyone in the auto industry).
So here are the three main issues that need to be considered—no let’s make that resolved.
- People with disabilities need to get Places
Our State/Federal system for helping people with disabilities live full and productive lives have administrative systems that change at the speed of snails walking uphill against the wind and these systems need to be ready to either purchase access to these new vehicles, build ride sharing networks so that multiple client so multiple-owner systems could be put into place (where four or five consumers/clients could own a single accessible vehicle and have constant access, and/or they need to get together with the manufacturers and bargain for a lower price based upon a “fleet buying” mentality. The State Federal System could also partner with employers so that home to work shuttles that will soon be automated include accessible spaces, therefore that type of barrier would be eliminated. We don’t need an electronic shuttle showing up at the front of a place of business dropping off employees followed by the local paratransit van pulling up behind.
Okay tht’s enough about that for now—I didn’t forget why you need to spread this word to people with disabilities —I’m leaving that for last.
Well…legislators provide resources so that the VR folks can assist their consumers/clients. Also as a legislator you will need to make the same sorts of decisions that were made when codes were written for the ADA, Section 504, and the Able Act. If you are a legislator or an assistant to one and don’t know much about those statutes don’t bother to look them up just call your local Center for Independent Living or Regional ADA Resource Center (you can get really great info and quickl). As lawmakers you can tell car producers that 2 in 10 of their vehicles need to be wheelchair accessible and that all shuttles need access. You can design tax credits for businesses that provide employee shuttles that have this type of access. You can build in provisions to the ABLE act that allow for two or three families to jointly own a vehicle as an asset or save income aside for this type of resource. While you are at it you could modify social security regulations so that the purchase of these vehicle regardless of whether is used just for work is an acceptable work/life related expense and thus exempt from counting as as asset and counting against benefits. In short lawmakers have a great opportunity to really break down some barriers here. Oh and let’s not forget about requiring adequate coverage and testing for small town and rural settings. Right now a lot of buzz is focused on cities and urban consequences …let’s not forget to see how these “new fangled cars” do when a deer jumps in the road or the Johnson’s hog fence gave way again. When do you need to start working on this? Well about three years ago, but maybe tomorrow would be soon enough.
People who work in the auto industry…. look for a century you have produced an assembly line of vehicles that have changed the culture of our country. Unfortunately, members of your own families with some types of disabilities cannot even drive the cars your company makes all day long seven days a week. Cars come with standard features like seat belts USB ports, cupholders, places for a spare tire and a crappy jack. Almost every vehicle has a stereo system of some sort and adjustable seats-some of which will heat your body on the cold winter days. Yet you have seen no real need to include hand controls as a standard feature or many other features that might help a person with a disability operate a car coming right off the line. You wouldn’t have to design every vehicle for access, however, you could make it easier to add ramp conversions, tie downs, etc than you do now. You could wait for the law makers to demand that you do this or you could consider the members of your own families that could use them. The reality is that until the car people start thinking of access as a standard we have to count on lawmakers and small market vendors to figure things out. Well, have you seen our healthcare system? Do we really want to waste an opportunity for industry driven change or wait for the bureaucrats?
Okay… people with disabilities…now Us—-
I have been reading and reading and reading some more about this vehicle revolution and what i have not been seeing most of the time is a standard comment by people with disabilities educating the public about the importance of inclusion from the ground level. Well…. we finally after years of having planes break enough wheelchairs did something…but are we going to wait that long on this car redesign? It’s time to contact your local VR folks and ask how they are going to purchase these vehicles or at least provide drivers training on them or demand that the regular methods of training include folks with disabilities. We should not have to go to an occupational therapist tto learn how to push a button. Many lasmakers and their staff are not aware of the impact of autonomous vehicles or self-driving cars and have not considered the access questions that we need to be asking right now. For example do these vehicles recognize curb cuts and have the built in capacity to easily be adapted with switches and joy sticks for driving etc. Can a wheelchair or a cane be modified to be able to communicate with these vehicles that will be communicating with each other?
The point is you need to be asking the car companies these questions and asking the legislators around the country to be asking them too.
There is a lot of money and freedom at stake here…. Let’s Get Moving.
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