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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

What’s one or 2%?

IT’S ONLY 2%

Veteran wheelchair users  can tell you horror  stories about  getting hauled aboard commercial  air carriers and watching out the window as their  mobility  devices get tossed around  by cargo handlers.  Oh sure the airlines usually  pay for  any damages and  provide  substitute equipment from time to time, however wheelchairs and scooters are fitted  for individual users, have features based on  the ways to optimize  independence for those users and  are not cheap so users don’t usually  have two or three spares chairs  sitting around while they wait  on the airlines.

Now I would invite  the Self-Driving  car crowd to consider the following….. a recent  study conducted in the first two months of this year noted that in one month the rate of damaged or “lost”  mobility equipment was  2% of all devices.  What’s  2%?  
Well let’s just say that for  every one  hundred  passengers  getting on  the plane United  or American  would institute  a “break the legs of passengers  99 and 100.  

What?  Would that be acceptable?  If two out of  100 passengers  got on the plane able to  get around independently and then  when they got off the plane they  no longer could  move through the airport or out  on the street—get to their job?  I think something would  happen  pretty quickly.  Unfortunately, I’m sure that some airlines learning of this news will “institute policies.”  

The trouble  is that there will be no rush to have people with disabilities  actually come and train employees  how to handle this  equipment.  There won’t be thoughts  like ‘what if the  pilot was a chair user and couldn’t get on or off the plane?  

Well what does this have to  do with self-driving?  It’s simple really.  Planes were not designed to  allow freedom for people with disabilities and the results are evident.  Car makers  have a chance to avoid that mistake and many, many, more  and all they  need to do is involve people with disabilities into the design and implementation phases  of their  products.  

So—sometimes you can learn from your mistakes and sometimes  you can learn from someone else  mistakes… 

How about  we make this the latter.


Monday, April 29, 2019

WAYMO you have the Detroit spotlight what will you shine it upon?

#WAYMO —WAY TO GO…SO FAR —BUT WILL YOU GO  FAR ENOUGH 
(will you honor #inclusion and #disability  rights?


It is great that  WAYMO  has decided to repurpose  the facilities and skills of  auto makers in  a part of our country that is known  for auto making excellence in the past century.  I stand and applaud this as  WAYMO and their parent company #Google have enough  clout and resources to  ramp up this effort  anywhere  in this world and maybe  even  on other planets soon (okay I  am confusing  them with Tesla).  

However, I do have  three questions (don’t I always seem to have questions?”

  1. How inclusive  will this new  auto works be?  Will there be efforts made to make it the most accessible and inclusive plant the world has ever seen?  Why do I ask—-because you  could make that happen and  by that action alone gain public trust and admiration by many which a currency  the self-driving universe needs to develop.
What  percentage of your design teams and work force will be  seniors and/or  people with disabilities?  The state of Michigan has a few of us who  are talented, aware of  innovation, all too familiar with barriers, and most of all all ready to produce the best damn  transportation options in the world.
and 
3. Given that you already recognize the truth of the above  when  are you going to  stop  bowing from the applause  of doing this and actually  implement  the inclusive  and accessible  concepts that self-driving can  accomplish?  

In short this brief  blog says—-
Way to go WAYMO
It then asks  what are you going to do to include everyone. 
Finally it asks  a question I have been asking a lot of companies  getting  press about this…… when does the equality and participation of all start?  When  does  the implementation  prove  that Self-Driving  companies  really want to revolutionize and improve  mobility for the world?  

I truly believe  all the AV and SD folks want to do this…they just  haven’t  invited  all the right  people to the table and onto the shop floor yet and I hope  YET  is the operative  word  here.

#AI
#Tesla
#WAYMO
#disability rights

Thursday, April 25, 2019

LISTENING FOR WHAT  WE DON’T  HEAR ABOUT SELF-DRIVING

Over the past  couple  years the news has been full of “what Tesla can and cannot do.”  There  have been  stories about  testing of self-driving vehicles  at different levels in various  locations and a stream of stories  about how varios  Detroit-based auto makers are  moving towards and then away from full commitments  to the concept.  

Far less frequent  are the stories about  how various states are passing laws regarding  autonomous  vehicless   Oh and every now and then a new state passes a law having  a variety of features in the law regarding  operations and technical  standards for the industry.  



So growing up in a small town and not  being able to see well, I developed a skill that  I believe is very  overlooked and needs some attention now.  That skill?  Listening for what you don’t hear.  I stood across the street from my house and listened for  cars coming up or down the street and when  I couldn’t hear any then I could cross.  When I was  walking  down toward the “corner store” I would listen to  figure out  if and who might  be playing  “baseball”  in the school parking lot—yes we were tough kids we played  baseball  with a rubber ball in a gravel and chunky  grass lot where every grounder  had a tricky hop or two—gut I digress.  The point  is I learned  as much about  what was happening from what I didn’t hear as what I  did.  

Now when I “listen” to the self-driving buzz I’m doing  it again: listening  for what I don’t  hear.

So  here’s what I don’t hear.  I don’t hear any federal vision of transportation guiding  the evolution  of these  transportation options no matter who builds them and where they will be used.  I don’t  hear this and thus individual states are wading into the deep end splashing around  for their  own solutions.  I don’t want to open up the “state’s rights” debate, however we are heading quickly into the territory when you may  be able to  drive your car in “your” state, but  well maybe not over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s  house because  “we don’t  like those kind around here.”  In the world of  paratransit and senior  citizen or injured veteran transport we have already learned the  lesson of not being  able to cross a line on a map.  It is okay that  individual states are moving forward, however, it is time for  our government  leaders to at least  begin to  be aware of how things are developing and  more importantly than being aware, building a communications  network where  groups (let’s say people with disabilities)  can be aware of  what is and is not going on in an industry that will dictate a  large number of  their living  options  for the next century or so.  The federal  government  has been silent on  how people with disabilities and seniors  can contribute their  vast  knowledge about  transportation barriers to mobility so that the new technology might  improve travel for all.  We don’t need the feds to tell people  what to do….we need the channels of communication in place so that citizens  can tell car makers etc. what is needed  (or Lord forbid wanted).   

What else  don’t I hear?  I don’t  hear  most of the car makers opening up listening sessions or surveys  for people with disabilities where these  companies or partnerships of companies can learn how to build  vehicles for maximum  utility for all citizens.  I recently  heard someone  in a supermarket say “where did all these “scooter people” come from?” when noticing  all the motorized  shopping  carts were in use AGAIN.  Well—imagine if we had  reasonable options for transportation for  everyone.  then  how many scooters would the store need?  Well I don’t know, but those  people are coming into that store with money in their  pockets and leaving  with  things they are buying right?  

So maybe retailers could be active in making sure transportation guidelines included all possible  shoppers?   Unfortunately, I haven’t been  hearing Target or Wal-Mart commercials about  making their stores  open for all.   

Well, I can  hear the  Council  of Future  Mobility  in Michigan  saying “we have  those people  at our table.”  They  do, however I don’t hear  them when I read the  news about self-driving.  There is a  group with the acronym  PAVE (Partnership for AuAutonomous Vehicle Education) and they are building  their infrastructure, however with all the social media tools available and all the  interested parties out here, rarely a peep comes from  groups such as these.  

Don’t  get me  wrong  now…I’m not  assigning responsibility  to the council or the PAVE folks—although if they want to listen that would be okay—where’s the media asking  questions about inclusion?  Where’s  the government  asking how  these new options can solve long-term puzzles that have eluded past attempts to  be solve?  I don’t  hear you.  

Well…some folks wonder why  a large  majority of people  either fear or don’t  want  self-driving?  Why is that?  Anyone  ever hear of the the fear of the unknown?  
This has been a long  post, but it  comes down to three points….
  1. Always  wonder  who else needs to be involved  or at the table when important  matters are being discussed.
  2. Listen for  who and what  you don’t  hear.
  3. Be fully aware that todays decisions about  inclusion have  social and economic consequences.—-and
  4. There  needs to be some real leadership shown by someone in terms of  making the public aware—this leadership  can come from various  places…but the word is not getting out (with the possible exception of Tesla.

I will end  this post with one of my favorite  quotes from  President Lincoln (because  wasn’t  he the inventor of the Lincoln Continental?).  “if you have  eight hours to chop down a tree—you should spend seven hours  of your time sharpening  the axe.”  Well we have some time to get  this new transportation concept  in place and functioning  well…but I don’t  hear any axe sharpening right now.

More Soon

Sunday, April 21, 2019

At the table and screaming nearing the end of the beginning





In the last few posts this blog has taken a look at who needs to be involved in the  “launch” phase of “self-driving” cars.  The topics of fear and safety, research, and human factors have been reviewed.  These subjects will no doubt be  visited again.  However, today’s topic gets visited all the time and  yet  needs to be the capstone of  the mini-series  this blog  has recently  canvased.  

Where  are we really in the autonomous  universe….the beginning, but not at the beginning  of the beginning.  We are nearing the  end of the beginning and it is evident that NO REAL  ATTEMPTS ARE BEING MADE BY  AUTOMAKERS TO  INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE  DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR  LIFE CHANGING  TRANSPORTATION PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES.  That’s  right.  No serious attempt is really being made to include  either  people with disabilities  or senior citizens in  the process.  The truth of the matter is that  people with disabilities have not stepped up  up either.  As state afteer  state passes laws and regulations there have not been demands that  department of transportation  committees include persons with disabilities and there has not been any  mandate that state independent living or rehabilitation councils or commissions include public or private transportation  entities.    We are at a point where all these structural  changes would be  not only possible but very wise and  NOTHING is being done of any real importance in any sort of systematic way.  Why? Well car maers have not decided  how and when they are going to work on this (or if).   People with disabilities and their organizations  have  focused on the broken  paratransit  funding systems  for so long they  haven’t widened their scope to include the  whole new world.  

The  same  goes for the world of services to seniors ad the chronically ill.  

Oh the Association of Auto Manufacturers isholding  three  workshops/seminars in Washington DC  this summer.  Has anyone seen a Toyota commercial mentioning this?   Oh maybe you’ve seen a Tesla commercial talking about these  sessions?  Have we even seen an AARP commercial about it?  I have not….. In the 24 hour newschannels that have  guess what 24 hours a day of news to fill…..not a word.  

Now how are people struggling to get to the  local  strip mall or their doctor going to  afford and get to  go to Washington DC?   (perhaps other than Disneyworld the most  expensive tourist attraction in the Northern hemisphere?”  Well Local car dealers could hold forums reqquired  by state lawmakers and info could be gathered there.  Even having  mandated  meetings in each capital paid for by  the car makers and the state would show that inclusion is a serious  matter….but I am not  hearing any such rumors or seeing any such movements.  

People will claim thatthe day  of these vehicles is still a long ways off…..but  you see that’s only part way true.  The final products are  being designed and  produced  now.   The  molds are being  formed  and soon they will be cfixed in place.  Quite frankly theinclusion  has been  solidified and is nearing a critical  time  when it will become an afterthought  just like it has been since horse and buggy days.   Oh well...what’s another century or so  of inequality  when it comes to mobility?  

In summary…..we have studied  the cost of not having adequate transportation and it is  incredibly  high.  Up to 2 million  more people with disabilities  could be working  right now if they  had adequate transportation let alone the advanced  features that could increase that number even further.  The estimated  cost of missed  healthcare appointments and poor transportation  for basic  healthcare is set at about  19 BILLION  dollars annually.  Do we want another  generation  of   Discriminatory Us transportation.

People with disabilities are going to have to start screaming for aspot at the table and  politicians and administrators who claim to be working for equality are going to have  mandate participation by  car makers and transit providers.  Not  after  the products are  already  put together  and then need modifications...but now.  The opportunity  is at least as large as Henry Ford’s  reevolutionary  assembly  line concept and yet there are  almost not any whispers.  

Oh at the very least vocational rehabilitation counselors should  start  begging their local community colleges to start  incluive  training  programs on the repair and maintenance of  this new type of technology.. Because  people will find new and inventive ways  to breakthings...because it  one of mankinds most valuable  habits.  

I rarely  beg readers to do anything with the  opinions I place before them except to think about it.  In this case however, if you have read this far--forward to the best advocate  you know…..forward it to anyone who works in disability services  anywhere...forward it  to anyone in the senior services  world and  yes  ask your local car dealers  why they are taking so little interest in  having  cars that work for everyone.  


Saturday, April 20, 2019

Social sciences and self driving

WHY SOCIOLOGISTS AND PSYCHOLOGISTSD  NEED TO BE IN THE AUTO INDUSTRY

We are at the beginning of the new AI/auto/transportation  evolution/revolution.  The H

The plain fact is that we are incorporating  mosre new features in our technoogy faster than ever  before.  There is a human  interaction factor that most manufacturer’s  have  not  really been discussing.  The personal  relationship with have with our  technology.



Here is a matter of fact.  People with disabilities  who have relied on various forms of tech.  People in general assign human characteristcs to their  cars, apliances, and especially their cars. 

The previous post already highlighted some  problems with  the research  around self-driving….. However these have  revolved around safety not matters of identification with  a person’s current  car.  For example, subjects are not asked  how well they like their  current  car  before they are asked how well they would like some future car.   Agood social scientist would never  dream of making such a research  mistake.  There has been very little analysis  done on the disatisfaction or  lack of enthusiasm factors.  

In my particualr case,  I am a person with a disability who can’t wait for a redesign of our transportation system and perhaps  one in which I had the  opportunity to  direct the use of an automobile in an independent  or interdependent fashion.    We  haven’t asked “If you  had to chooose between having  no options and  Self-driving  options which would you choose?  I  haven’t  seen that survey.  A good sociologist  would have done this research and a good psycholgist would have  been studying the personality  characteristics  of early adopters and how to draw them into the marker for early renditions of autonomous vehicles.  

I was overjoyed today to see that Apple  was getting into the marketplace for this technology.  They have been through  this with the smart phone and have mstered the art of introducing  new expectations.  What we used to call a phone would barely be recognized  by most  children today.  

Now  let’s turn to a second group of people that would n benefits from social  sciences becoming  involved.  To date I have not seen studies that feature current car mechanics regarding their  willingness to recieve training on this new tech.  Car Makers and citites  hoping to modernize fast could  make great strides by  involving  the current “support”  team of the car  and making sure they  felt secure  about their future when new tech is rolled out.  I have  not heard  of a sngle  major  car maker making this  training available to  “Mom and Pop organizations.     We may need some  adjustment  counseling  for  people who lose their jobs to  “robots” and I haven’t seen this as a specialization to any great  extent anywhere.  

Then  finally  there is  really hasn’t been any studies done  that  are meant to  bridge the differences that will  happpen  when there  are a certain element of people  who are  in the  backlash group and tohers pressing for faster  advancements.  The problem with  this is hat it keeps  millions of people  with disabilities  from having access right now and who knows for how long?   Do I hate my local mechanic… no, but i hate the fact that no one is including  him or her  at the table and no one is inviting me to the table  in any great  numbers as we try to make this much needed  transformation.  For example have auto makers sent out  the data  stating that our current  transportation  system is costing  us 19 billion  dollars a year as taxpayers because  people  they are likely to know have to miss appointments?  The three mechanics  I have encountered  since i learned this factg were astounded and  nos have a far more positive  attitude toward  the future  of  new vehicle consfigurations.  


The bottom line  a good group of socilogists and psychologists  could use this industry as a training lab as we are likely to go through  similar transitions s  in healthcare and other industires.  Somebody needs to be learning the lessons (including the mistakes)  s tat  as  arace humans don’t have to reinvent the wheel so to speak.



More  on who should be at the table in the next ost. 

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Hey bro I’m THE RACE AND SELF-DRIVING CARS

In Going  back a couple entries  or so,  this  blog offerred  some questions about  predicting  dates of launch, who was  at the table in making decisions?—why sociologists should  be studying this?  Particularly for this blog—is this new  evolution  going to have the full benefit it might for people who  have been largely failed by the current  combinations of transportation systems and vehicles?


In the  entry  just prior to this  the topic of Ford unpredicting something and  expressing  uncertainty was  discussed at least at a primary  level.  Some of the statistics about self-driving and the public’s opinion were brought under some scrutiny.   Well that’s as  good as any  place to resume the discussion today.

A recent study of what cars do when they are  not driving around—-yes staying parked—was  done both in the United states and in a couple of european countries.  Well it may  surprise  most people that these cars we value  so much and pay so much attention to how they  drive spend  over 90% of their  lifetime not moving around  at all.  In Europe it was estimated that a car spends  92% of its  time parked and in the U.S.  cars spend about 95% of their time parked.  

So I guess the first question to be answered is  really how do we  use these valuable tools for moving people around to actually  move people around?  This has nothing do with who is driving, whether  or not  these cars burn  gas or  battery power, it has to do with how do we get  people who are  stuck in their homes and can’t  get to work or the doctor  into some  vehicles  that  are just sitting around rusting, rotting, and otherwise losing their  value? 
SO RIGHT  NOW WE HAVE SELF-NON-DRIVING CARS— how do we  bend the curve on that and have less waste in that  area?

Well there is no doubt we have tried some forms of mass transit such as  subways, light rail, busses, paratransit  etc.  a few  states in a few places  have adopted “car pooling”  lanes and a few employers have  provided  vans that pick up workers  in nearby  localities so that these workers don’t  bring their  own car and park it  in the employers property space.  However, have we ever really studied the actual  transportation (moving around) and vehicle  needs of communities ?  Wouldn’t it be a good time to do this as we  are about to bring a different  combination of  transportation online?   Nay sayers  of self0driving  cars  have made it clear that they believe these vehicles will roam the streets during the day leading to more congestion.  This type of thinking is  logical except for the fact that maybe these vehicles  could be taking children back and forth from day care  or elderly people  out to socialize or to  do a little shopping instead of  what happens now.  Maybe  employers could stagger  work shift  start times  so that  their workforce  shows up  in six shifts a day  instead of 3.  Maybe  a city could  develop a reasonable rate truck rental system so that  people who  now use their  truck  for hauling things about  once every five trips  could  use a communal  truck?  

Maybe big box stores and  big retailers  like Walmart could use the coming  self-drivers  to deliver  prescriptions  to the nursing  home or the homes of patients recently home from the hospital or who could no longer drive a traditional  vehicle.    But if we want to just have cars sitting around doing  nothing for the vast majority  of their life span so be it.  In so many ways this  is a hidden  case of  the “grandma’s  fany china syndrome.—you know we get them out for  Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and Maybe  an anniversary or something otherwise  it’s great value  paper plates.  

Okay let’s move on to  another question and then  taht’s about enough  for today….
What  other questions are being addressed…at what tables… and who is in  and not in the room?  and should we have some social scientists  studying this? 

Well the next entry is really going  to dive into these questions ankle deep but head first.  For now Ihere are some things to think abut.  Are the traditional players (car makers, city planners,  state DOT  officials, City Planners, and  elected officials  the  only people who should be at the table….??? Aren’t these the people who  have brought  us here?  What’s the definition of insanity?   Doing  the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.  Let’s think  about  this and then think  about who else should be at the table.  More tomorrow.   

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Lies more lies and headlines In

LIES, MORE LIES & SELF-DRIVING CARS


When I was a kid….a tablet was something  Moses  had carried down from the  holy  mountain  to reveal the “new laws.”   In the  first dictionary I ever owned the definition for  computer was —noun—one who  computes.  

Yet today these words  carry with them  altogether  different  meanings and  my guess  is that if  I asked  a majority of  my children’s  generation to  provide a definition of these things they would not  even  come close to the cognitive  image I had earlier in life.
The  other  part of what I  would urge  us all to think about….. do  you remember for first cell/mobile phone?  Could  you shoot a movie with it?  Could you deposit a check into your bank account with it?  Could  you send a photo across the room with it?  I doubt  it.

So question one:   Why  are we so fixed on setting  a date when  self-driving  will be a thing, a real thing?  Have we even  really defined  what that means?  We have levels of  “autonomy”  set out so that  a reasonable conversation  can begin and that is a large step in the right  direction.  


Day after day  I read surveys  about how many people  do not  want self-driving  cars and wonder if  they have experienced any?—do they  know about the levels of autonomy?—or are they thinking  of a robot like the one in Lost in Space driving their  car around?  Do researchers  ask  if people like their current car as a part of the survey?  Or even if the person owns a car… I think these surveys  are sort of like asking  if you like  sandwiches?  Well some I do..some I don’t.  If you say do you like  sandwiches or pizza—then I am more likely to say  pizza, however, if you  asked  do you like veggie  pizza or a ham sands which  I’m saying ham sandwich  every  time.  

I’m not yelling at the researchers so much as the headliners… the  people who push the headline.  

Ok…I think you understand my point about  surveys regarding  self-driving.  Maybe there are  21% of the population who would still prefer  outdoor toilets…when is the last time we have asked?

Now let’s talk about  progress.  Some companies (in the most recent  round—Ford)  has  come out and said their  “self-driving”  cars will probably  not be ready as soon as they once thought.  Well  which of the following questions did this raise for you?

  1. Was Ford  lying to us when they make their first predictions?
  2. Has there been  some really  negative test results about their product?
  3. did  Ford already  lose the battle on this and is no3 slowing down?
  4. Well  my question would be did ford  finally decide to make access a bigger feature  so that people with disabilities  could use these  vehicles?  If that is true why aren’t  other companies  doing the same


What “progress” in other fields will  create  variations in the evolutionary  timeline of self-driving?  Will  printable circuits  on clothes change  the safety equations?  Will park and charge lot development  change the public’s acceptance?   Will making  these cars more accessible  to a person  with a disability encourage a very smart  young woman  to attend college and then engineer  the voice recognition  receptor  capable of  hearing the tone of someone yelling stop  at a sufficient  volume to stop the car from hitting  your  little boy who chases a ball into the street?  All this is possible and  given the speed at which technology  crosses the stream so to speak predictions to leaps forward, sideways, and even  at times  backwards  are all fairly likely.  

The best suggestion I have on this is  to stop predicting  the evolution of this technology and start working hard on the inclusion of variations so that work can begin on the expansion of capabilities.  Build  these  things like Lego so the parts  can be upgraded and modified….and keep including  a wide range of stakeholders—-you know  like anybody who needs to get anywhere, at any time.

Also take a look at the history of automobiles or televisions, or computers, or  types of shoes and realize evolution always includes  happy accidents and  unpredicted  failures.  

When someone announces a change in a timeline treat it like a scientist  needs a potty break not a massive  social commentary.  


I have a whole week scheduled  tp discuss  matters like this so enough  for today…

Monday, April 15, 2019

Do these self driving cars really know where they’re going?

Do these self-Driving Cars  Really  Know where they are going?  —some things are hard to  predict-especially  the future?

Recent  news would indicate that  Yogi Beara  (famous for some of baseball’s funniest  quotes)  is absolutely  correct when it comes to the current state of self-driving and autonomous  vehicles and  combinations of public and private transportation (mobility)  options.

The next  three posts offer insights about  the question posed by the title.  Some  of the ground in these posts has been covered in this blog before…but there’s a need to slow down and take a closer  look.  


Basically the next  three posts  will cover  the topics  below.

Why are time frames so elusive on this  matter?
Who should we  believe and why and when?
Who  isn't  at the leadership table and why?
Why sociologists  should study this….?

…and as a wrap up for this week’s  writings  we will explore perhaps  the most  important  question.  Who is in charge —the man behind the curtain (orwoman)…???



Since It’s  Monday we will just  start out with a frequently copied conceptual  graphic.  


Have a successful day and make some progress.

 

Friday, April 12, 2019

You can get educated

https://pavecampaign.org/news-events/ So I spent a considerable amount of time on social media and pounding those who don’t seem to want to get educated or have people with disabilities involved pave has done a good job and is worth following go take a look at their social media etc. they have some cool events planned and have already had some cool events 

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Being invisible sometimes good sometimes not

 OK I’ve been wicked sick for about a week with a nasty late winter early spring called the worst kind in my opinion  
 Why? Because it makes me crabby and I’m already crabby enough because well I haven’t been riding I’ve been had plenty of time to read and I’ve read a lot of exciting news about the world of self driving vehicles and money being invested etc. etc. etc. unfortunately when I haven’t read is about how people with disabilities are being included in the process and I haven’t read questions from any place important about why this is   #ABCNews #CBSNews #CNN #MSNBC #TheRealDonaldTrumpNo oneIsAskingQuestionsAboutHowTheseVehiclesAreGoingToBeAbleToMakeTheSocialChangeThatCouldBePossibleIfTheyWereAffordableAndAccessibleToPeopleWithDisabilitiesAndTheirFamilies    The alliance for automobile manufacturers have or has set up a three meetings series in Washington DC over the summer and into the early fall for people with disabilities the elderly and children     However I see no commitment to attend national conferences such as the national Council on independent living for the association for programs for world independent living by these folks and   These are venues where real progress could be made    They continue to see articles on some of the easy things like vehicle safety and weather related issues these are legal questions that will be addressed because these vehicles will be owned by someone they will be operated by someone’s system and someone will be responsible the weather well so far no one can control the weather and can your little four-cylinder Toyota get through the wind balloon Lake affect snow in Buffalo not always I’m sure


 I’m not sure where all the disability advocates are either to be quite frank and that concerns me    Are we going to wait till the ship is been built and then see if we can somehow climb aboard?    We need to be asking why we aren’t in the design rooms while we’re not in the testing labs and maybe when we’re not in the board rooms?    This opportunity is like when the automobile replace the horse as the major source of transportation in our country it’s not going to happen all at once but it is going to be a revolution that lasts a century or maybe two centuries or maybe till we can transport folks like on Star Trek now is the time to act now is the time to start asking reporters why they are asking questions if you’re not going to ask questions then they should be asking questions about the social responsibility of the auto makers

  My auto dictate on the phone is not working so slick these days but I am not making excuses I have contacted my Find Friends app and also find out if there are things that can be done I will get an answer from them who will you get answers from? It’s time to go it’s time to question things and it’s time for answers more tomorrow Hey