Modern transportation systems are not always built with successful accommodations and continue to indirectly discriminate against populations with disabilities. This unintentional discrimination and the lack of research surrounding it is what inspired University of Wisconsin M.S. and Ph.D. candidate Michael Schlicting to study the public transit experience of individuals with disabilities for his dissertation. Making transit access equitable for all people is central to eliminating this discrimination.
“It all comes down to accessibility,” Schlicting said. “We tend to design transportation just for the average male American and just to serve city centers. But transportation extends to everyone.”
In his dissertation, Schlicting defines equitable accessibility as the ability for everyone to receive the same utility from a system, regardless of their physical or mental condition. Despite being granted the legal right to travel publicly and freely, individuals with disabilities still do not always have a quality experience with transportation.
Have more mobility news that we should be reading and sharing? Let us know! Reach out to Sage Kashner (kashner@ctaa.org).
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