Limited Mobility

By Chairfetish

Prologue: I was in a crosswalk and was struck by a cab. Fractured leg, the rest of me is fine.

In college, as a part of one our design courses, each of us had to get in a wheelchair and find out how truly accessible our campus was. I now find myself making some of the same observations about Boston now that I'm on crutches. Of the many obstacles that face individuals with limited mobility, public transit has to be the most daunting challenge. The buses and trains are simply not designed with the "Public" in mind. For instance, the hydrolic system used to allow individuals in wheelchairs access to trains which are set above ground and only accessible via a staircase (Green Line) is one of the most absurd pieces of equipment in that it is bulky, difficult to store and takes quite a while to remove from storage. The issue in this case is that the trains have not all been updated. Mind you that the Massachussetts Bay Transit Authority has many different options available including lift enabling buses and a special service where they come to your home and drive you around (it takes over two weeks to register for it). While perusing Getting Around Boston: A Guide to Riding the T for People of All Abilities (found at http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/gettingaroundguide06.asp) I really noticed how many subway stations don't have elevators, escalators, or even lift services for people in wheelchairs. What's taking so long? I realize that in the end it comes down to funds for such projects, this I understand. In about 12 weeks or so I'll be walking again and this won't be such a pressing issue, however it will still be in the back of my mind. But for the moment, this experience has proven to be quite the education. Anyone who can get their hands on a pair of crutches, try it out for a day. Heavy doors that are hard to pull open, mounds of snow packed at the corners of the block where the curbcuts should be.

Tagged:
accessible handicapped limited mobility

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November 30, 2006

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Gradon

January 09, 2007

If you spoke to any MBTA manager, they'd say something like "We want the MBTA to be blah blah blah blah, but we cannot as we are currently facing a 8.1 BILLION DO
LLAR budget shortfall. You and I both know that even if they had a $8.1B surplus, half the improvements that need to be done wouldn't.

Deborah

December 01, 2006

Funny, We did that same excercise in one of my design courses at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota. They had us each walk around blindfolded, or in a wheelchair, to demonstrate the constraints of a disability and the importance of Universal Design.