Project Title:
Transit Security in Small Urban Areas: Planning to Meet the Needs of Consumers with Disabilities

Project Objective:
This is the fourth phase of this project on transit security for persons with disabilities.  In the initial research, the focus was on weaving together literature from the areas of transit and disability studies.  The third phased focused on the perception and preparation of transit operators to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in an emergency.  This fourth and final phase will provide a review of the literature related to selected disabilities and travel and culminate in the development of a manual of strategies for training transit users with disabilities.

Project Abstract:
The emergency evacuation of New York and Washington D.C. following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 was largely spontaneous and on foot.  The level of personal mobility involved in the evacuation highlighted the dilemma of persons with disabilities in emergency situations.  Emergencies may include natural or weather related events as well as man-made crises such as an accidental train derailment or terrorist attack. These events can have a profound impact on persons who have physical disabilities that may be exacerbated with over exertion or cognitive disabilities that limit an individual’s ability to maneuver in unfamiliar surroundings.  Lost landmarks as well as the rough terrain of uprooted streets or downed buildings could offer special challenges for persons who have visual impairments, Alzheimer’s Disease, developmental delays or dependence on a wheelchair for mobility.  In an emergency, persons with disabilities who use either fixed route or paratransit services may be unable to access the usual transit service in a fast moving situation where all of the travel rules are suddenly changed.  Preparing riders for emergencies of any sort may be one of the best strategies for coping when traveling in a crisis.  The focus of this project will be travel training for persons with disabilities encompassing a review of related literature, interviews with transit and human service providers, a pilot travel training workshop and a manual on training for secure travel.

Technology Transfer Activities:
The primary users of the results of this project will be transit and human service agencies which have clients needing travel training for secure egress.  A conference presentation will be planned to share the result with professionals in both arenas. Further, the report will be disseminated through the internet, greatly enhancing the possibilities that benefit may be accrued beyond the anticipated conference presentation. Wide dissemination will also occur through the Transportation Research Library as well. Finally, unlike in previous phases, consumers stand to gain direct benefit of this project through the travel training pilot workshop and the students involved in the focus group and the pilot workshop will gain a better understanding of the travel needs of persons with disabilities.

Potential Benefits of the Project:
The final report of this study will be made available to transit agencies and agencies that provide community based services for persons with disabilities.  The manual will also be available to these agencies as a guide to rider training among consumers with disabilities.