Leadership and Community Support

Mind the Gap: A Reference Guide for People with Physical Disabilities

OVERVIEW

This project was a trainee grant sponsored by Easter Seals Project Action (Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation) and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. The purpose of the Mind the Gap study was to identify the barriers that people with physical disabilities experience when riding trains and to use that information to develop a fact sheet for potential train riders in an effort to increase ridership and community access. The project emphasized three primary areas of concern: (1) the gap between the transit train and platform and how the gap affects both boarding and deboarding, (2) the accessibility issues both on the train and in the immediate pedestrian environment of the train station, and (3) how customer to customer assistance occurs and its importance in the boarding and deboarding process.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • A literature review, focus group, and field observations were conducted to gather information.
  • A tip sheet for first time train users was developed and disseminated.
  • A final data report was developed and disseminated.
  • The project was presented at the APHA conference in 2007.