The physical accessibility of public transportation increased nationwide following the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Despite removal of many physical barriers within fixed-route systems, significant barriers to overall access of public transportation systems are still widespread. The purpose of the current study was to provide a full description of barriers experienced by individuals with disabilities when using the public transportation and the complementary paratransit services. An online survey was developed and disseminated to contacts of the National Network of ADA Centers, and 4,161 individuals responded. Results highlight significant barriers for people with disabilities who use public transportation and complementary paratransit services. Barriers to these transit systems are physical and attitudinal in nature, and as a result, modifications to the physical environment and educational opportunities to reduce negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities are recommended.
AldredR.WoodcockJ. (2008). Transport: Challenging disabling environments. Local Environment, 13, 485–496.
2.
AnabyD.HandC.BradleyL.DiRezzeB.ForhanM.DiGiacomoA.LawM. (2013). The effect of the environment on participation of children and youth with disabilities: A scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 35, 1589–1598.
3.
CarmienS.DaweM.GerhardF.GormanA.KintschA.SullivanJ. (2005). Socio-technical environments supporting people with cognitive disabilities using public transportation. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 12, 233–262.
4.
ChanF.LivnehH.PruettS.WangC.ZhengL. X. (2009). Societal attitudes toward disability: Concepts, measurements, and interventions. In CardosoE. D.ChronisterJ. A. (Eds.), Understanding psychosocial adjustment to chronic illness and disability: A handbook for evidence-based practitioners in rehabilitation (pp. 333–367). New York, NY: Springer.
5.
ChristensenK. M. (2014). Socially equitable community planning: Including individuals with disabilities in democratic association of place. Review of Disability Studies, 5(3), 49–52.
6.
DensonC. (2015). Public sector transportation for people with disabilities: A satisfaction survey. Journal of Rehabilitation, 66(3), 29–37.
7.
FoxM. H.WhiteG. W.RooneyC.RowlandG. L. (2007). Disaster preparedness and response for persons with mobility impairments. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 17, 196–205.
8.
GallupJ.LamotheS.GallupA. (2015). Enhancing transportation education using mobile devices and applications. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(1), 54–61.
9.
JansuwanS.ChristensenK. M.ChenA. (2013). Assessing the transportation needs of low-mobility individuals: Case study of a small urban community in Utah. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 139(2), 104–114.
10.
KrausL. (2015). 2015 Disability Statistics Annual Report. Durham: University of New Hampshire
11.
LivnehH.WilsonL. (2003). Coping strategies as predictors and mediators of disability-related variables and psychosocial adaptation: An exploratory investigation. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 46, 194–208.
12.
National Council on Disability. (2005a). Access to transportation by people with disabilities: Illustrations of implementation from the United States. Washington, DC: Author.
13.
National Council on Disability. (2005b). The current state of transportation for people with disabilities in the United States. Washington, DC: Author.
14.
National Council on Disability. (2015). Transportation update: Where we’ve gone and what we’ve learned. Washington, DC: Author.
PenfoldC.CleghornN.CreeganC.NeilH.WebsterS. (2008). Travel behavior, experiences, and aspirations of disabled people. London, England: National Centre for Social Research.
RosenbloomS. (2007). Transportation patterns and problems of people with disabilities. In FieldM. J.JetteA. M. (Eds.), The future of disability in America (pp. 519–560). Washington, DC: National Academic Press.
ScheerJ.KrollT.NeriT.BeattyP. (2003). Access barriers for persons with disabilities: The consumer’s perspective. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 13, 221–230.
21.
TillmanV.HavemanM.StopplerR.KvasS.MonningerD. (2013). Public bus drivers and social inclusion: Evaluation of their knowledge and attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 10, 307–313.
22.
Transit Cooperative Research Program. (2005). TCRP Synthesis 60: Practices in no-show and late cancellation policies for ADA paratransit. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (2003). Transportation–disadvantaged populations: Some coordination efforts among programs providing transportation services, but obstacles persist. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-03-697
