Page 23 - Mobility Management, March 2019

clients, mobility is a human right, and it is one that is often denied by funding challenges for necessary equipment and by a myriad of obstacles to accessibility that are embedded in infra- structure and public services. For mainstream tech companies such as Bird and Lime, it seems mobility revolves around making already mobile able-bodied people more mobile.
Making mainstream mobility and transportation faster, cheaper and smarter is not inherently a bad thing, but if its implementation only accommodates the experiences and needs of able-bodied people, then we’ll forge ahead into a modern world that leaves people with disabilities behind.
Smart Cities & Accessibility
Smart cities are urban areas that rely on various types of data collection from citizens and electronic devices to supply informa- tion that city planners, tech companies and other stakeholders use to manage city resources more efficiently. These resources include everything from transportation systems to energy usage to community services. The electric scooter is only one type of technology that is changing urban transportation and trans- forming cities in the hope of cutting down on fuel emissions
and traffic within cities. Hydrogen buses, ride-sharing services, electric cars and autonomous vehicles are all included in visions of more economically and environmentally sustainable futures.
With accessibility obstacles embedded in current
Technology Series
transportation systems and infrastructure, smart cities have an opportunity to integrate anew the needs of people with disabili- ties to ensure they are included in future urban landscapes. And their needs should be far from a niche concern for developers and designers, as the number of people with disabilities living in city centers is on the rise.
Currently, Pew Research Center reports that nearly 40 million Americans live with a disability, and the largest group within this 40 million comprises people with mobility-related disabilities. Additional data gathered by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research found that more than 6.8 million community-resident Americans use assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, scooters and walkers, to help them with mobility. More to the point, the population
of disabled people living in city centers is increasing: Currently, 25 percent of people living in U.S. cities are seniors or are living with a disability, and by 2050, Pew estimates that worldwide, at least one in seven people will be a city dweller with a disability.
Despite the position that smart cities are in to provide better infrastructure and technology for people with disabilities, most smart cities do not seem to be accommodating people with disabil- ities much better than current cities. The advocacy initiative Smart Cities for All found that 60 percent of the more than 400 global experts they surveyed from government, industry and academia agreed that smart cities are failing people with disabilities.
WE GO WAY
BEYOND
THE CHAIR.
Our chairs are one of a kind. So are our employees, like Zach. We make it our mission to go above and beyond so that every client gains the independence and self-reliance they deserve. Clients like Jane. To read Jane’s story, visit NSMLetsGetMoving.com.
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CUSTOM WHEELCHAIRS & SEATING MOBILITY MASNEARVGICEEM&ERNETPA|IMR ARCH 2019 21
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