Transportation Alternatives for People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

Transportation Alternatives for People with Vision Loss by Dona Sauerburger, M.A., COMS®, Orientation and Mobility Specialist

Dona Sauerburger, M.A., COMS

Dona is a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, and provides itinerant orientation and mobility services to blind and visually impaired adults and teenagers in Maryland and suburban Washington, DC. She earned a Master's degree specializing in Orientation and Mobility (O&M) from Western Michigan University and has a special interest in working with people who are deaf-blind.

Her book, Independence Without Sight or Sound: Suggestions for Practitioners Working with Deaf-Blind Adults, published by the American Foundation for the Blind, received the C. Warren Bledsoe Publication Award. You can learn more about her book, including ordering information, at the VisionAWARE Bookstore [3]. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Lawrence Blaha Award for outstanding contributions to the field of Orientation and Mobility.

Transporation Laws and Options

Whether you ride, fly, float, or drive, vision loss can present challenges to the process of transportation. In this section, we will inform you about your rights to access to public transportation and air travel, and answer questions about driving if you have limited vision.

Your right to accessible public transportation

The Americans with Disabilities Act, (ADA) gives people with disabilities many important rights in the area of transportation. If you have a disability, you are entitled to the same right to use and enjoy public transportation as people without disabilities. Here are some examples of things that your local transit authority must do to make a transportation system accessible.

• Public buses need to be accessible to those in wheelchairs.
• Drivers need to announce their stops out loud to benefit visually impaired persons who ride the bus.
• Telephones, drinking fountains, and restrooms inside the terminal should also be accessible.

Paratransit Services

If the local transit authority cannot adequately serve its clients with disabilities in its regular system, it is required to create a parallel transportation system for people with disabilities. This system is referred to as a paratransit system.

Paratransit systems are curb-to-curb demand responsive systems. What this means is that you should be able to schedule a trip, be picked up at your door and then be taken to your destination and returned home.

You should be able to schedule your ride just twenty-four hours in advance. Your pick-up time should be within one hour before or after your desired departure time. You should not be asked to schedule your trip during off peak hours. The transit authority should put additional vans and buses on the road during peak hours to keep up with the demand.

In some communities, accessible transportation may still be a problem. The Lions Club is one organization that can establish transportation services for the blind and visually impaired in communities where accessible transportation does not exist. Go to the Lion's Club web site [4] and find a Lion's Club near you to inquire about this service.

Air Travel

Over 40 million Americans have disabilities. The Air Carrier Access Act and the Department of Transportation rule that implements it set out procedures designed to ensure that these individuals have the same opportunity as anyone else to enjoy a pleasant flight. Here are some of the major provisions of the rule that pertain to vision impairment.

• A person may not be refused transportation on the basis of disability or be required to have an attendant or produce a medical certificate, except in certain limited circumstances specified in the rule.
• Airlines must provide enplaning, deplaning and connecting assistance, including both personnel and equipment.
• Passengers with vision or hearing impairments must have timely access to the same information given to other passengers at the airport or on the plane concerning gate assignments, delayed flights, safety, etc.
• Carriers must allow service animals to accompany passengers in the cabin, as long as they don't block the aisle or other emergency evacuation route.
• FAA safety rules establish standards for passengers allowed to sit in emergency exit rows; such persons must be able to perform certain evacuation-related functions.
• Airlines may not charge for services that are required by this rule.
• irlines must make available a specially-trained Complaints Resolution Official if a dispute arises. There must be a copy of the Department of Transportation rule at every airport.

It's recommended that you call the airline again before your trip to reconfirm any assistance that you have requested.