Fixed-Route Transportation Access and Equity for People with Disabilities

Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) prohibiting discrimination and mandating minimum accessibility standards on public transportation for people with disabilities (PWD), barriers continue to impact their ability to travel, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigates the influence of the environment on fixed-route public transportation access in Chicago for people with diverse disabilities. Using mixed methods and a qualitative participatory approach integrating photo-voice, go-along travel methods, and appreciative inquiry, PWD documented and described experiences facilitating and prohibiting access to coordinated complex travel on the bus and subway. Multiple case study analyses showed numerous interacting environmental influences on access, including transportation systems, policy conditions, social environment, societal context, safety, and security. Priorities for community systems change identified by participants recognized actions at the individual, local community, and societal levels. These included infrastructural and accessibility improvements and societal-level commitment to address awareness of and attitudes towards PWD. This study supports increased recognition of the complex environmental influences on PWD’s opportunity to access transit, the need for continued participatory research approaches to address systems change in public transportation, and appreciation of PWD’s community action priorities toward equity.