Ep 22: Public Transit
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It’s easy to complain about public transit, but for so many populations, including low-income people, older adults, and people with disabilities, it’s the only option available.
Today’s episode is about public transit focusing on two systems: MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) and the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) in New York City.
Maria Sotnikova and Alejandra Ospina are my guests and they share their experiences using different forms of transit from these two systems. They’ll also talk about larger systemic issues about accessibility and infrastructure in these two metropolitan areas.
Transcript
Related Links
MTA Guide to Accessible Transit
Residents, disabled groups suing to stop ‘arrogant’ L train plan. TheVillager.com. Anderson, Lincoln. (April 5, 2018).
Atlanta Regional Commission. (April 6, 2017). Human Services Transportation Plan.
Disability Rights Advocates. (April 27, 2017). Unprecedented Dual Class Action Suits Filed Today Challenging the New York City Subway System’s Illegal Discrimination Against Wheelchair Users and Others.
Evelly, Jeanmarie. (October 23, 2017). MTA Repairs at Astoria N/W Stations Ignore Disabled Riders, Activists Say. DNAinfo.com
Offenhartz, Jake. (November 16, 2017). Broken Subway Elevators? Not Joe Lhota’s ‘F*cking Problem’. The Village Voice.
U.S. Department of Transportation. Every Place Counts Leadership Committee Transportation Toolkit.
About
Alejandra Ospina was born and is based in New York City, where she has been involved in a number of local disability activism and cultural initiatives over the years, including the the DISLABELED Film Series, the Largest Minority Radio Show, Heidi Latsky Dance, and more.
She has also participated in similar projects online, previously serving as a community liaison for the GimpGirl Community, and as a community advisory board member for the GoWoman Project with the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities at the Baylor College of Medicine, among others.
She has a personal and professional interest in audio description and closed captioning, she likes fast wheelchairs and puffy slippers, and as an (aspiring) avid traveler, she looks forward to the day that airplane travel is actually accessible to wheelchair users. You can visit her website (and encourage her to update it) at: superaleja.org
Twitter: @superaleja_
Maria Sotnikova. A graduate of Georgia Tech with degrees in City Planning, Public Policy, and Engineering, Maria Sotnikova is a Jack-of-all-trades who works as a Data Scientist at the Atlanta Regional Commission. Most recently she worked on Atlanta Regional Commission’s Human Services Transportation (HST) Plan: Managing Mobility in the Atlanta Region, which identifies ways of implementing effective, efficient, and affordable means of increasing transportation options for often-underserved populations. Outside the office, Maria enjoys long walks on the BeltLine, taking in live music and public art, and advocating for inclusive and accessible communities.
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Credits
Cheryl Green, Audio Producer/Text Transcription
Alice Wong, Writer, Producer, Interviewer
Cheryl Green, Text Transcript
Lateef McLeod, Introduction
Mike Mort, Artwork
Theme Music (used with permission of artist)
Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp”
Album: NO BIG DEAL
Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp
Music
“Train over steel bridge 01” by klankbeeld. (Source: freesound.org. Licensed under the Attribution License.)
“Associations” and “Slotcar” by Podington Bear. (Source: freemusicarchive.org. Licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.)
“Bluebird” by Pat Broderick. (Source: freemusicarchive.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.)
“Drift” by Scott Holmes, used with permission from the artist, http://www.scottholmesmusic.com“Greener Grass” by Ketsa. (Source: freemusicarchive.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.)
Sounds
“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.
“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.
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