2: Episode 2: Buses, Trains & Automobiles - Getting from Point A to Point B

MDA Quest Podcast

For anyone with NMD or other disabilities, getting from one place to another can be a challenge. On today's episode of Quest Podcast, we will be discussing the various options in accessible ground transportation, from driving adapted vehicles, to riding on buses and trains. We'll examine the various modes of transportation, what systems have been designed well and which ones...maybe leave a little to be desired...and how YOU can get involved to advocate for improvements to public transportation.

To get involved in advocating for better transportation for individuals with disabilities, check out the information and resources below:

• Press release for the ASAP Act from Sen. Tammy Duckworth's office: https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-brown-and-casey-introduce-legislation-to-make-public-transit-more-accessible
• More details from Access Living in Chicago:
  • Senate version, S. 1680
  • House version, HR 3317
  • Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee, members here
  • CCD letter
  • Original ASAP Plan from Chicago
  • Link to Access Living ASAP webpage
  • Form to have organizations sign up in support

To learn more about the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the services we provide, how you can get involved, and to subscribe to Quest Magazine or to Quest Newsletter, please go to mda.org/quest.

Transcript

Guests:
Jessica Murray

Jessica Murray earned her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at The Graduate Center, CUNY in 2020, focusing her research on daily travel and the ways that inaccessibility limits the fulfillment of psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence among people with disabilities. She advocates improving transit accessibility in New York City and chairs the Advisory Committee for Transit Accessibility (ACTA) for New York City Transit. She will also be appearing in a documentary about accessible transit, coming soon!
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap6aULx9Hs8
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBiggestObstacle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jekaanne
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebiggestobstacle
Chad Strowmatt

Chad Strowmatt is an Occupational Therapist with 33 years of experience. He earned his bachelors degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and his Doctor of OT at Rocky Mountain University for Health Professions. He has owned and operated Strowmatt Rehabilitation Services, Inc. since 1993 and has served as President of the Association of Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (ADED) in 2004. He has experience in all of the adaptive equipment options required to help people accommodate for changes in physical function.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strowmattrehabservices
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strowmatt_rehab/
Website: https://driverrehabservices.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@strowmattrehab
Josh Cueter

Josh Cueter is from Troy, Michigan and is a recent graduate of Michigan State University. During his last semester he worked as an intern with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Washington D.C. While there he was able to take advantage of the different means of accessible transportation that the city had to offer.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacueter
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-cueter-8b9896140
Mindy Henderson

Mindy Henderson is your host, and happens to have been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, type 2 when she was 15 months old. Today, she drives an adapted minivan that looks like the cockpit of an airplane, and is also a motivational speaker and a writer, with her first book set to hit book stores in Fall of 2022.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendersonmindy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindyhendersonspeaks
Website: https://www.mindyhendersonco.com/