What You Will Know When You Have Read This ArticleA Key IssueUrban Areas: Choices
The 'Burbs: Transportation Spread Too Thin
Rural Areas: The Quality of Life Trade-offShare Your IdeasRelated Content
Share your opinions with eSight Careers Network
What You Will Know When You Have Read This Article- How transportation affects your job search
- What transportation options are available in urban, suburban and rural locations
- How other visually impaired people have effectively managed their own travel to work
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The difficulty of getting from home to job and back again is not a problem only those of us with visual impairments (and other disabilities) face. In many areas where public transportation is absent or inadequate, anyone who cannot drive or does not have access to a vehicle must find ways to arrange transportation that is reliable and matches the work schedule. This challenge is more widespread than you might at first realize. And, because visually impaired people generally cannot be their own drivers, transportation to and from work impacts a higher percentage of this population.
To help you find solutions of your own, I canvassed several online discussion groups and individuals to see what they have done about getting to work.
Glenn, a visually impaired professional in Nebraska, points out that "one of the problems the blind are faced with when applying for a job is the employer's belief that the person cannot get to the job site." This also comes into play when the employer anticipates long delays, if the position requires travel as part of the work.
I also discovered that in an interview with a non-profit organization director, who said, in her experience, "buses take too long" when employees have meetings out in the community. The result of this and other barriers to work is that, according to the last U.S. census, only about 26 percent of work-age people with severe disabilities were employed compared with over 80 percent in the non-disabled equivalent group, and those 26 percent earned an average of over $700 less a month.
Renee in Huntsville, Ala., points out that public transportation is limited in where and when it goes and that can be an important limiting factor in not only whether you work but also whether you work in a career or job as freely chosen as those who can rely on their own vehicles for transportation.
She adds, "This issue is the prime consideration in the salary I am looking for." All the more reason, then, to have your transportation ducks in a row during a job hunt.
I live in Seattle and telecommute. As a contractor, I can work entirely over the Internet, an option becoming more possible and which has numerous advantages for those of us who are visually impaired.
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Urban Areas: Choices
Planes, trains and automobiles - well, not exactly. But, as a rule, cities have more transportation options than other locations. Whether it is New York City or Christchurch, New Zealand, cities are concerned about traffic and parking in business districts. They maintain public transportation systems to alleviate traffic congestion, and that becomes a side benefit for those who cannot drive due to economic reasons or disability.
Most smaller cities have bus systems, while larger ones may augment buses with trolleys, cable cars, commuter trains, subways and even light rail. Cities with rivers, lakes or island neighborhoods often also have ferry travel available.
Public transportation may often be more time consuming than driving. Andy in Los Angeles has a nearly two-hour commute to and from work. He takes three different buses, but he observes cheerfully, "It doesn't take much less (time) than that by car."
And, in general, public transportation is dependable. Barring crippling weather, it keeps running. The organization that provides orientation and mobility training in your community can help you learn what options exist. So can the mayor's office.
Even cities with ample public transportation often also have special paratransit services for those of us who are disabled or elderly. Again, your mayor's office can tell you. But paratransit often is not suitable for work travel because most systems are designed around getting groups of people to appointments - not to jobs.
J.D. in Florida says, "For a while, I used special-needs public transportation; however, I couldn't stand the rules and attitudes. I had to be very flexible with their schedule, and they were unable to show any flexibility with mine. I work in a somewhat less predictable career, clinical social work, and there are times I have to work late, sometimes without much notice."
Some, such as Darla J. Dahl, CRC, in St. Louis, Mo., told me that they choose where they live to make getting to work easier. The availability of apartments and houses in hub neighborhoods in cities makes this easier in an urban area because there's a greater likelihood these hubs will be served with or linked by public transit.
Some even choose to live close enough to walk. But, as Renee in Huntsville, Ala., pointed out, even in cities, like suburbs, sidewalks aren't guaranteed, and this complicates travel for those who are visually impaired.
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The 'Burbs: Transportation Spread Too Thin
There are even fewer sidewalks in suburbs. The expression "urban sprawl" actually refers more to suburbs than the cities themselves. As populations grow and housing becomes tighter, people move to the suburbs. Many are looking for less traffic, less noise, less crime, and better options.
But those who rely on public transit often find fewer transportation options available. It's true many employers are also heading for the suburbs and lower taxes but transit does not necessarily follow them to the business and industrial parks to which they relocate.
Carpooling and ride sharing are common even among drivers. Several suburban blind people told me their spouses or other family members were their transportation to and from work, just like sighted co-workers. There are several safe ways to find carpool companions - from checking with your local transit company to finding coworkers who commute from your area through your company's human resources department.
Andrea in Minnesota, whose challenge is getting between two different towns, will "fill in the gaps with hired drivers" when her carpool doesn't work out. Others supplement public and arranged transportation with the occasional taxi ride. Cindy and her husband are both blind and depend on public transit to get to work, but the buses in her area are limited to weekdays. If their jobs require evening or weekend work, they call a taxi or occasionally a friend. Jim in a Washington suburb told me he gets teased about wasting money on taxis until he points out that the teaser's automobile expenses are many times what he spends on cabs.
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Rural Areas: The Quality of Life Trade-off
Whether you have lived your entire life in a rural area or, like many others, moved there to get fresh air and friendlier neighbors, you know that the idyllic environment is not without its down side. A key problem is public transportation. Often there just isn't any. Here is where looking to friends, relatives and co-workers as well as strangers for transportation becomes a necessity.
Some rural communities have met the challenge with special buses, much like urban paratransit. Heidi Gainan-Larsen, a mobility instructor in Idaho, reports that a couple she works with live in the mountains. They are "from the East Coast, and they said the transportation here is better than the big cities back East."
And, Heidi also shares this about employers who recognize their workers' need for rural transportation. One company, she says, "has special buses that transport all the site workers to work from shopping center parking lots." As rural communities recognize the necessity of good public transportation to keep their native sons and daughters "down on the farm," they may come close to catching up to the Gotham Cities faster than those cities' own suburbs.
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Share Your Ideas
Wherever you live, it will be up to you to find what transportation options exist for helping you get to and from work. But, others who have gone before you can help you. And, you can help others by sharing what you have learned. Please add your suggestions to this article by using the "Share your opinions with eSight Careers Network" tool below.
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