How Can Micro-Mobility Include the Needs of Disabled People?

Date & Time

Friday, March 18, 2022 - 1:20 PM PST  

Location

Elite 1-3  

Description

Electric scooter sharing services now operate in more than 200 cities around the globe. This fast-growing industry continues to attract significant support from investors as it provides a viable and green alternative to the private car. It’s also being seen as an easy solution to the problems of urban gridlock and pure air quality in cities around the world. Small electric vehicles have the potential to transform busy urban spaces into quieter, healthier and easier to navigate places. But every micro-mobility scheme needs to consider the needs of people with disabilities from a range of perspectives. Service delivery, product development, operations and user feedback and evaluation must take account of the practical impacts for people with disabilities. As the micro-mobility industry develops, various approaches to engaging with people with disabilities are being deployed by key industry players, regulators and disability organizations. Just how accessible can a micro-mobility service actually be for people with disabilities? What kind of barriers have people with disabilities reported when trying to use micro-mobility services in various cities? And what type of responses have operators and regulators put in place to help lower barriers. Micro-mobility vehicles themselves, docking stations and parking racks and other infrastructure need to take account of the needs of people with disabilities. Lessons are being learned from other industries and solutions are being tested in various localities. Silent electric vehicles clearly pose a particular hazard for blind and low-vision persons. We will examine the range of approaches being taken to ensure that lessons are learned and that services develop in a more inclusive way. We will consider the role of sound on vehicles, the detectability and perception of light electric vehicles and how we might optimize a service to ensure that it is as accessible and as inclusive as it can possibly be.  

Audience

• Information & Communications Technology
• Disability Specific
• Government
• Research & Development
• Transportation

Audience Level

Beginning  

Session Summary (Abstract)

How can the needs of people with disabilities be accurately integrated into a fast developing industry of micro-mobility?  

Session Type

General Track  

Topics

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML)
• Blind/Low Vision
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Digital Accessibility
• Leisure & Travel

Presenters

• Robin Mackenzie Spinks
  RNIB
• Alan Clarke
  Lime

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