skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Survey: Transportation a Roadblock for Ohioans with Disabilities

play audio
Play

Friday, August 11, 2017   

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Not having a ride can certainly be an inconvenience, but for individuals with disabilities, it can be a major roadblock in life.

A new survey says transportation is the number one unmet need of Ohioans with disabilities. Barriers to getting around include difficulty driving a vehicle, having a mobility problem, and inability to walk more than a quarter mile.

Mark Seifarth, chair of the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, says transportation isn't only about getting from point 'A' to point 'B' - it's about being an active member of the community.

"Being able to participate; it's being able to have a job or volunteer, or go where you need to go and be with the people you want to be with and participate," he explains. "So, transportation has a lot more to do than just inclusion."

Fifty-four percent of those surveyed said they get rides from family members or friends, and half report waiting at least 30 minutes for that ride. Seifarth says the survey results will be used by advocacy groups, state agencies and transit authorities to address these challenges.

Eleven percent of those surveyed use public transportation, which some said is hard to access and can take too long. And Siefarth adds nearly 67 percent reported having difficulty reading bus and transit schedules.

"A number of folks with developmental disabilities - while they have many, many abilities - who are very, very intelligent folks, but they can't read the printed word," he says. "So, we have to work on different communication options from where the people are and what they need, not just what the systems have currently."

Recommendations to improve access to transportation also include incentives for public transportation systems to stay on schedule and changes to Medicaid transportation rules that would allow the use of ride-share services.

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded by the George Gund Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021