Skip to main content

Scooter Permittees Receive Feedback from Students with Disabilities

By
Scooter Permittees Receive Feedback from Students with Disabilities
By Maddy Ruvolo

On a recent Monday in Golden Gate Park, 28 students and staff from AccessSFUSD gathered on JFK Drive to test-ride adaptive scooters. The group took turns riding adaptive devices from two scooter companies permitted to operate in the city, Lime and Spin. Adaptive devices are designed to meet the needs of riders with a variety of disabilities and provide additional stability features, such as a seat, a wider base, and an additional wheel. After trying the scooters, the students shared their feedback about a variety of design elements, including the wheels, seat, throttle, basket location, foot plate width, and the ease of getting started. 

A group of AccessSFUSD students and staff rides adaptive scooters on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park Adaptive scooter demo in Golden Gate Park

Students embraced the opportunity to ride scooters and provide feedback. AccessSFUSD is a community-based program for students 18-22 with disabilities. Located across 11 sites in San Francisco, the program focuses on teaching functional life skills within the community setting. Developing advocacy skills is a key component of the program, and students enthusiastically shared their input with the scooter companies. Heidi Seretan, Special Education Department Head at AccessSFUSD: The Arc said, “It was a glorious day to ride and advocate on car-free JFK in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco’s own backyard.”  

One student shared they had an “amazing first time” riding a scooter and described it as “the best.” Students also gave thoughtful constructive criticism, explaining when a particular seat height or device design didn’t work for them. And one student said that they “need more practice... but I'm getting the hang of it.”   

AccessSFUSD students standing with Lime and Spin scooters; one student is giving a thumbs upThumbs up to adaptive devices

Staff from Spin and Lime were on-hand to help students get rolling and to answer any questions. Both scooter permittees expressed their appreciation for the comments from AccessSFUSD students. Lime shared that they “enjoyed hearing directly” from the students and that their “hardware team has already begun reviewing students’ feedback to find ways to continue to refine our vehicles.” Spin echoed the importance of the students’ input, noting that “the direct feedback we gather from local San Francisco students and residents on our adaptive program is critical to continuously improving and more equitably serving the entire community.” 

AccessSFUSD students on Lime and Spin scooters in Golden Gate ParkAccessSFUSD students enjoying scooters 

This is the second time the SFMTA has partnered with AccessSFUSD and scooter permittees to host an adaptive scooter demonstration, with the first event held in fall 2021. Any organization interested in partnering on a similar adaptive scooter event should get in touch with Maddy Ruvolo with our Accessible Services team by emailing Maddy.Ruvolo@sfmta.com.  

A group of AccessSFUSD students wearing helmetsStudents ready to ride

The SFMTA has prioritized adaptive scooters as part of our Powered Scooter Share Permit Program. The three scooter permittees — Bird, Spin and Lime — are required to provide adaptive scooters as a minimum of 5% of their on-street fleet. The permittees also offer different types of adaptive devices through their Complementary Adaptive Programs, which provide longer-term adaptive rentals free of charge through scheduled drop-off and pick-up. We encourage all who are interested to try an adaptive scooter, and stay tuned for more scooter demonstration events coming later this year! 



Published February 15, 2023 at 05:24PM
https://ift.tt/VIkrYaP
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reconnecting San Francisco Across Streets and Freeways

By
Reconnecting San Francisco Across Streets and Freeways By With limited space on San Francisco city streets, how can we ensure that current and future transportation options remain accessible and affordable to all? The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), the SFMTA and the San Francisco Planning Department are collaborating through ConnectSF in creating a template for an equitable, sustainable and effective future. Their Streets and Freeways Strategy examines approaches that support San Francisco’s Transit-First , Vision Zero , climate action , and equity goals .  The strategy complements the Transit Investment Strategy released in April 2021. SFMTA staff provided expertise in developing the strategy and is leading the Active Transportation component, exploring ways to build a connected network of bike and pedestrian routes across the city that make biking and walking safe and enjoyable. SFMTA staff from across the agency also developed strategies to ma
Post a Comment
Read more

Chinatown Connects to Muni Metro

By
Chinatown Connects to Muni Metro By Deanna Leo With the completion of Central Subway, customers will be able to ride the T Third Muni Metro all the way from Visitacion Valley to Chinatown. Starting November 19, when Muni Metro riders can first take Central Subway's special weekend service to Chinatown,  prepare to spend the day in Chinatown enjoying all its sights, sounds and flavors. There is so much to explore in the largest Chinatown outside Asia! Tourist attractions include the Dragon’s Gate, Old St. Mary’s Cathedral and Portsmouth Square, the site of San Francisco’s original customs house where today, members of the Chinese community spend the days singing or playing mahjong, a traditional and very popular tile-based game. Fans of Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, can meander the streets of Chinatown searching for the places where her story unfolds. On Wavery Place you can visit the First Baptist Church where the four mothers in the story meet to play mahjong. Muni M
Post a Comment
Read more

Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan?

By
Have Feedback on the COVID-19 Muni Temporary Service Plan? By Shalon Rogers In March 2020, due to unprecedented constraints on resources brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the SFMTA had to make significant transit service reductions. As of January 2021, the agency has been able to restore service to a level where 91% of San Franciscans are within a quarter mile of a transit stop. This is reflected in the SFMTA’s current  COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan .   ' COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan Map The SFMTA is committed to ensuring that our programs and services are  compliant with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  and therefore do not have a discriminatory impact based on race, color or national origin. As part of this work, we conducted a Title VI service equity analysis to evaluate the current COVID-19 Temporary Service Plan. The results of this analysis will be presented to the MTA Board of Directors on May 4. The public is invited to attend and provide comments on
Post a Comment
Read more