Disabled Tri-Citians need better access to our community | Guest Opinion

I wish the world was more accessible. I think most people don’t realize the things they take for granted. I don’t think they realize that people like me don’t have a lot of those freedoms. I live in Pasco and use a combination of a walker and wheelchair. I am part of the 25 percent of people in our state who don’t have a driver’s license and can’t drive.

Being someone that was independent prior to being disabled, it’s been hard to get used to depending on a ride. Without driving, people like me are stuck home.

I live in an older neighborhood in Pasco, and the sidewalks here are really cracked and uneven. Pasco has tried to repair some of them, but there are still places that I can’t get through by myself in my wheelchair. I get demoralized about going out because there are so many little obstacles in trying to navigate this crumbling sidewalk infrastructure. I’ve been training and rehabilitating myself by trying to walk memorial Park but the sidewalks are uneven and dangerous for people like me.

I do qualify for paratransit, but that means I have to schedule everything I want to do a day in advance, which has been difficult because I’m a pretty spontaneous person. I usually ask friends and family for rides, but they’re not always available. I’ve still missed out on events and gatherings that I wish I could have gotten a ride to. And I know many disabled people don’t have this much of a support system.

I wish our elected leaders would think more about people who can’t drive when they plan how to invest in our transportation system. We need smooth and accessible sidewalks so we can get out and enjoy our communities. We need reliable and convenient transit systems.

With the pandemic, a lot of people got to feel what disabled people like myself experience — the isolation, and having to stay indoors. It’s not easy, right?

As we move towards a post-COVID recovery, we need to be able to get around, to visit friends and family, go shopping, and get outdoors. We need accessible sidewalks and transit stops in every single community. Let’s make sure our transportation funding priorities reflect this, and ensure every Washingtonian the right to access and connection!

This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Disabled Tri-Citians need better access to our community | Guest Opinion."