HOW MIGHT WE…

make public transit more equitable for people with disabilities in the Chicago area?

hello! it’s nice to meet you…

We are a group of graduate students from IIT’s Institute of Design in Bronzeville. We have come to learn about the many challenges that people with disabilities face with accessing public transportation of all types in the Chicago area. We want to learn much more, though, and gain a deeper understanding of these problems directly from the people who experience them every day.

We are humbly asking for voluntary participation in our research project, which we have titled Equitable Access to Chicago Public Transit for People with Disabilities. Our goal includes developing a set of recommendations for positive change, which we hope to communicate not only to the Institute of Design, but also directly to CTA and Pace personnel.

This is a fast, seven week project that will include research, analysis, and development of recommendations. We would like to conduct 60-90 minute interviews of each participant to discuss their personal experiences accessing and utilizing modes of public transportation.

Additionally, with the participants’ consent, we would ask to “shadow” them when they are navigating to and using their most commonly used mode of public transportation. This would give us a first hand account of the challenges faced.

If you are interested, please email us jsmyk@id.iit.edu.

Signed,

Sike Liu, Mithila Kedambadi, J. Smyk, Sze Wing Alpha Wong, and Alvin Jin
Master of Design candidates at IIT Institute of Design