DRIVEN

Over the past 30 years, my career has centered around planning, designing, and delivering transportation improvements for older adults and people with disabilities. I am also a member of the disability community. So, I bring the personal experience of using paratransit – especially riding with UZURV – as a part of my daily life.

February is Low Vision Awareness Month. As someone who cares about how we serve our riders with low vision – including me ­– here are a few tips for UZURV Drivers to ensure that blind and low-vision customers enjoy five-star experiences every time.

Meet your rider at the door
UZURV’s standard is door-to-door service – from the outermost door of the pickup location to the outermost door of the destination.

Introduce yourself
A blind or low-vision rider may not see you. If they do, they may not realize you are their UZURV Driver. When you introduce yourself, you create the connection that allows them to move forward with the trip. Say something simple like, “Hi, I’m Susan. I’ll be your UZURV Driver today.”

Find out what assistance your rider needs
Blind and low-vision people come in a wide variety. Some are younger, some older. Some can navigate the environment, others not. Some use guide dogs, some canes, and some do not use any aids at all. So, the help one person needs may be too much or too little for someone else.

Service animals are always welcome
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees the rights of people with disabilities to travel with service animals. All 50 states make it a misdemeanor to deny transportation to a blind or low-vision customer because of the presence of a guide dog. UZURV requires drivers to welcome their riders with their service animals.

In 1988, I met my first guide dog. I have been working with one ever since. Click here to read UZURV’s newsletter about the organization, The Seeing Eye, where all my guide dogs were trained.

• • Do not not interact with the animal, if you can help it. Interact with your rider as if the dog is not there.
  • The rider should place their service animal on the floor – or, in the case of some smaller service animals, in an enclosed pet carrier.
  • If an animal acts in an aggressive, threatening, or disruptive way, and if the rider is unable to manage the animal’s behavior, contact Operations through the app for assistance.

Avoid lots of questions and conversation about blindness
A rider may be blind or have some other disability, but their lives are filled with people, interests, and activities. Many folks will answer a direct question about blindness or low vision, but most would prefer to discuss something else.

⇒ Other tips:

• • Don’t shout. Most blind and low-vision people can hear just fine.
  • Have the same conversations with blind riders that you would with any other riders. Chat about the weather, local sports, or favorite restaurants. Mutually agreed-upon safe topics are a good place to start.
  • A bit of friendly, appropriate, and welcomed conversation can turn a good ride into a great one.