Universal Design and the Future of Paratransit with Jarice Rodriguez

When we focus and we listen to our riders and we focus on the most vulnerable and we design for the most vulnerable, we actually design for everyone.

Stop Requested. This is Stop Requested. by ETA Transit. I’m Christian. And I’m Levi.

These are real conversations with the innovators, operators, and advocates driving improvements to public transportation. Today, we’re continuing our Miami-Dade series, which we’ started earlier this year, with a look at how accessibility is being reimagined across the transit journey.

Our guest is Jarice Rodriguez, Chief of Paratransit Operations and Services for Miami-Dade County, where she oversees one of the nation’s largest ADA paratransit programs. We talk about why accessibility has to extend beyond a single trip, from planning and booking to wayfinding, boarding, transfer, and arrival.

Here is a conversation with Chief of Paratransit Operations and Services, Jarice Rodriguez. Welcome back to Stop Requested. Uh, today we have a phenomenal episode, uh, where we’re gonna be discussing, uh, paratransit operations in South Florida, and for that conversation, uh, today we’re joined by, uh, Jarice Rodriguez.

She is the Chief Paratransit Operations for Miami-Dade County. Hey, Jarice, how you doing today? Very good. It’s an honor for me to be here with you and participate in this podcast. I am really thankful that you consider me to be here. Of course, a- and we’re very excited because, uh, we’ve, uh, have conversations previously with you. We understand how passionate you are about your job and what you’re doing in Miami. And, you know, before we get into that, uh, for our listeners, um, who might not know you or exactly what you do, uh, at your job, how would you describe what you do as Chief Paratransit Operations at Miami-Dade, and how your work connects accessibility for all riders?

Well, um, as the Chief of Paratransit Operations and Services in Miami-Dade County, I do oversee one of the largest ADA paratransit system in the nation. We serve about 6,500 rides per day. It runs countywi- county wide every single day, 24 hours a day. And we actually have about, uh, 43,000, uh, eligible riders or certified riders. And for me and for my team, paratransit is not only a core service within the Miami-Dade Transit system, it’s an- the most critical, uh, service that we’re providing, the most essential. Why? Because for many of our residents and visitors, our paratransit service is the only option they have to access our community.

So we, we focus, we have the passion to serve, we take the care, we want the experience of our riders to be the best and the same level of a regular transit rider. But beyond operations, my role in, in, in the department in this, in this division with the paratransit is to reimagine, uh, accessibility, creating accessible journeys and changing the way we deliver service. So I focus, my work focus on, um, how we can modernize system, integrate technology, and design service that work not just for people with disability, but for, um, everyone, for all users.

Because when you design for the most vulnerable, uh, rider or user, you end improving the experience for all riders.

So my work is based and is led by two core belief that I work with and always mention, is the first belief is that disability does not discriminate. Disability is part of life, it’s a human experience, and at some point, whether temporarily or permanently, most of us will experience disability directly or indirectly through an injury, through aging, through supporting our loved ones.

So, and in fact, here in th- in United States, one out of four adults live with disability. What that means that every one of us is impacted in some point of our life by disability, and it has to interact with accessibility.

So besides believing that disability is, uh, does not discriminate and pa- is part of life, is part of, is a user, um, human experience,

I do also believe that accessibility is not a moment, it’s a continuous experience through your journey. So it’s not just about providing a accessible trip or it’s not about just one trip, it’s about the entire journey. Every link, every s- step on the journey.

matters. Planning, booking, waiting, boarding, transferring, arriving, all this step has to work together. And this is how, um, we create more accessible life.

So that’s why we focus here in Miami-Dade County, in the Department of Transportation and Public Wo- Works, and particularly our division, uh, our program, Paratransit Operations and Services, we, we focus on creating accessible link of trip. How we can create a seamless end-to-end experience because if one part of your trip fails, the entire experience fail.

So in summary, we are focusing in my work is focusing on how we can integrate, um, new technology, how we can change the way we deliver to reimagine accessibility, creating accessible journeys. I really appreciate that framing,

Jarice. Uh, you know, you’re looking at it comprehensively And I, I think, all, all too often, we, we think about that one particular trip, but you’re trying to broaden the perspective and say, “It’s not just the trip.

It is all of the elements leading up to, during, and after.” So, you know, I really appreciate that enthusiasm, uh, that you bring. It’s clear that you’re passionate about this. I’m, I’m wondering where that passion came from.

How did you get into transit accessibility work? Well, my background is in transportation engineering. I’m a traffic engineer by training, but my path into accessibility came through both professional and personal experience. I worked for many years in the, in the Innovation and Mobility Service division, uh, here in the Department of Transportation on public works. I had the opportunity to lead many, um, emerging technology pilots, including, uh, deploying the first and largest microtransit service in, in South Florida. And, but at the same time I was doing all this amazing, uh, uh, leading this amazing initiative, I saw quickly that system are not designed for everyone. And I also realized in all the barriers that people encounter and how one, the same system, the same transit system, the same journey, it could have a different impact in a, in different people who have different experience.

So, and in addition to that, um, as a mother of a six years old child on the autism spectrum, accessibility became personal.

Six years ago, I started seeing the world differently, and, um, I started to see that transportation not just as infrastructure, but as a lifeline, like a, a ecosystem that is, is moved and operate through the merging of many, many moving parts. And, and as, as my son grows, experienced the world, my perspective about accessibility and mobility also changed and evolved with me, and that perspective is what lead my, my work. This is what I use to lead, and, and how it interfere, influence how

I design services, how I think about creating system that truly work for everyone. It, it’s interesting that you have that engineering background and now have a place to be able to apply.

And here where you’re at at Miami-Dade, you’re, you’re seeing every single day how people interact with n- not just the STS service, but also how they interact with the built environment. Uh, there are a lot of obstacles there.

I’m, I’m sure you see this. Are there any that come to your mind regarding, you know, how we think about universal design principles and some of the friction that people encounter in the everyday world? Yes. I, I usually, when I try to describe how, how the different people experience transit, how one system can have, provide different experience, I try to, to make samples, provide examples about five different personas or users. For example, um, a person with disability. A person with disability may face barriers at every step of the journey, from planning, from way finding, to boarding.

For example, and this example I’m gonna provide coming from outreach meetings, um, complaints from our riders, talking with users, talking with people, because that’s the only way to understand what’s happening. And I do believe data, we need to listen to the data. We need to unders- use the data and because data tell us what are the gaps and where to go and gave us a lot insight on how to solve issues. So from these meetings with the riders and talking in many conversations for years, um,

I have here one example is a rider in a power wheelchair might be thinking about something that we don’t think. It’s, it might be concerned and worry l- looking for the outlet to charge, to charge the, the chair.

A rider using a manual, um, wheelchair might be concerned about getting their hands dirty, uh, with gum on their wrist, um, on the sidewalks because their mobility depends completely on a direct contact with the surface like a sidewalk. Um, a blind rider told me once that, um, she was really terrified and concerned and anxious that the cane will just come into contact with some dog, uh, litter or other debris, and that will affect how she navigate and her confident navigating the system and walking around. So these are examples of people with disability that the, the experience they have, the fear they have when they’re navigating a system that is meant to be for most of us, for the, um, for example, but at the same time, we’re talking about disability, people with disability, but there are many other examples how we can improve services and make it more accessible through, um, the design. We have, for example, a mom with a stroller, a mom that it’s dealing with similar accessibility issues as a person with disability, w- worry about elevators, about the timing, about the space, how to climb up the stairs with a double stroller. We have the tourists with our suitcases. Most of us, if, if not all, we have been in a, in a, an unfamiliar place that we need to take transit, and then we can face this, um, this, um, um- Problems like what to do, how to do it, because it’s just, um, we are with, with suitcases, and most of the time we have some mobility, um, physical constraints when moving with, with suitcases or baggage. We can also con- I always provide examples about the first time rider. And, um, this, a, a first time rider can feel, feel overwhelmed because of the complexity of the station, the complexity of the system, what to do, how to do it, how to pay, how to board, how to get to that pickup point.

Um, and non-speaker, uh, English speaker. And that’s, to me, one of the most difficult because the non-English speaker might not find or access the information needed to start a journey. So as you see, we have here, people are using the same system, having most…

They could be using the same system, take, um, taking the same route, uh, doing the same journey, but they ha- they are experiencing different, differently. Their experience about transit is completely different.

It’s, we are talk about, um, the same friction points. These are navigation, clarity, reliability, confidence. So and the reali- the reality about this is that these user personas that I described are not fixed. Any one of us can move between them at any point of our life, through an injury, through as we aging, um, or when taking, um, care of a loved one or friend. So this is not fixed.

We can believe in this, um, and move through these personas, and I have experienced that personally. In the past six years, um, I have moved through multiple lenses, and I have been the tourist with suitcases and, and baggage and a car seat for my kids. Um, I have been the mom navigating transit with a double stroller with my twins, and I have been the temporary paratransit rider using a wheelchair and a walker, uh, after a foot fracture and surgery. And now I’m a mother of a child on the autism spectrum.

So those experience shape how I see, I see my work, how, how I see we need to change mobility and improve accessibility. And I provide this example because when you provide example like this and people start realizing how important is to implement the universal design. If you start thinking about the most vul- vulnerable of these five persona, you are actually improving the system and accessibility, accessibility and making the experience better for everyone using, um, using the system or the service.

So universal design is about shifting mindsets from what is accommodation and compliance to inclusion by design. So when we focus and we listen to our riders, and we focus on the most vulnerable, and we design for the most vulnerable, we’re actually design for everyone. This episode is brought to you by ETA Transit. For decades, transit agencies have been locked into legacy CAD/AVL systems built for another era. Expensive upgrades, rigid architectures, and software that lives in server rooms instead of the browser.

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The future of CAD/AVL is open. See it at etatransit.com. Wow. That, that, and that’s very powerful, and I, I appreciate how you describe how you came with your catalog of, um, a friction points, right? Which is you’re drawing from your personal experience, uh, also experiences from riders and people you’ve spoken with. And I really like the examples because as you’re mentioning these things, uh, I think all of us were able to picture it in our head and then also realize that maybe some of us didn’t think about it before or we were not considering, uh, those situations, those friction points, those riders. And it’s so important when it comes to having a mindset of universal design, like you said, that you do stop and think those things. And, and, and like you said, when you make things better for the most vulnerable riders and for some of those situations, you make it better for everybody else, right?

Like, everybody can benefit- Exactly … from that. So I, I wanna go into this part of the conversation where we’re gonna dive into what you guys are doing, right? Like, you understand these challenges, these friction points, uh, your ridership, the community. H- how are you modernizing paratransit?

And, and how does l- uh, does modernizing paratransit looks like at Miami-Dade? You know, if you could tell us a little bit about the tech or processes or partnerships you guys are working on to kind of modernize your, your paratransit service. This is very exciting because every time I talk about these topics, I get extremely excited. It’s changing actually milest- milestone and changing the program.

And everything is possible now because of the technology, because of the AI. And, um, believe AI and new technologies are actually clo- helping us to close that gap in mo- in the mobility ecosystem. It’s actually helping us to move forward and make, um, transit and services equal for- For everyone, at least helping us to get close to that point that everybody will have equal, uh, opportunities i- in access to mobility.

From paratransit, we, specific to paratransit, we are transforming technology partnerships and operations at the same time. It’s we’re moving from a legacy, um, software system to unified, um, platform or software that will allows to manage, um, and integrate services. For example, we aim to be able in, in couple years to have, uh, integrate services like paratransit and microtransit.

We’ll be able to coming, to do a commingling of, of resources, a commingling of trips, a commingling of riders, a commingling of the resources that we have.

But at same time, the, this new technology that’s coming out in, um, m- we are not the only one. There are many o- many other agencies are doing, going through this transition. They’re moving to iCloud and, um, and, um, software that will allow for automated, uh, tasks, for will allow for, uh, AI to, to optimize operations, to m- provide real-time information, to facilitate customer service, to minimize the time that we’re investing in daily operation tasks, in relieving us for, uh, time to provide, um, think, and create other services or improving the current services. And very important to allow us to integrate multiple providers, and that’s the portion about how more efficient we’ll be working. And if we do improve, optimize the service, we’ll be improving also the experience of the riders, providing at the same time, providing more clarity, more visibility, more able to manage, to be more independent by be able to take an app, an app, a, a phone app, planning, book, pay for the trips, to track their trips, and share that information with others if they want. And also to, to be able in a one, in a, in a customized trip planning app to even regardless your ability and age, being able to choose what you think is better for you at the moment, a pa- an, a paratransit ride that is in advanced re- it requires an advanced re- reservation, or to facilitate any spontaneous trip at the same time, or to compare between among the options, transit options and mobility options, including Uber and Lyft that you have at the moment in that area, and for you to take decisions, informed decisions. So in general, we are not only, uh, allowing for optimizing, uh, um, operations, is improving the level of service while also minimizing, um, uh, our cost and budget, but at the same time to enhance that experience, particularly the experience of the paratransit riders that is now at this moment very behind to the experience of a regular, um, uh, transit user.

And at the same time, when we’re doing that, if we apply the universal design principles, we’re gonna be creating and designing trips are linked, they’re accessible, and pro- providing, facilitating what is a accessible journey.

So that would be, and when we do that, we are creating systems and services that are linked, that are accessible, that they work together, that, um, creates that flexibility and that, um, will allow us to provide these accessible journeys that is seamless from start to end, and that’s the most important thing, the experience across that journey and making it- I see … accessible for everybody.

Yeah, that, that, that’s a great vision, and, and thank you for painting that, that vision. So is just kinda like a better connected, integrated, uh, system that a- across different modes and, and empowering people riding, not just, uh, folks with disabilities, but everybody.

Uh, but of course, the, the improvement for the folks on the paratransit side will definitely be substantial. Um, could you tell me a little bit about this technology? We heard a little bit about, uh, NaviLens and, you know, the QR code technology. Could you describe what that technology is and, and what it does for- Of course … some of your riders? Is that something that is already in place, that you’re launching, that you launched recently? Could, could you tell us a little bit about that project? Yeah, of course.

This is very exciting. We are now living exciting moments with, especially with NaviLens. Um, through our conversations with our riders in going to the community and talk, we hear about people that, people that take paratransit, they might be able to take transit for more efficient trip. And I have asked to them, to those that can take transit, why they’re not taking transit when they have the options, and the, the most common is they’re anxious about the navigating the station. They’re anxious about what to do and how it looks. And in, in fact, our, some of our stations are very complex.

So when I was in, in COMMSION Miami- last year, I had the chance to meet this company, NaviLens, and I started knowing about their simple, flexible technology, which I love it right away.

And I saw so much potential because it flexible, it re- you can repurpose, and it’s quick to implement. So NaviLens is, um, NaviLens consists of co- high, high contrast color QR codes. They look very cute. They’re not like the, the, the, the standard or regular QR, uh, QR codes that the people had to, riders has or user has to download that, the app, and when you’re walking through the station, it re- it- Actually detects codes, and the codes provide navigation instructions, um, about how to get to key points within a station. It help people to navigate the, the facility, um, with audio and visual, real-time audio and visual, uh, information and directions.

So we, we started this proof of concept to see if this work. This is very new, and it’s really easy to establish. So I, with two paratransit, uh, staff, we started taking, doing the hard work, um, and the field work.

We started, started having, uh, installing, um, about 87 codes across the station. We look at the patterns.

What are the most frequent used, uh, pa- invisible paths or routes that people take to get to the different location from, from the exit on the street to the, to the fare gates of the Metro Rail, to the information desk, to the, to the bathroom, to the, um, uh, mover platform, et cetera. And one of the issues that this is a very complex station. This is the largest, uh, train station and the largest and main transit hub in Miami-Dade County.

It’s located in downtown Miami, where a lot of activity and mega events are happening. So we hear the people telling us, “We want to, to take mover,” but, but it’s very complicated to get from one side to the, to the other s- uh, to the platform for the MetroMover. And then when on the MetroMover, there is automated, it’s automated service, so there’s not nobody there. There is not a guard. There is not a operator. Right. So they were, people with disability, especially the blind, were afraid to be on the, um, on the, o-on the platform, elevated platform. So we say, “Okay, let’s, let’s do this. Let’s use this. Put, um, information and indicate very detailed information about every, um, e-every, in every code.” And every code provides the, the rider when the, the app detects the codes information about the surrounding. It have also 360 routes that guide you completely from beginning to end and tells you when you’re getting out of the route.

So we deploy about 87 codes in no funding. We have no funding, so we printed actually the, the c-codes in, in color using our printer and, and then we started creating these routes. What we found is that without any, any, um, without any campaign, uh, formal education, or promotion, people have been using Navilens codes. So you just mentioned people are using, uh, the system without even being marketed, uh, which is great.

It just speaks to the need for a solution like this and, and people being able to navigate the stations, make it more accessible. C-could you tell me a little bit of how long have this been, uh, in place, and what are some of the results that you’ve seen, like the feedback, uh, or the results of this, this pilot? Uh, and, and also I didn’t understand, uh, clearly, so people are supposed with their phone to scan a QR code, or could you kinda, like, also explain how that works?

Yeah. Um, this have to be– People need to know that to use Navilens, they have to download an app.

And but at the moment that if you h-have the app, uh, downloaded, if you have the app open, it will detect the QR codes without you focusing the, the

QR codes, even if the QR codes are partially, uh, obstructed. So that is ideal for the blind because they don’t see the codes. So it’s- Right … actually providing real-time information in, in audio, telling what to do, where you are, what are your surroundings, and how to continue your path to destination, that could be the, um, the platform, the, the fare gates, the ticketing machine.

And we– This project started in September, but the QR codes practically were deployed, um, and calibrated st- with starting in November. But most of the work, uh, occurred in March.

And the reason for the delay, it was because we are extremely busy, and we are working on our spare time in the office to be, to implement this. And we were learning about the path, about what people, what are the invisible route or path that people are taking to get to, to their destination within the facility.

And what we found, found on looking at the data, we recent, two weeks ago, we looked at the data, and just after we finalized the routes and all the calibration, that was mid-March. In, in April, on the first week of Ap-April, we look at the data for first time, and we found out that we have recorded over, uh, about

5,500 scans to our surprise. And we were like, “Hmm, this is very interesting,” because we’re only three people. We’re never gonna be able to scan 8,000, um, code, uh, times.

And we dig into the, the data, and we found out that this has been used in different languages as well. And 89% of the, um, of the language of the scans has been in English, about, like, 9% in Spanish, and the rest in different languages like French,

Dutch, uh, German, et cetera. And, and besides that, we found out that most of the, the scans happened after the ins- and the calibration and after finalizing all the, the routes, particularly during the Ultra Fest.

Um, this is a mega event that happens every year at the end of, uh, of March in downtown when we are expecting a lot of tourists. So our conclusion now is even without formal, um, promotion campaign, education People are discovering the system. Maybe they’re familiar with

NaviLens, or maybe they are curious what people are using it. So this talks about the need and how, um, accessible, inclusive system is needed and how it’s value.

So it tells that there’s a need, and when you have a need and you have in place a, a good solution, people will use it, and that is what is, um, this pilot, um, it’s not a pilot, it’s a proof of concept, sorry, is proving us. It’s validating our idea of the need for accessibility, and the most satisfying, um, thing is to know that even without– when we were just installing them, we was not finalized, it was already being used.

So we are now looking to expanding for a year in that station to get more feedback, insight, um, learn more about the system, and hopefully to be able to help many during FIFA, um, the FIFA games, the match, and also during the FIFA Fan Fest and the many other activities and mega events that ha-will be happening this year in downtown Miami. So we are hoping that we can gather very useful information from there and learn with the– and hoping that we can expand this system or a similar system across all the metro, metro rail stations, metro mover, and buses, and maybe, and provide connectivity with the airport and other facilities in the county.

Uh, you know, Jeries, it’s not much of a surprise that, uh, folks are using it in other languages, just considering how much of a world city Miami is these days. I mean, Christian and I were there, uh, just a couple weeks ago, actually, during Ultra, and, uh, you know, we were ac-we were visiting your BRT station, uh, a couple of your, your new ones that is on your BRT line, and we saw all the folks that were, you know, uh, out and about and going to Ultra. So, uh, it, it’s, it’s not really that big of a shock to me that so many people just are, are using it and using it in multiple languages. Uh, so, you know, kudos to you all for putting out this proof of concept and just seeing where it goes. Uh, you know, I, I think that there’s something to that where you kind of start small and have minimal to no expectations and, and see if it catches on, and it sounds like it really is catching on. Yes. And for me, um, our team, it’s very satisfying to see this result at the just beginning without even officially launching the program because this, this proof of concept represent for us that step toward having a accessible journey. This is one of this in-initiative that shows how important it’s every single step on the journey.

And it– we, we actually, this is more focused on people with disabilities, but we are showing with this, um, proof of concept, with this data, that whatever you design for people with disability, you are designing it for everyone, for all users.

This was, for us, this is a win. This is a very satisfying moment because we are validating that belief that every step on the journey matters and how important is to use technology now to close that equity, um, gap in Miami and to provide access to opportunities and to make the whole experience accessible. I really like that focus on the customer experience, and especially those who are most vulnerable.

If you’re, as you mentioned earlier, if you’re designing for them, uh, then you’re designing for everybody by default. So really appreciate that perspective, and I think that needs to be a, a, a stronger message from our industry.

Um, y-you know, Jeries, when we were first discussing having a podcast episode with you, you mentioned an idea for a, a video or an article, some sort of media content, and

I-I-I’d just like to kinda dig into that a little bit more, and maybe you could share with our audience what your vision is there, and m-maybe there are folks who can help make that a reality.

Yes, and, and I hope you can come down here and also take a trip, and, uh, to the government center and use, uh, NaviLens and provide some feedback. But in general, it’s– I found out working in this sector, especially servicing people with disabilities and think-thinking about universal design, that it’s very difficult to make people understand that when you implement, when you invest in universal design, you are improving the experience for all. In the long run, it’s you are saving in your, in– you’re having some more efficient and cost-efficient services.

And it’s difficult for people to understand the, um, the application universal design. And people tend to think that we talk about accessibility with think-thinking about small group of people, a target, uh, group of people.

And what I often say and then often mention, uh, the different, uh, how the different personas can experience the same system in a different way. Well, have been thinking for a long time that would be great to have video or article or something that shows how people with disability navigate transit. I always envision something like s-s-navigating and seeing transit through the eyes of people with disabilities, showing how they ex-how they experience transit in a very different way than us, all their concern Um, all the barriers that they encounter through the journey, from planning through to arriving to the final destination.

And I have been thinking seriously about this because I do believe that awareness drive change.

If we can have a way to present and show visually on audio the experience to people with disabilities, we gonna start changing the mindsets from compliance and from, um, from accommodation to actually including everybody, to actually change the mindset to, um, it- about inclusion by design.

And this will also reinforce how important is every single step on the journey, from the planning, um, app or the planning, uh, tool they’re using to the way you are paying, the barriers paying for a fare, the difficulty to get to your pickup, uh, uh, location, or to navigate, um, transit in a different you, you know, in a, in a place that is m- you are unfamiliar with and when you are not an English speaker.

So my idea about having this is feeling, and I’m pretty sure it will change the mindset of many, and they will start changing the way we decide, and it will create interest. And what I, we want now is to create that interest in, in universal design. Um, this is the moment where technology, we are at a tipping po- point.

I see for mobility, particularly for paratransit, we are living a tipping point and a very important moment in history where technology and everything is coming together.

But it’s, technology is moving very fast. And this is the moment for all of us to start asking as a users, as a public service for companies to include universal design in their services, and products, including autonomous vehicle.

Um, we cannot wait until later. Universal design has to be included from the very beginning, not to the end, not to try to solve something after the fact of happening.

So why I’m thinking about this video or this idea about showing transit through the eyes of disabi- of people with disability is to create the awareness and to make us request for these changes that it start in our office, it start in the other side company providers, in the mobility providers.

And if we as user, everybody, because we are all users in depending on what type of mode you are using, um, to move around, we are users. And if we start asking for a universal design thinking that we, everyone could be impacted, that will change the future mobility ecosystem for forever and for good. It will actually improve the, the user experience for everyone, for all users.

So I think that’s the way to create awareness and drive change. I, I love that. A- and, and we hope through our podcast we can help, of course, uh, promote that message, uh, about universal design and how you guys are changing the way, um, paratransit operations are delivered, right? Like I, in many communities, it’s just about completing the trips. Like, just do the trips. They’re not thinking, “How can we transform, like, the industry, have an impact where i- we make things better for everybody else?” So you’re, you guys are very forward-thinking, and I wanna, uh, commend you for that. Uh, as we’re wrapping up our, uh, podcast today, we have a couple more, um, segments to go through, but, uh, right now we’re gonna go into our quick fire, uh, segment. So I’m gonna ask you short questions, and if you could tell me kinda like short answers, first thing that come in mind, that would be great.

Are, are you ready? Yes, I am. Excellent. So the first one, favorite Miami-Dade Transit win for the last year? I have to say

Navilens, the way, accessible wayfinding system at Government Center. Excellent. Awesome, awesome. And definitely, uh, we’re curious to come down and, and check it out. Uh, hopefully, we can do that over the next few months. Uh, next quick fire question. Most underrated part of paratransit or accessibility work?

Um, m- m- without a doubt, wayfinding system. We think that is a static component of the mobility ecosystem, and it’s not. And actually extremely important, and it plays an important role in our journey. To be able to complete a trip, we need wayfinding system that work for everyone. I like that. And, and if you have a magic wand, what would be one thing you would improve next? Integration.

Integrating, being able to integrate all different services on, on different links or portion a step of a, of a journey that is integrating, integration from the trip planning, um, over different services to the moment that you are actually arriving, integrating all these components that make the journey, um, accessible and successful and make the experience better. We need to integrate that, and sometimes it doesn’t require much time, just- Hmm … a little bit of effort and vision. That would be good, yeah, all the systems being magically integrated. Uh, but hopefully we’ll get there soon.

If not transit, what would you be doing? Well, I think it should, I would continue servicing pu- the public.

Um, it might not be in transit. It might be in a different area. It could be, uh, servicing the public in a hotel, but focusing on how make everything accessible and how people can enjoy the experience, their experience. Um, it could be an education program, but- It could be maybe in a far distant island doing something, but servicing the public and working on how we can improve the experience for everybody. That’s really noble of you, Jarice, that y- y- you seem to be a person who is, is dedicated to the craft, you’re dedicated to public service and to helping people, and it, it shines through. I think this conversation, y- you know, almost the, the hour that we’ve been speaking, uh, if I’ve learned anything about you, it’s that you really care. Uh, you care about the, the folks that you serve, and you, you want the best for your organization.

So, you know, kudos to you, and I’m really appreciative, uh, to have you on the podcast. As Christian mentioned, we have a recurring segment, an- another one, uh, in addition to Rapid Fire, which is our key takeaways, and I wrote down a few while you were speaking, Jarice.

Uh, you let me know if I missed any, or I got any wrong, or if you would add any to my list. Uh, so the, the few that I have here-

I would love- Okay, excellent. Uh, the, the few that I have here is that, uh, one, all of us are going to be impacted by some accessibility issue through our life, whether it’s age, it could be a family member, um, you know, it could be, uh, it could be us. Uh, number two is look through other people’s perspectives. Try to gain a better understanding, especially of the folks who are the most vulnerable in our society, uh, and plan, you know, for those folks. Uh, rather than thinking about compliance and accommodation, we need to design, uh, based on inclusion for everyone.

Uh, something that I really love that you said, and is one of the quotables that we have for the show, I’m sure, but awareness drives change, and your mission- Yes … it sounds like, is to make sure that people are aware that our systems, uh, are not designed for everybody right now, but they could be. Did I miss anything, or would you add anything to that list? No. You, you just mentioned perfectly fine.

I love it. Excellent. Well, g- glad to hear, Jarice, and thank you again so much for being on the podcast. This is really a pleasure. Uh, you know, my background is not in paratransit. I know Christian has had quite a bit of experience in paratransit, so every time I get to talk about it, I, I learn something, and I learned many things this episode, so thank you so much. And to our listeners, thank you as well for tuning in to Stop Requested. We’ll be back next Monday with another episode.