Independent Living means freedom of choice. This includes the right to travel freely, regardless of your access needs.
Unfortunately, disabled people still face many barriers and challenges when using the transport in European cities. Inaccessible transportation makes it more difficult for all people with access needs to go to work, go to school or just get around in the city. This effectively blocks people from participating in society as full and independent citizens.
ENIL is part of a 3-year European project called TRIPS, which was launched this month and is funded by the European Union through Horizon 2020. The main aim of the project is to make the transport in seven European cities – Brussels, Stockholm, Sofia, Bologna, Cagliari, Lisbon and Zagreb – more accessible for everyone. To do this, the project will bring different people in each city together in co-production groups. In these groups, disabled people, transport providers, city councilors and other people involved in transport will work together to find ways to make the transport in the city more accessible.
Unlike traditional working groups, the co-production groups will start from the experience of disabled people, as this is the best way to ensure that the proposed transport solutions really take into account the obstacles people face when using the transport. Disabled people will have a strong voice in the co-production groups and will be fully and actively involved in all the activities of the group.
The first project meeting was held on 10th of February, 2020 in Brussels, hosted by ENIL. In addition to ENIL, the project brings together organisations dealing with transport (UITP), accessibility and assistive technologies (AAATE), and design (TUE). It also includes partners with expertise in strategy and change management (TB), strategic technology development and user-centered design (DLR), and policy and regulatory advice on technologies (TRI). We will also work with local partners in the transport ecosystem (Zagreb City, CTM SPA, CARRIS, SRM).
If you would like to join the co-production groups in one of the seven cities, please contact the project coordinator Laura Alčiauskaitė via laura.alciauskaite@enil.eu.
