After a brief hiatus, Here to There is back with two new episodes.
In episode 7, we take on the complex issue of social cohesion and the ways in which mobility and transportation impact the ability of individuals or groups to thrive as members of society.
In the first half of the episode, we join Jeffrey and Jeremy, two individuals with disabilities who live in the Colleen Loney Manor in West St. Paul, as they ride the LOOP, a fixed-route bus circulator offered by DARTS that connects community members with businesses, restaurants, parks, and each other. Then we’re joined in-studio by Ryan Strack, Manager of Homeless and Highly Mobile Student Services at Minneapolis Public Schools on the ways MPS supports the transportation (and many other) needs of schoolchildren who lack stable housing so that they can thrive both in and out of the classroom.
In episode 8, we focus on the challenges of accessibility that confront millions of Minnesotans with disabilities, not only from our transportation system, but the urban form built around it.
First, we are led by Kjensmo Walker of This Inclusive Life on an accessibility walk to experience getting around St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood in a wheelchair and wearing vision impairment goggles. Back in the studio, we speak with Joan Willshire, Executive Director of the Minnesota Council on Disability, about (among other things) the opportunities that self-driving cars present for people with disabilities.
You can stream Episodes 7 and 8 of Here to There below, as well as on iTunes and Stitcher, or directly on the Here to There website. Click on the episode name for a description, additional materials, and interactive content
Here to There is developed and produced by Minneapolis-based think/do tank Apparatus in partnership with Transit for Livable Communities/St. Paul Smart Trips. The 10-episode podcast series focuses on the ways in which our daily lives and our daily commutes are inextricably linked.