Ted Trautman provides a thorough investigation of the actions (or lack thereof) of transportation network companies to provide access for customers with special needs.
At the front lines of the developing issues is a "suit filed by three mobility-impaired plaintiffs from San Antonio and Houston, [which] claims that Uber and Lyft have violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, or ADA, by failing to provide a way for wheelchair users to take advantage of their services."
In fact, explains Trautman, "The ADA requires vehicles-for-hire to offer 'reasonable accommodations' for wheelchair users, but 'generally that phrase has meant nothing,' says Sandra Rosenbloom, an urban planning professor at the University of Texas-Austin and a transportation expert at the Urban Institute. And though wheelchair-accessible vehicles are rare both in the traditional taxi system and through rideshare services, traditional taxi companies are required in many cities to make some of their vehicles wheelchair-accessible. Companies like Uber and Lyft have no such obligation."
FULL STORY: Will Uber Serve Customers With Disabilities?

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research