Session Moderators

Moderator(s): 
Sarah Malaier, Senior Advisor, Public Policy and Research, American Foundation for the Blind 

Carol Tyson, Government Affairs Liaison, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

Session Organizers

Organizers:
Sarah Malaier, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
Carol Tyson, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

TRB Sponsoring Committees and Partners

Session Description and Agenda

Description

What would a disability-forward rollout of AVs in transit and passenger vehicle service look like? Because claims about what AVs will do for disabled people remain largely unfulfilled, we will investigate a disability-forward approach to AV design and operation and identify what we collectively must do now to ensure that disabled people reap benefits from AVs. Attendees will explore three key topics: accessibility, AI & Automated Driving Systems, and policy at all levels. For each topic, researchers, developers, operators, and policymakers will learn about the disability perspective and collaboratively discuss solutions to key barriers for people with disabilities.

Agenda

1. Introductions and Setting Expectations for Session Accessibility

2. Accessibility of AVs
2a. Presentations from the disability community on the diversity of people with disabilities and how AVs will benefit or exclude disabled people depending on the design of the vehicle, operations, and infrastructure.
2b. Problem-Solving Discussion #1: Participants will receive personas of people with disabilities who face different constraints in accessing a vehicle, service, or environment. They will work on teams to identify barriers for their personas and propose how to resolve these barriers. Participants are invited to consider both human, societal, and engineering factors.

3. AI, Algorithms, and Collision Detection
3a. Presentations about known and potential issues with AI and algorithm decision making systems used in AVs, especially those used for detecting and preventing collisions with pedestrians.
3b. Problem-Solving Discussion #2: Participants will work on teams to propose guardrails and other actions necessary to prevent bias in the beginning as well as to ensure that AI systems are equitable in all parts of AV operation. Participants will also identify what research needs to be done to evaluate and/or correct bias in AI and collision-detection system. Participants are encouraged to consider a variety of social, cultural, physical, and computing perspectives.

4. Deployment and Policy at All Levels
4a. Presentations about existing deployments and policy issues around AV accessibility and non-discrimination, including what research is needed to set better accessibility policy. Presentations will offer examples from the US city/state-level perspective, the US national perspective, and at least one international perspective.
4b. Problem-Solving Discussion #3: Participants will discuss provided scenarios and work together to identify how public policy could be used to ensure that people with disabilities can benefit from AVs. Scenarios could include topics like disability law and transit use of AVs, the intersection of safety and accessibility, or workforce implications and barriers. Participants are encouraged to use disability-forward thinking in identifying and proposing policy needs and recommendations.

5. Final summary of discussions and sending participants forth with ways to make AVs more accessible and inclusive.

Session Objectives

1. Participants will demonstrate an understanding of the barriers and opportunities that AVs present to people with disabilities.
2. Participants will identify solutions to creating accessible vehicles, operations, and infrastructure for diverse users.
3. Participants will learn about potential bias in the algorithms and collision detection systems used in AVs and an overview of current solutions as well as identify additional research needs.
4. Participants will identify policy opportunities to drive disability inclusion forward at the local, state, and federal levels given perspectives from the US and Europe.
5. Participants will develop checklists and propose guardrails that ensure AVs, AI, and related policy measures are inclusive of people with disabilities.