The role of economic resources in accessing transportation for people with disabilities
Creators: name: Kwon, Jaekyeong
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2023

description: My dissertation examines how economic resources and modified private vehicles help people with disabilities access opportunities such as employment, healthcare services, and social activities. I use a mixed-methods approach. First, I use data from the American Time Use Survey to study the travel behavior of people with disabilities based on their employment and income. Second, I use data from in-depth interviews with 18 people with spinal cord injuries who either have a modified vehicle or are currently looking for one to understand their experiences of obtaining and using a modified vehicle. In Chapter 1, I examine whether employment and income are associated with smaller disability-related gaps in travel. I hypothesize that being employed or having more income helps people with disabilities travel more often and access private vehicles more easily. I also create a proxy variable for disability severity based on basic daily living limitation information (e.g., difficulty dressing or bathing, difficulty going outside of home alone) collected in the American Time Use Survey to estimate how the results vary by the severity of the disability. I find that disability-related travel gaps are bigger among those who are not employed and those who are in lower income quartiles. However, the role of economic resources in reducing disability-related gaps in car access, measured based on the likelihood of using a car or driving, was smaller when the disability was severe. In Chapter 2, I examine why and how people with disabilities purchase a modified vehicle. Based on my interviews with people with spinal cord injuries, I find that the interviewees wanted a modified vehicle to regain their sense of independence after their injury, increase the number and quality of their daily trips, and manage needs related to life events such as aging, providing childcare, and looking for jobs. However, most interviewees experienced difficulties purchasing a modified vehicle due to lack of income or lack of affordable options. Thus, many received crowdfunding donations, car company rebates, car loans, and state vocational rehabilitation center grants. In addition to the financial barriers, some interviewees were unaware of the grant policies or faced difficulties finding a reliable vehicle with appropriate modifications, which suggests informational barriers related to vehicle modification. In Chapter 3, I examine how people with disabilities experienced the expansion of teleactivities such as telework, telehealth, and virtual advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. I also investigate the implications of teleactivities on their motivations to get a modified vehicle. I find that the wide availability of telework and telehealth reduced the travel burden among the interviewees. In particular, those who teleworked reported higher productivity at work due to their increased ability to manage their pain and fatigue during the day. Despite the convenience of telework, telehealth, and other teleactivities, the interviewees still report that they need a modified vehicle to expand their job opportunities, address emergent situations, and increase certainty and security in their daily lives.