RTD员工分享祖母乘坐第一辆轮椅无障碍RTD巴士的经历

“We will ride!” That is the declaration 19 disabled rights activists, known as the Gang of 19, 5日，在科尔法克斯大街和百老汇大街，齐声高呼了24小时, 1978. Led by the Rev. Wade Blank, co-founder of Atlantis, a group dedicated to providing free, individualized care to those in need, the Gang of 19 surrounded two buses at the intersection, 要求公共交通服务配备轮椅升降机，让残疾乘客有机会像健全人士一样使用公共汽车. 当抗议活动尘埃落定后，RTD开始为所有公交车安装新的轮椅升降机.

When the first bus rolled out of the garage, 美国残疾人法案办公室经理加布·克里斯蒂的祖母就站在那里, capturing it assisting its first customer.

Norene Chambers, who joined the agency in 1977 as a bus operator, began her day on July 5, 1978, expecting it to be just like any normal day. However, 她的收音机开始播放丹佛市中心科尔法克斯大道和百老汇大道的抗议活动.

“她记得在收音机里听到抗议的消息，当时她说, ‘Oh man, this is frustrating,’” Christie said. “作为一名操作人员，任何让你在现场不知所措的事情都会让你非常沮丧.”

钱伯斯不知道的是，正在发生的抗议活动将改变世界对残疾人的看法.

抗议结束后，RTD开始在巴士上改装轮椅升降机. 机械师需要学习如何修理电梯，操作员需要学习如何帮助客户使用电梯. Retrofits were completed on routes 0, 15 and 40 in 1978; on other key routes in 1979; and across the entire fleet by 1982.

In the year after the protest, 钱伯斯辞去了接线员的工作，在RTD的市场部担任营销代表. 她的首要任务之一是让媒体关注第一辆可供轮椅使用的公共汽车.

On Dec. 4, 1978, media, community members, 员工和活动人士都聚集在科尔法克斯大道和百老汇，再次见证历史:丹佛第一位使用轮椅升降机登上公共汽车的顾客.

“She was worried it wasn’t going to go well,” Christie said. “She said, “我本来想展示一下这辆巴士，但这行不通, 每个人明天都会回到街上因为这不是人们需要的.’”

“She was worried that they had not done enough,” he added.

Anxiety filled Chambers’ mind all morning long, Christie said, with fears of the lift failing, 当她焦急地等待15路公交车的到来时，无法把客户的轮椅装上飞机，以及可能出现的机械故障占据了她的思想.

它到达了19人帮抗议发生的同一站, where a pair of customers in wheelchairs were waiting, along with media, activists and RTD representatives, 这一切都是为了看看这是否是19人帮所抗议的解决方案.

电梯正常运行，乘客们可以在轮椅上安全上车, a landmark moment for accessibility in transit.

车站周围响起了欢呼声，钱伯斯松了一口气.

“她觉得自己通过关系让别人的生活变得更好，”克里斯蒂说.

Chambers felt the urge to share the news with Blank, 她在做公交司机和参与社区活动时就认识了他.

“She was ready to be smug about it,” Christie said.

庆祝活动结束后，电梯在整个系统内部署, new challenges began to spring up.

她说，该机构很快注意到的一件事是，预期的客流量没有达到,” Christie said. “他们希望看到每辆公交车上坐轮椅的人都能利用每一部电梯.”

乘客人数低于预期，这让人有些失望, 但钱伯斯回忆说，当向那些感到沮丧的人介绍不同的视角时，他们的情绪就会消退.

“她说，‘现在一切都很方便，任何人都可以乘坐任何一辆公交车，’”克里斯蒂说. “If you build it, they will come.”

其他挑战源于轮椅安全空间与座位容量的不一致. Additionally, 考虑到客流量，RTD董事会当时推迟了购买带有升降机的新巴士的计划.

In the years following the protest, 委员会投票决定开始购买轮椅无障碍的公共汽车. By 1985, 丹佛成为全国第一个在所有当地公共汽车上提供轮椅无障碍服务的大都市区.

This change, Christie said, 促使丹佛市和县开始努力使人行道更容易通行，并在交通繁忙的地方拆除路边石，让坐轮椅的人更容易在城市里穿行.

RTD’s buses today are designed to be near curb level, with the ability to be lowered to meet smaller curbs. 巴士的两个车门都有一个弹出式坡道，供有需要的乘客使用. 长途客车式巴士在巴士中部设有专用电梯，并设有轮椅安全区域.

如今，76岁的钱伯斯对电梯和可达性有了全新的看法. 由于年龄的关系，她需要借助助行器走动.

“她说，‘当我帮助启动它时，我从没想过自己会用到它，’”克里斯蒂说. “她坐公共汽车去买东西，去看医生. She needs the ramp.”

这曾经是一个令人沮丧的日子，现在却改变了美国乃至世界各地对流动性的看法. Now, 残疾顾客可以进入和健全顾客一样的地方, all standard and by design.

Chambers told Christie: “‘I can get on any bus, anywhere, at any time with my walker and not be worried.’”