TARTA, Sight Center Team Up To Provide Clear Path To Better Mobility

At TARTA’s Community Update in 2024, author and activist Anna Zivarts called attention to the plight of commuters who struggle with limited eyesight in mobility systems that are designed to exclusively benefit those with strong vision.

Recent work by TARTA’s Mobility Management team and the Sight Center of Northwest Ohio demonstrates that those concerns continue to be heard and taken seriously.

Through a federal grant and after working with the Sight Center to determine the right product, TARTA has procured high-powered document viewers to assist both Move and fixed route passengers.

“They are a wonderful tool to help anyone who struggles to read a bus schedule or fill out an application for TARTA Move or read a flyer,” said Tim Tegge, the Executive Director of The Sight Center. “I’m happy TARTA took the initiative, and we were happy to participate, with the goal of making the experience just a little bit better for passengers and riders.

“It’s our mission to enrich lives and help give people the power of independence. There’s a lot that goes into that, but transportation is certainly a key component. So anything that makes it more convenient and makes that independence easier to achieve is a great thing.”

For TARTA Mobility Manager Brandon Waites, the opportunity represented one more step in a partnership that has benefited paratransit riders for many years. Low vision is just one of several hurdles to clear for many seniors and individuals with disabilities who contact Brandon, and it’s his mission to make that road to independence easier.

“When people seek out Mobility Management, they’ve encountered a challenge in connecting with this community,” Waites said. “Every situation and every challenge is unique, which is why it’s so important to have active community partners who help us understand how to bridge that gap.

“The Sight Center has been a tremendous partner for TARTA. Tim and his team go out of their way to not only provide what their clients need, but to connect them to other resources they might be looking for. That help makes them such an important, one-stop resource for anyone who is visually impaired.”

These viewers are available upon request at both TARTA Move on Knapp Street and TARTA’s Transit Hub. They include Eschenbach Smartlux portable video magnifiers, which include a light, a 5-inch display and attachments that allow the lightweight device to be worn around the neck if needed. The grant also covered desktop digital magnifying options from Optelec, along with handheld non-digital options.

The document viewers have already helped TARTA Move applicants complete assessments and access information. Their presence during assessments has helped passengers get the information they need to take advantage of an expanding mobility system, and at the same time have made passengers more aware of the myriad of other helpful options available through both TARTA and The Sight Center.

“It’s an ongoing challenge, and we want to provide every resource we can,” said Tegge. “I think these viewers are a great example of how a little help can make a big difference, in terms of reading schedules and applications, things a lot of people take for granted…and getting more comfortable with transportation in general.”

For TARTA, securing the grant was a small piece of a larger drive to improve the process of reaching essential destinations for seniors and other nondrivers. The recently completed Locally Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan for Lucas County is a collective effort by TARTA and the Lake Erie West Regional Council to enhance mobility options for seniors and people with disabilities.

“One of the things we wanted to put a focus on while building the coordinated plan was harnessing new technology to make travel easier and more inclusive,” said Waites. “Whether it’s Move or Flex or fixed line, we want anyone to feel welcome using our service.

“We talk all the time with passengers who are visually impaired and we get to know them and how that impairment impacts what they try to do every day. Through technology or connecting them to other resources or just a friendly greeting when they’re on board, we want to do everything we can to make things easier.”