The non-profit Ability360 worked with members of its community, not only to advocate for a new light rail station, but to design a station that would fit the disabled community's needs.
Ability360's Washington Street Center serves hundreds of people with a wide range of disabilities. Now that center will be served by a train station designed with the input of the people who use the center.
"Beginning in 2013, the Ability360 community began pressing Phoenix’s Valley Metro to install an infill station at the site, lobbying the transit agency as well as local political leaders," Angie Schmitt reports for Streetsblog USA. To serve the center well, access had to be a priority, so Ability360 along with Participatory Planning group Placeit! held workshops to bring in members of the community to get their perspectives.
The final design will differ from other Valley Metro stations in a number of ways. "The new station will have a wider platform, to allow wheelchair users to maneuver around each other. There won’t be any sudden changes of grade for people crossing the street or boarding the train. At the request of the community, it will also have ample shade."
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