Room: Mississauga AB
Sponsor(s)
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Session Description
Stream: Operations Stream
Moderator: TBD, Creative Carriage
1. Transit as a Social Determinant of Health
Presenter: Deborah Daniel, Program Manager, Community Engagement and Change Management,
Durham Region Transit
American Public Health Association and Canadian Public Health Agency link transportation as a key SDOH. Both Associations highlight efficient public transit can improve access to employment, education, essential services, healthy food, social activities, recreational and health care. Likewise, research from Canada and Colombia stress that public transit can reduce inequities, increase physical activity, reduce social exclusion, and offer more independent and affordable mobility, even for rural, vulnerable and senior populations.
With this knowledge – what are we doing in Ontario to plan, measure and demonstrate how transit is a SDOH and the work we do improves the health and wellbeing of the population?
2. Challenges with Public Transit for Neurodivergent Individuals
Presenter: Prof. Dennis Kar, Toronto MU (TMU)
Public transit can present several significant challenges for neurodivergent people, often leading to anxiety, stress, and avoidance of these systems. These challenges stem from the sensory-rich, unpredictable, and socially complex nature of transit environments, including sensory overload, unpredictable environments, including detours and demand-responsive services that can create change in routine, complex systems that can be difficult to navigate and crowding.
The Studio Project:
This project aims to develop and implement transit service standards and design guidelines that specifically address the needs of neurodivergent people. This is a challenging task given the complexity of transit and the competing priorities each system faces to achieve other goals.
The ultimate goal is to identify standards and guidelines that will help create a more accessible, predictable, and comfortable transit experience for this population, which will in turn benefit all riders.
Speaker(s) / Presenter(s)