Invitation to Miniconference April 21-22 Transportation Data Equity Initiative TRB2023

Shamlessly reprpinting invitation to an Open Transportation Data miniconference:

This note is both to let you know just how busy we have been working towards transportation equity and disability justice, and asking you and the community you influence to become involved with the Taskar Center again this year, as your and their time allows.

The work: in the past 18 months myself and our growing stellar team have been funded by USDOT to work with the community to study and identify accessibility-first data attributes that can be collected in a standardized, consistent way and represent the minimal requirements to providing comfortable, informed transportation for all. You probably already know our OpenSidewalks work in the sidewalks and Public Right of Way because you've participated in our events in the past. We have been working with SoundTransit on similar efforts to describe transit stations and King County Metro and HopeLink to provide standardized data on paratransit and other flexible transportation. Your past participation has been invaluable, and we hope you are interested in engaging with us again in the following ways.

Ways to participate in equitable transportation  data collection and standardization:

TCAT presents unique opportunities to both contribute and benefit across a number of event channels, surveys and interviews, all designed to deliver not only data, but powerful storytelling from the lived experience of community leaders like you. Here they are. Please note that upon completing each one, you will receive a gift card valued at $49.99 for any gift cards that can be purchased online. I need to let you know in advance that with new IRS and UW regulations, any participant that receives $50 value or more per fiscal year from the UW is asked to provide their social security number.

• ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPATION AT OUR MINI-CONFERENCE: Take part in a roundtable workshop of transportation professionals, agencies, DOT’s and community in a powerful, interactive 2-day mini-conference. Conference attendees will be provided continental breakfast and lunch. The roundtable workshop will take place on April 21 and 22nd. Again, you can just respond to this email and say you're interested in the roundtable, you can again "reply all" to this email and mention you're interested in the roundtable or you can sign up at this EventBrite form: tinyurl.com/OpenThePaths2023 (the conference will include many other events including Keynotes by local luminary Karen Braitmayer, Sally Swanson, our Disability Justice for Urban Planning workshop, and breakout sessions with interoperable accessibility-first data producers and consumers) 
  
• THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THROUGH either one 2-hour INTERVIEW OR 10 short SURVEYS: We know that civic changemaking is not just about data, but about your story. We want to hear from you and others. Together, we can provide meaningful recommendations to improve transportation for all. You can fill out this form (click here). Or you can contact Alex Emmons (or just "reply all" to this email) to participate.

Thanks for reading. We love having you in our circle of friends!

I’ll sign off now, but if you have any questions about how to get involved, please click on those links, or just email us back (reply will reach both me and Alex who’s been a great new addition to our organization).

Sincerely,

Anat Caspi, PhD

Director of the Taskar Center for Accessible Technology, and the Transportation Data Equity Initiative at the University of Washington.

Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington

caspian@cs.washington.edu

RantWoman is posting this promotional video even though the peppy music with no verbal commentary is not exceedingly useful to potential blind participants.