Oakland County Transit Proposal is a lifeline to those with disabilities
As a father of an adult daughter on the autism spectrum and an Oakland County resident, the Oakland County Public Transportation millage proposal is critical to people with disabilities. Transportation is a fundamental enabler to our lives, whether helping us get to school, work, the grocery store, the doctor or dentist. Many of us take the ability to drive anywhere, anytime for granted.
My daughter will never drive. At the same time, like us, her work is really important to her. Her job breaks the monotonous isolation, provides life-sustaining human contact and is a source of pride. She loves her part-time jobs.
Given the state of our local transit system and its lack of connectivity, she uses Uber to get to work. The stark reality is that she pays more for transportation than she earns at her job. You might ask, why continue to work? Well, how would you like to sit at home for your entire adult life?
Unemployment for adults on the spectrum and for many disabilities is 90 percent. Transit availability and the cost of Uber-like service is a big deterrent to feasibly having a job. Isolation robs people with disabilities of meaningful work and limits businesses from employing people with disabilities at a time when employers can’t find workers.
The transit challenges for people with disabilities is just part of the employment story. Our region has a very low workforce participation rate. Businesses can’t find workers and people struggle to find work. One of the top deterrents to employment is the lack of reliable transportation.
While working on economic development to attract new businesses to the county there are two top questions asked — where will I get the talent and how will the people get to work? Research shows that every $1 invested in public transportation creates $4 in economic output by attracting new businesses and expanding the talent pool for local employers, a real boost to the economy.
I urge you to vote ‘Yes’ for the Oakland County Public Transportation Millage on the November 8 ballot. This is a win-win proposal for everyone.