Jamin's transportation story

“I like my freedom and being able to get out on my own and not have to depend on other people, to just have independence. Paratransit takes care of that for me, it gets me to my appointments, it gets me to grocery shopping. I’ve used these services for all kinds of stuff. It's a godsend.”

Jamin has lived in Port Orchard since 2010. He has been using transit and paratransit for the last ten years. The process for getting paratransit service was slow and difficult when he first arrived, but Jamin depends on the service to get him where he needs to go, and he calls it a “godsend.” Jamin uses a scooter for mobility, so he can’t navigate stairs or steps. The main street in town, Bay Street, has sidewalks, but they are so horrible that he has fallen down trying to catch an Access bus. A lot of other roads barely have sidewalks or if they do they are really narrow and unsafe, forcing him and others to use the roadway to get through. If Jamin could make his community more accessible, sidewalks would be built wider and maintained well.

“We are your constituents, people that deal with disabilities.…What if I was your mother or your son or daughter? A key element to me living a productive life is being able to go see people or get out and go watch the beautiful downtown view we have at the bay, or walk down by the water. We deserve to get around….Give us what we need to live a productive life.”

This story was originally published to Disability Rights Washington's Transportation Access Story Map. For more stories, please visit: https://www.disabilityrightswa.org/storymap/