TRENDSED2018 Successful End - International Idea Exchange Impacting on Creating Friendly Accessible Environment | Eden Social Welfare Foundation

Translator | Tammy Chen 

Proofreading | Jonathan Burke

Eden Social Welfare Foundation has brought long-term attention to the Accessibility Articles ever since securing the hosting rights and preparing the 15th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED) three years ago. After Hamamatsu in Japan, Hong Kong, and New Delhi in India, Taipei is now the fourth city in Asia to host this conference, a three-day programme held from 13th in Taipei International Convention Center (TICC). The main theme was Mobility for All: Connecting the World with Accessible Transportation. Over 550 domestic and overseas scholars and experts from 31 countries were invited, presenting 119 theses, posts, and speeches. The Closing Ceremony and Round Table Forum took place on the 15th. Delegates were invited from Canada, the United States, Thailand, and Taiwan, to exchange ideas, and receive awards for the best thesis and post, bringing the conference to a fruitful conclusion.

During the Round Table Forum, Ms. Janet Glendenning, Senior Advisor, Centre of Expertise for Accessible Transportation, Canadian Transportation Agency, Government of Canada shared local policies and accessible facilities. She mentioned that since 2016  great efforts have been made to institutionalize policy, and reflected on how to redesign all kinds of facilities, including education and training, which are important steps of Universal Design. According to the institutionalization policy, different models of the national transportation system (air, rail, and marine), will be developed.

Mr. Nattapong Nualsanit, Quality Control Manager & Acting Internal Audit Manager, SRT Electrified Train Co., Ltd. (SRTET), State Railways of Thailand, Ministry of Transport, Thailand introduced Bangkok’s MRT facilities. Although incomplete, greater institutionalization through policy is anticipated, to improve the facilities further. Mr. Abraham Zorrilla, Community and Regional Planning Division, Taxes, USA shared information on accessible facilities in Houston, describing the current conditions and challenges, such as the challenge of various languages, relative advertising, and facility design needed to take into account local conditions to reach the aim of integration.

Mr. Chen Ching-FU was formerly acting director-general of Transportation Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government. He is currently a professor of National Cheng Kung University. Kaohsiung region has become a vast territory after being upgraded as a special municipality by the county’s reorganization, and now faces the challenge of how to offer convenient transportation for citizens, including bus services, extending bus routes, improving route connections, and providing convenient transportation for citizens. To meet these challenges, last year Kaohsiung City Government organized the “EcoMobility” initiative, and has already held an EcoMobility festival which attracted over 300,000 people, promoting the building of a smart, sharing, and livable environment.

Ms. Judy Shanley, (chairwoman of Transportation Research Board TRB), mentioned that all of the discussions during the conference were very important, and that attendees from different nations highlights the fact that accessible transportation is a global subject, and the fact that creating accessible environments and facilities needs support from different parties in the community to achieve integration. During this conference she brought attention to several key points, including integrating resources “cooperation”, breakthroughs in “science and technology” complemented by user experience and based on human-oriented approaches, breaking through traditional wisdom by means of“tactical” listening to the needs of disabled persons with“universal design” in mind. Ms. Shanley observed that transportation completeness can provide good educational opportunities and enable free medical care. She also said she believes there would be many communities with opportunities to express their right to mobility, and hope that more people will join the conference three years now, helping to improve the quality of life of, and develop better living standards for, less abled people.

In the Closing Ceremony speech, the President of Eden Social Welfare Foundation addressed the reasons for holding the conference, expressing particular appreciation for the international advisory committee, as well as the domestic and overseas academic commissions, for their diligence in direction and contribution over the three days of sharing and intense discussion. Through TRANSED international conference as a platform, elites from different parties in the community share knowledge with each other, offering participators a vibrant and innovative learning place, impacting on professional knowledge and experience from all relevant fields, with the aim of creating accessible environments and transportation for elderly and persons with disabilities. Finally, President said that a new aging population landmark is approaching, and substance of all the recent discussions would become the motive for a worldwide accessible environment, which would benefit individuals, families, communities, and nations.

Although elderly and persons with disabilities have different accessible transportation requirements, their mobility rights should not be different.  In addition to the government ’s guidance, building a friendly environment through community cognition and understanding, motivated by deeply held empathy, is the most important point to which Eden wishes to bring long-term attention.