Big moment this week. I had the opportunity to join Heather Aijian and Hannah Tuten at a celebration marking Waymo’s one-year milestone of testing in Washington, DC. Standing beside one of their autonomous vehicles, I couldn’t help but think about what this represents, not just innovation, but possibility. For people with disabilities, transportation has always been about more than getting from point A to point B. It’s about independence. Dignity. Control over your own life. Waymo is making meaningful progress, especially for riders who are blind or visually impaired. But as I often say, progress is good, getting it right is better. That is why partnerships matter. The National Council on Independent Living and the Independent Living Network have a critical role to play in shaping what accessible autonomous transportation looks like from the ground up, not as an afterthought. NCIL attended, not just to celebrate, but to help define what comes next. Theo W. Braddy NCIL Executive Director Image: Head of Waymo Public Affairs Heather Aijian, NCIL Executive Director Theo W. Braddy, and Waymo Public Affairs Manager Hannah Tuten gather for a group photo in front of a Waymo autonomous car in Washington, DC.
So great spending time with you yesterday, Theo! Waymo is proud to partner with NCIL on shaping the future of accessible transportation.
Thank you for joining us last night, Theo! NCIL's leadership in this space and your support have been incredible, as have the network of SILCs and CILs across the country.
I can not emphasize how great this is! Having grown up with a paraplegic father and watching the challenges he faced with mobility, this part, right here, is why I love being a part of Waymo's mission ❣️
We still don’t have an answer to when Waymo will have a wheelchair accessible vehicle, even one where we could put an unfolded empty one in.