Autonomy for All: How Self-Driving Cars Will Revolutionize Mobility for the Disabled

For most Americans, the ability to drive is taken for granted—a routine freedom exercised daily without a second thought. Yet for nearly 61 million Americans living with disabilities and 54 million seniors over 65, this fundamental aspect of independence is often compromised or entirely unavailable. According to the Ruderman Family Foundation's landmark study on autonomous vehicles and disability, approximately 6 million Americans with disabilities have difficulty getting the transportation they need, creating what researchers term a "significant mobility gap" (Claypool et al., 2017). This mobility gap represents one of the most significant yet under-discussed inequalities in modern society.

This book proposes a revolutionary perspective: autonomous vehicles are not primarily a convenience for the able-bodied but rather a transformative accessibility tool for those currently excluded from our driver-centric transportation system. Self-driving cars represent the potential to restore independence to millions who have lost—or never had—the ability to transport themselves freely.