Dallas, TX
January, 1989
Paralleling the six-year effort to affect change in public transportation through the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), ADAPT also focused efforts on Greyhound, the major busing option for cross-country travel, and the only travel option for many in rural areas.
Not only did Greyhound balk at adding lifts to buses, they refused to transport electric wheelchairs and professed patronizing policies, requiring a doctor’s note to travel for riders with disabilities.
After hitting Greyhound stations every Friday over the summer of 1988, culminating in a 12-city mass Labor Day strike, the bus company finally submitted to negotiations. It lead to more delays and foot dragging. As 1989 dawned, ADAPT ramped up pressure once again, “sniping” bus stations across the country.
This photo of ADAPT activist, Diane Coleman, was taken at an action in Dallas, Texas in January of 1989. She is holding a sign highlighting the need for and importance of providing access to transportation for millions of rural Americans living with disabilities.
