I, Alex Elegudin, have spent more than a decade working as an advocate, mentor, and professional in the disability community. In 2003, when I was a college sophomore, I was involved in a deer related car accident and sustained a C6 level spinal cord injury, leaving me paralyzed from chest down. I faced an uphill battle to reclaim my independence, managing medical needs and working tirelessly to complete college. I continued on to Hofstra University Law School and became a patent attorney.
After working for several years as an attorney, I saw the incredible challenges facing the disability community and wanted to find a way to help. Thus, I turned my life and career to being a full-time accessibility professional and disability inclusion professional by applying my skills to improving the quality of life for those with disabilities.
I co-founded the organization Wheeling Forward in 2012 to help others like myself get the support and resources they need to lead active lives. I believe in using my personal and professional experience to tackle challenging areas of need in the disability community and helping those who face barriers toward fully participating in our society. Wheeling Forward has done a tremendous amount in numerous areas to
help hundreds and hundreds of people with disabilities through its programs and advocacy.
Recently, I worked as the Accessibility Program Manager at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, where I was responsible for a variety of initiatives to increase the accessibility of New York’s taxi industry. I also served as the first-ever Accessibility Chief at MTA New York City Transit, where I oversaw accessibility initiatives for subways, buses, and paratransit with the goal of greater accessibility for New Yorkers of all abilities.
Notably, the years that I have spent working in government to push systemic change and remove barriers has yielded great results. During my time at the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, I was able to help push the agency to pass some of the strongest accessibility taxi rules in the world that will forever change how accessible service is provided in the taxi industry. For NYC yellow taxis, we were able to pass a 50% accessibility mandate which requires that 50% of all NYC taxis are wheelchair accessible in the coming years, which was a first-of-its-kind and monumental achievement. Further, we were also able to pass the strongest and one of the only accessibility regulations mandating for-hire vehicles, which includes Uber and other Transportation Network Companies, to provide equivalent accessible service to people with disabilities, specifically wheelchair users, just as they do to the general population. This was a historic achievement to move the needle forward and remove barriers for those with disabilities. These are just two highlights from my time in government that brought systemic change and set a new standard for how people with disabilities engage in our society.
Further, during my time with the New York City Transit System, similarly large and historic accessibility victories were achieved. Notably, during my tenure the New York state government and the MTA made a commitment of $5 billion to making more subway stations accessible, the largest investment of its kind in history. Additionally, I was responsible for the creation of the System-Wide Accessibility Unit and served in a first-of-its-kind role as the Accessibility Chief reporting directly to the president on accessibility initiatives. These are just two highlights that were achieved at the MTA in pushing accessibility forward for one of the largest and oldest transit systems in the world.
Through personal volunteerism and professional experience, I have committed my career and life to helping others with disabilities achieve better lives by striving for independence and greater community participation. I have worked and/or advocated at every level – federal, state, local, & private sector – and on all significant issues impacting the disability community – including the major areas of healthcare, transportation, housing, employment and education. I have worked to help individuals win their personal advocacy battles, led organizations to implement life-changing programs, and worked with government agencies to create large scale systemic change. Regardless, of how or where, in government, private or the non-profit sector, I am committed to serving the disability community and promoting disability inclusion in our society.
©2021 Alex Elegudin
