Public transportation for people with disabilities is the difference between a life of isolation and full independence. Right now, for those who live in the Chicago region, independence is on the line. 

Our region faces a looming transit funding “fiscal cliff,” staring down a projected $771 million shortfall that would start in early 2026. The CTA, Metra and Pace are preparing for service cuts of up to 40%, mass layoffs and fare increases that would have a devastating impact on our communities, including people with disabilities who live here. 

For disabled residents, especially those who can’t drive or afford their own wheelchair-accessible vehicle, public transit is the foundation of daily life — a way to get to work, attend school, access medical care, visit family and be part of the community.

The 60,000 eligible paratransit riders with disabilities across our region will face higher fares, longer wait times and inconsistent service. If PACE cuts bus routes in the suburbs, the corresponding door-to-door paratransit services will also be cut for those unable to ride the fixed route buses. Across Pace, Metra and CTA, disabled people and seniors took more than 1.5 million rides in May alone. Service cuts will result in people with disabilities being isolated in their homes, potentially losing jobs, missing medical appointments, and being unable to shop and participate — with independence — in their communities. 

I have used a wheelchair all of my life and moved to Chicago to build my life, my family and career. It was an intentional choice, driven in part by Chicago’s robust public transit system. I know numerous other disabled people who have made similar life decisions due to the availability of transit accessibility in our city and our region. I am now raising a disabled teenager, who does not drive, but proudly and frequently rides the CTA, Metra trains and PACE buses to navigate — getting to college and work, meeting up with friends, and maintaining the independence all teenagers seek. 

The disability community has fought for decades to access public transportation across our nation. As a teenager, I was unable to ride the public bus in my hometown with my friends because every bus had stairs and lacked ramps. Accessing most rail systems anywhere in the country was virtually impossible due to a consistent lack of elevators to platforms.

Everything began to change in 1990 with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, whose 35th anniversary we celebrated on July 26th. This milestone anniversary also coincided with the opening of four newly renovated CTA stations along the Red Line that are now accessible with elevators, making them available to people with mobility disabilities for the first time since the stations were constructed more than 100 years ago. This is such an important milestone, yet we still have more than 80 stations between Metra and CTA needing elevator access and even more stations needing other accessibility improvements.

Unless our state leaders act, the progress we’ve achieved and the work to be done toward greater transit accessibility and better service on the CTA, Metra and PACE will stall. The transit systems that give independence to hundreds of thousands of people living with disabilities will be severely diminished. Some may be cut off from the system entirely. 

My organization, Access Living, in coalition with other transportation advocates, has been bringing attention to this looming crisis through the media, educational town halls, speaking at transit funding rallies and by directly engaging our lawmakers in Springfield.

A world-class city is an accessible city that is usable for everyone — now and in the future. We need everyone’s help to call on their state elected representatives to act now to fully fund our transit systems, our future, and the dignity and independence of the people who depend on public transit across our region. We must not let decades of hard-won progress get left at the station. 

Karen Tamley is president and CEO of Access Living, a Chicago-based disability rights and service organization. She previously served as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities under three administrations. 

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