2/12/26 - Government, cooking, and travel

Good afternoon!

Today we have three very different articles to consider ...

Create a Chief Mobility Officer

Steve Wright, Urban Travel, Sustainability & Accessibility - February 7, 2026

"Things will only get worse. America is rapidly gaining. Soon, for the first time in our nation’s history, there will be more people older than age 60 than younger than 18. This means people with reduced mobility and reduced means will be dependent on a seamless network of multimodal mobility ... If we are ever going to have humane, efficient, inclusive and equitable transportation networks with world class walkability – we must have a chief mobility officer."

This proposal is about the city of Miami, Florida. But the idea of creating a "Chief Mobility Officer" sounds good – or at the very least interesting. If I understand it correctly, a Chief Mobility Officer would coordinate policy for both mobile transportation like buses, rail, taxis, and streets, and pedestrian mobility including sidewalks, crosswalks, public spaces, and streets in a city, town, or maybe a county. Among other things, this would centralize responsibility for most public accessibility features in an area, and integrate them with transportation accessibility. This makes sense to me. One of the most annoying problems with accessibility in cities and towns is how everybody says it's some other office's jurisdiction. Nobody wants it to be their job. And while shared responsibility for accessibility sounds like positive aspiration, maybe it's not the best way to get accessibility done and keep it maintained. I wonder if there are any places with something like a Chief Mobility Officer in operation?

How Losing My Limbs Turned Me Into a Different Kind of Cook

Yewande Komolafe, New York Times - January 27, 2026

"Our learning curves are steepest when the skills we’ve leaned on all our lives have been swept out from under us. I’ve had to set my faith in my physical body aside, focusing on the skills I do have, and consigning to the future the skills I must relearn, like how to whisk a bowl of cream to milky soft peaks with prosthetic hands."

This is a beautiful piece that deals with the difficulty of adjusting previous work habits after acquiring new, later in life disabilities. It also tells a pretty harrowing but unfortunately relatable story of medical trauma. And the article is something of a love letter to food and the act of cooking, specifically from a disabled person. For many us I think, food is both a frustrating daily challenge that collides with our disabilities, and a pleasant antidote to them. Grab your favorite snack before you read this lovely piece!

How to Plan an Accessible Cross-Country Train Trip with Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass

John Morris, Wheelchairtravel.org - January 17, 2026

"Pass holders can redeem 10 coach class train segments over a period of 30 days, which is a huge benefit over a single one-way ticket. Thoughtfully structuring your itinerary is key: If you try to travel coast-to-coast in two or three massive overnight rides, you’ll arrive exhausted (or worse) and you will miss out on some of the best scenery in the country. With this guide, disabled travelers and wheelchair users can redeem the USA Rail Pass for a comfortable and accessible cross-country journey."

Long train trips like this aren't something many disabled people will even consider, because of the cost if not the physical barriers. But it is the sort of "once in a lifetime" experience that should be as accessible as possible to people with disabilities. And these tips seem to be useful.

Disability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. You can help promote Disability Thinking Weekday by forwarding it by email or posting on your social media. You can also comment by sending me an email at: apulrang@icloud.com. Collected comments are shared on the first of each month. A free subscription sends a newsletter to your email each weekday. Benefits of paid subscription include:

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