Last week in Detroit, the co-located InCabin and AutoSens USA events spotlighted the latest innovations in in-cabin sensing, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and autonomous driving (AD).
Alongside improving safety, the event highlighted how these innovations can increase mobility for people who are unable or limited in their ability to drive, putting inclusive design at the heart of future transport solutions.
This topic built on the closing panel discussion of the 2024 edition of InCabin and AutoSens, where speakers stressed that accessibility must be embedded in AV design from day one, not treated as an afterthought.
Reinforcing this message, Sense Media Managing Director and Founder Rob Stead invited the panel to return in 2025 to open the event, rather than close it, thus reflecting the need to move accessibility to the forefront of industry dialogue.
True to his word, the 2025 opening panel, “Autonomy for All: Key Considerations for Inclusive AV Design,” delivered a powerful conversation on the transformative potential of AVs, featuring insights from Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), and Vraj Patel, Senior Systems Engineer at May Mobility.
The Impact of Inclusive AVs
Inclusive autonomous vehicles could transform the lives of people who cannot drive by offering newfound independence and access. For those with disabilities, the elderly, or individuals without a driver’s license, AVs could deliver reliable, safe transportation that removes barriers to work, healthcare, and social activities.
Indeed, Vraj Patel, Senior Systems Engineer at May Mobility, emphasised that this shift is about more than mobility: it also provides dignity. By eliminating the need to rely on others for basic travel, AVs can empower individuals and meaningfully improve their quality of life.
Vraj Patel, Senior Systems Engineer at May Mobility said:For me, it’s very personal. My mother doesn’t drive, and she feels that reliance on others really hurts. Accessibility isn’t just about mobility—it’s about dignity and empowerment. If we can bring that to people in rural areas or with disabilities, that’s groundbreaking.
To effectively achieve this vision, self-driving vehicles not only need to be autonomous, but they also need to be inclusive. Maria Town, President and CEO of the AAPD, drew a parallel between the imperativeness of this consideration and the decades-long fight for accessibility on existing public transportation.
Maria Town, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) said:Just yesterday, I was thinking about the protests, the direct actions that started in 1978, where people with disabilities chained themselves to the front of buses to push for accessible public transportation. Now, 99% of all buses in the U.S. are accessible. In my opinion, that took too long.
How many people with disabilities missed out on employment, on improving their quality of life, on time with family and friends, because they couldn’t leave their homes or get from one place to another?
To avoid repeating these mistakes in the rollout of autonomous vehicles, AAPD has launched an initiative called We Will Ride, focused on ensuring AVs are fully accessible from the start. As Town warned, if inclusive design is overlooked, AVs risk not only missing an opportunity but also creating yet another form of transportation that excludes some users and exacerbates existing barriers.
Achieving the Vision
Notably, May Mobility is already working to bring this inclusive vision to life. The company currently deploys driver-in wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicles and is using these experiences to shape the future of fully autonomous services. This includes integrating features such as reliable docking systems and intelligent, AI-driven interactions to support riders.
Throughout this process, Patel noted that the company is gathering real-world data to better understand user needs. By observing how passengers interact with onboard systems, May Mobility is identifying gaps and opportunities to improve both functionality and user experience for all.
In addition to optimising onboard systems, Patel acknowledged the need for thoughtful design around considerations such as safe, accessible pick-up and drop-off points in crowded environments. The goal, he said, is to create a seamless end-to-end system that is truly inclusive for all riders.
To deliver on this ambition, May Mobility partnered with accessibility organisations from the onset of its development. These collaborations have helped the company address critical considerations such as entry points, power wheelchair compatibility, and optimal interior layouts.
Praising this approach, Town described May Mobility as the “golden standard” in terms of testing and building relationships with the disability community.
Indeed, for autonomous technologies to live up to their full potential, Town stressed the need to invest in testing for people with all types of disabilities. She argued that the mobility sector has seen a strong focus on certain disabilities, like blindness, while others, such as intellectual disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and chronic illnesses, remain underrepresented. She gave the example of designing AV systems flexible enough to accommodate people with conditions like Crohn’s disease, who may require frequent stops for the bathroom.
Integrating AVs into Current Transport Networks
For autonomous vehicles to be effectively rolled out, the panellists argued that they should complement, rather than compete with, existing public transport solutions. Vraj Patel emphasised that May Mobility is working to deploy AVs to fill the gap where public transit is lacking, therefore increasing the overall effectiveness of the existing systems.
Maria Town expanded on this, noting that while many Americans don’t regularly use public transit, this is often due to limited availability rather than a lack of interest. She asserted that if accessible and convenient public transit were available to more Americans, more Americans would use it. Meanwhile, she noted that one third of the U.S. population does not drive, thus highlighting the need, rather than merely the desire, for an improved mobility network.
Crucially, Town also warned against the use of AVs for creating separate solutions for disabled riders, stressing that “separate is not equal.” Instead, she urged the industry to ensure disabled people are included in the mainstream of innovation.
Maria Town stated:From an advocacy perspective, we cannot keep seeing these autonomous solutions that provide a separate solution for people with disabilities, which is what we most often see in pilot programmes.
Separate is not equal. Disabled people want to be transported in very cool vehicles too. We are already often living these lives that are very separate from the rest of our peers, and it shouldn't have to be this way.
As such, to genuinely transform mobility for all, AVs must be part of a cohesive, inclusive transportation system, not a patchwork of disconnected fixes. When designed to complement public transit and meet the needs of a diverse population, autonomous vehicles can strengthen transport networks by extending their geographic reach and filling first- and last-mile gaps. This not only improves access for people who can’t drive, but also enhances convenience, reduces congestion, and creates more resilient options for everyone.
Builing on this potential, Town also noted that the advanced sensing and mapping capabilities of AVs offer even broader benefits. By collecting data on pedestrian infrastructure and travel patterns, AV systems could help fill long-standing gaps in city planning, supporting safer, smarter investments in public infrastructure. In this way, autonomous vehicle technology can also contribute to building safer, pedestrian-friendly communities with greater mobility connections and less reliance on private cars.
By expanding the reach of transit networks, improving safety, and enabling data-driven urban planning, autonomous vehicles have the potential to create a more efficient, equitable, and connected future for all.
Policy and Regulations
While technology suppliers are at the forefront of enabling such deployments, AutoSens and InCabin also acknowledged that policymakers play a vital role in shaping the AV landscape, with the panellists stressing that regulation must be a facilitator, not a roadblock.
Indeed, Patel argued that being too stringent with regulations risks slowing down the speed of innovation. Instead, the goal is to develop policies that evolve in tandem with the technology. Arguably, policy frameworks should not be imposed from the top down, but rather co-created with input from technology suppliers, accessibility advocates, and communities.
For example, Town highlighted key policy frameworks released by groups such as AVIA, which include legislative changes like removing the requirement for a licensed driver in an AV—a rule that otherwise disqualifies many disabled people from benefiting from the technology.
Another promising initiative involves combining AV investments with mandatory upgrades to public infrastructure, ensuring that accessibility isn’t an optional extra but a foundational requirement.
Affordability and Equity
An additional difficult question raised during the panel discussion was affordability. Many accessibility-enhancing technologies now being integrated into AVs, such as voice controls and real-time navigation support, were originally developed for disabled users, but those very communities often face economic barriers to accessing them.
As a result, Town noted that the industry is rolling out features that can benefit everyone, but the people who need them most are often least able to afford them.
With disabled Americans experiencing poverty at disproportionately high rates, equitable deployment must also account for cost. This means thinking beyond personal ownership towards public-private partnerships, subsidised services, and universally accessible on-demand mobility options, in line with May Mobility’s service rollout.
Progress in the Last Year
Maria Town returned to the panel from last year’s edition and reflected that some encouraging momentum has been built in the past year, particularly in the growing number of AV pilot programmes launched in cities across the U.S. These pilots have started to create more targeted opportunities for engagement with disabled individuals, helping to shape more inclusive mobility solutions based on real-world needs.
However, the collapse of Cruise’s efforts to develop a fully wheelchair-accessible AV was noted as a major setback, with the abrupt halt underscoring the fragility of accessibility initiatives when they’re not embedded as industry-wide priorities.
This sentiment was echoed by Patel, who expressed that the pace of innovation could increase in this space. He remarked that the industry is generally focused on perfecting the core driverless technology, but accessibility needs to be a bigger part of the technology development.
Patel said:Over the last year, we haven't seen much real innovation happening in this space. We are all very focused on making the vehicle drive by itself, and of course we want to crack that. But I think we can still innovate in this area. We do not want to see this problem as an accessibility problem, but we want to see it as an innovative problem.
I do think that's where we are heading, but personally, I would like to see faster, greater change in the industry.
Crucially, Town also flagged major shifts within the federal administration since the last edition, which could influence the direction of accessibility policy. She noted that Kristin White, who attended last year’s panel as the Deputy Administrator at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), no longer holds this position. As she had a deep understanding of disability and transportation needs, this leaves a noticeable gap in dialogue between policymakers and disability groups.
This loss is part of a wider picture, prompting concerns that the current federal leadership may not prioritise inclusive AV standards. As such, the panel discussion highlighted the need for the industry to take action on ensuring inclusive design without waiting for a mandate from federal policy.
Indeed, the 2025 edition of InCabin and AutoSens reaffirmed a critical truth: autonomy without accessibility is a missed opportunity. As autonomous vehicle technologies advance at pace, the industry must avoid repeating the mistakes of the past by bolting on accessibility too late.
Autonomous vehicles can change lives, and should thus be built for everyone.
