Metro News Release
For immediate release: October 7, 2010
2010 Richard W. Heddinger Accessible Transportation award winner announced
Patrick Sheehan honored for lifelong commitment to improving accessibility
Metro’s Department of Access Services and the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) have awarded the 2010 Richard W. Heddinger Accessible Transportation Award to Patrick Sheehan, a resident of Silver Spring, Md. The annual award honors a person or organization whose efforts have resulted in significant improvements to accessible public transportation services for people with disabilities.
 Patrick Sheehan reads Braille instructions for using emergency intercoms on Metrorail trains |
Sheehan has been a member of the AAC for 20 years and has served as chairman for 18 of the 20 years he has been on the committee. In this capacity, he has worked on a number of Metrobus, Metrorail and MetroAccess issues.
He helped oversee compliance of the Metrobus fleet with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, which made making the entire Metrobus fleet wheelchair accessible.
He has worked with the committee and Metro staff to improve accessibility within the Metrorail system, advocating for the placement of bumpy domes near the platform edge, the installation of barriers between rail cars, guaranteed elevator access and better station lighting.
Sheehan also has worked to improve MetroAccess service. He created a MetroAccess Subcommittee to address issues related to the service for people who are unable to use public transportation because of a disability. The subcommittee meets monthly to discuss service improvements such as door-to-door service and ways to accommodate the growing number of people who apply for the service.
Sheehan has served on various advocacy groups, including Metro’s Rider’s Advisory Council as the AAC representative, and as President of the American Council of the Blind in Maryland. He has advocated on behalf of people who are blind on a number of issues, including the installation of Accessible Pedestrian Signals at street intersections throughout the state of Maryland, which resulted in a federal decision to install audible traffic signals at intersections throughout the United States.
“Mr. Sheehan has been a champion for people with disabilities, devoting much of his life to improving accessibility in the Washington region and across the country,” said Christian T. Kent, Metro’s Assistant General Manager of Access Services. “We are grateful for his leadership and are pleased to present him with the Heddinger Award.”
The award honors former Accessibility Advisory Committee Chair Richard W. Heddinger for his lifelong commitment to accessible public transportation and his devotion to providing access for all citizens of the Washington metropolitan area.
The Accessibility Advisory Committee will host an award ceremony in honor of Sheehan from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 27, at Metro Headquarters, 600 Fifth Street, NW.
News release issued at 11:05 am, October 7, 2010.