Our mission:
Access Exchange International is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which promotes accessible public transport for persons with disabilities and seniors in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Russia and eastern Europe.*

Our background:
AEI was founded in 1991 and is located in San Francisco, California, USA.

How we can help:
Access Exchange International can assist stakeholders in Africa, Asia, the Americas and elsewhere as they promote, plan, and implement accessible bus, rail, and other transport for seniors and passengers with disabilities.

We currently assist:

• Through our publications (see “resources and weblinks”)
• With the provision of introductory or specialized workshops on all
  aspects of accessible transport (see “meetings”)
• With focused consultation and services to meet specific needs of
  stakeholders and development agencies concerning accessible
  transport in Latin America, Asia, and Africa

Contact AEI for further information or to receive a print version of our semi-annual Newsletter or other publications.

How our friends can assist AEI:

• Friends in North America and elsewhere are invited to contribute to the work of AEI. The majority of our staff and consulting time over past years has been donated as a public service and funds are needed to cover travel and communication costs to deliver these services. USA donors are advised that AEI is tax-exempt under Article 501(c)3 of the USA’s Internal Revenue Code and donations are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. AEI’s finances are audited on an annual basis.
• Transportation planners and officials with professional skills are invited to join our list of consultants who may be able to provide short-term informal consultation in their home countries or while traveling internationally.

How we are governed:
We are governed by a Board of Directors which meets quarterly.

Access Exchange International welcomes Lucy Crain, MD, as a new member of our Board of Directors. Board members currently include:

• President: Richard Weiner, Principal, Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates
• Vice-President: Peter Straus, Director of Service Planning, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
• Secretary: Bruce Oka, San Francisco Taxi Commission
• Treasurer: Dorothy Skylor, retired Physical Therapist
• Lucy Crain, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics Emeritus, University of California, San Francisco
• Cheryl Damico ,Chair, Paratransit Coordination & Operations Committee, San Francisco PCC
• Ike Nnaji, ADA Compliance Officer, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
• Tom Rickert, Executive Director of AEI
• Marc Soto, General Manager, SF Paratransit/Veolia Transportation
• Kate Toran, Paratransit Coordinator, San Francisco MTA

AEI’s Executive Director, Tom Rickert, served during 1980-90 as Manager of Accessible Services and Paratransit Coordinator for San Francisco’s public transportation agency. He stepped down in 1990 to found Access Exchange International. He is Co-Chair of the International Sub-Committee within the Committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility of the USA’s Transportation Research Board. Additional background information is available upon request.

* AEI’s assistance is limited to the work described in this web site. Although we appreciate the important role of accessible tourism in the promotion of inclusive transportation, please note that AEI does not provide accessible tourism services. For information on this topic, go to “accessible tourism” on a search engine. AEI does not have funds to provide direct financial assistance to international projects.