Abby Griffith, longtime transportation accessibility advocate, waits for the approaching streetcar behind the truncated dome tactile markers at the stop. Abby Griffith wears sunglasses and a pink, red, and purple floral shirt as she smiles.
Abby Griffith is heading into her second year as a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning student with a focus on transportation planning, set to graduate next year in 2027. She has been involved in transportation advocacy for several years and was a co-founder of Empower Movement Washington. She was a lead organizer of Bus Riders Unite until January this year, keeping it alive after the lead organization OPAL closed in 2024 and another fiscal sponsor and organizer were found to sustain the work. Additionally, Griffith helped launch the Week without Driving campaign in 2021.
What brought you to the transportation field?
I am blind and for me, reliable public transit is a lifeline. My dream is to work in the transportation field and help create a truly accessible and equitable transportation system for disabled people like myself and everyone.
What is your professional background in the transportation field?
I began my professional career as a Disability Mobility Initiative fellow at Disability Rights Washington. In this role, I advocated for better public transit where I helped with creating a story map titled "Transportation Access to Everyone Story," and the Week without Driving Challenge.
I also worked at a Nonprofit Organization called OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, as a Bus Riders Unite coordinator. I organized with community members to advocate for better public transportation in Portland. I am now pursuing my Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree at Portland State University, where I am studying transportation planning.
What is one project or accomplishment you’re especially proud of in your career so far?
One of my proudest accomplishments was in 2021 at Disability Rights Washington, helping to launch the Week Without Driving Challenge in Washington State. There, we challenged legislators to ride public transit so that they could begin to understand the barriers non-drivers experience in our state. Over 100 lawmakers and officials participated in the challenge and helped us speak about this issue at that time. The Week Without Driving Challenge has become a national movement today.
What changes would you like to see in the field?
The transportation system should be reliable and accessible to everyone.
What kind of job or impact would you like to have in the future after PSU?
I want to do planning that focuses on transit justice, accessibility, and community advocacy and work for transit agencies where I can help improve transit services and make them more accessible for riders with disabilities. I want to work in an organization where I can help plan transit routes and accessibility. I want to work at Metro, city, transit agencies, and advocacy organizations, etc.
