What Disabled Riders Endure

One woman's oxygen tank ran out because she waited so long.
A blind man's ride for a crucial medical appointment never came.

A mentally disabled young man was left standing in the cold outside his locked day center for 20 minutes.
The public transportation system that serves thousands of disabled and elderly people in the Washington region is the subject of a record number of complaints from riders, public hearings and a federal lawsuit.
For the able-bodied, the repercussions of the service problems may be hard to imagine. But for the people who rely on the MetroAccess service to reach medical care, jobs, school and grocery stores, the stakes are extraordinary. Eighty-three percent of the trips are for medical appointments. What happens when a disabled person can't reach the doctor?

Read more about this article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/04/AR2006030401383.html?referrer=emailarticle

New wheelchair accessible car will come to market in 2007

The December 15 edition of The New York Times magazine reports on new inventions for 2007. The Wheelchair Car is one such invention that may be hitting the pavement in 2007.Most handicapped-accessible automobiles are designed for the general public and only later adapted for wheelchairs, resulting in awkward compromises, like the notoriously sluggish wheelchair lifts seen on public buses. But now there’s the Kenguru, a snazzy mini-hatchback designed to give total independence to wheelchair users on the go.The Kenguru’s hatchback flips open so a wheelchair can roll right in and lock into place, which means the driver doesn’t have to climb into a driver’s seat. Because the steering column is a joystick, people living with paraplegia and those with limited arm range can steer. The car is powered by a rechargeable battery and has a peak speed of 25 miles per hour.The Kenguru was manufactured by Rehab Ltd., a Hungarian rehabilitative-services company. The designer, Zsolt Varga, is something of a solo-transport guru, having created an electric scooter and an urban minicar. Crash tests for the Kenguru are slated for February in Germany, and the car will be available stateside in mid-2007 for approximately $14,500.

DOT proposes extending ADA to all passenger vessels

Following up on a Supreme Court ruling in 2005, the Transportation Dept. has formally proposed to issue a new package of regulations to extend the Americans with Disabilities Act to passenger vessels, including foreign-flagged cruise ships.

The proposals deal with the "policies and conditions relating to transportation of passengers with disabilities" rather than with matters involving vessel operations and physical or architectural barriers. Those matters are being dealt with separately by the U.S. Access Board, a federal agency devoted to accessible design issues.

For now, the DOT's proposal is confined to matters such as making sure that reservations information is accessible to the blind and deaf and insuring that vessel operators accept assistive devices (i.e., wheelchairs, walkers) and service animals without question.

The rules would prohibit vessel operators from requiring disabled guests to give advance notice, from limiting the number of disabled guests (there would be exceptions for group bookings), from requiring the use of services or assistance that the guest does not request. Terminal and transfer facilities (i.e., shuttle bus transfer operations) are also covered.

The rules would cover all vessels, including cruise ships; ferries and government-operated ferries such as the Alaska Marine Highway; river boats; local dinner and sightseeing boats; fishing boats; and floating barges used as dockside attractions and casinos. Foreign-flagged cruise ships are specifically covered when the ship picks up passengers at ports in the U.S., its possessions, territories or commonwealths.

The applicability of the ADA to foreign-flagged ships was a bone of contention in the industry for several years until the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that elements of the law can be applied to foreign-flag ships serving U.S. ports without running afoul of international maritime treaties.

The DOT regulations would contain an escape clause under which an operator of a foreign flag vessel could seek a waiver of any provision that conflicts with a "binding legal requirement of a foreign nation."

In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in today's Federal Register, the DOT asked for industry and public comment on the plan by April 23. Details are online at http://dms.dot.gov/. Refer to Docket 26829.

How post a comment at the above link:
1. click comment/suggestions
2. click continue
3. Type the 26829 in the docket ID box.
4. You do Not have to summit any personal information (its optional)
5. make sure the check the box "enter a comment"
6. click continue.
7. Enter your comment and click submit.

Some city buses not accessible

Please read this link about bus transportation and accessibility.
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/jan/05/some-city-buses-not-accessible/
There are great statistics for several states.

Money for All: Accessible Currency

Please show your support for the concept of universally designing our paper money so that all who use it may have the same level of information about their bills by signing the petition at:http://www.money4all.info The American Council of the Blind will be printing out the petition andusing it to demonstrate to Congress the great need to revisit this country'spaper currency design.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES

MIUSA is currently accepting applications from young people withdisabilities to take part in an international exchange program June 20 - July 5, 2007 to Costa Rica, entitled the US/Costa Rica: Youth Leadership and Cross-CulturalPerspectives on Disability Rights Exchange Program. If you are a youngperson with a disability - or know someone who is - between the ages of 18-24, from a culturally diverse background and are an inexperienced internationaltraveler we encourage you to apply! Travel with 12 other young people withdisabilities, live with a host family, take part in a service learning project and practice Spanish through immersion!Since 1981, MIUSA has been pioneering short-term international exchangeprograms for people with and without disabilities from over 90 countries. As anon-profit organization, MIUSA is dedicated to promoting opportunities forpeople with disabilities in international exchange, leadershipdevelopment and service learning.MIUSA exchange programs are inclusive of people with all types ofdisabilities, including people who are Deaf and hard of hearing, or have cognitive, visual, physical, psychiatric, systemic, non-apparent, or other types ofdisabilities.
MIUSA will provide appropriate accommodations to each qualifiedparticipant with a disability, including ASL interpretation and alternative formats. Application materials can be found at www.miusa.org/exchange, orrequested by e-mail at: exchange@miusa.org, or by Tel/TTY at: 541-343-1284.
Generous scholarships are available. Application deadline is March 2, 2007. Late applications will be accepted as space permits. Application materialsare available in alternative formats upon request.
APPLY NOW! TRAVEL TO COSTA RICA