Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Advocating For Transportation Systems Change

Excerpt from: Wall Street Journal (click for full article)

 

Elevators on subways stop working, bus stops aren't announced and pathways or sidewalks are inaccessible. Every day, these types of problems create major issues for people living with disabilities when simply trying to get from one place to another. A U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics study found that 6 million people living with disabilities had difficulties accessing needed transportation. Concerns about accessible transportation have led many Independent Living Centers (ILCs) in California to increase their advocacy efforts to create long-term transportation systems change.

"Accessibility to transportation continues to be a significant issue for people living with disabilities," said Executive Director of the California State Independent Living Council (SILC) Liz Pazdral. "In addition to providing education and training on transportation options, ILCs throughout California are focusing on creating meaningful transportation systems change within their areas."

Dina Garcia and Cynde Soto, Systems Change Advocates for Communities Actively Living Independent & Free (CALIF), are leading the effort to create positive policy change for people living with disabilities in the Los Angeles area. With multiple transportation options available, including paratransit covering the entire service area, light rail, subway and fixed-route bus systems, Garcia and Soto believe things are getting better. But there is much more ground to cover in meeting one aspect of the Americans with Disabilities Act, "equal opportunity for public transportation."

 

 

NASA scientist reinvents the wheel(chair)

Excerpt from: Media dis&dat (click for full article)

 

A new wheel design by Salim Nasser — a NASA engineer, inventor and quadriplegic — can reduce the repetitive stress injuries that many wheelchair users face. Popular Science reports.

With standard manual wheelchairs, users have to grasp and push the rim extending from the back wheels. It’s okay for self-propulsion, but it takes a toll on shoulder and arm muscles.

This new wheel reduces the amount of energy expended by targeting bigger muscles: "Using a mechanical device called a planetary gear, Nasser redesigned the wheel hub so that users pull it backwards in a rowing motion to go forward. Planetary gears are used in automatic transmissions and power tools to reverse and reduce motion, but no wheelchair wheels on the market currently use this design."

Amputee a driving force in getting people with disabilities moving

Excerpt from: Chicago Tribune (click for full article)

 

Army veteran Melissa Stockwell has one strong, healthy leg. The other is a scarred, 6-inch stump that she has proudly nicknamed "Little Leg."

The Bucktown woman throws birthday parties for this shortened limb, always dresses it in her favorite colors — red, white and blue — and has trouble imagining going through life any other way. "I've done more with one leg than I ever could have with two," she often says.

The first female soldier to lose a limb in Iraq, Stockwell, 32, has managed to turn a traumatic above-the-knee amputation into an uplifting experience, one that motivates people of all abilities. Since the injury she has shaken hands with presidents, won three consecutive paratriathlon world championships, run marathons, skied down mountains and raced 267 miles across Alaska in the longest wheelchair and handcycle race in the world.

Earlier this month she declared on her blog, "I'm going to be an Ironman," and signed up for Ironman Arizona, a punishing 2.4-mile swim and 112-mile bike ride, followed by a 26.2-mile run.

But Stockwell's physical feats only partly explain why a company like Trek now touts her as one of its "great athletes," calling her an inspirational role model.

SmarTrip Kiosks Installed Throughout Metro

Excerpt from: The Hoya (click for full article)

 

After months of delay, every Metrorail station is now equipped with vending machines for SmarTrip cards.

According to a June press release from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, vending machines were supposed to be installed in all stations by September. However, WMATA decided to delay the installation after disability advocates complained about a lack of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The newest machines, which cost $12,000 each, are universally accessible because of features that allow both sight- and hearing-impaired Metro riders to use them.

Though older machines without such features remain in some stations, they will be replaced in 2013. Previously, public transit users had to purchase SmarTrip cards at vendors such as CVS and Safeway or order them online.

The installation of the machines is the latest of many steps in WMATA’s plan to replace all paper fare cards with SmarTrip cards. Eighty-four percent of Metrorail users and 90 percent of Metrobus users now use a SmarTrip card, according to The Washington Post.

The change comes after WMATA began charging an additional dollar on top of the normal Metro fares for paper fare cards this July. In comparison, SmarTrip cards can be purchased for $5 and allow access to all of D.C.’s public transportation systems in addition to several regional bus services, such as Fairfax Connector and Loudoun County Transit.

Conservation Commission Now Allows Mobility Devices on Conservation Lands

Excerpt from: Chelmsford Patch (click for full article)

 

The Conservation Commission has announced a regulation that will allow certain vehicles used by disabled residents access onto environmentally sensitive property here in Chelmsford.

Their ruling is meant to come into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, although there will still be some limitations set in place to preserve the pristine nature of these conservation areas for other residents.

The vehicles, primarily motorized wheelchairs and other devices used by disabled individuals, cannot use gas or any type of internal combustion engine, may not go off of trails, cannot move faster than 3 mph, and may not make noise louder than 65 decibels.

In addition, disabled individuals using town trails are expected to travel at their own risk while on local trails, and may be asked by local officials to provide credible evidence such as a handicapped placard to show that their mobility device is required.

The Best Sport You've Never Seen

Excerpt from: The Smart Set (click for full article)

 

This is the world of goalball, the most amazing sport you have probably never seen. And goalball is played at the Paralympics, the most extraordinary (and second largest) multi-sporting event in the world. In the United States you may have heard something about the Paralympics this summer while watching the Olympics. But in this year’s host city of London, Paralympics news was a bit bigger. In London Oscar Pistorius, the South African “blade runner,” is a household name, but so are British swimmer Ellie Simmonds, the players on the wheelchair rugby teams, the wheelchair basketball players, and the goalball players. In 2012, disability sports have become “real sports,” at least in the UK — as well as China and the Russian Federation, first and second place, respectively, in the Paralympics medal count.

Deciphering why Americans don’t know much about the Paralympics, and sports such as goalball, is tricky. We’re forced to consider that we relegate disability sports and, by extension their elite athletes, to something less than “real” sports and “real” athletes. If elite disability sports were just sideshows where fans applauded out of respect and admiration for the will of the players, that would be one thing. But in the UK the success of the Paralympics has launched an important and sometimes thorny debate on the relationship between sports and politics. Britain’s most decorated Paralympian, Tanni Grey-Thompson, is now a member of the House of Lords and an outspoken advocate for the rights of the disabled. And this year when George Osborne, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer and the face of welfare reform and cuts to disability services in the UK, showed up to hand out medals at the Paralympics he was booed by a crowd of 80,000 in the Olympic Park.

Senior independence focus of MSU-hosted competition

Excerpt from: MSU News (click for full article)

 

More than 240 elementary and middle school students will gather Nov. 10 at MSU to compete in the annual Spartan Challenge FIRST LEGO League – East Lansing Regional Qualifying Tournament.

Their goal: To demonstrate their innovative solutions designed to help senior citizens be independent, engaged and connected in their communities

FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a multinational, nonprofit organization; the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is the result of a partnership between FIRST and the LEGO Group.

Each year, FLL reveals a challenge that relates to a significant real-world issue. This year the teams will explore the topic of aging and how it may affect a person’s ability to maintain his or her lifestyle – solving issues such as health, mobility and communication.

Students have about 10 weeks to prepare for the competition. They work in teams of up to 10 students and are guided by at least one adult coach. Using NXT LEGO MINDSTORM Robotics Invention System kits, they build and program an autonomous robot capable of completing a pre-designed mission within 2 minutes and 30 seconds; analyze, research and develop a solution for a specific, assigned problem; and create a clever presentation about their solution to perform in front of a panel of judges.

For more details about the Nov. 10 event, visit http://www.egr.msu.edu/future-engineer/event/first-lego-league.

Suit May Go On in Disaster Plan for the Disabled

Excerpt from: New York Times (click for full article)

 

A judge has agreed to allow a class-action lawsuit to proceed against New York City alleging a systemic failure in addressing the needs of the disabled population in planning for emergencies and disasters.

The lawsuit was filed last year after Tropical Storm Irene; the lawyers have contended that there were significant gaps in the city’s plans to accommodate people with disabilities at city shelters or to evacuate them from high rises, among other claims.

Judge Jesse M. Furman of Federal District Court in Manhattan cited  Hurricane Sandy’s impact in support of granting class-action status to the plaintiffs: the city’s estimated disabled population of about 900,000 people.

The judge wrote that it was impossible to know “if or when disaster will strike the city, but — as the tragic events of the past few weeks make abundantly clear — it is beyond ‘mere conjecture’ that another disaster, whether natural or man-made, will occur and that it will seriously affect members of the proposed class.”

Woman caught texting while driving disabled clients

Excerpt from: News 8 (click for full article)

 

A woman who drives a van for people with developmental disabilities was caught on camera texting while behind the wheel.

Nicole Pressley says she's the one who shot the video of the woman texting while driving, when she was employed at RHD, a non-profit aimed at helping those with developmental disabilities.

Pressley showed News 8 the company handbook which clearly states an employee can be terminated for distracted driving. She says five employees and four clients were in the Ford passenger van when the incident happened three weeks ago.

Pressley was terminated a few days ago for poor conduct. News 8 went to RHD's Connecticut office, but were told to speak with corporate based in Philadelphia.

Pressley says complaints to supervisors went unanswered, so she came to us to ensure former clients will remain safe.

Funding Your Handicap Accessible Van with a Grant

Excerpt from: Disability Blog (click for full article)

 

Mobility beyond the wheelchair is out there, but so often, it’s out of reach financially for individuals with disabilities who have spent thousands on medical care. There are several avenues that lead to funds for a wheelchair accessible vehicle or adaptive equipment for driving, like loans, government assistance, mobility rebates and grants. So what’s great about grants?

Grant money doesn’t need to be repaid, which makes it especially attractive. What’s more, grant opportunities are plentiful; relevant grant-making organizations and foundations will supply partial or complete funding on wheelchair accessible vans for sale or assistive equipment; and you can combine funds from several sources to purchase the freedom and independence an accessible vehicle provides. Obtaining a grant to fund an accessible vehicle requires patience, perseverance and a detailed application process. Though it sounds daunting, these tips will help you navigate the process:

• Be Patient
• Be Prepared with Necessary Information
• Line up Medical Records and References
• Make Your Case
• Research and Identify Appropriate Granting Institutions
• Contact the Grant Providers
• Stay Organized and Aware

 

For More Information:

For a state by state list of financial aid opportunities to help purchase an accessible vehicle or pay for changes to a current vehicle to make it accessible, please visit http://www.amsvans.com/financing-handicap-vans/grants or http://www.themobilityresource.com/financial-aid/financial-aid-map-portal/.