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

Travel Insurer Knows Which Question To Ask Doctor In Order To Deny Claim

Excerpt from: The Consumerist (click for full article)

Patti's comment: I have had personal experiences like this, as have many of my clients, so be careful folks!

 

When you’re buying a non-refundable plane ticket, it can be very tempting to fork over the few extra dollars to pay for travel insurance so that you’ll be able to get your money back in the case of an emergency like a medical crisis. But as easy as it is to click on that box and sign up for the plan, the insurance companies don’t always make it easy when it comes time to file a claim.

Take the example in today’s L.A. Times of a California woman who had to cancel her plans to visit Washington, D.C., in December after she began experiencing shortness of breath and her doctor advised her not to fly. Luckily, she’d paid $29.33 for a travel insurance policy so she’d be able to get her $451 airfare refunded.

Not exactly.

See, this particular travel insurance policy has an exception for cancellations due to pre-existing medical conditions, and the insurer eventually determined that the passenger’s cancellation fell under this category.

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."

 

 

Going Abroad: A Guide for Americans with Disabilities

Excerpt from: MIUSA (click for full article)

 

Learn the basics of going abroad with a disability, including strategies for finding, funding and preparing for your international exchange experience.

Free transit for disabled riders could cost millions

Excerpt from: CBC (click for full article)

 

It's possible for the city of Hamilton to have a means test for transit riders with disabilities, but it will have to be willing to pay for it.

That was the message from Don Hull, director of transit, in a presentation to the general issues committee Wednesday.  The city can establish a method of assessment to determine which riders with disabilities need free transit, as favoured by Coun. Sam Merulla.

Offering free transit for all residents with disabilities who live on low incomes could cost the city about $2.2 million per year, Hull said.  That's not including the staff necessary to carry out the means testing, he said. His best guess is it could take three to five more staff depending on how the city defines what a disability is.

“We'd really have to define the criteria for the assessment before we could determine the complexity of the assessment,” Hull said.

But “everything is possible with time and money.”

TSA Policies Are So Confusing It’s No Wonder A 3-Year-Old In A Wheelchair Gets Upset During Screening

Excerpt from: Consumerist (click for full article)

 

The Transportation Security Administration is doing some quick apologizing after an incident that left a 3-year-old girl upset and crying when her parents were told she’d need to submit to a pat-down. The toddler has spina bifida and had reportedly already gone through security at Lambert- St. Louis International Airport, when her mom captured what appears to be TSA agents attempting to touch the tearful girl.

The mom posted the video on YouTube recently, where it shows the family interacting with screeners who don’t want any video to be taken. The little girl cries in her wheelchair while one of her sisters kneels next to her and says at one point, “I don’t want to go to Disney World.”

At first, the screener said the girl would need a pat-down, but the TSA tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that a pat-down isn’t what a screener should do and that the mention of one was “confusing.” It’s also legal to film the process, as long as doing so doesn’t interfere with the procedure.

The situation escalated, her dad says, mostly because the little girl could feel the tension among the adults. In the end, her father carried her through the metal detector while the TSA swabbed the chair.

With Bus Strike, Fragile Students Face Hard Trips

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

 

More than 110,000 children have had to find new ways to class since most drivers walked out on Wednesday in a dispute between their union and the city. None have been more profoundly affected than the tens of thousands of special-needs children and their parents, who tend to travel the longest distances, and for whom even walking out the door can be a challenge.

“This is catastrophic,” said Rachel Howard, director of Resources for Children with Special Needs, a nonprofit organization. “The more vulnerable and severely disabled the child, the more catastrophic it is.”

While attendance at most schools is at normal levels, some special-education programs are half empty. The city’s Education Department said 62 percent of special-education students showed up on Friday, compared with 49 percent on Thursday.

Only about one-third of the children who receive bus service in the city are in special-education programs, but they account for most of the busing costs because of limitations on how long they can ride and how many other children they can ride a bus with, as well as requirements for extra attendants and door-to-door escorting.

Improve: Adequate mass transit is key to helping those who have disabilities

Excerpt from: Guampdn (click for full article)

 

Ben Servino, the director of the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities, has been making strides at improving government services and making it easier for people with disabilities to get the services they need, and acknowledges that it will take some time to make all the necessary improvements.

There still are government agencies and offices that aren't easily accessible to those with disabilities. The Guam Department of Education still isn't doing enough to help students with disabilities transition to the next stages of their lives, and much more needs to be done to help people with disabilities find employment.

How to get through airport security with medical disabilities or equipment

Excerpt from: Washington Post (click for full article)

 

To help passengers with special needs understand what they can expect during screening, the Transportation Security Administration offers tips for more than two dozen conditions or scenarios, from traveling with a service dog to carrying diabetes medications.

The agency also runs a toll-free hotline called TSA Cares (1-855-787-2227). “They have information on what to expect at the checkpoint, and they can clarify what the screening procedures will be,” said Kimberly Walton, assistant administrator for the civil rights and liberties at the TSA.

The specially trained call-center employees can help arrange assistance at the airport, which is one reason the TSA recommends that passengers or their family members contact the hotline at least 72 hours before a trip.

Tips on Accessible Travel Abroad

Excerpt from: About.com (click for full article)

 

This article lists four tips to help make traveling abroad for disabled people more accessible.

New voucher program to expand transportation for those with disabilities

Excerpt from: CT Post (click for full article)

 

Metro Taxi President Bill Scalzi said the company has long focused on offering more options for the disabled community. To that end, the company launched its New Freedom Fund Taxi Voucher Program a year-and-a-half ago. Through the program, Metro collaborated with the Greater New Haven Transit District to allow those who qualify for transportation assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act to purchase vouchers and receive 50 percent discounts on accessible services from Metro. For instance, if someone buys a $50 voucher, that entitles him or her to $100 worth of service.

The voucher program has been successful enough that Metro is expanding it, partnering with the Kennedy Center in Trumbull and the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority to offer the program to those with disabilities in the Bridgeport area.

Margaret Mixon, the Kennedy Center's regional mobility manager, said the new voucher service will be an enormous help for many of the 2,000 clients the center serves annually. "There's definitely a lack of transportation options out there, and we were trying to fill that gap," she said.