How far we still have to go.

By Allison Donald

July 26, 1990, I was nine years old.  Mariah Carey’s Vision of Love was number one on the charts, A Different World made me want to attend college, and George Herbert Walker Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I didn’t know it at the time, but each one of these things some more than others would impact who I thought I would become and what I believed I could accomplish.  I loved Mariah, but becoming a star seemed like a lot of work.  I wanted to attend Hillman College I didn’t care if it was a fictitious place where learning and partying seemed endless.  It was the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that gave me the keys to the doors that were not accessible to me.

As a person with a disability, I have felt disconnected from the ADA at times.  Before college, I attended one of the only schools that was accessible for children and teens with disabilities.  I got the accommodations I needed to achieve my goals educationally. 

Still Waiting for Equality

By Christina Clift

On July 26, 1990 in the White House Rose Garden President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA, into law.  This sweeping piece of legislation provided civil rights protections for individuals with disabilities. 

BREAKING NEWS! On Friday (7/15), the National Disability Leadership Alliance issued a statement calling on the two national parties to support the Disability Integration Act in their platforms.  We have received word that the Democrats may be modifying their platform to include support for the Disability Integration Act!  Of course, we will continue to keep the pressure on the Democrats and push Republicans - as defenders of the Constitution - to support our legislation which assures no disabled American is denied their inalienable rights to Life and Liberty!  We will keep to posted, but TAKE ACTION NOW!

Jennifer McPhail, Co-chair ADAPT Ending the Institutional Bias/DIA Workgroup

Observing the MATAplus Operation

The Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee shadows MATAplus calls 

By Allison Donald
On Wednesday July 13, 2016 members of the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC) met at the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) were given an opportunity to observe how the paratransit service works.  STAC Committee members observed calls at the MATAplus office for reservations and dispatch. We observed calls from customers and divers. Mr. Fields the Assistant Director of bus operations, Glenda Wade, and Labarbra Houston the Senior Managers of MATA paratransit walked us through the operational procedures and answered any questions we had.

MATAplus purchases new buses

Differences in the new vehicles used for people with disabilities 

By Christina Clift

On Wednesday July 13, 2016 members of the Specialized Transportation Advisory Committee met at the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) office to get a look behind the scenes of how the paratransit service works.  STAC members were given the opportunity to observe dispatching and reservations and we also got a chance to look at the latest vehicles to join MATA’s fleet of buses.  

Be Part of Employment Survey

100 participants will get a $25 gift card

Invitation to Participate in an Employment Study

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is conducting a study of adults with physical disabilities.

We want to know about your barriers to employment as well as resources that you need to support your work and career goals. In addition, we are interested in knowing how you find information on employment services and supports.

To be eligible to participate, you must:

• have a physical disability (spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, or other physical disability),
• be between the ages of 18 and 65, a U.S. citizen, and
• be able to provide legal consent.

You will complete an online survey requiring approximately 20 minutes. One hundred participants will be RANDOMLY selected to receive a $25 gift card. However, there is no guarantee that everyone who completes the survey will be selected to receive the gift card.

Request an invitation to be part of this survey: http://www.worksupport.com/employment