DIA Introduced!

ADAPT sees the bipartisan Disability Integration Act back in the US Senate

By Allison Donald
Members of National ADAPT chapters from Rochester, Denver, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington DC and Philadelphia traveled to the nation’s Capital for the reintroduction the Disability Integration Act and to continue the work of getting support for the legislation.  

The Disability Integration Act (DIA) is civil rights legislation, introduced by Democratic Senator Schumer in the Senate and Republican Representative Sensenbrenner in the House. The DIA will address the fundamental right of Americans to live in the community and not be forced into expensive institutions.

People who need Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) are forced into institutions and losing their basic civil rights. The legislation (S.117, H.R.555) builds on the twenty-five years of work that ADAPT has done to end the institutional bias and provide seniors and people with disabilities home and community-based services (HCBS) as an alternative to expensive institutionalization. 

The three day event was highlighted by the 2019 Freedom Day Celebration which was attended by disability rights advocates from around the country.  Senators Bob Casey (D-PA.), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Corey Gardner (R-CO.) were in attendance to show their bipartisan support for the legislation.  In a room filled with disability rights advocates from across the country the Disability Integration Act (S.117) was reintroduced on January 15, 2019 on what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King’s 90^th birthday.  This legislation is an integral piece in the fight for civil rights for people with disabilities.  

The celebration was a sign of hope, but it was also a let advocates know that there is still much work to be done. That is why ADAPT activists went to Capitol Hill to visit our legislators and continue the education that is needed regarding the Disability Integration Act.  

Members of the Tennessee delegation, along with Denver ADAPT, visited Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen’s office and he informed them that he would be signing on in support of the bill.  After a day of hill visits ADAPT demonstrated at the Democratic National Convention headquarters.  

As another ADAPT gathering came to an end I must say that it feels good to have gotten this far, but there is still so much work ahead if the Disability Integration Act is to come to pass.  We must continue to push our elected officials in Tennessee and educate our community about the DIA, because DISABILITY RIGHTS ARE CIVIL RIGHTS!

FREE OUR PEOPLE NOW!

Parking and our civil rights

Memphis and accessible parking

By Tim Wheat
Everyone around here has been talking about a TV news report about a man that stopped his wheelchair behind some patrons near Buster’s Liquor Store to protest their use of an accessible parking space. We don’t know that they did not have a hang-tag that would allow them to park there, as a matter-of-fact, we all don’t know many of the details, but it did not stop the discussion.

“If they hadn’t parked illegally,” said Allison Donald, “there would never have been a fight.”

You can expect the Memphis Center for Independent Living to take a strong disability angle on this issue; however, I just wanted to try to look objectively at what happened as we learn more of the details.

Most people park legally, and I know that Buster’s Liquors is a busy place with a lot of pressure to get the good spaces in the limited area outside the business. It is also clear that most people park legally. Removing the civil-right for accessible parking, it seems clear that this is not an issue for most people. The typical Memphian may be inconvenienced by not being able to park in the spots nearest to the door, but everyone is competing for the remaining parking.

I would think that everyone else in the parking lot would feel slighted. I mean, they took the extra time and effort to park legally and correctly, someone parking in the accessible parking spot or the access aisle appears to be a insult to everyone, not just a civil-rights violation to people with disabilities who are authorized to park there.

“He was exercising his rights,” said Bobbie Fields. “I had to do that same thing at my apartment the other day. I called the manager and the police because someone had parked on the ramp to my apartment. Violating the law is violating the law.”

From the news report that we saw it seems that people were getting angry about a lot of things that may or may not be related to accessible parking and the Americans with Disability Act.

“It is very inconvenient when people park in the access aisle,” said our Executive Director, Sandi Klink, about the lined space beside accessible parking that allows people room to deploy a ramp or use a walker. “People will park there, leave motorcycles there or they will leave shopping carts and trash cans so you can’t use your ramp. I have had to wait for people to come out of stores and I have educated security guards who are supposed to look out for those kind of things.”

I remember the first woman who I helped to move out of a nursing home. She never drove and would never drive a car, but she would get terribly angry at someone who parked illegally in accessible parking. I suppose it is a visible affirmation of our civil rights, or an obvious violation.

Letter to MATAplus Riders

A letter to MATAplus Riders about the New Functional Assessment Center

December 17, 2018

To MATAplus Customers:

Effective Tuesday, January 8, 2019, the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) will open a new Functional Assessment Center at the Airways Transit Center located at 3033 Airways Boulevard. When this new Center opens next month, MATA will require all new and recertifying applicants for MATAplus to complete an in-person interview and functional assessment to qualify to use MATAplus at the new center. In addition, the Center will also provide other helpful transportation information. 

Once the new process begins, we will distribute a revised application that addresses our new expectations.  We will no longer accept applications by mail effective January 8, 2019.  Applications will be submitted on the day you appear for the in-person interview.  Additional instructions about the new process will be included on the new applications which will be available online, at MATA Transit Centers and other locations that provide services to the disabled community.

These new changes in service delivery will raise MATA’s operational standards to meet the current industry best practices and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  According to the ADA Paratransit Eligibility Regulations, transit agencies are mandated in the eligibility process to ensure that only persons who meet specific criteria are eligible for paratransit services (MATAplus).  Since a disability alone does not determine paratransit eligibility, the determination for eligibility is based on the applicant’s functional ability to use the fixed-route bus and is not a medical decision. 

As a result of several discussions with community representatives including those representing several Memphis Disability Advisory committees, MATA is implementing the new eligibility process that will best fit the overall needs of the community. It is expected that the new Functional Assessment Center will help MATA provide an improved and responsive service to customers with disabilities.

If there are any questions about the Center or the new and recertification process, please call 901.722.7195 or email ridersfirst@matatransit.com.

Sincerely,

Anthony D. Amos

Anthony D. Amos, MSHA, ACG

ADA Compliance Officer (Certified ADA Coordinator)

3033 Airways Boulevard

Memphis, TN 38131

901-722-7165 or aamos@matatransit.com

Photos from the Annual MCIL Holiday Party

Photos from the Annual MCIL Holiday Party