Job Fair and Disability Summit

Job Fair for U.S. Veterans and People with Disabilities

Wednesday, May 18 from 9:AM to 2:PM at the Salvation Army Kroc Center 800 East Parkway, Memphis, TN 38104

To register: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2545581

This event features a job fair with booths providing a variety of services and hiring opportunities, as well as an Educational Summit consisting of four breakout sessions covering topics such as interviewing tips, job readiness skills and lifestyle concers. The Summit and Job Fair are free.

Job Fair open from 9 until noon

Summit Sessions begin at 10:AM and end at 2:PM

The Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities (MACCD), in partnership with Medtronic, and the Workforce Investment Network (WIN) will hold a Disability Summit and Job Fair for Veterans and persons with disabilities. This event will provide information and resources for people and family members who have recently acquired a disability. 
 

Our keynote speakers will discuss the challenges, obstacles, and what their journey has been like since they or their family member acquired a disability, and will provide practical tips to get you started.  Registered attendees will also be able to participate in break-out sessions, talk with potential employers at the Job Fair, and network with local resources in the community. 
 
As seating is limited, we are requiring all attendees to preregister for this event.  For more information please contact: Christina Clift at (901) 726-6404 Ext. 108 Veronica McKinney at (901) 438-0412, or Phyllis Brunson at (901) 636-7940.

To register: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2545581 

Greyhound Access

Claims for Compensation Under Historic Settlement Between Department of Justice and Greyhound May Now Be Filed 

A claims process is now available to compensate people who experienced disability discrimination while traveling or attempting to travel on Greyhound. The claims process is part of a consent decree that resolves nationwide Americans with Disabilities Act discrimination claims brought by the Justice Department. Greyhound Lines, Inc. has hired a Claims Administrator to distribute an uncapped amount of compensation to people who experienced disability discrimination while traveling or attempting to travel on Greyhound.

Individuals eligible for compensation must:

• have a disability;
• have traveled or attempted to travel on Greyhound between February 8, 2013, and February 8, 2016;
• experienced a disability–related incident during the travel or attempted travel (for example, lack of accessible transportation or transportation–related services, Greyhound's failure to make disability-related accommodations, etc.); and
• submit a Claim Form by mail, email, or online, to the Claims Administrator by no later than November 10, 2016.

Instructions regarding the claims process are available at the Claims Administrator's website. The Claims Administrator can also be reached by email, by telephone, toll-free at 844-502-5953 or 800-659-2656 (TTY), or by mail at U.S. v. Greyhound Claims Administrator, c/o Class Action Administration LLC, PO Box 6878, Broomfield, CO 80021. Assistance is available from the Claims Administrator for those who are unable to complete the Claim Form due to a disability.

To learn more about the Department's lawsuit and settlement with Greyhound that established this claims process, visit the ADA website.

Limitations of the MATAplus Rider’s Guide

The guide should answer important questions for riders.

By Christina Clift

Upon reviewing the most recent edition of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s paratransit Rider’s Guide or as it is often referred to as the MATAplus Rider’s Guide, I found that it does not provide any information or policies covering inclement weather or emergency situations.  It is important for users of MATA’s paratransit system to know what the policy is when there is ice or snow on the ground.  

Can paratransit riders get picked up to go to work, dialysis, shopping, and church?  Living in the south, I know that most people tend to stay home when such weather events happen, but there are some people that still must get to places no matter the weather.  I suppose the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act would be the best place to check for such an answer.  However, I could not find anything that specifically covered these types of situations.  According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, paratransit service is supposed to run where and when a fixed route bus is operating, so unless the fixed route is shut down MATAplus must continue to run.  

In March of 2015 Memphis was hit with a blast of snow and ice, and according to MATAplus at that time, they would only transport people to and from dialysis appointments.  But the current MATAplus Rider’s Guide does not have any information on inclement weather or emergency service.  If there had been a clearly defined policy in the Rider’s Guide, MATAplus riders would have known.  

It is up to MATA to create a policy and explain it into riders.  Of course, it should be a policy that keeps both its bus operators and riders safe, but flexible enough to realize that not all people with disabilities want to stay home even in bad weather.  

Finally, the Rider’s Guide does not cover other emergency events that might occur while riding on one of its vehicles.  What if you are on the bus during a tornado warning, what is the driver supposed to do?  What if there’s a fire or accident and riders have to get off the bus?  These questions are not answered either.  

One solution would be to provide periodic training for rider’s to make them aware of how they can get off the bus if the worst were to happen.  So I call upon MATA to work with the disability community to create a usable Rider’s Guide.  One that is simple to understand and not full of transit jargon, one that is readable by all no matter their disability of communication preference, and one that answers questions like mine.

Read the MATAplus Rider's Guide

 

MATAplus Rider’s Guide Problems

The Guide Confusing about fares and Service Area

By Bobbie Fields
The rider’s guide states that there is a fee to ride MATAplus but does not state the cost of each trip or the cost for any of the fare saving plans.

The cost for each trip is $3.50 each way, as long as you are traveling within the zone area where a fixed-route bus goes. There are additional fees for traveling outside the zone area that range from $5.50 all the way to $10.50, one way, to parts of Collierville, Germantown, Frasier, Westwood and Raleigh.

There are some programs that may save you a few dollars like the 21-RIDE MATAPLUS PASS. There is also a senior and disabled discount fare for riding the fixed route if you are certified to ride MATAplus. Seniors have an additional discount fare.

MATA website on MATAplus fares: http://www.matatransit.com/services/mataplus/fares/

The riders guide does not mention anything about the off peak hours schedule and how service to the zones. Some buses only run at peak times to the furthest zones, or in only one direction at times. It is not clear in the rider's guide how MATAplus serves these areas. The guide needs to explain how to schedule your ride in order to better manage your pick-up times.

There are a few more things wrong with the guide but it can wait. These are the things I am asked about the most.

The MATAplus Rider's Guide is published on the MCIL website: https://sites.google.com/site/mcilaction/mpridersguide