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.