The fifty states of the United States should
States solve – disability access
Download 327.41 Kb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Solvency-New Jersey has transit
- Kansas City Funds Disability Infrastructure
- New York Increases Disability Transportation
- New York Metro Contains Disability Services
- New Jersey Passes a Bill To Fund Public Transportation
States solve – disability accessStates Already Provide Disability ServicesHeasley ’12(“Arizona Tops 50-State Ranking Of Disability Services” SHAUN HEASLEY, Disability Scoop http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/05/23/arizona-50-state-ranking/15690) Arizona’s Medicaid program provides the best services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to a national ranking released Wednesday.¶ The annual list produced by United Cerebral Palsy compares services and quality of life for people with disabilities all 50 states and the District of Columbia.¶ Arizona, Michigan, California, New Hampshire and Vermont came in at the top of the list this year.¶ Meanwhile, for the sixth year in a row, Mississippi was dead last, with Illinois, Arkansas and Texas rounding out the low performers. ¶ The analysis looks at a number of factors including the way people with disabilities live and participate in their communities in each state, how satisfied people are with their lives and how easily they are able to access services and supports.¶ The latest ranking is based primarily on data from 2010, the most recent available.¶ Even though some states outperformed others in the ranking, those behind the report caution that all states have room for improvement. They point out that 268,000 Americans with disabilities are currently on waiting lists for Medicaid waivers which would allow them to receive home and community based services.¶ On a positive note, however, the analysis found that in 36 states at least 80 percent of residents with developmental disabilities are now being served in the community. Solvency-New Jersey has transitBloustein 2k (Meeting the Employment Transportation Needs of People with Disabilities in New Jersey “Transportation services in New Jersey” 2000, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dds/documents/DDSTransportationReport(7).pdf) New Jersey Transit is the nation’s only statewide transit provider. Created by the New Jersey State Legislature in 1979 to “acquire, operate and contract for transportation service in the public interest,” the public corporation began operation in 1980 with the acquisition of Transport of New Jersey, the state’s largest private bus operator. NJ TRANSIT currently operates approximately 150 bus routes. Private companies operate an additional 24 public bus routes. These routes are divided into two major types – local and commuter. NJ TRANSIT has been operating passenger rail service since 1983. The rail system consists of eight commuter routes with 151 stations. ¶ According to NJ TRANSIT’s Guide to Accessible Services, virtually all local buses operated by NJ TRANSIT are accessible to passengers with mobility limitations. Commuter routes, which travel to New York, Philadelphia or Newark, require advance reservations for an accessible vehicle to be provided. Approximately one third of the passenger rail stations are accessible to individuals with disabilities. In addition, NJ TRANSIT’s Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line and the Riverline operating in Mercer, Burlington and Camden counties are fully accessible (NJ TRANSIT 2004). It should be noted however that numerous consumer focus group and survey participants reported that that stop announcements are frequently not made or are inaudible; equipment such as wheelchair lifts, bridge plates and elevators are not always operable; and accessible station facilities are not well marked. New Jersey Transit, like most transportation providers across the nation, has made significant progress in complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). This task was accomplished largely through the purchase of more accessible buses equipped with wheelchair lifts and kneeling devices, modifications to station facilities, as well as, improved training for employees with an increased emphasis on equipment usage, public address announcements, and sensitivity toward the mobility needs of New Jersey’s disabled citizens (Palladino 2004). Kansas City Funds Disability InfrastructureHorsley ‘12 (“KC, Justice Department reach agreement on disabilities projects” BY LYNN HORSLEY, The Kansas City Star, http://www.kansascity.com/2012/07/25/3723625/kc-justice-department-reach-agreement.html) “We are committed to helping every resident fully participate in all Kansas City has to offer,” Mayor Sly James said in a statement. “Our city has historically been a leader on issues of inclusion and equal access, and I am proud we are once again demonstrating that commitment.”¶ But it won’t come cheap. When the City Council voted Feb. 9 to authorize the settlement, some council members warned that it will cost millions of dollars to bring city buildings and other infrastructure like streets into compliance. They said it was another unfunded federal mandate, and they weren’t sure where the money would come from.¶ Complaints about the city’s failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) reached a fever pitch in spring 2010, when a group of disabled citizens met with then-Mayor Mark Funkhouser. They said that, 20 years after passage of the law, the city had a cavalier attitude toward the civil rights of those with disabilities. It had failed to provide such things as audible traffic signals for blind citizens and curb cuts for people in wheelchairs.¶ New York Increases Disability TransportationAlaimo ‘12(“Americans with Disabilities Act: Local advocates seek stricter enforcement”JESSICA ALAIMO, Democrat And Chronicle Jul 24, 2012 http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120724/NEWS01/307240030/Americans-with-Disabilities-Act?odyssey=nav%7Chead) While many of these are federal issues, there is one major reform advocates are calling for on the state level. They want New York to provide funding so those who need long-term care don’t immediately have to go to a nursing home.¶ The center also is calling for a number of provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act to be better enforced. In Rochester, the focus is to help the disabled access restaurants that have just one step to get into, and also improve bathroom facilities. Hilderbrant said he also wants to see larger businesses in town offer interpreters.¶ “The law is great,” Hilderbrant said of the act, “but the law needs enforcement.”¶ Assemblyman Harry Bronson, D-Rochester, was one of several lawmakers who attended the event. “It was good to talk one-on-one with various members of the disabled community who are directly impacted by these laws and regulations,” Bronson said.¶ Bronson is sponsoring a bill that would require the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority to hold public hearings before making any substantial changes in service.¶ Hilderbrant said those with disabilities are reliant on public transportation. New York Metro Contains Disability ServicesHill ‘11(New York Makes Work Pay “Accessibility” Eve Hill, Esq. Senior Vice President Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, http://www.nymakesworkpay.org/docs/Transportation_PWDs_NYS_032010.pdf) The Metropolitan Transit Authority New York City Transit (MTA) has 110 accessible stations (out of 468) as of February 2010. The MTA has equipped each of these stations with gates that enable service animals and wheelchairs to enter and exit the station safely, as well as elevators or ramps, handrails, accessible booths and ticket vending machines.11 Furthermore, all accessible stations have Braille signage located throughout the station and accessible telephones and text telephones. Gaps between station platforms and train floors continue to pose an accessibility barrier, as the distance between the platform and the train can be wide and train floors and platforms are often at different levels. Accessible stations have gap modifications or bridge plates to reduce the gap in some areas. In addition to the accessible stations, 120 additional stations have elevators or ramps. As part of an out-of-court settlement of a suit brought by the United Spinal Association (formerly Eastern Paralyzed Veterans), NYC Transit has agreed to make 100 key subway stations accessible by 2020. ¶ However, the National Council on Disability cited New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority as an example of an older subway system having difficulty making itself accessible to passengers with disabilities. Indeed, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics shows New York’s transit systems as being some of the least accessible in the country.12 In 2007, New York’s system was the least accessible subway system in the country, being 84% inaccessible to persons with disabilities.13 New York’s Staten Island Railway was the second most inaccessible system in the country, being 78% inaccessible to persons with disabilities.14 New Jersey Passes a Bill To Fund Public TransportationLinhorst 7/24/12(“New N.J. law protects disabled boarding, exiting buses” BY MICHAEL LINHORST STATE HOUSE BUREAU, norrthnewjersey.com, http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/071212_New_NJ_law_protects_disabled_boarding_exiting_buses.html) Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, filling in as acting governor while Chris Christie is traveling, signed into law Thursday a bill that seeks to protect developmentally disabled people getting on and off buses. The new law requires bus drivers to activate the vehicle’s flashing lights when disabled riders are entering or exiting the bus, and it prohibits other drivers from passing the bus. Previously, state law only required the flashing lights to be used when school children were getting on or off a bus.¶ “It’s kind of a commonsense law,” Guadagno said. She said it closes “what looks to be a loophole in the law.”¶ Unlike many safety-related statutes, this was not prompted by any accident involving a developmentally-disabled bus rider. Instead, Guadagno said, it is proactive.¶ “It’s the first time I can think of that a law was not passed in response to some tragedy,” she said.¶ The lieutenant governor emphasized that the new law is not an “unfunded mandate.” All buses – school buses or not – will only be required to use flashing lights if those lights are already installed. Buses without lights will not have to add them.¶ “As the father of an adult daughter with a developmental disability, I know the challenges these individuals face every day,” Senate President Steve Sweeney, one of the sponsors of the legislation, said in a statement. “This is really just a commonsense law that will require school bus drivers and motorists to use the same precautionary measures that are used when a school bus is transporting school children,” he said. Directory: file -> view view -> Western Europe after wwii view -> Author study: paul fleischman view -> Qpa1 7ela study Guide view -> Arctic Oil/Gas Neg view -> November 1970 Approximately 150,000-500,000 deaths Bhola Cyclone Bangladesh view -> Grade Level: 6 Unit of Study: Caribbean glce view -> Citation: Duffield, Katy view -> Table of Contents Lesson # view -> Chinese Wind Energy Disad Download 327.41 Kb. Share with your friends:
|