[Md-sligo] FW: Accessibility Update 10/12/18

Mon Oct 15 12:54:25 UTC 2018

An award is being given to someone we know.

Debbie

From: access <access at wmata.com>
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2018 10:50 AM
To: Blake, Christiaan P. <cblake at wmata.com>
Subject: Accessibility Update 10/12/18

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Accessibility Update

The Best Ride in the Nation

October 12, 2018

Save the Date Reminder

Accessibility Excellence Awards
         Metro's Department of Access Services and the Accessibility Advisory Committee will host the Seventh Annual Accessibility Excellence Awards program on Thursday, October 25, 2018 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and you are invited to attend. The event will be held at Metro's headquarters, the Jackson Graham Building, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington DC.
This annual event recognizes individuals, stakeholders, industry professionals, and organizations that have contributed to our region's disability community and to the accessibility of Metro. Special presentations will include the Richard W. Heddinger Award and the Dr. Rosalyn Simon Award.
A Welcome Reception will held at 6:00 p.m., and the program will begin promptly at 6:35 p.m. Light hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks will be served during the reception.  We hope to see you there! Please RSVP to access at wmata.com<mailto:access at wmata.com> by October 22, 2018.
For questions or special needs requests
please contact
(202) 962-1100 or access at wmata.com<mailto:access at wmata.com>

Denise Rush

2018 Heddinger Award Winner

.
The Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2018 Richard W. Heddinger Accessible Transportation Award is AAC member Denise Rush.

Ms. Rush has served on the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) for the past 11 years, including the past three as Vice-Chair. Throughout her tenure, she has demonstrated a quiet but determined resolve to identify access barriers, and the fortitude required to ensure the identified issues are fixed. While particularly focused on MetroAccess, for which she has helped facilitate vehicle upgrades, service quality, and overall safety improvements, Ms. Rush has also become well versed in the accessibility issues of the region's fixed route services, and her advocacy on behalf of customers using mobility devices and those with visual disabilities has led to many improvements.
In her balanced way of showing appreciation for the hard work and quality service provided WMATA staff and contractors, Ms. Rush has created the "Rush Award" in which, on a monthly basis, she highlights the service of an WMATA or WMATA affiliated individual who has demonstrated the highest standards of serving customers with disabilities.

In addition to her work with the AAC, Ms. Rush is also the Vice President of a local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). For her exemplary work in making transportation accessible, and her tremendous generosity, Denise Rush is being recognized as the 2018 Richard W. Heddinger award winner.

Marsha K. Mazz

2018 Dr. Rosalyn Simon Award Winner

       Marsha Mazz, recently retired Director of Technical and Information Services for the United States Access Board, is being recognized for her prominent role in developing the current ADA Standards and improving access to public transportation for people with disabilities.

Ms. Mazz is highly regarded for her technical knowledge, and proved to be an always reliable source of knowledge and clarification for Metro's Office of ADA Policy and Planning. An example of her work is the role she had in proposing a new standard for the slope of bus ramps. In developing that new standard she coordinated with Metro staff to look at a proposed ramp system by one of the vendors, where the ramp had a shallow slope, but proved to be too long.  If that ramp were to be used, bus landing pad dimensions would have required significant modification. Instead, this coordination, and her thoughtful approach to regulations, led to an improvement for the riding public, while being feasible for the transit properties.

Ms. Mazz also educated thousands of professionals and thus has opened doors for millions of people with disabilities, especially with regards to the many standards that affect accessibility in transportation vehicles as well as transportation facilities. Ms. Mazz was a Chair of the AAC prior to her appointment to the Access Board.

The Dr. Rosalyn Simon Award is presented in honor of the renowned Americans with Disabilities Act expert for whom Metro's Transit Accessibility Center is dedicated. Dr. Simon was a recognized leader, educator, and advocate for the disability community.

Upcoming Accessibility Advisory Committee Meetings

Accessibility Advisory Committee - MetroAccess Subcommittee Meeting

October 15, 2018; 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Accessibility Advisory Committee - Full Committee Meeting

November 5, 2018; 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Accessibility Advisory Committee - Bus & Rail Subcommittee Meeting

November 12, 2018; 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

All meetings will be held at Metro's Headquarters  Building

600 Fifth Street, NW

Washington DC 20001

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