[nagdu] paratransit woes

[Rebecca Ilniski]

Rebecca. I'm with you on this and will start on that process when I get home in a few days.  Once it's accompolished I'll have a few burden lifted off of my chest.

Rebecca and Zeb
rilniski at gmail.com

On Jul 12, 2012, at 1:23 PM, "Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)" <REBECCA.PICKRELL at tasc.com> wrote:

> Get yourself on nonconditional status.
> You can't always take the bus due to your health and safety. Get a doctor to sign off on that or do whatever needs to happen so you meet the requirements to count as nonconditional.
> 
> Don't view this as just being blind, being blind is only one of your issues.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Rebecca Ilniski
> Sent: Monday, July 09, 2012 5:50 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] paratransit woes
> 
> hi everyone.  I'll post this here and see what you all would do about
> this.  This is a long story so be prepared to read awhile.
> Back in 99 I moved to Philadelphia and in 2000 I got my first apartment
> at 7250 walnut street.  I got travel trained to go to work  from my
> apartment.  Yes instead of mobility they call it being "travel trained."
> I made the mistake of saying so then starts a nice long battle with the
> paratransit company.  Every 3 years you have to get recertified.  In
> 2004 I moved to my new apartment.  I never had mobility or "travel
> training" as they call it from here.  In order to have paratransit, you
> have to make yourself sound so disabled.  They claim every bus and train
> is ADA accessible.  It may be for the wheelchairs but they aren't for
> the blind.  If they were done correctly, every stop[ would  be announced
> which they aren't.  The county where I live has two pikes baltimore pike
> and westchester pike which are both very dangerous to cross.  It's like
> a highway with a median in the middle.  Three years ago I had to attend
> a hearing to have my paratransit certified.  Septa had an attorney and I
> had an attorney.  They had no evaluations or anything to stand on and I
> had paperwork from my neurologist talking about some of the medicines
> that I'm on as well as the fact that my physical condition has changed
> since the 90's as we get older certain things change.  For me sometimes
> I get such bad headaches and the medicine that I take at times either
> forces me to stay home or sometimes if it's bad enough I get a ride home
> from work sometimes.  At the hearing, they determined that I was
> "conditional" meaning that I would only use paratransit in unfamiliar
> destinations.  Here comes this year.  I got a letter stating that the
> that my paratransit service would end in September.  If I wanted the
> service I needed to call so I did.  I spoke to my friend Fran before I
> called and she said that her and her husband had a phone interview since
> they are unconditional.  So I call today and spoke to the person that
> handles these interviews.  He said that he'd take a look at my file.  He
> called me back and said that I couldn't have the phone interview because
> I was conditional and that I'd have to come to the office and have
> someone help me fillit out.  Well, when I get back from Williamsport
> I'll take paratransit to the septa office and if I don't show up either
> because they are late or whatever they will see.  The issue for me too
> is yes I can get on a bus or train but where on earth do I go after I
> get off?  The transportation company is not thinking about safety or
> anything like that.  So if you read this far how would you proceed?
> --
> Rebecca and Zeb
> email: rilniski at gmail.com
> facebook: facebook.com/rebeccai5
> Zeb's facebook: facebook.com/zeb.ilniski
> 
> --
> Rebecca and Zeb
> email: rilniski at gmail.com
> facebook: facebook.com/rebeccai5
> Zeb's facebook: facebook.com/zeb.ilniski
> 
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