[Nfb-kzoo] Letter to Metro Transit

[Tyler merren]

Stephen Denuyl,
I have an official proposal for the Organization of Students with Disabilities from the Kalamazoo Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind.  The Kalamazoo NFB is beginning a project with Metro Transit to get the audible announcement system updated for the entire bus fleet.  Below is a draft of a letter that we will be turning in to the Kalamazoo Metro Transit.  Right now we are attempting to find other organizations that would be willing to endorse this letter.  I'm inquiring as to whether or not the OSD would like to place their support and their name to this letter along side the NFB of Kalamazoo and several other organizations that have already stated support?  I have also CC this e-mail to the Kalamazoo Chapter List just for your information.

Let me know your thoughts, questions, and concerns,
Tyler Merren
President of the NFB of Kalamazoo


Dear Mr. Schomisch:

I am writing to thank you for your willingness to improve accessibility
of the Metro Transit system and to ask for your consideration on some
proposed improvements.  I read with interest the probable allocation of
roughly 3.1 million dollars of Federal stimulus funds to be spent on
capital improvements. I would like to recommend that a portion of this
money be used to outfit the entire bus fleet with a modern positioning
and audible stop announcement system which would help to increase access
to passengers who are blind or print disabled.

Unfortunately, the current system used to announce stops is
unpredictable and inadequate. Only major stops are announced, and the
driver must manually activate the announcement. This often leads to
inconsistency and confusion. If an automatic system were to announce
every stop on each route, this would allow the driver to more
effectively concentrate on the roads while providing a better experience
for passengers. In addition, GPS technology could be used to offer
real-time bus information to all passengers in multiple forms.

It has been my good fortune to have visited cities and towns all across
this Country, and to experience a great many audible systems on
metropolitan transit routs, announcing every stop.  Both  in large urban
markets and smaller towns, the audio announcements are not seen as
cumbersome or an annoyance. The forthcoming stimulus funding provides
the means that will enable the city and county of Kalamazoo to bring its
rapid mass-transit system into compliance with the Americans With
Disabilities Act, and other legislation that ensures equal access to
information for persons who are blind or print disabled.   In short,
this is an excellent time to implement a system like the one I have
described, and to keep Kalamazoo on the cutting edge of progress among
cities across the Country.  .

As a member of the Kalamazoo chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind of Michigan, I am herewith pledging the support of this
organization for the city's efforts to make our Kalamazoo mass transit
system more accessible to people who are blind or print disabled.  The
Kalamazoo chapter of the National Federation of the Blind would be happy
to work with you and your organization to implement the system I have
described, to secure additional matching funds, and determine the most
reliable and usable technology for this project. In addition, we would
be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for considering
this request, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
J.J. Meddaugh