[Nfbf-l] Fw: Fw: Article from South Florida Sun Sentinel Local20091226

Sat Jan 2 04:07:19 UTC 2010

I think it's really cool there were two articles. I thought for a minute 
they were copies. Again, great job Tom!

Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Seekers2" <Seekers2 at bellsouth.net>
To: "NFB of Florida Listserv" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 01, 2010 5:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] Fw: Fw: Article from South Florida Sun Sentinel 
Local20091226

Dee:
Actually, there was a second article very simular to the first with yet a
second picture with a bit more information.
The front page picture was in color and the second black and white.  The one
was outside the van and the other inside.  It was article 47 and 49.    It
was very nice of Sherri, to put what she found on the list for us
   It certainly has helped to sike folks up around here  for using NewsLine.
We were given a hard copy before i found it in the system.  It sure helped
to know where to look LOL.  There was a television interview more then a
week before so we thought the paper deal fell through so you can imagine how
pleased we were when we got a phone call early on the 26 saying Tom, was in
the paper front page.  We did make a difference already and hopefully all
will turn out well for ALL!!
     Still Changeing What It Means To Be Blind In Broward!
     The Ryan's and Chapter
We pray it will be a healthy,productive, Blessed and Happy New Year for ALL
..

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Denise" <dvalkema at bellsouth.net>
To: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 01, 2010 12:11 PM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Fw: Fw: Article from South Florida Sun Sentinel Local
20091226

Kathy,
Sherri sent the whole article previously and it is below.

Denise
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sherri" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
To: <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 8:56 PM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Fw: Article from South Florida Sun Sentinel Local 2009
1226

This is the article featuring Tom Ryan e-mailed to me directly from my
Newsline Online account. Want to know how to read NFB Newsline Online? Just
go to: http://www.nfbnewslineonline.org to find out. Any questions, please
contact me. Happy reading!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NFB-NEWSLINE Online" <nfbnewsline at nfb.org>
To: "Sherri Brun" <flmom2006 at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2009 8:48 PM
Subject: Article from South Florida Sun Sentinel Local 2009 12 26

SHUTTLE USERS WORRIED OVER 2010 CHANGES\ BROWARD HOPES TO SAVE ON TRANSIT
FOR THE DISABLED. The door-to-door shuttle service used by thousands of
disabled Broward County residents will undergo a major shakeup at the start
of the year, and worries abound about potential problems getting people to
doctor's appointments, work and shopping. Longtime van companies have been
ditched. New firms have scrambled to get enough vans. Residents in need of a
ride will have to call a centralized dispatch center that's being set up
rather than directly contacting a favored company. With only days left until
the transition, one new provider has failed to prove it would be ready.
County officials also have gone to court to prevent current firms from
following through on threats to stop service before the end of the year. The
changeover has Tom Ryan concerned about whether he will be able to get from
his home in Pembroke Pines to work in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Ryan, who is
blind, relies on the shuttle service daily. It is just a real, real mess,"
Ryan said. They are not prepared, and we are headed toward a catastrophe.
The county provides more than 900,000 rides a year to disabled residents who
can't use regular mass transit. County commissioners ordered the
restructuring of tax-supported paratransit service to help overcome a $109
million budget deficit this year. By rebidding the van contracts and
switching to a central dispatch system, officials think they will save $8
million. The county's three longest-serving providers - AAA Wheelchair Wagon
Service, Handi-Van Inc. and Village Car Service - lost out to lower-cost
competitors. Business will be divided among Lucanus Development Center,
Tender Loving Care Transportation, Allied Medical Transport, Medex
Transportation and Support Management. After lawyers and executives at AAA
Wheelchair, Handi-Van and Village Car began questioning the readiness of the
new companies, commissioners gave County Administrator Bertha Henry
emergency authority to deal with any crisis over their holiday break.
Support Management missed a deadline to show it had the necessary vehicles.
The county then shifted three-quarters of the company's business to the
other firms. The county has been inspecting vehicles to ensure they are in
proper condition and plans a dry run before Jan. 1. Transportation Director
Chris Walton predicts a smooth transition despite the problems. He said that
customers should see little difference in their service and that the central
dispatch system is similar to the way other major metropolitan areas run
paratransit programs. What we had was very good and what we will have should
be as good once people get used to it," he said. It is a more efficient
system. Karen Caputo, of AAA Wheelchair and Herb Schlanger, the lawyer for
Handi-Van and Village Car, think Support Management's problems bode ill for
the switchover Jan. 1. Caputo fears the elderly and disabled will be left
waiting  or turn away scared when drivers they don't know show up. This is
going to be a sin, a blight on Broward County," Caputo said. Scott Wyman can
be reached at swyman at SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4511.. CAPTION: Tom Ryan
heads home from work with his seeing eye dog, Mica, on a paratransit
shuttle. Ryan is worried about the change in service in 2010.\ Robert Duyos,
Sun Sentinel. Photo(s).

This article is provided to you as a courtesy of NFB-NEWSLINE® Online for
your sole use. The content of this E-mail is protected under copyright law,
and is not to be distributed in any manner to others; infringement of our
non-dissemination agreement is strictly prohibited.

Allowing someone to have access to this material is in violation of the
Terms of Use agreement that you electronically signed when you signed up for
NFB-NEWSLINE® Online. Please do not forward this E-mail or its attachments
to any other person or disseminate it in any manner.

Thank you.

The NFB-NEWSLINE® Team.

_______________________________________________
Nfbf-l mailing list
Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfbf-l:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/dvalkema%40bellsouth.net

_______________________________________________
Nfbf-l mailing list
Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfbf-l:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/seekers2%40bellsouth.net

_______________________________________________
Nfbf-l mailing list
Nfbf-l at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
Nfbf-l:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbf-l_nfbnet.org/flmom2006%40gmail.com