<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hi All,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please see the latest on Dial-A-Bus below<o:p></o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> kjocums@icloud.com <kjocums@icloud.com> <br><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, December 21, 2021 8:04 AM<br><b>To:</b> 'bocinfo@co.benton.or.us' <bocinfo@co.benton.or.us><br><b>Cc:</b> 'city.council@corvallisoregon.gov' <city.council@corvallisoregon.gov>; 'Jim Day' <Jim.Day@lee.net><br><b>Subject:</b> testimony on follow up to paratransit crisis<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Good Morning:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I submit this written testimony for the BOC meeting this morning.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My name is Kristen Jocums. I am a resident of Benton County and the elected President of the National Federation of the Blind, Linn-Benton Chapter. I speak for myself and for our Benton County members. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Last month our organization reached out to you about a serious crisis in paratransit services for our County. Subsequently, several county officials met with us and other people with disabilities and also met with Dial-A-Bus. These meetings have apparently addressed the immediate crisis and started a process that will hopefully restore paratransit to the once excellent service we once had. We thank you for that.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We believe that this crisis would have never happened if the county had fulfilled its ADA mandates to keep people with disabilities informed and to solicit their input on paratransit developments. We are particularly upset that the county called a meeting of the previously defunct or dormant Special Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC), with no advanced notice to any of the people who have raised the alarm and inadequate posting on the County website, and then ran that meeting as a PR event with not one single mention of the current crisis. This is not the way to restore good relations. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We understand that the STAC will soon be merged with the State Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) Advisory Committee and note with alarm that the proposed state rules mandate only one place on this new committee be given to a person with a disability. We urge that this new committee be expanded from the minimum required by the state and include representation by people with different disabilities. The NFB requests that it be included along with groups representing other disabilities in planning for this new committee.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thank you for your time and we look forward to continuing more productive engagement with you on transportation issues. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='color:#2F5496'>Kristen Jocums, J.D.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='color:#2F5496'>President<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='color:#2F5496'>Linn-Benton Chapter<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='color:#2F5496'>National Federation of the Blind of Oregon</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#2F5496'>993 NW Circle Blvd. Ste. C</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#2F5496'>Corvallis, Oregon 97330</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#2F5496'>Mobile: 706-718-8055</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#2F5496'>Fax and office: 541-286-4738</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a href="mailto:kjocums@icloud.com">kjocums@icloud.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;color:#2F5496'>This e-mail message (including any attachments) is for the sole use of<br>the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged<br>information. If the reader of this message is not the intended<br>recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution<br>or copying of this message (including any attachments) is strictly<br>prohibited.<br><br>If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender by reply e-mail message and destroy all copies of the original.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>