[Ohio-talk] question about paratransit

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi,

I'm not in Cleveland, but I use para-transit.  Basically you have to
qualify for the service to begin with.  Once you're in some system, be
it RTA in Cleveland or another city's para-transit program, you can
request visitor status for other cities.  I don't believe they offer
them to people who have not met their qualifications though, only
those who are already certified as eligible and then wish to use
visitor status in other para-transit cities.

It's worth registering anyway; you only have to do it every couple of
years to keep your eligibility, and it should be free.  When I started
the process for Dayton I set everything up while I was still in a
different city at home.  I was able to do my application and the
initial phone interview without traveling, and the para-transit people
scheduled my in-person meeting for one of the first days I came back
into Dayton.  They should be able to schedule a bus to come get you
ang bring you back to your apartment after the interview, and you also
should have an answer that day (although you may have to wait for your
ID card to come in the mail before you can use the service).  It would
be best if you could move into the apartment a week or two ahead of
time so that your transportation is secure before you have to go
somewhere, though if you have an RTA standard route stop nearby you
could make due if you needed to.

I'd call to see if you need to gather specific paperwork for the
application.  Sometimes they'll ask for a letter or signature on a
form from an eye doctor, so that could be gathered in advance.

On 1/4/15, Kelsey Nicolay via Ohio-talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello,
> This is a question for anyone who lives in the Cleveland area.
> There is a chance that I could be going to the Sight Center for
> training for Infocision (although it's not for sure yet).  The
> training lasts approximately four weeks.  Since I don't live near
> the Sight Center, I'll have to move up there for a short time.
> I'm not really keen on the idea of living at csc, but my sister
> will be moving to Parma in an apartment, so I am considering
> staying with her for the time I'm in training.  This way I can
> use paratransit and I would still have a family member there to
> support me.  However, I'm not sure whether Paratransit would
> offer me a temporary pass.  Does anyone know if I would be able
> to register for paratransit on a temporary basis? Once I complete
> my training, I will be able to come back home and work at home.
> The only thing (which isn't a big deal) is that for me to live at
> my sister's place, I'd need to get a background check, but I'm
> not worried about that.  Plus from what she told me, there's an
> rta stop right there by her apartment, so if necessary, I could
> use that.  I'd prefer the paratransit though since they take you
> door to door.  Any information on registering for a temporary
> pass would be greatly appreciated.
> Thank you,
> Kelsey Nicolay
>
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-- 
Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton 2016.
Music Therapy, Psychology, Philosophy
President, Ohio Association of Blind Students
Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma