May Success Stories

Jackson

• RICC members approached their public transit provider and asked them to hold Listening Sessions like CATA. The first meeting will be held in June.

Livingston County

• Held a town forum and their legislators attended.

Huron County

• While attending a legislative function in Lansing, their legislator invited them to his office and had time to talk with RICC members.

Shiawassee County

• A team from the Shiawassee RICC was accepted to attend Project Action in Washington, DC.

Wayne County

• The Wayne RICCC is working on creative ways of increasing transportation opportunities for People with disabilities.

• All Person Centered Plans will now include transportation and how it will happen must be included in the plan

• Cooperating with other organizations and agencies on ways to coordinate and plan for ways to meet the transportation needs of people with disabilities.

Genesee County

• A legislator from the area introduced S.B. 460, which amends PA 51. This would provide a universal ADA card, which will be accepted by all transit providers.

• We celebrated “Smart Commute” week in Genesee County.

Update on transportation conference (funded by the DD Council)

At the DD Council Transportation Work Group meetings, we have been talking about a statewide Transit Partnership Conference.

It was originally schedule for September, 2009 in Mt. Pleasant, in conjunction with another event. Because of state budget cuts, the other event was canceled, so we are reworking our plans.

We will replace that conference with 2 events.

First, we will be supporting people to attend the MASSTRAN Frontline Employees conference. Frontline employees are dispatchers, drivers, and others who work directly with riders. Their conference will be covering topics such as customer service, disability awareness, and the ADA.

The Frontline conference is in Bay City the weekend of Sept. 12. We will be covering the conference registration fees for about 20-25 advocates with disabilities to attend.

If you are interested in one of those slots, please contact me, Glenn Ashley, at 517 --203 --1200 or Ashley @ ucpmichigan.org.

We will also collaborate with MDOT and Michigan Public Transit Association (MPTA) on their Program Managers conference in April, with some additional sessions for people with disabilities and other advocates to develop action plans on important issues. Those dates will be April 1 and 2. The conference will be in Mt. Pleasant.

We will post more details as they become available.

Please pass this information on to other transit advocates with disabilities.

Thanks.

Ramp It!

Seeking support from Legislators to ensure equal access.

The 13 steps leading up to the speakers platform at the front of Michigan’s State Capitol Building are a barrier to those unable to climb them and who are therefore denied opportunities to speak at public events, rallies, and lobby days.

People unable to climb the 13 steps are denied access to this real and symbolic place of public power. The public is denied the benefit of hearing from those people who are chair users, people with disabilities, old people, and others.
Further, due to the cost of privately renting a ramp to accommodate people unable to climb these 13 steps, public event producers are reluctant to consider certain speakers.

Ramp it! Asks the state to provide such a ramp and make it available free of charge to organizations, event planners, rally producers.

Ramp it! Has a cost estimate between $10,000 - $14,000 for the state to purchase such a ramp. The Capital Committee has suggested there is storage space available close by to house the ramp between requests, they have also suggested an un-lawful of chagrining those who request it. This is against the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Help us raise awareness with your State Representatives, State Senators, the Governor and others in state positions of power. Tell them accessibility is a constitutional right. By having the freedom of speech, one is entitled to access to the facility from which one speaks, accessible to all.

For more information contact:

Alicia Paterni
apaterni @ camw.net
517 492 5551

Penny Gardner
Marydrpenny @ yahoo.com
517 484 4512

A project currently being coordinated by Alicia Paterni and Penny Gardner.
Initiated by Nancy English at the Michigan Pride Rally 2007.
With the support of Michigan Disability Rights Coalition
Lansing Association For Human Rights, Michigan Commission on Services for the Aging, Disability Network of Mid-Michigan.

April Success Stories

Genesee

• The Genesee RICC has another member that has been appointed to the LAC
• Complete Streets project is moving along
• The legislator from the Genesee area has introduced a bill that will make a universal ADA card. If passed this would mean that once you got an ADA card it would be recognized by all transit agencies.

St. Clair

• Ridership for the month of March on the Blue Water Public Transit beat the record by 13%.
• Ridership is up 47% for the year

Wayne

• The Wayne RICC and the Arc partnered with United Way & TRUE to work toward increasing riders of choice. These are individuals who don’t have to use public transportation but choose to. Each rider of choice will be given a $10 bus card and then must take a survey.

Lansing

• Tandy Bidinger, Paul Palmer and Diane Kempen, all members of the TWG, have been asked by MDOT to participate in an ADA stakeholders meeting on April 17, 2009.

Muskegon

• The Chamber of Commerce held a breakfast with a panel presenting different sides to public transit funding
• Muskegon Moves Coalition approved the Chamber of Commerce becoming a member of the coalition.

Get Your Citizen's Guide Now

The new Citizen's Guide to State Government is available.

This booklet has lots of helpful information, including:

• Contact information for all the state legislators.
• Committee assignments.
• Explanations of how state government works.

Diane Kempen carries one with her all the time.

Contact your legislator to request one. If you are coming to the April 21 Transit Action Day, ask your legislator to bring enough for your group.

Reminder: Register for April 21 Legislative Day

Remember to RSVP for a lunch at the:
“Let’s Get Moving” Public Transit Coalition
Legislative Day at the Capitol
April 21, 2009

The RSVP number is 517-372-0860
Also be sure to bring a photo ID and to call your legislators to personally invite them to attend.

Please join members of the Let’s Get Moving Coalition for a day of grass roots advocacy on behalf of public transportation!

When: Tuesday April 21, 2009
Where: State Capitol
Who: Transit riders, operators, managers and advocates from around the state
Why: To promote and protect public transit services


Advocacy Day Schedule

9:00 House Committee Hearing (optional) TBA

10:30 Grass Roots Training Session Mackinac Room

11:30 Legislative Luncheon Mackinac Room

1:00 Debriefing and Feedback Mackinac Room

1:30 House Session (optional) State Capitol

2:00 Transit Press Conference Capitol Rotunda


RSVP Policy

Please contact Capitol Services, Inc. and let them know if you plan to attend. They can be reached at 517-372-0860, or through email to csi@capitolservices.org.

Help Get Silver Line Millage Passed

Calling All Volunteers!

Join us for 3 morning volunteer canvasses to help inform voters about the Silver Line!

April 18, 25 and May 2

Details for April 18
Location:
Depart from 556 Glenwood SE
(in Eastown) at the corner of Glenwood & Sherman
Time: 9:30 a.m. - noon

Details for April 25 & May 2
Location:
Depart from Kent Ionia Labor Council Hall, 918 Benjamin NE
off of Fuller Ave
Time: 9:30 a.m. - noon

For questions or to sign up
email: ruthkelly@yahoo.com
or call: 616 447 1682.

For more info about the millage, click here or on the link at the top of the post.