The Ride
Push for Extending ‘Fair Fares’ Program to the Disabled, Vets
Jeanmarie Evelly |
A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office says the city is looking into the possibility of extending Fair Fares to eligible Access-a-Ride customers.
A spokeswoman for the mayor’s office says the city is looking into the possibility of extending Fair Fares to eligible Access-a-Ride customers.
The lawsuit accuses the MTA of violating the Americans with Disabilities Acts by renovating subway stations without adding elevators.
The more than 600 fiscal intermediaries statewide allows elderly and disabled people to hire and manage personal assistants. Critics say the governor’s executive budget would cut that number by at least 90 percent by changing eligibility requirements.
They say the mayor’s cultural plan boosted their long-standing efforts to gain recognition and opportunities. They also say the city must make its commitments permanent and more deliberate.
Complaints include drivers who are poorly trained and service that is slow and inefficient, regularly making users late for work and other engagements.
It’s uncertain how many stations the MTA considers ‘possible’ for accessibility. Some, maybe several, may never be able to accommodate wheelchairs.
‘To be truly universal, the system must also include a new long-term care benefit that meets the needs of older adults and people with disabilities.’
These include operators untrained in using their wheelchair equipment, or a lack of enforcement against cars blocking bus stops, which prevent drivers from being able pull up to the curb so disabled riders can board and exit safely.
Artists with disabilities say efforts at inclusion in the process behind and language of the de Blasio administration’s CreateNYC plan were welcome. Now they want to see efforts to make sure both funding streams and art spaces become more accessible.
A mom who is suing the DOE writes about the role a threatened charter school has played in the lives of her two sons with learning disabilities.