Travel, Disability, and the ADA: What’s Changed Since 1990

by Beth Finke

Earlier I walked you through a typical visit to see our son Gus at his group home. To complete the celebration of the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act — and to further explain how much the ADA affects our everyday lives — here’s an account of a train ride back to Chicago after one of those visits with Gus.

When the cab picked us up at the hotel, the driver understood immediately that Whitney was a service dog — no extra charge for her. Whitney has gone through a lot of training to become a Seeing Eye dog, and she always sits quietly at my feet in the back seat during cab rides.

Our driver got us to the Amtrak station just in time to board our train, and we sat up front in the disability seats. That way Whitney had more room to stretch out than she’d had in the cab.

A woman sitting across the aisle in the disability section noticed my dog and leaned over to ask whether we might want her space. “I think it might have more room for her,” she reasoned.

It took the woman a few seconds to realize we had the same kind of spacious accommodations as she did. “OH,” she said, a little embarassed. “I didn’t see — you already have room!”

When the train eased out of the station, the lady across the aisle leaned over one more time. “Can I be so bold as to ask how long you’ve had that dog, and how it’s working for you?”

Twenty minutes of conversation told us she’d lost her sight in one eye. The other was in bad shape, all due to diabetic retinopathy (the same thing that took my sight away decades ago). She was a couple years older than us, and she’d been living with Type 1 diabetes for 50 years. A nurse herself, she’d always been praised by her doctors for being a model diabetic. But that’s not always enough.

Her husband had stayed home for this trip, but the way she described their situation seemed to be a lot like Mike and mine had been 33 years ago. She’d had good doctors and bad doctors and doctors who had the bedside manner of Attila the Hun. She could see some out of one eye, and she was in that awkward phase where she is doing just well enough and badly enough by herself to annoy (or frighten) the people around her.

She wasn’t blind yet, but she wanted to get ready in case total blindness was in her future. She didn’t want to drag down her husband with endless needs, nor did she like losing independence and needing his help. For his part, her husband, a “type A” as she put it, seemed to be struggling not to over protect.

Her experience rang so familiar, and as Mike and I related our experiences — and how similar they were to our new acquaintance — it seemed almost revelatory to the woman across the aisle. “Things are so much better since the ADA was passed,” I pointed out, relating my horror story of losing my job when I lost my sight in 1986. I gave her the name of the memoir I wrote back then, assuring her that “Long Time, No See” is available free of charge from the Library of Congress Talking Book program, both in Braille and as an audiobook. “That’s another thing that’s changed,” I marveled. “So many audiobooks now!” Mike wrote down his email address, too, and told her to give it to her husband.

If it weren’t for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we wouldn’t have met this woman. Before 1990, it was more difficult for people with disabilities to travel. To work. To get out and about. To access public transportation. We’re out there now, though.

It made Mike and I both feel good to be able to reassure this stranger on the train that she and her husband back home are not alone — happy anniversary, ADA!

What Life Is Like 28 Years After the Americans With Disabilities Act

by Beth Finke

The 28th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is this Thursday, July 26. My husband Mike and I will be celebrating with a visit to see our son at his group home in Wisconsin. Gus moved away from home when he was 16 years old — he was born with significant physical and developmental disabilities. He can propel his own wheelchair, but when we take him for walks from his group home to the park, his dad supplies the horsepower. I hold Mike’s arm as he pushes Gus’ wheelchair up the ramps to the sidewalks, and once we’re in the park we head to the swing — it’s especially suited for wheelchair use. Our visits are happy and uneventful, and on the drive back to our hotel room, we often talk about how grateful we are that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law when it was, back in 1990.

My Seeing Eye dog Whitney stays in our hotel room while we visit with Gus. She is jealous of (or unnerved by) our son — probably a little of both. When we get back to our room, I buckle on her harness, give her the “Forward!” command and she guides me to the elevator. We’re heading to the lobby, and hearing the bell ding twice tells me the elevator that’s opening will be going down — one ring means up. I command, “Whitney, forward!” My eight-year-old Golden Retriever/Yellow Labrador cross leads me in. “Whitney, sit!” She sits quietly at my feet. Braille labeling tells me which button to press for “lobby” and we’re on our way.

Downstairs, Whitney leads me to the handicapped-accessible door (revolving doors can be difficult) and we’re off to a nearby tree where she can “empty.” Back inside, I listen for music — we’re meeting Mike at the jazz bar for a nightcap and live music before heading to bed. No one there questions my having a guide dog with me, and we enjoy the music and banter. On this weekend’s trip, we’ll raise a glass to The hard work so many disability advocates put into getting this bill passed, and to President George H. Bush for signing it into law in 1990. The Americans with Disabilities Act has changed a lot of lives — for the better.

How Can We Bring Disability Issues to the Forefront of Elections?

by Beth Finke

This week is National Disability Voter Registration Week. Are you registered to vote? If not, learn more here!

With cyber concerns in the news these days, many polling places are considering returning to paper ballots in future elections. I get that, but here’s the thing: many people with disabilities cannot mark paper ballots without assistance.

I’m one of those people. I am blind, and without being able to read a paper ballot, I rely on special voting machines equipped with earphones in order to vote privately and independently.

But now, according to Michelle Bishop, a voting rights advocate for the National Disability Rights Network, the return to paper ballots in polling places could make poll workers less comfortable with operating machine-based systems. In a Stateline article, Bishop pointed out that with half of Americans voting using paper ballots now, untrained poll workers are discouraging the use of accessible voting machines at the polling places. From the article:

“It’s a constant complaint from voters with disabilities nationwide, Bishop said. In the last election, for example, a voter called her to report that a machine was placed in the corner, turned off, with a flower wreath hung on it.

‘The message is: You’re not wanted here,’ Bishop said. ‘We get reports of poll workers discouraging their use. They say, ‘I haven’t been well trained,’ ‘It’s intimidating to me,’ ‘We’ll set it to the side and get through Election Day.’’

The article said an October study by the Government Accountability Office shows that nearly two-thirds of the 137 polling places inspected on Election Day 2016 had at least one impediment to people with disabilities. Among the infractions:

• • The accessible voting machine wasn’t set up and powered on
  • The earphones weren’t functioning
  • The voting system wasn’t wheelchair-accessible
  • The voting system didn’t provide the same privacy as standard voting stations.

I have experienced three of those four infractions at my local polling place, and I know firsthand how occurrences like those can make you wonder whether to bother heading over there on election day at all.

My polling place is right across the street from where I live. Others aren’t as fortunate. Many struggle to find transportation to polling places, and along with the lack of training for poll workers, limited access to registration materials and insufficient resources for election officials — well, it’s easy to understand why we can get discouraged.

A survey of voters in the 2016 election by Rutgers University reported a decline in voter participation among people with disabilities. That, in turn, discourages political parties from targeting “get out the vote” efforts to people who have disabilities.

“We’re segregating in the way we vote,” Bishop said in that Statesman article. “Separate is not equal. That’s a lesson this country should have already learned by now.”

More than 35 million people with disabilities are eligible to vote in the U.S. That makes the potential for the disability community to bring disability issues to the forefront of elections (and to hold elected officials accountable for policies and decisions that affect people with disabilities) pretty high. But it all starts with getting more people with disabilities registered to vote.

Why I Don’t Vote By Absentee Ballot

by Beth Finke

This week is National Disability Voter Registration Week. Are you registered to vote? If not, learn more here!

I’ve published posts here about the obstacles people with disabilities often run into at polling places, and after an op-ed piece I wrote about this appeared in the New York Daily News in 2016, people started asking me why I don’t just vote absentee. The answer is simple. To me, going to the polls is essential. There’s no substitute for the feel of a voting device in your hand or the sound of your vote actually registering. Voting at the polling place gives me a certainty that voting by absentee ballot can’t provide.

And I want my vote to count.

The National Voter Registration Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Federal Rehabilitation Act guarantee the right to vote to all registered voters — including those of us with disabilities.

When I’m in the voting booth, I put headphones on to hear Text-to-Speech software translating the candidate selections on the ballot into spoken choices, I use a special keypad to choose my candidates by touch, and then I confirm my selections by voice again before my ballot is officially cast. It’s when I explain this process to others that I get those questions about voting absentee. “Why not save yourself the trouble,” some suggest with a shrug. “Vote absentee at home.” On a purely technical level, I won’t vote absentee as it’s historically fraught with challenges, including ballots getting damaged or lost, and in many cases not even counted.

It’s the larger imperative that compels me to the polls, however. Voters need to see people with disabilities out there voting with them. The astonished comments I hear from people waiting with my Seeing Eye dog and me in queue tell me they really do want me to vote.

Those of us with disabilities can’t let others forget about us. In the not-too-distant past, people with disabilities did stay home, not just on voting day, but perpetually. We can never go back to those days, and voting publicly is one way to ensure we don’t.

Reading List: Books About Disability For Kids and Teens

by Beth Finke

Independence Day has come and gone, but there’s still a lot to celebrate this month: It’s the anniversary of the ADA and many cities across the country are celebrating disability pride! One way to celebrate and learn about the contributions of people with disabilities is by reading books about them. Earlier this month I put together a blog post with a list of books about disability for adults, and now it’s time for the kids. Here’s a list of some of the books for children and young adults we’ve reviewed over the years:

For younger kids

• Celeste Shally’s Since We’re Friends: An Autism Picture Book
• Jack Gantos’ Joey Pigza books
• Karen L. Simmons’ Little Rainman
• Pat Thomas’ Don’t Call Me Special
• Jacqueline Williams-Hines’ The Adventures of Suther Joshua from Planet Yethican
• Adiba Nelson’s Meet ClaraBelle Blue

For teens and young adults

• Cynthia Lord’s Rules
• Naoki Higashida’s The Reason I Jump
• Stephen Shore’s Beyond the Wall
• Gennifer Choldenko’s Al Capone Does My Shirts
• Marlene Brill’s Speech and Language Challenges: The Ultimate Teen Guide
• Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
• Natalie Lloyd’s A Snicker in Magic

Happy reading!

Calling All Writers: Submit Your Creative Work To This Online Magazine

by Beth Finke

Magnets and Ladders publishes writing by people with disabilities, and they’ll be holding contests in the areas of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the Fall/Winter 2018 issue. Cash prizes of $30 and $20 will be awarded to the first and second place winners in each category. Their submission guidelines are pretty clear:

• Writers with disabilities may submit up to three selections per issue;
• Writers must disclose their disability in their biography or in their work;
• Poetry maximum length is 50 lines;
• Memoir, fiction, and nonfiction maximum length is 2,500 words;
• Single-space all submissions;
• Use a blank line to separate paragraphs and stanzas;
• Spell check and proofread all entries.

Previously published material and simultaneous submissions are permitted provided you own the copyright to the work, and Magnets and Ladders staff asks that you cite the previous publisher and/or notify them if work has been accepted elsewhere.

Magnets and Ladders is an online magazine with a tagline that says it all: Active Voices of Writers with Disabilities. The submission guidelines make it clear the magazine “does not feature advocacy, activist, how-to, or what’s new articles regarding disabilities” and prefers poetry, memoir, fiction and non-fiction. They also welcome innovative techniques for better writing as well as publication success stories. You can read the magazine or sign up for the email edition by visiting the Magnets and Ladders website. Submissions should be emailed to submissions@magnetsandladders.org, and you might think about getting started now — the deadline for submissions for this year’s Fall/Winter issue is August 15, 2018.

Reading List: Books About Disability For Adults

by Beth Finke

It’s July already, and you know what that means: it’s the anniversary of the ADA and many cities across the country are celebrating disability pride! One way to celebrate and learn about the contributions of people with disabilities is by reading books about them. Looking for a book recommendation? Check out this list of some of the books for adults that we’ve reviewed on the Easterseals blog over the years:

Lisa Fenn’s Carry On

Robert Kurson’s Crashing Through

Mary McHugh’s Special Siblings

Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See

Don Meyer’s Thicker than Water

Robert Hughes’ Running with Walker: A Memoir

Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Temple Grandin’s Thinking in Pictures

Looking for a list of disability-related books for kids and teens, too? Stay tuned for my next post, and in the meantime…happy reading.

A Trend Worth Watching: Accessible and Adaptive Fashion

by Beth Finke

Is it just me, or have you noticed a trend in “adaptive fashion” lately? It seems more and more stylish apparel is being designed for a variety of audiences:

• People with disabilities
• People who have suffered an injury
• Patients undergoing various medical treatments
• People with sensory issues who need clothing made of extra-soft materials
• Older adults.

After hosting a Thrive disability and fashion chat in 2016 about what it means to be a fashionista in a society that doesn’t always consider the accessibility of clothing and style, Erin Hawley posted a blog here urging designers to consider accessibility as an integral part of their design process, and you know what? The designers listened.

I wrote a post here last year when Tommy Hilfiger made fashion history by launching Tommy Adaptive, the first mainstream adaptive collection of clothing. Since then I’ve read stories in print and social media about retail stores like Target and Macy’s offering adaptive clothing, and just this past weekend, A Place For Mom published a blog post called New Family Caregivers Guide to Adaptive Clothing – it’s stock full of information about designers specializing in adaptive clothing, what’s available off the rack (everything from magnetic closure button-down shirts to soft jeans with pockets easy for wheelchair users to reach), how to find patterns to sew at home, resources for altering the clothes on hand to make them more adaptive and what kinds of tools can make dressing easier. Being blind, my only major problem with dressing is confirming that the clothes I am wearing match. After reading this guide, though, I’m thinking of investing in a jean jacket with magnetic closures. That just sounds cool!

Why You Should Care About the ABLE Age Adjustment Act

by Beth Finke

When my mother died a few years ago, she left a small amount of money to each of her grandchildren. Except for our son Gus. We specifically asked her not to include him in her will.

Gus has significant physical and developmental disabilities and receives Medicaid and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). Before my mother died, my husband and I had to explain to her that having even a modest amount in savings or assets could jeopardize her beloved grandson’s eligibility to receive those public benefits.

That all changed in 2014. The support of Easterseals and countless other non-profits urged lawmakers to come up with a savings tool to help families save for the future needs of their children with disabilities, and when the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) ACT was signed into law in 2014, it introduced a way for families with special needs to save in a tax-advantaged account as a supplement to private insurance and government benefits. An article in Forbes Magazine reports that more than 30 states have administered ABLE programs, and over 13,000 accounts have been opened so far. I am one of those 13,000 people with an ABLE account now –I opened one a few months ago and will use it to save for future expenses our family may face due to disability.

The ABLE Act Congress signed into law in 2014 limits the savings tool to individuals who acquired their disability before turning age 26, and a new effort is underway in Congress to raise the age limit. Increasing the age limit would ensure that more individuals with disabilities could set money aside for future needs the way that others save up for housing, employment training, personal support services, or other supports to improve their health and independence. So take action now and contact your Members of Congress to tell them to cosponsor and approve the ABLE Age Adjustment Act (H.R. 1874/ S. 817). It’s the right thing to do, and is an essential step toward achieving sustainability for the current ABLE account program.

Stay updated on legislation affecting people with disabilities, and learn how you can take action.

Do You Know Your Accessible Transportation Options?

by Sydney Palese

Join us for a Twitter chat to discuss more transportation options.

For people with disabilities and older adults across the country, transportation is key to independence including but not limited to running errands, social activities, and working. At Easterseals, we want to ensure that you know your options when it comes to getting from point A to point B. Check out our overview of transportation options below.

In addition to reviewing this list, be sure to check out the recap of the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) #TransportationOptions Twitter chat, which took place on June 20th.

The live chat will focus on driver safety, exploration of options beyond driving for older adults and people with disabilities, and how to share information on transportation options available in your community. We’ll post an archive of the questions and answers at www.nadtc.org after the chat.

Via Meals on Wheels

Demand response. Sometimes called Dial-a-Ride, demand response transports multiple passengers who are picked up from different entry points and dropped off at separate destinations. This service often
requires reservations to be made at least 24–48 hours in advance.

Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT). NEMT is available to persons with Medicaid to travel to and from medical services. Eligibility criteria and types of destinations vary from state to state.

Public transit/fixed route transportation. Public transit agencies provide fixed route service by bus and rail along established routes with set schedules and no reservations required. Limited fixed route services may be available through other community agencies, such as trips to and from a Center for Independent Living or a senior center.

Paratransit. Paratransit must be offered by public transit agencies to individuals who are not able to use fixed route service. This is a requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Paratransit is a complement to public transit, so must operate within ¾ of a mile of the fixed route and is available during the same hours as the fixed route service. Paratransit is a door-to-door service. A personal care attendant can travel with the passenger at no cost. To qualify for paratransit, riders need to meet specific eligibility requirements established under ADA.

Shared Ride Services (also known as Transportation Network Companies or TNCs). These
include Uber and Lyft and connect private pay passengers with drivers who provide transportation in
their own vehicles. These services do not typically offer wheelchair accessible vehicles or rider assistance. Passengers connect with drivers via websites or mobile apps on a smartphone and also pay for the services through a personal account on their phone. A growing number of communities offer access to shared ride services to older adults and people with disabilities through a scheduling phone line which may be operated by a nonprofit organization.

Taxi Services. Taxis are licensed vehicles that offer on-demand services to passengers. Trips usually can be scheduled in advance or on the spot, and fares are charged per mile or per minute. Many communities require taxi companies to have accessible vehicles in their fleets. Some community agencies offer taxi vouchers to older adults and people with disabilities who meet certain
eligibility criteria.

Travel Training. Public transit agencies and local aging and disability organizations provide free instruction to help new riders learn to travel safely on public transit. Travel training may be provided by professionals or peers who are experienced users of public transit. The training generally includes classroom instruction plus a group trip on transit.

Transportation Voucher Programs. Voucher programs provide fare assistance or free rides to low-income older adults and people with disabilities who meet the program’s eligibility criteria. Eligible riders usually receive vouchers for specific types of transportation. Voucher programs may offer rides only to certain destinations, such as medical appointments.

Volunteer Transportation Programs. These types of programs may be offered by local nonprofit and faith-based organizations. Drivers provide rides in their own cars or agency-owned vehicles for passengers to reach medical appointments or other important destinations. Rides are generally pre-arranged. Volunteer transportation programs may also offer door-to-door or door-through-door assistance. Some programs require riders to pay a small fee while others offer free rides.

More posts about transportation:

• Transportation Is Key For People with Disabilities in America
• Tips for wheelchair-friendly train travel
• Best ways to get around rural areas without a car