Air Travel - Experiencing ADA 

Compliance First Hand

Greg Bilonick travels across the country in his power chair

What’s Greg doing in front of the world’s first Starbucks? The guy next to him is a huge fan. Unfortunately Russell didn’t get his fix. It was closed when they got there.

Greg Bilonick is the owner of Bilonick Advocacy and vice president of the Mountain State APSE Chapter. His work made it necessary for him to travel to Seattle, Washington to attend the 2011 National APSE Conference. As an advocate for disability rights Greg got a chance to experience ADA compliance first hand in connection with accessibility during his travels and stay in Seattle.

Greg’s power chair made the trip to the Pittsburgh International Airport from his home in Morgantown, WV without a hitch. Then the fun began.

Greg’s power chair wouldn’t fit through the metal detector. So, a TSA agent dabbed his chair with a cotton swab and put it in a scanner to detect trace amounts of explosive residue. Another agent wearing latex gloves also patted Greg down. The results were all negative. After running Greg’s shoes and carry-on through the x-ray he was on his way. Elapsed time . . .  about half an hour.

Getting out to the departure gate at Pittsburgh International Airport involves taking a ride on a tram. No problems with access. The platform and car doors were just the right height.

Delta Airline staff let Greg board the plane first. He rode is power chair out to the end of the jetway and then got into an aisle chair (see picture above). It just fits between the seats on the plane and allowed Greg to get down the aisle to his assigned seat. Meanwhile, airline staff transferred the power chair to the cargo hold of the plane for the trip west.

The process was repeated when changing planes in Minneapolis.

Greg’s first time flying was quite exciting, due to a very rough landing in Seattle. The stewardess yelled “Whoooo” over the intercom when the plane touched down.

On the way to the baggage claim area and then out to the platform for the downtown light- rail transit Greg confronted several escalators. It took a while to locate elevators.

Out at the light-rail terminal . . . another elevator to get up to the platform. After that it was smooth sailing. Wheel chair access to the Seattle light-rail system was very good, as you can see in these pictures.

At the downtown underground station Greg had to take three different elevators to get up to the street level. Would have been nice if just one elevator went up all three levels.

 Out on the street there were a lot of pedestrians and heavy traffic. Greg cruised about four blocks to the Sixth Avenue Inn. When asked how crossings in Seattle compared with Morgantown, WV where Greg lives he said: “Morgantown is good . . . but Seattle is even better.”

 

Access to the hotel was excellent. Greg rolled right into the lobby from a ground level entrance right next to the parking lot.

From the hotel, Greg could look down Sixth Avenue and see the Seattle Space Needle. He couldn’t resist the urge to check it out. Again, navigating the streets in a power chair was no problemo. Nine blocks later Greg was looking 60 stories straight up at The Needle. Access to the service elevator and the ride up to the top was terrific. Greg loved view through the glass windows.When the elevator opened all the way up at the top Greg was at the restaurant level. Access was great. But Greg's destination was the observation deck, one level higher. But the elevator didn't go up there. A few years ago there used to be a

stairway up to the observation deck, but that wasn't ADA compliant. The picture here shows a fellow in a wheelchair struggling with the help of some friends to get up there. When Greg arrived, he was pleased to find that they had installed a hydraulic lift.

But it wasn't designed to handle the weight of a power chair. So Greg had to transfer to a conventional wheelchair before the lift could finally take him to the observation deck. And what a view . . . 

Hidden Talents

Some of you may be familiar with Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., a singing sensation that recently got exposure on the television show America’s Got Talent. Hidden away in Logan, WV, he had been washing cars for the past 10 years until finally getting the opportunity to showcase his talent to the world. Based on his look, being from Logan, WV, and chewing gum while onstage, the judges thought they were in for a train wreck, but as soon as he started singing, their jaws dropped.

The question must be asked: How can someone with so much singing ability not get discovered until age 36? Well, a lot of factors seem to come into play in this story. First, Logan, WV is not exactly known for producing music sensations. While someone with a Frank Sinatra voice could do amazing things in New York City or Las Vegas, he basically went unnoticed in Logan. Second, from watching the video, it appears that Landau had no idea how good he really is. Obviously, he had enough of a support system to encourage him to try out for America’s Got Talent, but imagine if he had pursued his dreams at an earlier age. No matter how much talent is there, he needed friends and family to push him to nurture and pursue those dreams, people who believed in him. Third, Landau had to believe in himself. After getting the support from his friends and family, Landau finally became confident enough to follow his dream of sharing his voice with the world.

Imagine how many people are in a similar situation to Landau. They have talent, but are not in an environment that is ready to accept and nurture it. They have talent, but need someone to believe in them. They have a talent, but may not even recognize its worth to society.

What can we do? While we may not be able to change the music scene or culture in our local community, we can do many things to help create a more accepting and nurturing environment. Success stories can go a long way in changing certain prejudices and stereotypes in our community. No matter what size the community, there is always some level of diversity. Each success story is more likely to lead to another. For example, these judges may have different expectations if another contestant from West Virginia comes on stage. We can believe in someone who needs support. Most of us have at least one person who believes in us, whether it be a family member, friend, co-worker, etc. However, some people do not have a support system in place. They need someone to believe in their ability. It’s amazing what people can do if you give them the support and encouragement they need. When the environment is right and the support is there, people of all different levels and abilities can truly utilize their talents at the highest level.

Stuck is a State of MInd, and it's Curable

From Seth Godin's Blog (updated link found in My Blog List, below)

"Which of the four are getting in the way?

You don't know what to do

You don't know how to do it

You don't have the authority or the resources to do it

You're afraid

Once you figure out what's getting in the way, it's far easier to find the answer (or decide to work on a different problem)."

The "R" Word

We teach our children that they should never say the “F” word. We teach them that it is disrespectful, hurtful and derogatory to say the “N” word. We would never tell our children that it is okay to use any racial slurs. However, many young children commonly use the word retarded when joking with their friends, and their parents sit by and say nothing. Parents should explain the meaning of that word, and explain to their children why it is so offensive to many people. The “R” word is to a person with a disability as the “N” word is to an African American. That word should not be used. Intellectual disability or developmental disability are much more respectful words.

Disability is a natural part of life. Everyone's life! If you are a person without a disability, you need to realize, you are only one car accident, stroke, fall, or tragedy away from being a person with a disability. If the day comes that you should need to use a wheelchair, or you loose the ability to speak, see or hear, you would still want to be treated with respect. Would you like to be called a retard? Even those with very significant disabilities, those who have trouble communicating, often can understand what is being said to them. They feel sadness, anger, and pain just like anyone else. We need to treat everyone as a person first and look at their disability second.

Rosa's Law was signed by President Obama in October 2010. This law will change the words “mental retardation” (MR) in federal law, to “intellectual disability”(ID). Governor Joe Manchin signed a similar law in West Virginia, that will stop the use of this word in all future documents in the state. Now that we have the law on our side, we need to educate the general public about this hurtful word. Remember, every person with a disability is also someones child, parent, sibling or friend.

Think before you speak!

Written by:

The members of People First of Morgantown

http://www.facebook.com/people/Peoplefirst-Morgantown/100001168706736

http://www.peoplefirstwv.org/

What happened to the Person in "Person Centered Planning"?

I have been chairing and attending Interdisciplinary Team Meetings for individuals receiving services from the Title XIX Waiver Program for 4 years and really would like to know what happened to the “Person” in Person Centered Planning? From my experience the whole function of the meeting is to complete the appropriate paperwork to keep Charleston happy for another 6 months to a year. This is not always the fault of those who chair the meetings but the function of Waiver services. There are times when the individual never says a word during the entire meeting. I find it frustrating to sit through these meetings on a regular basis and never hear the individual speak up and voice how they want the meeting to go, what goals they would like to achieve in the short and long term, and how they would like to see their services provided. I recently sat through a meeting that lasted two hours and the outcome was another meeting in two weeks. This should be the time where the team gathers together to formulate a plan of action on how to improve the individuals overall life to gain real independence and life experiences, not how to properly fold linens. As a team we sometimes lose sight of the true purpose of the meeting. If we take those few extra moments to put it into perspective, the experience would be greatly different. A life is not measured in yes/no questions or verbal /gestural prompts; however, individuals receiving services from the Title XIX Waiver Program experience just that. A life is measured in the amount of satisfaction and happiness that a person experiences in living their day to day life. I rarely see this expressed during the Interdisciplinary Team Meetings or represented on the plan that the team is supposed to use to guide the individuals services for the next year. I can only hope that the members of the team and families of the individuals that we serve could take a few extra moments of their time to rethink this experience and really put forth the Person and their interests during these meetings. Only then can the services really and truly benefit those who need them most and provide them with a life and experiences we all deserve.