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Tri Met Unfair proposed Fair Increase
Call to action #11
(LIFT unreasonable price increase proposal)
Speak up – get involved or just pay more
Re: Blatant Discrimination
Tell TriMet people with disabilities have rights too. We are protected from discrimination by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the ADA, etc. TriMet tells us they have the right under the ADA to impose a charge to TriMet LIFT paratransit customers twice the fixed-route fares, and they can, but, only if they choose to do so, and if so, obviously, TriMet management and the TriMet Board of Directors not caring about disenfranchising people with disabilities; however, remember though the ADA does not say that they must charge the huge proposed increases. (More below on this…) Fact all of the above ”acts” are to protect the rights of all people and some of the above specific to protection of rights of people with disabilities, thus, guaranteeing us in this case equity in public transportation mostly paid for by taxes and TriMet management is taking equity away from us!
Fact: TriMet is using the ADA as an excuse to overly penalize/pricing people with disabilities off of due needed paratransit service. TriMet blaming the huge increase because of service delivery cost and yet not imposing a huge increase to WES riders, why? (More below) LIFT service is for 100% people with disabilities, people with disabilities that cannot navigate fixed-route service, people with disabilities needing due LIFT Paratransit facing an unfair fare increase larger, 8-times larger, than others will have to pay. However, remember TriMet only proposes a 5-cent per ride increase for WES riders while the cost to deliver a WES ride is closer to the cost of a LIFT ride than it is to the cost of a fixed-route ride. WES generally for people without disabilities WES a “Commuter Train” with early morning and evening service mostly taking people to and from their jobs – yes jobs – while most people with disabilities using LIFT living on fixed incomes below the poverty level but TriMet wants LIFT customers to pay an additional 40-cents a ride each way and 80-cents round trip for a ride now, and, additionally in the near future TriMet is proposing $3-dollars a ride — $6-dollars round trip for LIFT rides while WES customers now only an additional 5-cents a ride – only 10-cents more round trip.
Where is the equity for people with disabilities?, I cry discrimination!!!!
Current cost to TriMet to provide rides and proposed fare increases per ride:
MAX $1.73 Fare increase — 5-cents
Fixed-route bus $2.92 Fare increase — 5-cents
WES $19.57 Fare increase — only-5-cents
LIFT $28.62 Proposed fare increase — 40-cents
The above clearly sharing discrimination against people with disabilities compared to people temporarily able bodied people without disabilities (TABs). That people needing due LIFT paratransit service, TriMet proposing excessively huge fare increases that will harm people with disabilities versus no harm to people able bodied able to use WES going to work. People with disabilities using mandated LIFT for the most part are people living under the poverty level, and again only LIFT is mandated providing equity serving TriMet’s most vulnerable customers. Additionally – WES is not mandated thus, why are WES customers not having to pay their fair fare? Additionally remember: WES is primarily for people going to work, mostly living above the poverty level and who is paying the largest fare increase? (Yes, if you answered people with disabilities-TriMet’s supposed “Honored Citizens” you are correct!)
Copied and pasted from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) web site-the agency charged with enforcing the ADA etc for transit:
Civil Rights & Accessibility
“FTA’s mission includes ensuring non-discriminatory, equitable, accessible and safe public transportation, enhancing the social and economic quality of life for people with disabilities.”
What is happening at TriMet:
*Taking away needed due LIFT Paratransit service!
(Pricing people with disabilities off of needed due LIFT)
*TriMet by proposed unfair fare increases – Not enhancing social and economic quality of life for people with disabilities – fact decreasing the ability for enhancing social and economic quality of life!
*The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has one idea helping people with disabilities and TriMet has another idea disenfranchising people with disabilities!
Speak-up now or just pay more! Share this with your friends and family!
See you at the TriMet meeting June 8
Portland Building-2nd floor-Auditorium
9:00 a.m. to approximately 11:00 a.m.
Ask TriMet management why they continue to discriminate against people with disabilities; “Honored Citizens”? Ask TriMet management why such a disparity in the fare increases for LIFT customers – hurting LIFT customers – versus others?
Sincerely,
Michael Levine, APD
(Watch for Call to Action #12 – more revealing facts forthcoming!)
Zoom Text Compatibility
Compatibility Issues With Zoom Text
Rule of thumb before adding any software updates checked to see if your adaptive technology will support it, this will cut down on frustration and loss of time.
Warning about using ZoomText with Internet Explorer 9
Microsoft will officially release Internet Explorer 9 on March 14th, 2011, which will include support for HTML5, Direct2D and other new hardware acceleration technologies designed to increase the speed and performance of Internet Explorer. These new technologies bring new challenges for accessibility programs like ZoomText. More specifically, these technologies will have crippling adverse effects on ZoomText’s xFont, tracking and screen reading features. Therefore, at this time we are advising ZoomText users not to install or upgrade to Internet Explorer 9, as doing so will result in a loss of ZoomText functionality within Internet Explorer, and possibly a decrease in personal productivity. We do want to assure you that we are working on overcoming these problems and will provide a solution as quickly as possible.
ZoomText with Firefox 4: Loss of xFont
Mozilla officially released Firefox 4 on March 22nd, 2011, which will include support for HTML5, Direct2D and other new hardware acceleration technologies designed to increase the speed and performance of Firefox. These new technologies bring new challenges for accessibility programs like ZoomText. More specifically, these technologies will have adverse effects on ZoomText’s xFont technology.
There is a remedy! Please read the Knowledge Base article for complete details.
Thank you,
