April 2022 Advocacy Update
United Spinal Association, the national organization to which the Greater Boston Chapter belongs, is strong on advocacy. United Spinal has launched a Pathways to Employment job portal to help connect those with SCI/D with employers eager to recruit them. They’re also recruiting testers for inclusive technologies under a new Tech Access Initiative. Look out for more news on the 2022 launch of United Spinal’’s “Strong Wheeled Together” campaign at the Action Center.
Transportation
Earn $ as an MBTA Secret Shopper for Accessibility!
The MBTA Department of Systemwide Accessibility is re-booting its “Internal Access Monitoring Program,” which pairs a tester with an observer to go out onto the fixed route system (bus, subway, rail) to see whether personnel are adhering to MBTA policies related to accessibility accommodations. Also, monitoring teams check to make sure that all accessibility equipment is in working order.
The MBTA is particularly keen on hiring testers who use wheeled mobility devices, and are hiring observers as well. Pay is $15/hour, and monitors generally work 4-10 hours per week. Each assignment takes 3-5 hours, and when you apply you can specify what day and time bands are good for you. Find out more and apply! The MBTA really appreciates the feedback that Greater Boston Chapter members have provided to date, so please consider helping their quest to make the system safer and more useful for those with SCI/D.
8 Major Roadblocks to Inclusive Streets: Mistakes to avoid and best practices to embrace for infrastructure that meets accessibility needs. (Feb 25, 2022; American Planning Association) https://www.planning.org/planning/2022/winter/8-major-roadblocks-to-inclusive-streets/ Consider sharing with your city or town planning department staff, or disability commission.
Public Meeting on Air Travel by Persons Who Use Wheelchairs Check here https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news for the agenda and speaker bios, and soon, the recording of the March 24 hearing. Also find the proposed rule to require accessible lavatories on some single-aisle aircraft--comments are due 60 days after publication, scheduled for March 28.
From United Spinal National
Hello Advocates,
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Advocacy LIVE on Tuesday, March 15. The discussion went great, and went well over the scheduled time due to the amount of participation! The main issue that was being discussed, which is a topic that comes up often, was accessible parking. After hearing all of the input from advocates from all over the U.S. about their specific issues with parking in their state, and not knowing how the laws vary from state to state, the idea of creating an Accessible Parking Working Group was brought forward. Steve Lieberman and I met with Bill Bogdan, who is a Disability Liaison for the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, and is extremely well-versed on accessible parking and parking regulations and laws, and he volunteered to take the lead on this.
We would like to put a call out for participation to see who is interested in possibly being a part of an Accessible Parking Working Group. Please let us know if you are interested, and if you have any questions, you can contact Steve atslieberman@unitedspinal.orgor me atastreit@unitedspinal.org.
The Next Meet an Advocate Live Stream
Tune in Wednesday, April 13, at 12:00PM ET, on the United Spinal Association Facebook page, the United Spinal Association Advocacy Network Facebook page, or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-streit/
The guest advocate will be David McCauley, an award-winning mixed media artist living with paralysis, based in Miami, FL. He is the founder of The Rise Up Gallery and The Little Haiti Laundromat Art Space. Bring your questions and comments to be part of this live conversation as David talks about his advocacy efforts and how he approaches inclusivity, universal design, accessibility, and the physical state of the human body through his adaptive mark making techniques. You can read more about David on his website at https://www.davidmccauleyart.com/.
If there is a live stream that you missed, you can view any of the past live streams at: https://unitedspinal.org/advocacy-live-streams/
If you have any questions please contact Annie Streit at astreit@unitedspinal.org, and don’t forget to follow the United Spinal Association Grassroots Advocacy Network Facebook page to stay up-to-date on announcements, registrations, and upcoming events!
What Appropriations (Federal Government Funding) Means for Us
Funding legislation for fiscal year 2023 was introduced last week for President Biden’s signature including these critical provisions for the disability community:
Approximately $4 billion is being given as part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the National Apprenticeship Act to help states provide adult employment training including $40,500,000, for the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy of which not less than $9,000,000 shall be for research and demonstration projects related to testing effective ways to promote greater labor force participation of people with disabilities.
$264 million for veterans employment and training
$10.6 billion for COVID relief - vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical products, services, and supplies.
$352 million for Housing for Persons with Disabilities to construct approximately 1,800 new affordable housing units for persons with disabilities.
