Thursday, October 31, 2013
Beloved Dead: Abraham Nemeth
Chris Gray, MO Council of the Blind, released by the American Council of the Blind.
Fellow ACB Leaders and Members:
It is with a deep sense of personal and professional loss and sadness that I
report here the passing of Dr. Abraham Nemeth. Abe was without a doubt the
single greatest contributor to braille in the United States and perhaps the
world in the past hundred years. His contributions to the brailling of
science and mathematics are unmatched anywhere in the world.
I have known Abe since 1981 and throughout these years have had the pleasure
and privelege of working with him on many projects. His sharp wit, concern
for the needs of students, and commitment to providing the best possible
braille for its readers never waivered. He remained actively involve in
perfecting the Nemeth Uniform Braille System until days before his passing.
His mind remained agile and sharp. He told me about a month ago in a phone
conversation that he would love to go back into the classroom and had no
doubt that he had the mental capacity to do so. Based on our conversations
and correspondence, I have no doubt of it. Though in and out of the
hospital for some heart issues in the past month, he died at his home on
September
30 at age 94. I will miss him.
Abe leaves this world with our braille system in utter chaos. Bereft of any
intellectual leadership and moving in an inalterable course of
undecipherability and unreadability, he shared with many his deep concerns
about the course of braille in the United States today. He was an active
participant in the formation of the Alliance for Braille Literacy and worked
tirelessly on the Nemeth Uniform Braille System. Hopefully, these legacies
will ultimately lead to improvements and a modernization of our braille
system. Those of us committed to these projects will continue to work on
them in honor of Dr. Nemeth and, even more importantly, for the betterment
of blind students and adult learners who wish to excel in the fields of
science and mathematic (STEM).
Sincerely,
Chris
----------------------------------------
Christopher Gray, Executive Director
Missouri Council of the Blind
5453 Chippewa
St. Louis, MO 63109
Phone: (314) 832-7172
Toll-free: (800) 342-5632
Fax: (314) 832-7796
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Malala's homeland: history, resistance
Blog as filing cabinet notation:
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/opinion/international/malalas-brave-namesake.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131026&_r=1&
And Malala on Jon Stewart
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2013/10/malala-speaks.html
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/26/opinion/international/malalas-brave-namesake.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131026&_r=1&
And Malala on Jon Stewart
http://rantwomanrsof.blogspot.com/2013/10/malala-speaks.html
Monday, October 28, 2013
Voting. Abstaining. Wish list Blog. Blackberries. Bananas
Morning meditations:
The RantWomen done voted. First the public participation points:
--There were about 5 esoteric "we, the legislature, The People You Elected to Make Decisions Like This, have gone and raised some tax or other and now we want you to tell us whether you approve but your vote is only advisory anyway" measures. Look people, RantWoman is USED TO the fact that things cost money. The money has to come from somewhere. RantWoman REALLY DOES NOT WANT to have to vote on every !#@&#(*# measure that might possibly require people to pay for their government. RantWoman is not necessarily overflowing with trust or desire to let her legislators clean out her wallet, but RantWoman needs to draw the line about use of her time. DO NOT EVEN ASK RantWoman to vote on this stuff!
RantWoman's vote: ABSTAIN on all of them.
--Urk. What about the Port Commission? RantWoman did NOT mean to abstain about Port Commission positions. RantWoman knows she succeeded in voting in two of the races but suspects she got her ballot envelop sealed before voting on the last two. OOPS!
RantWoman confession: Port Commission is one of those public service roles RantWoman frequently finds herself challenged to feel even vaguely informed about as she votes. In fact, Port Commission, in RantWoman's view needs a gonzo journalist with a good blog or maybe The Shipping Channel on Youtube. Okay, RantWoman is a NERD, and RantWoman's own gonzo journalist tendencies are already oversubscribed, but there is a frontier open there for SOMEONE.
All this voting or non-voting took place at RantMom's, after a trademark RantFamily feed--with RantBrother available, for better or worse, as cleanup crew. In the RantFamily, the menu is always important. The menu this time was:
--Roast chicken
--some kind of mixed rice pilaf with mushrooms
--steamed broccoli
--Blackberry banana cake with lemon Glaze. Blackberry Banana Cake with Lemon Glaze is RantWoman's adaptation of a Blackberry Zucchini cake recipe with a Story:
A few days ago RantWoman surveyed her food situation: LOTS of ingredients. ... Time to turn ingredients into food.
--Frozen Blackberries. Frozen Bananas.
Hmmm. RantWoman is not that wild about smoothies. But RantWoman has been having conversations with people who would stil rather go to the bank and talk to a human than do things on line. RantWoman herself has a continuing need for quarters and no one's bank machine has figured out how to do the laundry and lattes package: a roll of quarters and a couple $5 bills. Anyway, recently RantWoman was at the bank and got a wonderful green sheet with a recipe for Lemon Blackberry Zucchini cake. RantWoman lost the green sheet but an internet search turned up something RantWoman recognized as pretty darned close:
http://www.lifeinapinkbunnysuit.com/2013/06/recipe-lemon-blackberry-zucchini-cucake.html
Amazingly, despite the perpetual possibility of overly abundant zucchini, RantWoman had no zucchini. RantWoman decided though that frozen bananas are close enough to grated zucchini in water content and baking characteristics that RantWoman was willing to take a chance. Presto. Banana puree substituted 1 for 1 for the grated zucchini. A pretty bluish cake. Glaze made from lemon juice and powdered sugar also substituted for the cream cheese icing. Some other tweaks about oil and sugar. Everyone at the table was well pleased!
--And a total non sequitur:
Wildfires n Australia and global warming hypotheses? RantWoman already knew about the wildfires because Mrs. Dr. Computer Scientist is on a research consultation in Sydney and Melbourne
The RantWomen done voted. First the public participation points:
--There were about 5 esoteric "we, the legislature, The People You Elected to Make Decisions Like This, have gone and raised some tax or other and now we want you to tell us whether you approve but your vote is only advisory anyway" measures. Look people, RantWoman is USED TO the fact that things cost money. The money has to come from somewhere. RantWoman REALLY DOES NOT WANT to have to vote on every !#@&#(*# measure that might possibly require people to pay for their government. RantWoman is not necessarily overflowing with trust or desire to let her legislators clean out her wallet, but RantWoman needs to draw the line about use of her time. DO NOT EVEN ASK RantWoman to vote on this stuff!
RantWoman's vote: ABSTAIN on all of them.
--Urk. What about the Port Commission? RantWoman did NOT mean to abstain about Port Commission positions. RantWoman knows she succeeded in voting in two of the races but suspects she got her ballot envelop sealed before voting on the last two. OOPS!
RantWoman confession: Port Commission is one of those public service roles RantWoman frequently finds herself challenged to feel even vaguely informed about as she votes. In fact, Port Commission, in RantWoman's view needs a gonzo journalist with a good blog or maybe The Shipping Channel on Youtube. Okay, RantWoman is a NERD, and RantWoman's own gonzo journalist tendencies are already oversubscribed, but there is a frontier open there for SOMEONE.
All this voting or non-voting took place at RantMom's, after a trademark RantFamily feed--with RantBrother available, for better or worse, as cleanup crew. In the RantFamily, the menu is always important. The menu this time was:
--Roast chicken
--some kind of mixed rice pilaf with mushrooms
--steamed broccoli
--Blackberry banana cake with lemon Glaze. Blackberry Banana Cake with Lemon Glaze is RantWoman's adaptation of a Blackberry Zucchini cake recipe with a Story:
A few days ago RantWoman surveyed her food situation: LOTS of ingredients. ... Time to turn ingredients into food.
--Frozen Blackberries. Frozen Bananas.
Hmmm. RantWoman is not that wild about smoothies. But RantWoman has been having conversations with people who would stil rather go to the bank and talk to a human than do things on line. RantWoman herself has a continuing need for quarters and no one's bank machine has figured out how to do the laundry and lattes package: a roll of quarters and a couple $5 bills. Anyway, recently RantWoman was at the bank and got a wonderful green sheet with a recipe for Lemon Blackberry Zucchini cake. RantWoman lost the green sheet but an internet search turned up something RantWoman recognized as pretty darned close:
http://www.lifeinapinkbunnysuit.com/2013/06/recipe-lemon-blackberry-zucchini-cucake.html
Amazingly, despite the perpetual possibility of overly abundant zucchini, RantWoman had no zucchini. RantWoman decided though that frozen bananas are close enough to grated zucchini in water content and baking characteristics that RantWoman was willing to take a chance. Presto. Banana puree substituted 1 for 1 for the grated zucchini. A pretty bluish cake. Glaze made from lemon juice and powdered sugar also substituted for the cream cheese icing. Some other tweaks about oil and sugar. Everyone at the table was well pleased!
--And a total non sequitur:
Wildfires n Australia and global warming hypotheses? RantWoman already knew about the wildfires because Mrs. Dr. Computer Scientist is on a research consultation in Sydney and Melbourne
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Faith. The BUS! Transportation in WA
Dear Members of Faith Communities,
Yes, You! All of you, especially if you worship really differently than RantWoman does. What about transportation?????
Transportation?
Transportation! Roads! Buses! Trains! Ferries. Bridges. Sidewalks. Bikeways. Transportation is seriously trying RantWoman's soul!
When Quakers go all spiritual on a problem or a situation we often write queries. RantWoman sort of aspires to be conversant enough in other faith communities' argo to suggest equivalent terms but RantWoman is just going to trust her readers can figure this out:
To RantWoman's readers who think matters of faith and spiritual life do not belong in conversations about Serious Subjects like transportation, look, RantWoman feels obliged to pray but will try not to be intrusive about it. As Sen. Eide puts it, there are no Democrat roads and no Republican roads.
There are no Baptist roads or Catholic roads, no Jewish, Hindu or Mormon roads either. No megachurch roads, no house church roads, there are Washington roads.
But Nevertheless at least for RantWoman, praying helps a lot. Even by the standards of keeping RantWoman's own turbulent soul in order though, RantWoman is currently experiencing FAR too many reasons to pray while trying to get around!
But back to RantWoman's queries / examen
--Do people involved in your faith community complain about traffic, crowded roads, pothole pocked roadways, hazardous bike routes, poor quality sidewalks? What about our ports, freight mobility, overcrowded buses? How do these issues affect your congregation's sense of spiritual community? How do these issues affect time available for community activities?
--Do people in your faith community grumble about sales taxes, tolls, gas tax, the MVET, all the currently fashionable ways of financing transportation in WA?
--Do people in your faith community use paratransit, called ACCESS in King County, DART in some other places? Do people in your community rely on volunteers or local non-profit projects perhaps funded by the Special Needs Transportation Fund for ways to get around?
--Do people in your faith community talk about transportation problems in the Puget Sound region?
--WA is one of the most trade-dependent states in the nation. Regardless of what one thinks of many dimensions of global trade, the condition of our roads is an impediment to an important activity.
--RantWoman sat through two listening sessions and heard several major employers say that traffic congestion is a big reason creative high technology talented people are reluctant to move to WA to work in our technology sector.
--Has anyone in your faith community thought about the impact on your community if King County Metro does not get renewed authority for a local funding option and is forced to cut 17% of its service hours? Metro says the needed cuts would affect 80% of the routes in the system so almost everyone who ever rides the bus in the Puget Sound is likely to feel the effects. But the effects will fall most heavily on people already struggling, people with disabilities, seniors, homeless people, veterans, people doing the right thing by not driving
--Does anyone in your faith community object to legislators outside the Puget Sound refusing even to let Puget Sound jurisdictions vote about local options to fund our own transit and transportation needs?
--Do people in your congregation speak about stewardship of our environment, drive Priuses, tend community gardens and worry about smog and CO2 levels?
--Do you think your faith tradition has any suggestions about either the substance of debate about transportation issues or the process of how people representing different stakeholders talk to each other?
RantWoman should invite readers to stop here and come back to the rest of RantWoman's narrative.
RantWoman should do this, but RantWoman does not know when to quit. RantWoman is presently laboring with the Local Responses to Global Challenges Working Group of the Friends Committee on WA Public Policy about how people of faith, among others, can make a difference about transportation issues.
If you or anyone from your faith community is concerned about transportation and any of they themes above, please either leave a comment which RantWoman will personally follow up with or go to www.fcwpp.org , click on the Get involved link http://www.fcwpp.org/getinvolved/
Hallelujah?
RantWoman has been meditating about how to bring the matters of transportation roiling her soul to the attention of faith-based activists for justice.
See, RantWoman has been following the entire series of listening sessions conducted by the WA State Senate about transportation issues. RantWoman offers blog posts to refresh her readers' memories.
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/media-items-and-other-statements-about.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/bellevue-transportation-listening.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/transportation-listening-sessions-first.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/transportation-listening-sessions-in.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/seattle-transportation-listening.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/whats-next-after-transportation.html
Rantwoman has been boiling the hearings down to:
--lots and lots of worthy things to spend money on.
--some Boondoggle of the Month projects that make some people not want to give the Department of Transportation a dime for anything, even really necessary basics like road maintenance.
--almost no discussion of where money to be spent on anythig to do with transportation is to come from. RantWoman heard various flavors of "we really hate" this source or that. RantWoman is aware that various lawmakers, public figures and other hard to avoid people are attached to different recalcitrant positions about some of these funding options for different parts of the WA state transportation network. RantWoman heard use of the word investment. But RantWoman heard almost no discussion of funding patterns that might meet different criteria of effectiveness.
the first challenge is to get a bunch of people of different religions, both spiritual and policy into rooms to talk to each other.
Tonight on Faith Action Network's very own website http://www.fanwa.org/ , RantWoman has found ONE conceptual door in:
"The Faith Action Network is a statewide, multi‐faith partnership that has had remarkable growth since it was launched in September 2011. With a network of over 6,000 individuals and 70 faith communities that have joined the FAN network, FAN mobilizes its constituency to put faith into action by advocating for more just and compassionate public policy. Primary issue areas include wage theft, gun violence, hunger and poverty, criminal justice and tax reform.
Say that again: Primary issue areas include
--*****wage theft,
--gun violence, (RantWoman calls to mind, among other things, the passenger who had a gun but no bus fare recently on a bus in downtown Seattle but the transportation problem is a lot bigger than one guy with a gun.)
--hunger and poverty,
--criminal justice and
--*****tax reform!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Tedious commutes on crowded roadways and packed buses are a form of wage theft, a non-monetary tax. We are called to a better deal
Ding! Ding! Ding!
There is all kinds of hostage-taking going on right now. Politicians oppose specific road segments or use of transit on new bridges funded by tolls. At the hearings RantWoman heard multiple people say multiple ways "We would happily PAY MORE to save our buses... It's just that the wacky laugh riot nailing the resources is so afraid that the Puget Sound will get crazy and actually buy ourselves some transit that we do not even get a vote.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Tedious commutes on crowded roadways and packed buses are a non-monetary tax. We are called to a better deal.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
There are problems with every revenue stream WA currently uses to pay for transportation:
--Gas tax leaves out of the financial picture all the bicycle riding, Prius driving, shouldn't be driving anything masses in the Puget Sound, not to mention port workers and people in shipping who need roads to bring them things to ship.
--The MVET: good because it affects all vehicles. Inadequate by itself. Radioactive for Tim Eyman although a speaker or two at the Seattle Listening Session suggested that WA transportation funding has been screwed up since long before Tim Eyman's initiative machine.
--Sales tax: RantWoman regularly hears from people in Snohomish and Pierce County about drastic cuts to transit because sales tax measures failed. RantWoman at one of the hearings talked about how what the state can get in sales tax out of what people like RantWoman can buy with our social security is not going to cut it as far as all our region's unmet transportation needs. Cue faith community and MAYBE some sense of shared sacrifice?
RantWoman does not know about Tim Eyman, but RantWoman suspects that his watch sales suffer when the sales tax goes up too; he forgot to talk about that at the hearing and there was not time to point out that every bus full of people not driving is 40 fewer cars for Tim Eyman to have to share the road with. RantWoman again notes that one thing most faith communities bring to the picture is a spirit of compromise, of give and take, rather different from the meat cleaver of initiative wording.
--Tolls: RantWoman does not feel competent to comment in-depth about tolls except for one point: if the point of a toll is to add transportation capacity including both road segments and increased capacity to move people over the road segment, RantWoman thinks using tolling revenue to help finance transit makes perfect sense in terms of just and compassionate public policy.
Anyway, the legislature needs as soon as possible to give local jurisdictions the authority to decide about taxation options.
And all of us need to keep having conversations about sustainable, equitable, well-performing investment in transportation!
So please have at it!
Sincerely,
RantWoman
Yes, You! All of you, especially if you worship really differently than RantWoman does. What about transportation?????
Transportation?
Transportation! Roads! Buses! Trains! Ferries. Bridges. Sidewalks. Bikeways. Transportation is seriously trying RantWoman's soul!
When Quakers go all spiritual on a problem or a situation we often write queries. RantWoman sort of aspires to be conversant enough in other faith communities' argo to suggest equivalent terms but RantWoman is just going to trust her readers can figure this out:
To RantWoman's readers who think matters of faith and spiritual life do not belong in conversations about Serious Subjects like transportation, look, RantWoman feels obliged to pray but will try not to be intrusive about it. As Sen. Eide puts it, there are no Democrat roads and no Republican roads.
There are no Baptist roads or Catholic roads, no Jewish, Hindu or Mormon roads either. No megachurch roads, no house church roads, there are Washington roads.
But Nevertheless at least for RantWoman, praying helps a lot. Even by the standards of keeping RantWoman's own turbulent soul in order though, RantWoman is currently experiencing FAR too many reasons to pray while trying to get around!
But back to RantWoman's queries / examen
--Do people involved in your faith community complain about traffic, crowded roads, pothole pocked roadways, hazardous bike routes, poor quality sidewalks? What about our ports, freight mobility, overcrowded buses? How do these issues affect your congregation's sense of spiritual community? How do these issues affect time available for community activities?
--Do people in your faith community grumble about sales taxes, tolls, gas tax, the MVET, all the currently fashionable ways of financing transportation in WA?
--Do people in your faith community use paratransit, called ACCESS in King County, DART in some other places? Do people in your community rely on volunteers or local non-profit projects perhaps funded by the Special Needs Transportation Fund for ways to get around?
--Do people in your faith community talk about transportation problems in the Puget Sound region?
--WA is one of the most trade-dependent states in the nation. Regardless of what one thinks of many dimensions of global trade, the condition of our roads is an impediment to an important activity.
--RantWoman sat through two listening sessions and heard several major employers say that traffic congestion is a big reason creative high technology talented people are reluctant to move to WA to work in our technology sector.
--Has anyone in your faith community thought about the impact on your community if King County Metro does not get renewed authority for a local funding option and is forced to cut 17% of its service hours? Metro says the needed cuts would affect 80% of the routes in the system so almost everyone who ever rides the bus in the Puget Sound is likely to feel the effects. But the effects will fall most heavily on people already struggling, people with disabilities, seniors, homeless people, veterans, people doing the right thing by not driving
--Does anyone in your faith community object to legislators outside the Puget Sound refusing even to let Puget Sound jurisdictions vote about local options to fund our own transit and transportation needs?
--Do people in your congregation speak about stewardship of our environment, drive Priuses, tend community gardens and worry about smog and CO2 levels?
--Do you think your faith tradition has any suggestions about either the substance of debate about transportation issues or the process of how people representing different stakeholders talk to each other?
RantWoman should invite readers to stop here and come back to the rest of RantWoman's narrative.
RantWoman should do this, but RantWoman does not know when to quit. RantWoman is presently laboring with the Local Responses to Global Challenges Working Group of the Friends Committee on WA Public Policy about how people of faith, among others, can make a difference about transportation issues.
If you or anyone from your faith community is concerned about transportation and any of they themes above, please either leave a comment which RantWoman will personally follow up with or go to www.fcwpp.org , click on the Get involved link http://www.fcwpp.org/getinvolved/
Hallelujah?
RantWoman has been meditating about how to bring the matters of transportation roiling her soul to the attention of faith-based activists for justice.
See, RantWoman has been following the entire series of listening sessions conducted by the WA State Senate about transportation issues. RantWoman offers blog posts to refresh her readers' memories.
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/media-items-and-other-statements-about.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/bellevue-transportation-listening.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/transportation-listening-sessions-first.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/transportation-listening-sessions-in.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/seattle-transportation-listening.html
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/whats-next-after-transportation.html
Rantwoman has been boiling the hearings down to:
--lots and lots of worthy things to spend money on.
--some Boondoggle of the Month projects that make some people not want to give the Department of Transportation a dime for anything, even really necessary basics like road maintenance.
--almost no discussion of where money to be spent on anythig to do with transportation is to come from. RantWoman heard various flavors of "we really hate" this source or that. RantWoman is aware that various lawmakers, public figures and other hard to avoid people are attached to different recalcitrant positions about some of these funding options for different parts of the WA state transportation network. RantWoman heard use of the word investment. But RantWoman heard almost no discussion of funding patterns that might meet different criteria of effectiveness.
the first challenge is to get a bunch of people of different religions, both spiritual and policy into rooms to talk to each other.
Tonight on Faith Action Network's very own website http://www.fanwa.org/ , RantWoman has found ONE conceptual door in:
"The Faith Action Network is a statewide, multi‐faith partnership that has had remarkable growth since it was launched in September 2011. With a network of over 6,000 individuals and 70 faith communities that have joined the FAN network, FAN mobilizes its constituency to put faith into action by advocating for more just and compassionate public policy. Primary issue areas include wage theft, gun violence, hunger and poverty, criminal justice and tax reform.
Say that again: Primary issue areas include
--*****wage theft,
--gun violence, (RantWoman calls to mind, among other things, the passenger who had a gun but no bus fare recently on a bus in downtown Seattle but the transportation problem is a lot bigger than one guy with a gun.)
--hunger and poverty,
--criminal justice and
--*****tax reform!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Tedious commutes on crowded roadways and packed buses are a form of wage theft, a non-monetary tax. We are called to a better deal
Ding! Ding! Ding!
There is all kinds of hostage-taking going on right now. Politicians oppose specific road segments or use of transit on new bridges funded by tolls. At the hearings RantWoman heard multiple people say multiple ways "We would happily PAY MORE to save our buses... It's just that the wacky laugh riot nailing the resources is so afraid that the Puget Sound will get crazy and actually buy ourselves some transit that we do not even get a vote.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Tedious commutes on crowded roadways and packed buses are a non-monetary tax. We are called to a better deal.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
There are problems with every revenue stream WA currently uses to pay for transportation:
--Gas tax leaves out of the financial picture all the bicycle riding, Prius driving, shouldn't be driving anything masses in the Puget Sound, not to mention port workers and people in shipping who need roads to bring them things to ship.
--The MVET: good because it affects all vehicles. Inadequate by itself. Radioactive for Tim Eyman although a speaker or two at the Seattle Listening Session suggested that WA transportation funding has been screwed up since long before Tim Eyman's initiative machine.
--Sales tax: RantWoman regularly hears from people in Snohomish and Pierce County about drastic cuts to transit because sales tax measures failed. RantWoman at one of the hearings talked about how what the state can get in sales tax out of what people like RantWoman can buy with our social security is not going to cut it as far as all our region's unmet transportation needs. Cue faith community and MAYBE some sense of shared sacrifice?
RantWoman does not know about Tim Eyman, but RantWoman suspects that his watch sales suffer when the sales tax goes up too; he forgot to talk about that at the hearing and there was not time to point out that every bus full of people not driving is 40 fewer cars for Tim Eyman to have to share the road with. RantWoman again notes that one thing most faith communities bring to the picture is a spirit of compromise, of give and take, rather different from the meat cleaver of initiative wording.
--Tolls: RantWoman does not feel competent to comment in-depth about tolls except for one point: if the point of a toll is to add transportation capacity including both road segments and increased capacity to move people over the road segment, RantWoman thinks using tolling revenue to help finance transit makes perfect sense in terms of just and compassionate public policy.
Anyway, the legislature needs as soon as possible to give local jurisdictions the authority to decide about taxation options.
And all of us need to keep having conversations about sustainable, equitable, well-performing investment in transportation!
So please have at it!
Sincerely,
RantWoman
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Sure plays a mean paintball
Two moments of extremely and badly needed RantWoman levity:
And Obamacare / the affordable care act as sen by...
http://youtu.be/IVRTHmrYHlQ#aid=P9R6f691WeI
And Obamacare / the affordable care act as sen by...
http://youtu.be/IVRTHmrYHlQ#aid=P9R6f691WeI
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Voices of WA State transportation survey
It is time to share your voice with our state’s decision makers.
In the coming months, the State Legislature and Governor will be faced with some tough decisions on how we keep our transportation system (roads, bridges, ferries, buses, etc.) in good condition and meet the growing backlog of need that must be funded in order to keep Washington moving forward.
Should taxes be raised?
Should services be cut?
What does this mean to you and your community?
Your survey responses will inform decisions on how our transportation system will be shaped, so please complete this important survey by clicking on the link below.
Start Survey
Thank you for your input and for making your voice heard on these important transportation issues.
Dan O'Neal
V.O.W.S (Voice of Washington State) Project Manager
Washington State Transportation Commission
transc@wsdot.wa.gov
PO Box 47308
Olympia, Wa 98504-7308 US
In the coming months, the State Legislature and Governor will be faced with some tough decisions on how we keep our transportation system (roads, bridges, ferries, buses, etc.) in good condition and meet the growing backlog of need that must be funded in order to keep Washington moving forward.
Should taxes be raised?
Should services be cut?
What does this mean to you and your community?
Your survey responses will inform decisions on how our transportation system will be shaped, so please complete this important survey by clicking on the link below.
Start Survey
Thank you for your input and for making your voice heard on these important transportation issues.
Dan O'Neal
V.O.W.S (Voice of Washington State) Project Manager
Washington State Transportation Commission
transc@wsdot.wa.gov
PO Box 47308
Olympia, Wa 98504-7308 US
Friday, October 18, 2013
What's next after the transportation listening sessions?
Some interesting items about Monday's transportation listening session.
http://wemovems.blogspot.com/2013/10/seattle-speaks-up-to-keepusmoving.html
A serious blog as filing cabinet notes from the Twittervers item from my own blog
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/seattle-transportation-listening.html
This item includes several media reports and a link to TVW of the whole hearing.
I myself got called to testify somewhere about 2:40 into the tape about 3 speakers after Tim Eyman.
Two really great statements, one specifically from someone served by the Special Needs Transportation Fund.
Important things I heard:
Senator Eide "There are no Democrat Roads, there are no Republican roads. There are Washington roads."
Lots of finish this segment, build that segment, fund these amenities, take care of shipping....
Mentioning the proposal to add $100 million definitely falls into the category of "spend money here." But testifying as a member of the WA Council of the Blind Environmental Access Committee, it gave me a nice way to talk about the whole state: WCB includes people who depend on the bus in urban areas as well as people for whom if there is any public transportation available at all, it is likely something funded by the Special Needs transportation fund. Transit is every bit as much a part of the WA transportation infrastructure as roads. We need a balanced package of roads, transit. We need state level funding, a stable source, and we need options for local revenue to meet needs it's not reasonable to expect the state to meet.
The UW spoke about multimodal access to the campus
Investment: we need to INVEST
NO ONE likes taxes. People have been having trouble working together about transportation planning and transportation funding since long before Tim Eyman started hating on the MVET.
Words / concepts I did not hear or heard only faintly:
shared responsibility
working TOGETHER
how exactly we propose to PAY for all the things everyone comes asking for.
Any mention of what next:
--The comments submitted online are public record. How can members of the public review them?
--What will happen and how can members of the public participate in crafting whatever the next legislative steps are?
--What must King county doand do as soon as possible to get authority to tax ourselves to avoid 17% cuts in the bus system?
#WATranspo #WAleg #keepusmoving #savemetronow
Esoteric Good news: I asked that copies of any WSDOT Powerpoints (or anyone else's to be made available online before the hearing. The good news, I guess, no Powerpoints. I did not ask after the fact for Powerpoints from previous hearings.
http://wemovems.blogspot.com/2013/10/seattle-speaks-up-to-keepusmoving.html
A serious blog as filing cabinet notes from the Twittervers item from my own blog
http://rantwoman.blogspot.com/2013/10/seattle-transportation-listening.html
This item includes several media reports and a link to TVW of the whole hearing.
I myself got called to testify somewhere about 2:40 into the tape about 3 speakers after Tim Eyman.
Two really great statements, one specifically from someone served by the Special Needs Transportation Fund.
Important things I heard:
Senator Eide "There are no Democrat Roads, there are no Republican roads. There are Washington roads."
Lots of finish this segment, build that segment, fund these amenities, take care of shipping....
Mentioning the proposal to add $100 million definitely falls into the category of "spend money here." But testifying as a member of the WA Council of the Blind Environmental Access Committee, it gave me a nice way to talk about the whole state: WCB includes people who depend on the bus in urban areas as well as people for whom if there is any public transportation available at all, it is likely something funded by the Special Needs transportation fund. Transit is every bit as much a part of the WA transportation infrastructure as roads. We need a balanced package of roads, transit. We need state level funding, a stable source, and we need options for local revenue to meet needs it's not reasonable to expect the state to meet.
The UW spoke about multimodal access to the campus
Investment: we need to INVEST
NO ONE likes taxes. People have been having trouble working together about transportation planning and transportation funding since long before Tim Eyman started hating on the MVET.
Words / concepts I did not hear or heard only faintly:
shared responsibility
working TOGETHER
how exactly we propose to PAY for all the things everyone comes asking for.
Any mention of what next:
--The comments submitted online are public record. How can members of the public review them?
--What will happen and how can members of the public participate in crafting whatever the next legislative steps are?
--What must King county doand do as soon as possible to get authority to tax ourselves to avoid 17% cuts in the bus system?
#WATranspo #WAleg #keepusmoving #savemetronow
Esoteric Good news: I asked that copies of any WSDOT Powerpoints (or anyone else's to be made available online before the hearing. The good news, I guess, no Powerpoints. I did not ask after the fact for Powerpoints from previous hearings.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Seattle Transportation Listening Session Notes
RantWoman reproduces recent tweets about the Seattle Transportation Summit including bothering those following the Code for America Summit #cfasummit about why maybe they might care about WA state transportation STUFF.
RantWoman attended the October 14 Transportation Listening Session; RantWoman intends to distill the whole 3 hour exercise in posterior fortitude into concise opinions. This item is mainly blog as filing cabinet including at the bottom a TVW link for video of the whole experience.
' Morning world. checking tweetstream for#WAtranspo #waleg listening session. Totally distracted by #cfasummit chatter
Why should #cfasummit care about latest #WAtranspo #keepusmoving #saveourmetro #fixitthenfundit convo?
Dear #cfasummit, #waleg now trying to solve decades of #watranspo mess in one fall special session push.
Dear #cfasummit, #waleg now trying to solve decades of #watranspo mess. Total #socialmedia opportunity?
Dear #cfasummit, #waleg news flash NOT, via Tim Eyman: People don't like taxes. #watranspo now decades behind.
Dear #waleg, No taxes means #watranspo users taxed in time pollution hassle.
#keepusmoving #saveourmetro. Work together. Play fair.
Dear #waleg, #saveourmetro. #keepusmoving. Work together. Help us all work together, share costs.
Dear Tim Eyman, a few at #watranspo summit are just live meeting junkies and too cheap for cable. #keepusmoving #savemetronow
Dear Tim Eyman, plenty of people at Seattle #watranspo convo came AFTER WORK because we care about our communities, our state.
#Watranspo #waleg Dear Tim Eyman, that legally blind mom who spends 20 hrs /wk instead of 10 commuting, that is a TAX.
#Watranspo #waleg Dear Tim Eyman, 10 more hours / week commute = time tax equal to 25% of wage! mom deserves a better deal!
#WAtranspo RT'ing a bunch of stuff I do not necessarily believe or agree with because possibly important to convo, eg #PPPs
From the press:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022044621_transportationhearing1xml.html#.Ul1ggTmLAyI.twitter
http://washingtonstatewire.com/blog/transpo-tour-nears-its-end-so-whats-next/
TVW video of October 14 Listening Session at First Presbyterian Church in Seattle
http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2013100043
Somewhere around the 2:30 mark or a little later first the illustrious Mr. Tim Eyman and then a couple speakers later, RantWoman herself in disguise under her non-blogosphere name.
RantWoman attended the October 14 Transportation Listening Session; RantWoman intends to distill the whole 3 hour exercise in posterior fortitude into concise opinions. This item is mainly blog as filing cabinet including at the bottom a TVW link for video of the whole experience.
' Morning world. checking tweetstream for#WAtranspo #waleg listening session. Totally distracted by #cfasummit chatter
Why should #cfasummit care about latest #WAtranspo #keepusmoving #saveourmetro #fixitthenfundit convo?
Dear #cfasummit, #waleg now trying to solve decades of #watranspo mess in one fall special session push.
Dear #cfasummit, #waleg now trying to solve decades of #watranspo mess. Total #socialmedia opportunity?
Dear #cfasummit, #waleg news flash NOT, via Tim Eyman: People don't like taxes. #watranspo now decades behind.
Dear #waleg, No taxes means #watranspo users taxed in time pollution hassle.
#keepusmoving #saveourmetro. Work together. Play fair.
Dear #waleg, #saveourmetro. #keepusmoving. Work together. Help us all work together, share costs.
Dear Tim Eyman, a few at #watranspo summit are just live meeting junkies and too cheap for cable. #keepusmoving #savemetronow
Dear Tim Eyman, plenty of people at Seattle #watranspo convo came AFTER WORK because we care about our communities, our state.
#Watranspo #waleg Dear Tim Eyman, that legally blind mom who spends 20 hrs /wk instead of 10 commuting, that is a TAX.
#Watranspo #waleg Dear Tim Eyman, 10 more hours / week commute = time tax equal to 25% of wage! mom deserves a better deal!
#WAtranspo RT'ing a bunch of stuff I do not necessarily believe or agree with because possibly important to convo, eg #PPPs
From the press:
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022044621_transportationhearing1xml.html#.Ul1ggTmLAyI.twitter
http://washingtonstatewire.com/blog/transpo-tour-nears-its-end-so-whats-next/
TVW video of October 14 Listening Session at First Presbyterian Church in Seattle
http://tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2013100043
Somewhere around the 2:30 mark or a little later first the illustrious Mr. Tim Eyman and then a couple speakers later, RantWoman herself in disguise under her non-blogosphere name.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Issaquah Community Technology Workshop with DVR, WISE October 16
RantWoman has no problem recommending this workshop sight unseen because of having met or worked with people involved. If you live on the Eastside or Issaquah is convenient.
http://snovalleystar.com/2013/10/09/issaquah-community-network-hosts-tech-workshop Text of article: Issaquah Community Network hosts tech workshop
October 9, 2013
By Contributed
New technology is opening a world of possibilities for job seekers with disabilities, and the public can learn all about it at a free workshop.
The Issaquah Community Network, Eastside Community Network and the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network will host three speakers at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Issaquah High School Performing Arts Center.
Brandi Monts, of Washington Initiative for Supported Employment; Bill Youngman, from the Department of Social and Health Services’ division of Vocational Rehabilitation; and Hillary Rossi, from AtWork!, are all expected to speak.
The workshop is aimed at parents of youths with disabilities, but it is also open to students, teachers, counselors, business owners and others interested in the latest, coolest technologies.
RSVP by email at assistivetechnight@gmail.com
http://snovalleystar.com/2013/10/09/issaquah-community-network-hosts-tech-workshop Text of article: Issaquah Community Network hosts tech workshop
October 9, 2013
By Contributed
New technology is opening a world of possibilities for job seekers with disabilities, and the public can learn all about it at a free workshop.
The Issaquah Community Network, Eastside Community Network and the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network will host three speakers at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Issaquah High School Performing Arts Center.
Brandi Monts, of Washington Initiative for Supported Employment; Bill Youngman, from the Department of Social and Health Services’ division of Vocational Rehabilitation; and Hillary Rossi, from AtWork!, are all expected to speak.
The workshop is aimed at parents of youths with disabilities, but it is also open to students, teachers, counselors, business owners and others interested in the latest, coolest technologies.
RSVP by email at assistivetechnight@gmail.com
Thursday, October 10, 2013
A distant ancestor of the modern programmable computer
RantWoman is deeply amused by the marriage of robotics and writer's craft embodied in this centuries-old creation by a Swiss watchmaker.
http://www.chonday.com/Videos/the-writer-automaton
A special thank you to RantWoman's favorite Uncle Spam for the opportunity to devote nearly 5 minutes of life to a "distant ancestor of the modern programmable computer:"
Human writers may balk at the thought that their activity can be reduced to interaction of a bunch of cams, but the last minute or so present a fascinating approach to ending writer's block or at least shifting to new fixations.
http://www.chonday.com/Videos/the-writer-automaton
A special thank you to RantWoman's favorite Uncle Spam for the opportunity to devote nearly 5 minutes of life to a "distant ancestor of the modern programmable computer:"
Human writers may balk at the thought that their activity can be reduced to interaction of a bunch of cams, but the last minute or so present a fascinating approach to ending writer's block or at least shifting to new fixations.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
We are Metro campaign and Accessibility Mailing List
At last, an announcement about the We Are Metro campaign in honor of National Disabilities Awareness.
Full disclosure: RantWoman thoroughly enjoyed the Transit Advisory Commission brainstorming session which arose after more than one of our members opined that the world would be a lot nicer place if people were just more courteous! We said that in considerably more colorful and vivid specifics than the marketing writers who ghost-wrote the press release wound up using. RantWoman assumes many of her readers can supply their own vivid specifics.
http://metrofutureblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/we-are-metro-community-driven-2/
For further information related to disability,
Metro is introducing a new subscription email list for accessibility issues. We’ll use it to let subscribers know about changes to Metro services and programs that are likely to affect customers with disabilities. We’ll also use it to let subscribers know about opportunities to provide feedback on accessibility-related issues. If you’re interested in subscribing, please follow the link below to sign up.
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAKING/subscriber/new?topic_id=WAKING_404
King County Metro is celebrating Disability Awareness Month (October)
with a campaign called We Are Metro.
When we work together, more of us can get to our destinations safely and on time. This month we’re highlighting what each of us can do to make the journey better for everyone. Check out the post mentioned above from Metro’s Transit Advisory Commission to learn more about what’s happening.
As part of our campaign, we want to hear from you. Share your stories and pictures on our blog or on Facebook, tweet us at @kcmetrobus, or use the hashtag #WeAreMetro.
www.kingcounty.gov/metro
Full disclosure: RantWoman thoroughly enjoyed the Transit Advisory Commission brainstorming session which arose after more than one of our members opined that the world would be a lot nicer place if people were just more courteous! We said that in considerably more colorful and vivid specifics than the marketing writers who ghost-wrote the press release wound up using. RantWoman assumes many of her readers can supply their own vivid specifics.
http://metrofutureblog.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/we-are-metro-community-driven-2/
For further information related to disability,
Metro is introducing a new subscription email list for accessibility issues. We’ll use it to let subscribers know about changes to Metro services and programs that are likely to affect customers with disabilities. We’ll also use it to let subscribers know about opportunities to provide feedback on accessibility-related issues. If you’re interested in subscribing, please follow the link below to sign up.
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAKING/subscriber/new?topic_id=WAKING_404
King County Metro is celebrating Disability Awareness Month (October)
with a campaign called We Are Metro.
When we work together, more of us can get to our destinations safely and on time. This month we’re highlighting what each of us can do to make the journey better for everyone. Check out the post mentioned above from Metro’s Transit Advisory Commission to learn more about what’s happening.
As part of our campaign, we want to hear from you. Share your stories and pictures on our blog or on Facebook, tweet us at @kcmetrobus, or use the hashtag #WeAreMetro.
www.kingcounty.gov/metro
The Hajj?
Look, RantWoman has no reason to think her public is likely to consider her a go-to resource about anything to do with the Hajj, this year October 13-15. Still this item caught RantWoman's eye purely from a disaster preparedness perspective.
RantWoman feels able though to pray at least modestly about the hajj in general and infectious disease issues in particular.
http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/08/middle-eastern-virus-may-mar-hajj-pilgrimage?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sojourners%2Fgods-politics+%28Sojourners+God%27s+Politics+Blog%29
RantWoman feels able though to pray at least modestly about the hajj in general and infectious disease issues in particular.
http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/08/middle-eastern-virus-may-mar-hajj-pilgrimage?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sojourners%2Fgods-politics+%28Sojourners+God%27s+Politics+Blog%29
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Transportation Listening Sessions in Vancouver; LOCATION CHANGE for Seattle
Some more media and info that might help people prepare for upcoming transportation listening sessions
#WAtranspo #waleg #keepusmoving #wearemetro
Guest commentary by Sens John Braun and Ann Rivers, the world according to the Senate "Majority" Coalition, all boondoggles, blame the Democrats, and to heck with environmental regulations and living wages. Presumably #fixitthenfundit comes from this line of thinking bit I find it helpful to hear the basis for people's views
http://tdn.com/news/opinion/guest-column-time-for-a-transportation-fix/article_0c06db44-2d43-11e3-bbdb-001a4bcf887a.html
Article in the Columbian about session in Vancouver. Includes a link for a 55 minute video that I have not watched yet
http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/oct/07/taking-on-transportation/#.UlQ571Bwrms
Bicycle Alliance alert. Great background.
ALSO NOTE: Seattle session HAS BEEN MOVED TO FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 8th and Spring.
Advantages of this location: will not have to endure a cumbersome search.
Good bus routes that go close include the 2 and the 12; the 3,4, 60 all go reasonably close. The 10, 11, and 49 will all require a walk of several blocks
http://bicyclealliance.org/2013/09/05/make-your-voice-heard/
Alert from AARP http://states.aarp.org/transportation-for-all-keep-us-moving/
#WAtranspo #waleg #keepusmoving #wearemetro
Guest commentary by Sens John Braun and Ann Rivers, the world according to the Senate "Majority" Coalition, all boondoggles, blame the Democrats, and to heck with environmental regulations and living wages. Presumably #fixitthenfundit comes from this line of thinking bit I find it helpful to hear the basis for people's views
http://tdn.com/news/opinion/guest-column-time-for-a-transportation-fix/article_0c06db44-2d43-11e3-bbdb-001a4bcf887a.html
Article in the Columbian about session in Vancouver. Includes a link for a 55 minute video that I have not watched yet
http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/oct/07/taking-on-transportation/#.UlQ571Bwrms
Bicycle Alliance alert. Great background.
ALSO NOTE: Seattle session HAS BEEN MOVED TO FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 8th and Spring.
Advantages of this location: will not have to endure a cumbersome search.
Good bus routes that go close include the 2 and the 12; the 3,4, 60 all go reasonably close. The 10, 11, and 49 will all require a walk of several blocks
http://bicyclealliance.org/2013/09/05/make-your-voice-heard/
Alert from AARP http://states.aarp.org/transportation-for-all-keep-us-moving/
AAPD: Fall TV series with storylines about people with disabilities
Look world, RantWoman assumes her readers are smart enough to be able to tell when RantWoman for one reason or another is just openly, blatantly, flagrantly reprinting a press release!
Press Release: New PSA from the American Association of People with Disabilities Challenges Traditional Views of Disability
With Help from Comcast and NBCUniversal, AAPD Calls on Americans to Redefine their Ideas about Disability
http://www.aapd.com/resources/press-room/press-releases/redefine-disability.
For Immediate Release
October 3, 2013
Contact: Colin Schwartz
Phone: 202-521-4309
cschwartz@aapd.com
Washington, D.C.
(October 3, 2013) - The American Association of People with
Disabilities (AAPD) has issued a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) entitled Redefine Disability, airing now on cable networks carried by Comcast's Xfinity TV service nationwide. Featuring four young adults with various disabilities, the PSA challenges Americans to appreciate the positive aspects of disability. In addition, the PSA encourages viewers to join with AAPD in breaking down the outdated stereotypes confronting many people with disabilities.
Through the personal testimony of these four young adults, the PSA offers insight into the reality that most people with disabilities embrace disability as a positive part of their identity, rather than something that needs to be overcome, cured, or fixed.
"Most television does not include or accurately reflect people with disabilities," said Mark Perriello, the President and CEO of AAPD. "The PSA Redefine Disability is one way that AAPD, with support from Comcast and NBCUniversal, are raising awareness and challenging societal assumptions on disability." In addition, the NBC fall line-up includes several storylines featuring prominent characters with disabilities; most notably the "Michael J. Fox Show," starring Michael J. Fox who has Parkinson's Disease. Other NBC shows include "Ironside," about a police detective who uses a wheelchair and "Growing Up Fisher," a comedy featuring a visually impaired patriarch.
According to research conducted by AAPD, the current generation of young adults with disabilities is better educated, more experienced, and ready to contribute to society in ways that were unavailable to previous generations.Yet, the common experience of these young people is that they are less likely to find work for which they are qualified, less likely to get a promotion, and less likely to be considered for senior positions.
Through partnerships like the one between AAPD and Comcast and NBCUniversal, more Americans will understand the realities of life with a disability, and better appreciate the significant contributions people with disabilities are prepared to make when given a fair chance.
To view the PSA Redefine Disability, please go to
www.aapd.com/RedefineDisability
###
About AAPD
The American Association of People with Disabilities is the nation's largest disability rights organization. We promote equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities. Our members, including people with disabilities and our family, friends, and supporters, represent a powerful force for change. To learn more, visit the AAPD Web site:
www.aapd.com
American Association of People with Disabilities
2013 H Street NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
Press Release: New PSA from the American Association of People with Disabilities Challenges Traditional Views of Disability
With Help from Comcast and NBCUniversal, AAPD Calls on Americans to Redefine their Ideas about Disability
http://www.aapd.com/resources/press-room/press-releases/redefine-disability.
For Immediate Release
October 3, 2013
Contact: Colin Schwartz
Phone: 202-521-4309
cschwartz@aapd.com
Washington, D.C.
(October 3, 2013) - The American Association of People with
Disabilities (AAPD) has issued a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) entitled Redefine Disability, airing now on cable networks carried by Comcast's Xfinity TV service nationwide. Featuring four young adults with various disabilities, the PSA challenges Americans to appreciate the positive aspects of disability. In addition, the PSA encourages viewers to join with AAPD in breaking down the outdated stereotypes confronting many people with disabilities.
Through the personal testimony of these four young adults, the PSA offers insight into the reality that most people with disabilities embrace disability as a positive part of their identity, rather than something that needs to be overcome, cured, or fixed.
"Most television does not include or accurately reflect people with disabilities," said Mark Perriello, the President and CEO of AAPD. "The PSA Redefine Disability is one way that AAPD, with support from Comcast and NBCUniversal, are raising awareness and challenging societal assumptions on disability." In addition, the NBC fall line-up includes several storylines featuring prominent characters with disabilities; most notably the "Michael J. Fox Show," starring Michael J. Fox who has Parkinson's Disease. Other NBC shows include "Ironside," about a police detective who uses a wheelchair and "Growing Up Fisher," a comedy featuring a visually impaired patriarch.
According to research conducted by AAPD, the current generation of young adults with disabilities is better educated, more experienced, and ready to contribute to society in ways that were unavailable to previous generations.Yet, the common experience of these young people is that they are less likely to find work for which they are qualified, less likely to get a promotion, and less likely to be considered for senior positions.
Through partnerships like the one between AAPD and Comcast and NBCUniversal, more Americans will understand the realities of life with a disability, and better appreciate the significant contributions people with disabilities are prepared to make when given a fair chance.
To view the PSA Redefine Disability, please go to
www.aapd.com/RedefineDisability
###
About AAPD
The American Association of People with Disabilities is the nation's largest disability rights organization. We promote equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation for people with disabilities. Our members, including people with disabilities and our family, friends, and supporters, represent a powerful force for change. To learn more, visit the AAPD Web site:
www.aapd.com
American Association of People with Disabilities
2013 H Street NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Bellevue Transportation Listening Session Notes
What I heard at the Bellevue Listening Session:
--A group of people representing several different disability organizations has come together to ask for a big increase in appropriations for the Special Needs Transportation Fund. No one got to speak about that topic in Bellevue. #keepusmoving
--At the Bellevue session I heard a LOT about maintenance of what we have, road segments that need to be finished, freight, how transportation issues make this area non-competitive, all the time people waste in traffic. There were many local elected officials from different cities in King County at the Bellevue hearing. Many of them talked a lot about different road segments; a few also seem to get importance of Metro.
#WATranspo #WALeg #saveMetroNow
--If you are like many transit dependent people I know, you might have all kinds of transportation-related barriers in the way of being able to come. Especially if you cannot get to the listening session, absolutely make a comment online at the site suggested on the agenda handout
http://www.senatetranspofeedbackforum.org/
--For people who do Twitter, hash tags being used after in tweet stream #MoveKCNow #SaveMetro #waleg Use #keepusmoving with one of the other tags mentioned here because it looks like it gets used for other things too.
General hash tags used by people from several different listening sessions #WATranspo #waleg
#fixitthenfundit is a hashtag being used by people who have certain ideas about “reform”
Some fast impressions of the September 17 Listening session in Bellevue
--Powerpoint presentation from Sec. of Transportation and WSDOT N region director about LOTS of needs. For eccentric family reasons, I used to have a pretty high tolerance for engineering type pictures. I have the vague impression, possibly from the verbal content that the blobs on the slides are various piece of state transportation infrastructure in need of more money. Other slides were tables full of numbers. I like being an informed citizen and frequently wind up being interested in tables full of numbers and will make a reasonable accommodations request that the Powerpoints be made available online and / or that there be a couple copies of the presentation printed one slide / page for review by people whose vision allows them to interact with that size document.
--LOTS of elected officials, city managers, chamber of commerce folks testifying about:
--current situation is dire and untenable
--just maintaining what we have will require a lot of money.
--various thoughts re the "reforms" suggested by the Senate Majority Coalition
--LOTS of please include our project
-- We need a balanced package including both roads and transit
--Several employers talking about time lost in traffic, how traffic affects recruiting, people want livable, walkable... Some high income voices in room saying people want services and are willing to pay taxes for them.
--Unions and various engineering firm reps both with comments about how reform suggestions are not quite right fit. Unions already doing apprenticeships and issue noted below with prevailing wage. Engineering firms and consultants say efficiencies possible but lots of sentiment in room that do not want to compromise environmental or other standards even if eg speed up permitting processes.
--A working class mom from Auburn who does not like tolls and brought Sens. King and Eide a plate of toll house cookies to say so
--An eastside elected official. Sorry I do not remember name who quoted Tim Eyman: Let the people vote. If they want tax, they will vote for it, followed by LOUD applause from bus supporters in the room.
--Transit riders union big showing with a complaints bus for Sen. Eide for not getting work done during session.
--Two speakers who mentioned NFB and talked about how dire situation looks to them. Great quote “The bus is my car.”
--Representative from Hopelink with plea specifically about poor and low income and bus.
Wishful thinking:
--Income tax anyone? One person at the bus stop afterward said he signed up to testify so he could suggest we fund transportation with an income tax.
--Someone should suggest that people who grumble about traffic on 405 have a talk with certain prominent Eastside figures about insistent opposition to transit. I am sorry it took someone 45 minutes at rush hour to get from Kirkland to the listening session. Why did they drive. At least on the bus someone else would be doing the driving.
--The "Senate Majority Coalition" wants to use federal minimum wage rather than prevailing wage or even WA minimum wage as basis for labor parts of contracts. There was testimony that this will not save very much.
I WISH someone would tell the story of the public input process about tolling 520. At one point WSDOT did a series of public input meetings starting with one at what is now MOHAI on Lake Union. The presentation talked about different tolling scenarios and likely changes in traffic patterns. At the first presentation, the tolling scenarios were all focused on when to start tolls for 520. Literally everyone what was not getting paid to be there asked "what happens if you toll both bridges at the same time?"
So at the next couple events the faithful public servants from WSDOT brought back scenarios that included tolls on both bridges starting earlier than the i-90 replacement. Voila. No distortion in traffic patterns except what one would expect from congestion pricing. PLUS savings of up to $3 billion or like 30% in project costs because of reduced debt service. In other words way bigger impact than the prevailing wage stuff, but of course politically infeasible because no one would play out ways to work with concerns of Mercer island residents about impact for them of tolls.
Hard for me to survey the whole room but lots and lots of presumably able-bodied folks; fewer with disabilities.
Messages:
--We are all one WA, people who need to export their lentils, people who want to be able to get around safely on foot around the Seattle waterfront, people totally dependent on public transit and people who swear by roads. I am still crafting written testimony.
-- The point is that transportation is a mess in this state and we are all going to have to give and take and probably wind up with pieces we don't like to get where we need to be. If the Lege could not move during regular session maybe the fall of listening is a new opportunity for people to listen and talk across all kinds of barriers.
--There are the what to fund pieces: roads, transit, ped and bike, Special needs transportation. More tweaking to come out of the process.
--There are the how to pay for it pieces:
--something, probably more than one something at the state level
--gas tax
-- MVET
--tolls. Opinionated rant: I do not understand why car drivers are allergic to the use of tolls to help fund transit: every bus full of people is 40 cars drivers do not have to share the road with, not to mention BIG gains in quality of life for people who cannot or should not be driving in the first place.
--okay another moment of opinionated rant but someone needs to say it: INCOME TTTTTAX because there is an equity piece we don't get with only gas tax and electric cars or only MVET. Interestingly at the Bellevue forum I did not hear any of the employers saying people are flocking to WA because of our wonderful tax structure. Instead I heard gridlock is KILLING employee recruitment and we are losing out even to states who ask more of a broader swath of taxpayers.
--Authorization to local jurisdictions to vote on ways to supplement what the state does
Miscellaneous additional comments
--I think basic event accessibility should be educational for everyone and I encourage people to make their needs known.
--I wonder whether anyone besides me wants to offer some comments about how driving public transit, dealing with diverse members of the public, accessibility needs, etc is HARD work. Drivers deserve to be appreciated and we the riding public deserve drivers who know what they are doing and stick around long enough to get practiced at all the complicated tasks we ask them to do.
For me this is partly a treat the labor unions with respect point and partly a concern with some things now funded by the Special Needs transportation fund that rely on volunteer drivers and do not include reimbursement as the price of gas goes up or new tolls come online. I support respect and living wage jobs for all the people who drive us around, improved accessibility at transit stations, importance of traffic signals....
--After the Bellevue Forum I saw a number of people tweeting out a comment that "the bus is my car." For myself, the bus not only is my car, it's my whole family's car from my 12-year-old nephew to my 75-year-old mother and it’s our car for work, shopping, religious activity, pleasure, entertainment! We all need to get our stories like that told.
--A group of people representing several different disability organizations has come together to ask for a big increase in appropriations for the Special Needs Transportation Fund. No one got to speak about that topic in Bellevue. #keepusmoving
--At the Bellevue session I heard a LOT about maintenance of what we have, road segments that need to be finished, freight, how transportation issues make this area non-competitive, all the time people waste in traffic. There were many local elected officials from different cities in King County at the Bellevue hearing. Many of them talked a lot about different road segments; a few also seem to get importance of Metro.
#WATranspo #WALeg #saveMetroNow
--If you are like many transit dependent people I know, you might have all kinds of transportation-related barriers in the way of being able to come. Especially if you cannot get to the listening session, absolutely make a comment online at the site suggested on the agenda handout
http://www.senatetranspofeedbackforum.org/
--For people who do Twitter, hash tags being used after in tweet stream #MoveKCNow #SaveMetro #waleg Use #keepusmoving with one of the other tags mentioned here because it looks like it gets used for other things too.
General hash tags used by people from several different listening sessions #WATranspo #waleg
#fixitthenfundit is a hashtag being used by people who have certain ideas about “reform”
Some fast impressions of the September 17 Listening session in Bellevue
--Powerpoint presentation from Sec. of Transportation and WSDOT N region director about LOTS of needs. For eccentric family reasons, I used to have a pretty high tolerance for engineering type pictures. I have the vague impression, possibly from the verbal content that the blobs on the slides are various piece of state transportation infrastructure in need of more money. Other slides were tables full of numbers. I like being an informed citizen and frequently wind up being interested in tables full of numbers and will make a reasonable accommodations request that the Powerpoints be made available online and / or that there be a couple copies of the presentation printed one slide / page for review by people whose vision allows them to interact with that size document.
--LOTS of elected officials, city managers, chamber of commerce folks testifying about:
--current situation is dire and untenable
--just maintaining what we have will require a lot of money.
--various thoughts re the "reforms" suggested by the Senate Majority Coalition
--LOTS of please include our project
-- We need a balanced package including both roads and transit
--Several employers talking about time lost in traffic, how traffic affects recruiting, people want livable, walkable... Some high income voices in room saying people want services and are willing to pay taxes for them.
--Unions and various engineering firm reps both with comments about how reform suggestions are not quite right fit. Unions already doing apprenticeships and issue noted below with prevailing wage. Engineering firms and consultants say efficiencies possible but lots of sentiment in room that do not want to compromise environmental or other standards even if eg speed up permitting processes.
--A working class mom from Auburn who does not like tolls and brought Sens. King and Eide a plate of toll house cookies to say so
--An eastside elected official. Sorry I do not remember name who quoted Tim Eyman: Let the people vote. If they want tax, they will vote for it, followed by LOUD applause from bus supporters in the room.
--Transit riders union big showing with a complaints bus for Sen. Eide for not getting work done during session.
--Two speakers who mentioned NFB and talked about how dire situation looks to them. Great quote “The bus is my car.”
--Representative from Hopelink with plea specifically about poor and low income and bus.
Wishful thinking:
--Income tax anyone? One person at the bus stop afterward said he signed up to testify so he could suggest we fund transportation with an income tax.
--Someone should suggest that people who grumble about traffic on 405 have a talk with certain prominent Eastside figures about insistent opposition to transit. I am sorry it took someone 45 minutes at rush hour to get from Kirkland to the listening session. Why did they drive. At least on the bus someone else would be doing the driving.
--The "Senate Majority Coalition" wants to use federal minimum wage rather than prevailing wage or even WA minimum wage as basis for labor parts of contracts. There was testimony that this will not save very much.
I WISH someone would tell the story of the public input process about tolling 520. At one point WSDOT did a series of public input meetings starting with one at what is now MOHAI on Lake Union. The presentation talked about different tolling scenarios and likely changes in traffic patterns. At the first presentation, the tolling scenarios were all focused on when to start tolls for 520. Literally everyone what was not getting paid to be there asked "what happens if you toll both bridges at the same time?"
So at the next couple events the faithful public servants from WSDOT brought back scenarios that included tolls on both bridges starting earlier than the i-90 replacement. Voila. No distortion in traffic patterns except what one would expect from congestion pricing. PLUS savings of up to $3 billion or like 30% in project costs because of reduced debt service. In other words way bigger impact than the prevailing wage stuff, but of course politically infeasible because no one would play out ways to work with concerns of Mercer island residents about impact for them of tolls.
Hard for me to survey the whole room but lots and lots of presumably able-bodied folks; fewer with disabilities.
Messages:
--We are all one WA, people who need to export their lentils, people who want to be able to get around safely on foot around the Seattle waterfront, people totally dependent on public transit and people who swear by roads. I am still crafting written testimony.
-- The point is that transportation is a mess in this state and we are all going to have to give and take and probably wind up with pieces we don't like to get where we need to be. If the Lege could not move during regular session maybe the fall of listening is a new opportunity for people to listen and talk across all kinds of barriers.
--There are the what to fund pieces: roads, transit, ped and bike, Special needs transportation. More tweaking to come out of the process.
--There are the how to pay for it pieces:
--something, probably more than one something at the state level
--gas tax
-- MVET
--tolls. Opinionated rant: I do not understand why car drivers are allergic to the use of tolls to help fund transit: every bus full of people is 40 cars drivers do not have to share the road with, not to mention BIG gains in quality of life for people who cannot or should not be driving in the first place.
--okay another moment of opinionated rant but someone needs to say it: INCOME TTTTTAX because there is an equity piece we don't get with only gas tax and electric cars or only MVET. Interestingly at the Bellevue forum I did not hear any of the employers saying people are flocking to WA because of our wonderful tax structure. Instead I heard gridlock is KILLING employee recruitment and we are losing out even to states who ask more of a broader swath of taxpayers.
--Authorization to local jurisdictions to vote on ways to supplement what the state does
Miscellaneous additional comments
--I think basic event accessibility should be educational for everyone and I encourage people to make their needs known.
--I wonder whether anyone besides me wants to offer some comments about how driving public transit, dealing with diverse members of the public, accessibility needs, etc is HARD work. Drivers deserve to be appreciated and we the riding public deserve drivers who know what they are doing and stick around long enough to get practiced at all the complicated tasks we ask them to do.
For me this is partly a treat the labor unions with respect point and partly a concern with some things now funded by the Special Needs transportation fund that rely on volunteer drivers and do not include reimbursement as the price of gas goes up or new tolls come online. I support respect and living wage jobs for all the people who drive us around, improved accessibility at transit stations, importance of traffic signals....
--After the Bellevue Forum I saw a number of people tweeting out a comment that "the bus is my car." For myself, the bus not only is my car, it's my whole family's car from my 12-year-old nephew to my 75-year-old mother and it’s our car for work, shopping, religious activity, pleasure, entertainment! We all need to get our stories like that told.
Share Your Public Transportation Story
RantWoman always advises readers, do not underestimate how much difference it can make just to tell your story. Here is a great opportunity to tell you story via an online comment form provided by the American Public Transportation Association. TEll your stories good and bad of work, shopping, school, entertainment, ...
http://voicesforpublictransit.org/shareyourstory.aspx
http://voicesforpublictransit.org/shareyourstory.aspx
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Media items and other statements about Transportation Listening Sessions
RantWoman is collecting various reports about the ongoing State Senate Transportation Listening Sessions. RantWoman finds all these items worth reading, but in case readers cannot some items reflect RantWoman’s point of view more clearly than others.
Interview with Senator Curtis King of Yakima, not a terrible summary of many issues but what Sen. King means by “reform” might be different from what other people mean.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/1435388-8/sen-curtis-king-embarking-on-transportation-listening-tour#
Report from the Everett Listening Session
http://www.transportationissuesdaily.com/what-wash-legislators-heard-in-everett-about-transportation-proposal/
KREM TV coverage of the Spokane Listening Session
http://www.krem.com/home/Wash-lawmakers-help-us-fix-roads-without-raising-gas-tax-226289891.html
Statements RantWoman really LIKES
Gage Stromberg in the Spokane Spokesman Review
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/sep/29/gage-stromberg-car-culture-cant-rule-the-road/
Bicycle Alliance Briefing Paper
http://bicyclealliance.org/2013/09/12/what-to-tell-the-state-senate-about-bike-transportation/
Twitter hashtags RantWoman has been checking after each event.
#WATranspo #WAleg
#keepusmoving about Special Needs Transportation Fund
#saveMetroNow related to need for any transportation measure to provide local jurisdictions authority to tax themselves in addition to whatever funds come from state level revenue streams.
#fixitthenfundit about “reform”
Interview with Senator Curtis King of Yakima, not a terrible summary of many issues but what Sen. King means by “reform” might be different from what other people mean.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/1435388-8/sen-curtis-king-embarking-on-transportation-listening-tour#
Report from the Everett Listening Session
http://www.transportationissuesdaily.com/what-wash-legislators-heard-in-everett-about-transportation-proposal/
KREM TV coverage of the Spokane Listening Session
http://www.krem.com/home/Wash-lawmakers-help-us-fix-roads-without-raising-gas-tax-226289891.html
Statements RantWoman really LIKES
Gage Stromberg in the Spokane Spokesman Review
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/sep/29/gage-stromberg-car-culture-cant-rule-the-road/
Bicycle Alliance Briefing Paper
http://bicyclealliance.org/2013/09/12/what-to-tell-the-state-senate-about-bike-transportation/
Twitter hashtags RantWoman has been checking after each event.
#WATranspo #WAleg
#keepusmoving about Special Needs Transportation Fund
#saveMetroNow related to need for any transportation measure to provide local jurisdictions authority to tax themselves in addition to whatever funds come from state level revenue streams.
#fixitthenfundit about “reform”
Transportation Listening sessions: First pass preparation
During the 2013 Legislative Session, the Legislature failed to enact a transportation bill. That is completely inadequate to address completion of many new road segments or to address the backlog of needed road and bridge maintenance in WA. Many also hoped for a bill that would give local jurisdictions authority to tax themselves above the level of state funding for public transportation. King County for example needs authorization to renew or replace a $20 / year congestion relief charge. If those funds are not renewed, King County Metro will face a 17% cut in bus service hours. 80% of routes will be affected and the burden of these cuts will fall especially on seniors, people with disabilities, and low income riders who disproportionately are extremely reliant on public transportation.
We are all one WA, Democrats, Republicans, people east and west of the mountains. Transportation is vital to the state of WA. It is critical to maintain the roads we have and to address needs for additional roads. Road conditions in the Puget Sound are so clogged that large employers have trouble recruiting desired employees. Jurisdictions in the Puget Sound cannot possibly build enough roads to meet all their transportation needs, particularly if one takes into account pollution and climate change issues; even when there is good bus service, the transportation network also relies on enhancements to meet the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists. WA citizens, especially people underserved in rural areas need an additional $100 million in the Special Needs Transportation Fund for customized flexible programs to support badly overstressed programs that meet particular needs for people in rural areas and for seniors, people with disabilities, and communities of people with limited English.
Both roads and public transportation are vital parts of the transportation infrastructure. The current transportation crisis is also an opportunity, perhaps a once-a-decade opportunity to take bold action. RantWoman joins many others in WA in advocating:
--A balanced package addressing roads, transit, walkability and bicycle amenities and the Special Needs Transportation Fund
--Stable state level funding sources
--Options for local jurisdictions to raise revenues to meet local needs
After the impasse during this year’s legislative session, many people from different networks and communities in WA have started speaking up about urgent need to address transportation problems in WA and Gov. Inslee has expressed willingness to call a special session in November. In response to this outcry and in preparation for a possible special session, Sens. King (Repub) and Eide (Dem) are convening a series of listening sessions throughout WA
Oct. 2 – Spokane (Eastern Region) 6-9 p.m.
Greater Spokane Inc., 801 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201
Oct. 7 – Vancouver (Southwest Region) 6-9 p.m.
Vancouver Community Library, Columbia Room, 901 C St., Vancouver, WA 98660
Oct. 9 – Tacoma (Olympic Region) 6-9 p.m.
Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405
Oct. 14 – Seattle 6-9 p.m.
King County Courthouse, Room 1001, 516 3rd Avenue, 10th Floor , Seattle, WA 98104
Oct. 15 – Bellingham 6-9 p.m.
Port of Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225
RantWoman) strongly urges anyone concerned about transportation, climate change, livable communities to attend these sessions and to submit comments, either in person during the listening sessions or online at.
http://www.senatetranspofeedbackforum.org/
Please also share this alert with others who share concerns for access to work, shopping, medical services, other critical parts of daily and community life, for the environment, for our transit and transportation needs. As a blind activist in the Seattle area puts it, for many of us, the bus is our car. In some cases, the bus is not only our car, it’s the car for our entire family.
Hashtags for readers who traffic in such things #WATranspo #waLeg #keepusmoving #SaveMetroNow
We are all one WA, Democrats, Republicans, people east and west of the mountains. Transportation is vital to the state of WA. It is critical to maintain the roads we have and to address needs for additional roads. Road conditions in the Puget Sound are so clogged that large employers have trouble recruiting desired employees. Jurisdictions in the Puget Sound cannot possibly build enough roads to meet all their transportation needs, particularly if one takes into account pollution and climate change issues; even when there is good bus service, the transportation network also relies on enhancements to meet the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists. WA citizens, especially people underserved in rural areas need an additional $100 million in the Special Needs Transportation Fund for customized flexible programs to support badly overstressed programs that meet particular needs for people in rural areas and for seniors, people with disabilities, and communities of people with limited English.
Both roads and public transportation are vital parts of the transportation infrastructure. The current transportation crisis is also an opportunity, perhaps a once-a-decade opportunity to take bold action. RantWoman joins many others in WA in advocating:
--A balanced package addressing roads, transit, walkability and bicycle amenities and the Special Needs Transportation Fund
--Stable state level funding sources
--Options for local jurisdictions to raise revenues to meet local needs
After the impasse during this year’s legislative session, many people from different networks and communities in WA have started speaking up about urgent need to address transportation problems in WA and Gov. Inslee has expressed willingness to call a special session in November. In response to this outcry and in preparation for a possible special session, Sens. King (Repub) and Eide (Dem) are convening a series of listening sessions throughout WA
Oct. 2 – Spokane (Eastern Region) 6-9 p.m.
Greater Spokane Inc., 801 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 99201
Oct. 7 – Vancouver (Southwest Region) 6-9 p.m.
Vancouver Community Library, Columbia Room, 901 C St., Vancouver, WA 98660
Oct. 9 – Tacoma (Olympic Region) 6-9 p.m.
Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405
Oct. 14 – Seattle 6-9 p.m.
King County Courthouse, Room 1001, 516 3rd Avenue, 10th Floor , Seattle, WA 98104
Oct. 15 – Bellingham 6-9 p.m.
Port of Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225
RantWoman) strongly urges anyone concerned about transportation, climate change, livable communities to attend these sessions and to submit comments, either in person during the listening sessions or online at.
http://www.senatetranspofeedbackforum.org/
Please also share this alert with others who share concerns for access to work, shopping, medical services, other critical parts of daily and community life, for the environment, for our transit and transportation needs. As a blind activist in the Seattle area puts it, for many of us, the bus is our car. In some cases, the bus is not only our car, it’s the car for our entire family.
Hashtags for readers who traffic in such things #WATranspo #waLeg #keepusmoving #SaveMetroNow
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Disabilities Awareness Month: On the Way to We are Metro
RantWoman gets to observe National, urk International Disability Awareness Lifetime. RantWoman invites her reading public to help her observe National Disabilities Awareness Month. Start with the following two links:
Seattle identified by New Mobility magazine as Disability Friendly City, friendly to people in wheelchairs.
http://www.newmobility.com/2013/10/disability-friendly-cities-7-places-worth-effort/
This site looks like a great resource for people of many different disabilities who use wheelchairs. The website is screen reader friendly, by which the content RantWoman can read with her screen reader is well-behaved and sensible. RantWoman has done nothing to investigate whether there is content sh is missing because of some interaction of content presentation and RantWoman's technology level.
The Metro Matters Blog
http://metrofutureblog.wordpress.com/
RantWoman recommends this blog because of promises that this month there will be several contributions including an opening greeting from the transit advisory commission about courtesy aboard Metrobuses, how to make rides more pleasant for everyone and other concepts the commission hopes will evoke a tsunami-scale outbreak of enhanced courtesy among everyone aboard the bus, passengers, bus operators, as well hopefully as other drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians...
Finally, a really interesting career transition resource that popped up in the search engine when RantWoman was looking for the Disabilities Awareness campaign mentioned above.
http://www.standamongfriends.org/
Ah! The perfect opportunity to note that sometimes National Disabilities Awareness Month gets observed as, paraphrasing, National Employment of People with Disabilities Awareness Month! Read on!
Seattle identified by New Mobility magazine as Disability Friendly City, friendly to people in wheelchairs.
http://www.newmobility.com/2013/10/disability-friendly-cities-7-places-worth-effort/
This site looks like a great resource for people of many different disabilities who use wheelchairs. The website is screen reader friendly, by which the content RantWoman can read with her screen reader is well-behaved and sensible. RantWoman has done nothing to investigate whether there is content sh is missing because of some interaction of content presentation and RantWoman's technology level.
The Metro Matters Blog
http://metrofutureblog.wordpress.com/
RantWoman recommends this blog because of promises that this month there will be several contributions including an opening greeting from the transit advisory commission about courtesy aboard Metrobuses, how to make rides more pleasant for everyone and other concepts the commission hopes will evoke a tsunami-scale outbreak of enhanced courtesy among everyone aboard the bus, passengers, bus operators, as well hopefully as other drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians...
Finally, a really interesting career transition resource that popped up in the search engine when RantWoman was looking for the Disabilities Awareness campaign mentioned above.
http://www.standamongfriends.org/
Ah! The perfect opportunity to note that sometimes National Disabilities Awareness Month gets observed as, paraphrasing, National Employment of People with Disabilities Awareness Month! Read on!
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