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Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Dec. 4 Webinar: Accessible Pathways and Transitstops during winter weather for Snow Removal for People with Disabilities
Ensuring safe and independent travel for people with and without disabilities can be difficult during winter weather conditions. A national standard for effective snow removal for pedestrians does not currently exist. In this webinar, presenters will discuss how snow removal, or the lack thereof, affects the independent travel of people with disabilities. Presenters will also discuss effective practices in snow removal for public transportation and for the broader community with a look at snow removal from a complete streets perspective.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Roy Estivez, Suburban Illinois man the first charged of labor-trafficking offense in Cook County; Estivez preyed on 2 mentally challenged men
By Jeremy Gorner, Rosemary Regina Sobol and Steve Schmadeke
Chicago Tribune reporters November 19, 2013
Chicago - A 26-year-old south suburban man became the first individual to face labor trafficking charges in Cook County after being charged with forcing his tenants to pay him money by using violent tactics like burning them with a heated butcher knife or sexually assaulting them with a power drill.
Roy Estivez, (pictured) of the 300 block of Campbell Avenue in south suburban Calumet City is charged with aggravated involuntary servitude, involuntary servitude, and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, according to Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. Daly said it was the first time their office ever approved charges of labor trafficking and there were two victims in this case.
In court today, Cook County prosecutors alleged Estivez preyed on mentally challenged men. Estivez threatened, tortured, and exploited the men, who are 22 and 23, after renting an apartment to them and then conning them into turning over their entire paychecks to him.
The alleged abuse came to light when one of men's bosses noticed injuries and the victim told him what happened, according to Assistant State's Attorney Mary Anna Planey. The men were forced to take second and third jobs and turn over all their money to Estivez, Planey said.
Judge James Brown ordered Estivez held on $500,000 bail.
Estivez burned the men's faces and bodies with a heated knife, beat them with an electrical cord and poured hydrogen peroxide in their wounds, according to Planey. He also sexually assaulted one of the men with a power drill.
Estivez warned the victims that he was mobbed up and had a police officer on his payroll, according to the prosecutor.
Estivez often denied them food, telling them to find something to eat at work, prosecutors said.
When one of the victims lost one of his jobs, Estivez began torturing both victims, while telling them they needed to get another job, the prosecutor said.
The victims were afraid to leave because Estivez threatened to kill them and harm their families.
Estivez's attorney said his client is married with two children and helps care for his 74-year-old grandmother.
On Oct. 20, one of the victim’s bosses observed visible injuries and the victim told him about the abuse, the prosecutor said.
The victim was taken to the hospital and was treated for burns. The victim never returned to the apartment, and Estivez tried to find him.
Estivez was arrested over the weekend after a man came to police telling them Estivez heated a butcher knife and had burned his body in order to get him to give money to Estivez, the landlord at his Southeast Side apartment and a friend since high school, according to a police report.
The victim paid him in cash but since August has been "short on money" so Estivez "burns him with his heated butcher knife on different parts of the body," the report said.
The man reported the incidents, which happened between August and October, to police after being treated at Franciscan St. Margaret Health in Hammond, Ind.
Estivez explained to the man that he needed money and if not, "he will get hurt," the report said.
The man told police that Estivez has keys to his apartment on South Baltimore Avenue in theSouth Chicago neighborhood and comes over whenever he wants, mostly at night, and also calls him and tells him to be there whenever Estivez wanted, the report said.
Authorities said the incident was initially reported to Chicago police as an aggravated battery but after further investigation, prosecutors approved the labor trafficking charges.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-crime-labo-trafficking-charge-20131119,0,5628892.storyCopyright © 2013 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC
Four Year wait for correct wheelchair
WOAI NBC News Channel 4 San Antonio
Nov 18, 2013
SAN ANTONIO,Texas - Countless students earn a college degree faster than its taking Vicki Jurney-Taylor to receive her special-ordered wheelchair. Jurney-Taylor is well known in San Antonio for her love of animals and speaking her mind, and she's also known across the country for fighting a debilitating disease.
At 55-years-old, she is one of the longest-living people in the U.S. with Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA, a disease that attacks nerve cells and weakens the muscles. While some people might ask "why me," Jurney-Taylor is more concerned with another question: "where's my wheelchair?"
"When you order a piece of equipment that costs as much as a power chair costs, you expect to have stellar service," Jurney-Taylor said.
She ordered a $40,000 chair from United Seating and Mobility in 2009.
The chair came in two weeks, but it was missing a place to put the battery to her ventilator, which she needs to live. "I can only breathe off of the ventilator for three hours. After that, I start to turn blue," she said. She says the company agreed to fix the chair but asked if she would sign the delivery receipt so they could get paid by Medicare.
That was four years ago, and she's still waiting for her new chair. Jurney-Taylor called and emailed the company for years, but says she never got an answer. A quick search on Facebook revealed she wasn't the only one struggling with the company, so were children across the nation.
"I mean, small children who are at the stage of development who need this piece of equipment to go to school and to interact with their peers are being dropped from the system and having to stay home," Jurney-Taylor said.
Over the summer United Seating merged with another company and became Numotion Mobility.
The new management did not help with the situation until the News 4 Trouble Shooters got involved this week.
Alexis Ward with Numotion Mobility admitted that the company dropped the ball. "We didn't take care of her and we're human we made a mistake," Ward said. She also said they will meet with Jurney-Taylor to help them find solutions to their customer service problem.
Jurney-Taylor was fitted for her new chair Thursday night and expects to get it in about a month.
For video report:
: http://news4sanantonio.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/fouryearwait-wheelchair-delivery-5789.shtml#.Uotjl4dDDmw.twitter
WOAI NBC News Channel 4 San Antonio provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, investigations, and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for San Antonio and nearby towns and communities in South Central Texas, including Windcrest, Uvalde, Universal City, Somerset, Seguin, Schertz, San Marcos, Sabinal, Poth, Poteet, Pleasanton, Pearsall, New Braunfels, Live Oak, Kerrville, Hondo, Helotes, Goliad, Fredericksburg, Floresville, Eagle Pass, Devine, Del Rio, Cuero, Crystal City, Converse, Cibolo, Castroville, Carrizo Springs, Boerne, Bandera.
Read More at: http://news4sanantonio.com/
ALERT: Upcoming Senate Hearing on Disability Treaty - Nov 21! WE NEED YOUR HELP!
| Second CRPD Hearing in the U.S. Senate |
November 21st
9:30 am
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50
YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!
Panel One:
The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State
Panel Two:Ms. Frances W. West Worldwide Director, Human Ability & Accessibility Center, IBMThe Honorable C. Boyden Gray Former White House Counsel and AmbassadorMr. Jeremy A. Rabkin Professor of Law, George Mason University School of LawMr. Curtis A. Bradley William Van Alstyne Professor of Law, Duke University School of Law School
Thank you to everyone who attended the November 5th hearing! Based on YOUR incredible show of support, Chairman Menendez has scheduled the second hearing on November 21st in a larger room to ensure that advocates can be present and show the Committee their support in person! You can RSVP for theNovember 21st hearing here! This will help us tell the Committee that the disability community is behind this treaty.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
WE CANNOT STOP NOW!
Senators Menendez and Corker and others on the Foreign Relations Committee need to continue to hear from YOU and know that you support the CRPD! Your actions show the committee members that the community is behind this treaty and that we want the process to KEEP MOVING FORWARD!
Visit our new citizen action portal, www.disabilitytreaty.
You can also contact Senator Corker at 202-224-3344 and Senator Menendez at 202-224-4744.
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Pres. Obama seeks 2nd chance for UN disabilities pact (CRPD) hearing Nov 21
By BRADLEY KLAPPER; Associated Press; Nov 19, 2013
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration is pushing for ratification of a U.N. accord on the rights of the disabled less than a year after Senate Republicans rejected pleas for its passage from two former GOP presidential nominees and delivered a stinging rebuke to a global treaty modeled largely on American law.
It's unclear whether the administration has won over Republican skeptics, but top aides to President Barack Obama are lobbying hard for another vote. Secretary of State John Kerry will testify later this week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power has made several trips to the Capitol for meetings with senior lawmakers. Officials have sought to mobilize veterans and disabled groups, religious organizations and the business community in support of the treaty.
"We want to lead the struggle to make these rights universal," Power told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "It would be a very good thing internationally if disability rights were promoted and respected to the extent they are in this country."
The treaty aims to ensure the disabled enjoy equal rights as their fellow citizens, extending many provisions introduced by the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act that was passed by Congress and then signed into law by President George H.W. Bush more than two decades ago. Advocates say U.S. ratification would benefit American veterans, families, students and others wishing to live, travel, work or study overseas by offering the United States a platform to help other governments extend more services for disabled people.
And they argue that little would be demanded of the United States, which has set standards for everything from ensuring wheelchair access and handicapped-accessible toilets in public buildings to rules forbidding workplace discrimination against people with disabilities.
"Ratification of this treaty is not going to affect American law," Power declared.
But opposition runs deep among Republicans, and securing the two-thirds majority needed for Senate passage is no sure thing. In December the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities fell five votes short as only 61 senators voted in favor and 38 senators - all Republicans - voted against.
Even the presence of a frail, wheelchair-using Bob Dole, the former Senate majority leader and the Republicans' 1996 presidential candidate, failed to sway party colleagues. Dole, who was wounded during World War II, was joined by Sen. John McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential candidate who had disabling injuries in Vietnam, and then-Sen. Dick Lugar, until this year the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, in making the conservative case for adoption of the treaty.
Their effort was knocked down by an equally passionate campaign spearheaded by tea party favorite Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. He warned the agreement could lead to the state, rather than parents, determining the best interests of disabled children on issues such as home schooling. Opponents also claimed the treaty could lead to more abortions by guaranteeing the disabled equal access to reproductive health care. Lee's office declined to comment on the administration's new effort, beyond saying the senator remained opposed for the same reasons.
The conservative Heritage Foundation also is against ratification. It says the pact would subject America to a biased U.N. review every four years and do nothing to advance American interests internationally.
"We won't help other countries by joining a treaty," said Steven Groves, a senior fellow at the Washington think tank. "We help other countries by setting an example and providing assistance."
Some key moderate Republicans are on the fence. "We want to advance the rights of people who are disabled throughout the world. I want to. I think that's a good thing," Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said earlier this month. He warned, however, that the treaty could expand federal power and interfere in U.S. legal proceedings unless the Senate stipulates its reservations as part of any ratification.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the committee chairman, will put the treaty before his panel as early as next month. A full Senate vote is then likely to follow.
Senate Democrats and administration officials hope prospects for passage are better now, a year removed from Obama's re-election and a lame-duck session of Congress that many Republicans considered an inappropriate time for consideration of any treaty. Last year, 36 GOP senators came out against the treaty based on the timing of the vote alone.
Administration officials say they're lobbying significantly harder this time around than last, and they believe they can pick off the handful of additional Republicans needed to secure the treaty's ratification. In a flurry of private meetings and public outreach efforts, they've sought to aggressively push back against what they call misconceptions about a treaty that 138 other governments have ratified.
On the home schooling question, officials are promising the treaty won't prevent any parent from it. They say ratification of the pact would actually make it easier for the U.S. to persuade countries hostile to the practice to loosen their laws on allowing disabled children to be taught at home.
"These are parental rights, which we consider sacred," Power said.
On reproductive health care, officials say the language only demands equality under the law for disabled people, compelling no nation to make abortion legal or illegal for all its citizens.
The U.N. treaty was negotiated during President George W. Bush's administration. Obama signed the final product in 2009.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
for more info on the UN Disability Treaty visit, United States International Council on Disabilities
Monday, November 18, 2013
A Chicago disabled man, victim of a heinous crime: opinion
Chicago's Union Station, where a man with cerebral palsy was allegedly robbed while trapped with two men in an elevator.
By Bob Greene, CNN Contributor; CNN Opinion; Sun November 17, 2013
Editor's note: CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a bestselling author whose 25 books include "Late Edition: A Love Story"; "Duty: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War"; and "Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen.
(CNN) -- So that I could best understand the depth of his revulsion for the crime, the police investigator suggested that I pay a visit to the elevator where it allegedly took place.
The elevator is just a few steps inside the Canal Street entrance to Chicago's Union Station. The train station, in the decades before the jet age, was the indispensable hub for America's interstate travel. It remains, in the Amtrak era, cavernous and rife with echoes. It is as if the structure was designed to make mere mortals feel small.
The vast station, when it is filled with passengers heading to and from Amtrak trains and local commuter lines, can lead a person to half-believe that in the bustle no one notices him.
Unless someone is making it a point to notice.
Bob Greene
"He is 27 years old," said Michael MacDonald, an investigator for Amtrak's police department. "He is able to travel by himself. He's a very likeable guy."
The man he was talking about suffers from cerebral palsy. Physically slight, he has only one leg. He has three fingers on each hand. With determination and quiet daily courage, he is able to get around independently by using a motorized chair.
"There are people who hang around the front door and look for victims," MacDonald said. "Prey."
Pickpocketing is usually the crime of choice. Officers inside the train station are on alert for thieves who attempt to relieve travelers of their wallets on escalators or stairways.
MacDonald has worked in law enforcement for 30 years. Some offenses still have the power to infuriate him, because they violate not only the law, but any basic definition of humanity.
As pedestrians stream through that Canal Street door, rushing to make their trains on the lower level, few even glance toward the little elevator landing to the right of the entrance.
On surveillance video recorded in August, MacDonald said, the young man, trying to get to a commuter train, is clearly visible entering the station. Because he is unable to use stairs, he steers his chair to his right, toward the elevator.
Also on the video are two men, MacDonald said, who "follow him right to the elevator. Both get on with him." The elevator is small, relatively cramped, with a low ceiling.
What reportedly happens next is what is so ghastly. The man in the motorized chair has his cash and a cellphone zipped into a satchel strapped to his waist. This is his custom when he leaves the house; he lives with his mother, and the cellphone is his lifeline.
On the surveillance video, the men who have followed him to the elevator -- later identified by police and by the Cook County State's Attorney's office as Demetrius Thomas, 48, and Terrell Jones, 49 -- strike up a conversation with him.
Then, according to investigators, one guards the elevator door to make certain no one else tries to enter, while the other reaches down and takes what he wants from the man in the chair.
They allegedly take his phone and cash. They seem to be in no hurry; because of his missing fingers, he cannot grasp the items as they are taken from him. He does his best to resist, but it is as if the men are casually removing items from a store shelf. Then, leaving him in the elevator, they simply walk away and go back into the city.
The young man, alone in the busy train station, told an Amtrak police officer what had been done to him. ("Nothing like this had ever happened to me before," the young man told me the other afternoon. "I tried to respond to it with as much grace as I could. But after it was over, it just felt like such an indignity.") From the surveillance video, investigators made still photos and showed them around. One officer assigned to Union Station recognized Demetrius Thomas as a man who had been warned to stay out of the terminal. The next time he showed up he was arrested for criminal trespass and, according to MacDonald, said that Terrell Jones had been his accomplice in the elevator robbery.
A Chicago police detective knew where to find Terrell Jones: in Cook County Jail. It seems that, one day after the Union Station robbery, he had been arrested for a crime a few miles away. At the Northwestern Memorial Hospital complex, a 75-year-old woman was visiting her ailing husband. Alone in an elevator, she was easy pickings. Police had apprehended Terrell Jones for allegedly robbing her.
Both men face eight felony counts for what they allegedly did to the young man in Union Station. They have entered not guilty pleas; I asked a representative of the office of the Cook County public defender whether the lawyers assigned to the men would discuss the case or comment on it, and he declined on their behalf. What we refer to as the justice system will now kick in.
Cases such as this one can come and go, news blips competing for the attention of a busy public already barraged by torrents of bad news. Strong-arm crimes against those least able to defend themselves are on occasion described as "petty" when the victim is not seriously injured. Judges sometimes allow offenders to plead to lesser charges, to speed up the process and unclog the overloaded courts system.
The assistant state's attorney prosecuting the case -- Mary Lou Norwell -- specializes in crimes against the elderly and the disabled. It has come to this: The very people whom society as a whole should be most dedicated to helping are instead so often targets of soulless crime that a special subcategory of prosecution has been developed to deal with those who would hurt them.
Once we begin to shrug at the inevitability of such crimes -- once we begin to accept that, in a cold world, this is just the way things are -- we are heading down a dark and sorry path. Because once we stop caring, we, too, have been robbed of something precious.
The young man's cellphone and his money, Investigator MacDonald told me, are long gone; he will never see them. "I count my blessings," the young man told me. "I don't want to be a 'woe-is-me' type. I've never been that kind of person." Out of a sense of duty, he rode a train back into the city so that he could attend a police lineup to identify the alleged offenders.
There will be status hearings and continuances, and eventually, when and if the case goes to trial, the young man will, in his motorized chair, with considerable difficulty make his way to the courthouse to testify. When he entered the train-station elevator that day, the two men who followed him became an unwanted part of his life for years to come. He had no say. The victims never do.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
2013 Chicago Taxicab Driver Excellence Award - exemplary taxicabriver who serves the disabled community driving a wheelchair accessible vehicle - vote til Dec 31, 2013
2013 Taxicab Driver Excellence Award
November 5, 2013
The City of Chicago will award a taxicab medallion to an exemplary taxicabriver who serves the disabled community driving a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) has launched the nomination period for the 2013 Taxicab Driver Excellence Award. The award focuses on taxicab drivers who serve the disabled community, drive wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and provide exemplary customer service to passengers.
The winner will receive a Chicago taxicab medallion, the average market price of a taxicab medallion is at a minimum $360,000. The award is part of Mayor Emanuel’s initiatives to promote and incentivize the growth of wheelchair accessible vehicles in Chicago.
Eligible Taxicab Drivers MUST at a minimum:
Hold a valid City of Chicago Public Chauffeur license.Be in compliance with all City laws.Have been driving a Chicago licensed taxicab for at least 3 consecutive years.
To nominate a driver, please download the Nomination Form and return it to BACP.
Nomination forms are accepted:
By Mail: “Attn: Taxicab Driver Excellence Award” BACP – Public Vehicle Operations Division, 2350 W. Ogden Ave., First Floor, Chicago, IL 60608
By Email: In subject line, state “Taxicab Driver Excellence Award” and email to BACPPV@cityofchicago.org
In Person: BACP – Public Vehicle Operations Division, 2350 W. Ogden Ave., 1st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60608 OR BACP - Administrative Offices, City Hall – Room 805, 121 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60602
Nominations will be accepted through 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2013.
For questions, contact BACPPV@cityofchicago.org or call 312-746-4300.
To nominate a driver, please download the Nomination Form and return it to BACP.
Nomination forms are accepted:
By Mail: “Attn: Taxicab Driver Excellence Award” BACP – Public Vehicle Operations Division, 2350 W. Ogden Ave., First Floor, Chicago, IL 60608
By Email: In subject line, state “Taxicab Driver Excellence Award” and email to BACPPV@cityofchicago.org
In Person: BACP – Public Vehicle Operations Division, 2350 W. Ogden Ave., 1st Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60608 OR BACP - Administrative Offices, City Hall – Room 805, 121 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60602
Nominations will be accepted through 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2013.
For questions, contact BACPPV@cityofchicago.org or call 312-746-4300.
Social Security 2014 Provisions Affecting Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)
as posted by Social Security Administration...
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/solvency/provisions/cola.html
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/solvency/provisions/cola.html
| Solvency Provisions |  Provisions Affecting Cost of Living Adjustment | |
| Information on the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) | An annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) applies to benefits after initial eligibility. We provide a summary list of all options in this category. For each provision listed below, we provide an estimate of the financial effect on the OASDI program over the long-range period (the next 75 years) and for the 75th year. In addition, we provide graphs and detailed single year tables. We base all estimates on the intermediate assumptions described in the 2013 Trustees Report. Choose the type of estimates (summary or detailed) from the list of provisions. |
| Number | Table and graph selection |
|---|---|
| A1 | Starting December 2014, reduce the annual COLA by 1 percentage point.Summary measures and graphs (PDF version) |
| A2 | Starting December 2014, reduce the annual COLA by 0.5 percentage point.Summary measures and graphs (PDF version) |
| A3 | Starting December 2014, compute the COLA using a chained version of the consumer price index for wage and salary workers (CPI-W). We estimate this new computation will reduce the annual COLA by about 0.3 percentage point, on average.Summary measures and graphs (PDF version) |
| A4 | Starting December 2016, compute the COLA using a chained version of the consumer price index for wage and salary workers (CPI-W). We estimate this new computation will reduce the annual COLA by about 0.3 percentage point, on average. The new COLA will not apply to DI benefits. It will apply to OASI benefits, except for those of formerly disabled-workers who converted to retired-worker status.Summary measures and graphs (PDF version) |
| A5 | Starting December 2014, add 1 percentage point to the annual COLA for beneficiaries who have lived past a "specified age". The "specified age" is the sum of: (1) 65 and (2) the unisex cohort life expectancy at age 65.Summary measures and graphs (PDF version) |
| A6 | Starting December 2015, compute the COLA using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). We estimate this new computation will increase the annual COLA by about 0.2 percentage point, on average.Summary measures and graphs (PDF version) |
| A7 | Starting December 2014, reduce the annual COLA by 1 percentage point, but not to less than zero. In cases where the unreduced COLA is less than 1 percentage point, do not carry over the unused reduction into future years.Summary measures and graphs (PDF version) |
Above provisionsSummary measures |
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Virtual Town Hall on the Disabilities Treaty (CRPD) - November 19 - RSVP now
LiveAtState Virtual Town Hall | November 19th
Disabilities Treaty
Please join the U.S. Department of State for a LiveAtState Virtual Town Hall on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Disabilities Treaty). Judy Woodruff will host a discussion with Judith Heumann and Patrick Murphy about the Disabilities Treaty and its connection to people with disabilities at home and abroad. The audience will be able to follow the conversation live via webcast and also join the discussion by submitting questions through email and Twitter.
DETAILS:
Moderator:
Speakers:
Topic:
Date:
Time:
Language:
RSVP:
Submit questions: You may submit your questions in advance and during the program via email to Live@state.gov or via Twitter to @StateDept using the hashtag #AskState.
Biographies
Co-Anchor and Managing Editor
PBS NewsHour
Judy Woodruff, broadcast journalist, has covered politics and other news for more than three decades at CNN, NBC, and PBS. After returning to the NewsHour in 2007 as a senior correspondent, she now regularly co-anchors the newly redesigned PBS NewsHour. For 12 years, Ms. Woodruff served as anchor and senior correspondent for CNN, anchoring the weekday political program, “Inside Politics.” Woodruff also played a central role in the network’s political coverage and other major news stories. At PBS from 1983 to 1993, she was the chief Washington correspondent for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour. From 1984-1990, she also anchored PBS’ award winning weekly documentary series, “Frontline with Judy Woodruff.” At NBC News, Woodruff served as White House correspondent from 1977 to 1982. For one year after that she served as NBC’s Today Show chief Washington correspondent. She wrote the book, This is Judy Woodruff at the White House, published in 1982 by Addison-Wesley. Woodruff is a founding co-chair of the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging women in communication industries worldwide. She serves on the boards of trustee of the Freedom Forum, the Newseum, and the Urban Institute.
Special Advisor for International Disability Rights
U.S. Department of State
Term of Appointment: 06/07/2010 to present
Judith Heumann is an internationally recognized leader in the disability community and a lifelong civil rights advocate for disadvantaged people. She has been appointed Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State. She previously served as the Director for the Department on Disability Services for the District of Columbia, where she was responsible for the Developmental Disability Administration and the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
From June 2002- 2006, Judith E. Heumann served as the World Bank's first Adviser on Disability and Development. In this position, Heumann led the World Bank's disability work to expand the Bank’s knowledge and capability to work with governments and civil society on including disability in the Bank discussions with client countries; its country-based analytical work; and support for improving policies, programs, and projects that allow disabled people around the world to live and work in the economic and social mainstream of their communities. She was Lead Consultant to the Global Partnership for Disability and Development.
From 1993 to 2001, Heumann served in the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education. Heumann was responsible for the implementation of legislation at the national level for programs in special education, disability research, vocational rehabilitation and independent living, serving more than 8 million youth and adults with disabilities.
From June 2002- 2006, Judith E. Heumann served as the World Bank's first Adviser on Disability and Development. In this position, Heumann led the World Bank's disability work to expand the Bank’s knowledge and capability to work with governments and civil society on including disability in the Bank discussions with client countries; its country-based analytical work; and support for improving policies, programs, and projects that allow disabled people around the world to live and work in the economic and social mainstream of their communities. She was Lead Consultant to the Global Partnership for Disability and Development.
From 1993 to 2001, Heumann served in the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education. Heumann was responsible for the implementation of legislation at the national level for programs in special education, disability research, vocational rehabilitation and independent living, serving more than 8 million youth and adults with disabilities.
For more than 30 years, Heumann has been involved on the international front working with disabled people’s organizations and governments around the world to advance the human rights of disabled people. She represented Education Secretary, Richard Riley, at the 1995 International Congress on Disability in Mexico City. She was a US delegate to the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. She has been active with Disabled Peoples’ International, Rehabilitation International and numerous Independent Living Centers throughout the world. She co-founded the Center for Independent Living in Berkeley California and the World Institute on Disability in Oakland California.
Heumann graduated from Long Island University in 1969 and received her Masters in Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley in 1975. She has received numerous awards including being the first recipient of the Henry B. Betts Award in recognition of efforts to significantly improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. She has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Long Island University in Brooklyn, an Honorary Doctorate of Public Administration from the University of Illinois, Champaign, and an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from the University of Toledo.
For more information, visit the Office of the Special Advisor for International Disability Rights. Follow the Special Advisor on Twitter: @IntDisability and on Facebook: https://www.
Partner, Fox Rothschild Philadelphia
Former U.S. Congressman (PA-8)
The Honorable Patrick Murphy is a Partner in the Philadelphia office of Fox Rothschild. Prior to joining the firm, Patrick represented over 700,000 constituents from Pennsylvania's Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms. He served on the Appropriations, Intelligence, and Armed Services committees and championed equality by authoring the bill repealing the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. He also coauthored the 21st Century GI Bill and Hire Our Heroes legislation for his fellow veterans and was instrumental in helping make the Washington Crossing National Veterans Cemetery a reality in 2008. Patrick was commissioned as an Army officer through the King's College Army ROTC program and is a graduate of the Widener University School of Law. He served as an assistant professor teaching constitutional law at the United States Military Academy at West Point and has lectured globally, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Air Force War College, the Federal Reserve Bank, and the Institute for Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy. Immediately following 9/11, Patrick served two overseas deployments - Tuzla, Bosnia in 2002 and Baghdad, Iraq in 2003-04, where he earned the Bronze Star for Service. A dynamic leader and MSNBC contributor, Patrick advises a broad range of clients on legislative, regulatory, public policy and advocacy matters. Additionally, Patrick serves as a Senior Fellow for the Center for American Progress. He also is currently working for the Department of State in support of efforts to secure ratification of the disabilities treaty.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Pace Bus to distribute free Ventra Cards, Pace Board delays some Ventra dates until July 1, 2014
AS SHARED BY 'PACE SUBURBAN BUS'...
Pace Moving Forward
Volume 10, Issue 19
November 15, 2013
Pace to distribute free Ventra Cards
Pace staff will be at suburban transit centers over the next few weeks in an effort to put Ventra cards directly into the hands of the agency's customers to ease their transition to the new fare payment system. A total of nine events will occur during the weeks of November 18 and December 2. As a thank you for trying Ventra, Pace has pre-loaded the cards with $2 of transit value, enough for one adult fare and up to two transfers within two hours.
"The network of retail locations that sell Ventra cards and allow customers to add passes or transit value to their account is still growing," said Pace Chairman Richard Kwasneski. "We felt that eliminating the step of locating a place to purchase a card was the easiest way to get our customers to begin using Ventra and learning about the benefits it offers."
To receive one of the free cards, customers must fill out a registration form available on-site. A valid, state-issued photo ID must be presented in order for Pace representatives to verify name and address information. Customers have the option of waiting for staff to complete the registration process on-site to receive a card immediately or turning in a verified form and receiving their card by mail within 3-5 business days. To participate, customers must present their form in person; forms submitted via post will not be accepted. RTA Reduced Fare and Ride Free Program customers are not eligible to participate, as they already have or will soon receive a free, Ventra-compatible card from the RTA. Customers who already have a Ventra card are also ineligible to participate.
Once customers have their Ventra card, they can add passes or transit value at vending machines, VentraChicago.com, by phone at 877-NOW-VENTRA, or at a participating Ventra retail location. Retail location information is available online or by phone. Before Ventra, Pace had only 50 retail locations at which customers could buy Pace passes. Ventra's retail network now has nearly 300 suburban locations, and will eventually grow to 500.
For a list of dates, times and locations of the Ventra distribution events, please visit www.pacebus.com.
Pace Board delays some Ventra dates
The Pace Board of Directors approved fare policy changes that differ slightly from the proposals discussed at public hearings in October. The issuance of Transfer Cards to cash-paying customers will continue until July 1, 2014, instead of the originally proposed date of December 15. Although the sale of Pace 10-Ride Plus tickets and magnetic stripe passes will end November 18 as originally proposed, these passes will continue to be accepted for fare payment until July 1- also instead of December 15.
"We will use the extra time to continue our customer outreach and education efforts while also working with the CTA and our vendor to ensure optimal customer experiences with Ventra," said Pace Board Chairman Richard Kwasneski.
Pace's Student Haul Pass, a monthly pass for high school and middle school students, was to have been replaced by the Pace 30-Day Reduced Pass for December. The Student Haul Pass will be extended one more month to allow students more time to apply for eligibility to purchase the Reduced Pass. More information, along with the form to apply for the student entitlement, is available in the FAQ section on VentraChicago.com. More information about Pace's updated milestone dates for the Ventra transition is available at www.PaceBus.com/Ventra.
The newsletter for stakeholders of America's most efficient suburban transit agency
www.pacebus.com
Customer Relations: (847) 364-7223
Copyright 2013, Pace Suburban Bus
Pace Moving Forward
Volume 10, Issue 19
November 15, 2013
Pace to distribute free Ventra Cards
Pace staff will be at suburban transit centers over the next few weeks in an effort to put Ventra cards directly into the hands of the agency's customers to ease their transition to the new fare payment system. A total of nine events will occur during the weeks of November 18 and December 2. As a thank you for trying Ventra, Pace has pre-loaded the cards with $2 of transit value, enough for one adult fare and up to two transfers within two hours.
"The network of retail locations that sell Ventra cards and allow customers to add passes or transit value to their account is still growing," said Pace Chairman Richard Kwasneski. "We felt that eliminating the step of locating a place to purchase a card was the easiest way to get our customers to begin using Ventra and learning about the benefits it offers."
To receive one of the free cards, customers must fill out a registration form available on-site. A valid, state-issued photo ID must be presented in order for Pace representatives to verify name and address information. Customers have the option of waiting for staff to complete the registration process on-site to receive a card immediately or turning in a verified form and receiving their card by mail within 3-5 business days. To participate, customers must present their form in person; forms submitted via post will not be accepted. RTA Reduced Fare and Ride Free Program customers are not eligible to participate, as they already have or will soon receive a free, Ventra-compatible card from the RTA. Customers who already have a Ventra card are also ineligible to participate.
Once customers have their Ventra card, they can add passes or transit value at vending machines, VentraChicago.com, by phone at 877-NOW-VENTRA, or at a participating Ventra retail location. Retail location information is available online or by phone. Before Ventra, Pace had only 50 retail locations at which customers could buy Pace passes. Ventra's retail network now has nearly 300 suburban locations, and will eventually grow to 500.
For a list of dates, times and locations of the Ventra distribution events, please visit www.pacebus.com.
Pace Board delays some Ventra dates
The Pace Board of Directors approved fare policy changes that differ slightly from the proposals discussed at public hearings in October. The issuance of Transfer Cards to cash-paying customers will continue until July 1, 2014, instead of the originally proposed date of December 15. Although the sale of Pace 10-Ride Plus tickets and magnetic stripe passes will end November 18 as originally proposed, these passes will continue to be accepted for fare payment until July 1- also instead of December 15.
"We will use the extra time to continue our customer outreach and education efforts while also working with the CTA and our vendor to ensure optimal customer experiences with Ventra," said Pace Board Chairman Richard Kwasneski.
Pace's Student Haul Pass, a monthly pass for high school and middle school students, was to have been replaced by the Pace 30-Day Reduced Pass for December. The Student Haul Pass will be extended one more month to allow students more time to apply for eligibility to purchase the Reduced Pass. More information, along with the form to apply for the student entitlement, is available in the FAQ section on VentraChicago.com. More information about Pace's updated milestone dates for the Ventra transition is available at www.PaceBus.com/Ventra.
The newsletter for stakeholders of America's most efficient suburban transit agency
www.pacebus.com
Customer Relations: (847) 364-7223
Copyright 2013, Pace Suburban Bus
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