WE MUST STRIVE TO MAKE ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION, IT WOULD MAKE NO SENSE TO HAVE THE BUSES IN CITY "A" ACCESSIBLE AND THE BUSES IN CITY "B" ACCESSIBLE BUT THE INTERCITY COACH WHICH CONNECTS THEM INACCESSIBLE. IT IS ONLY WHEN ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION 100% ACCESSIBLE TO THE DISABLED THAT WE WILL SEE A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP BY DISABLED PEOPLE. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, ACCESSIBLE TO THE DISABLED. NIGHT AND TOOK BOSTON) TO THE LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THE NEED FOR ACCESSIBILITY IN ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION. I LEFT MY HOUSE AT 9:30 LAST THE ORANGE LINE (WHICH IS A HEAVY RAIL LINE IN AMTRAK STATION. THERE, I WHEELED FROM A HIGH LEVEL PLATFORM ONTO ONE OF AMTRAK'S NEW ACCESSIBLE SLEEPER CARS. WHEN I ARRIVED IN WASHINGTON THIS MORNING, I BOARDED THE METRO AND CAME HERE. IF ANY ONE OF THESE PIECES WAS MISSING, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY. THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT IS ALL ABOUT IS FINALLY GRANTING THE DISABLED FULL CITIZENSHIP IN THIS NATION. IT IS A CLEAR AND CONCISE MESSAGE TO ALL AMERICANS THAT WE ALL BELONG. LAST YEAR JOY AND I PAID CLOSE TO $5,000 IN FEDERAL INCOME TAX. ALL WE ASK IS THAT WE BE ABLE TO WORK AT ANY JOB AT WHICH WE ARE QUALIFIED, RIDE ON ANY BUS FOR WHICH WE HAVE THE MONEY, LIVE IN ANY COMMUNITY OF OUR CHOOSING, AND ENJOY THE COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL OFFERINGS PROVIDED IN THESE UNITED STATES. Chairman Mineta and Members of the Subcommittee, my name is Ralph Markward. I am the Executive Director of the Zia Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I speak in favor of the private transportation requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act from personal experience. I am a veteran of World War II. I was a tailgunner and flew 30 missions over Germany. I am proud of my service to my country, but my country doesn't seem very proud of me. Because I and my fellow disabled veterans experience discrimination every day. When I was in the US Army Air Corps, I was stationed in places like Pyote, Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, and Las Vegas, Nevada. In every station I took intercity Greyhound and Trailways buses from the base, to town, and sometimes, home to visit my family. With my duffel bag over my back, I and soldiers like me were a familiar sight. Now the same ex-soldiers, like me, who are disabled, cannot take these buses. My wife and I would like to travel aboard Greyhound with senior citizen groups, because my wife is unable to drive a vehicle on highways. But we can't. When we reach a new city, we would like to take tour buses like thousands of other tourists. Our money, as the saying goes, is as green as theirs. But my business is not welcome. The buses cannot accommodate me. And sometimes, they refuse to accommodate me, even if, with help, I could get myself on the bus. 36-873 0-91 | Page 2 My fellow disabled Americans who, like me, need access to private transportation, are likely to be poor, because disabled Americans are much poorer, as a group, than non-disabled Americans. In 1984, according to a Lou Harris poll, half of us had household incomes under $15,000, while only 25% of all Americans were that poor For the older disabled, the poverty rate is greater...fully one in three older disabled Americans has an income below $7500; twice as high as for the non-disabled. The more severe the disability, the statistically lower the income. I don't have to tell you that private transit is the only choice available to poor Americans. What this means is that access to private transit is even more crucial for disabled persons than for the rest of the population. Yet we have none. Let's look at my state, New Mexico. It's 46th or 47th in per capita income of all the states. Tourism is a big business in my state. Albuquerque is the only city in New Mexico served by major airlines, therefore Greyhound bus travel is absolutely essential. But it is not available to us. Accessible airport transportation, also essential, is absolutely unavailable. All paratransit is available ONLY to certified handicapped persons, not tourists or business travelers, since Page 3 certification requires a month. The "Shuttle Jack" bus service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is also not lift equipped. The enforced isolation of older disabled Americans is truly un-American. You may think that my age peers and I -- and I am 64 years young -- are taken care of by paratransit. But we are not. Paratransit is unsatisfactory as it is, around town. It would never work over long distances. Older disabled Americans need access to mainline transit as well as private transit. We may be older, but don't let us be forgotten. Please help restore our pride and our ability to be a part of our society, with your support of the Americans with Disabilities Act. |