STATEMENT OF JOHN WINSKE

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE COMMITTEE:

MY NAME IS MASSACHUSETTS.

I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MASSACHUSETTS COALITION OF CITIZENS WITH DISABILITIES AND THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSIT

AUTHORITY.

IN 1986, THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS PURCHASED 28 INTERCITY COACHES THROUGH A PROGRAM CALLED THE INTERCITY BUS CAPITAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (IBCAP). SIX OF THESE BUSES WERE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE. THE SIX WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE BUSES WERE LEASED TO SIX DIFFERENT COMPANIES THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH

EARLY THAT SUMMER, I MET A YOUNG LADY NAMED JOY WHO LIVED IN FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS. FITCHBURG IS A SMALL CITY SOME 50 MILES NORTHWEST OF BOSTON. JOY, LIKE MYSELF, USES AN ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR FOR MOBILITY.

ONE OF THE COMPANIES WHICH LEASED AN ACCESSIBLE INTERCITY BUS WAS ENGLANDER COACH LINES, BASED IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS. THE BUS ROUTE FOR ENGLANDER PASSED THROUGH FITCHBURG AND ENDED IN BOSTON. FOR THE BETTER PART OF FIFTEEN MONTHS, JOY AND I USED THAT BUS TO VISIT EACH OTHER ON WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS. ON A TYPICAL WEEKEND, JOY WOULD CATCH THE BUS AT 8 P.M. ON FRIDAY AFTER FINISHING HER CLASSES AT WORCESTER STATE COLLEGE. WHEN JOY ARRIVED IN BOSTON AT 9:30 P.M., SHE WOULD WHEEL HERSELF FORO THE ONE MILE TRIP TO MY APARTMENT. SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO USE THE PARATRANSIT PROGRAM IN BOSTON BECAUSE OF RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS.

FROM JUNE 1986 UNTIL OCTOBER 1987, JOY AND I TOOK 50 ROUND TRIPS ON THE BUS. IN ADDITION TO VISITING JOY, I USED THE BUSES FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES AROUND THE STATE. IN OCTOBER OF 1987, JOY MOVED то BOSTON WHERE SHE HAD GOTTEN A JOB. AFTER OCTOBER, WE BOTH USED THE BUS APPROXIMATELY ONCE A MONTH TO VISIT JOY'S FAMILY AND ΤΟ MAKE OUR WEDDING ARRANGEMENTS. WERE MARRIED IN JUNE OF 1988.

WE

IT SHOULD

BE

POINTED OUT THAT IF JOY AND I HAD HAD TO RELY ON PARATRANSIT (VAN) SERVICE то AND FROM FITCHBURG, IT WOULD HAVE COST US AT LEAST $150 PER ROUND TRIP. THE COST OF THE BUS WAS $9.00 PER ROUND TRIP. I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT NEITHER ONE OF US COULD HAVE AFFORDED TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP AT $150 PER WEEKEND. THE FACT THAT I AM HERE TODAY SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT THE NEED FOR THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. YOUNG PEOPLE USING BUSES TO CARRY ON THEIR ROMANCE SHOULDN'T BE NOTEWORTHY, BUT FOR THE DISABLED IN AMERICA OUR STORY IS QUITE UNIQUE.

DESPITE MY STORY,

TWO

YOU WILL HEAR TODAY FROM OPPONENTS OF THIS BILL THAT THE BUSES ARE NOT UTILIZED VERY OFTEN. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU SOME OF THE REASONS FOR THIS APPARENT LOW

RIDERSHIP STATISTIC.

THE

BEFORE 1988, THERE WAS NO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN FIFTEEN TRANSIT AUTHORITIES IN MASSACHUSETTS. THAT IS TO SAY THAT EVEN IF A PERSON WAS ELIGIBLE TO USE THE PARATRANSIT (VAN) SERVICE IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY, THEY COULD NOT USE THAT SERVICE TO TRAVEL то ANOTHER PART OF THE STATE BECAUSE EACH INDIVIDUAL HAD ITS OWN RESIDENCY

REQUIREMENTS.

TRANSIT

AUTHORITY

THIS IS WHY JOY HAD TO WHEEL THE ONE MILE TO MY APARTMENT IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER OR SUMMER AT 9:30 AT NIGHT.

BECAUSE OF THE

LENGTH OF SOME OF THE ROUTES, BUSES ONLY ONE ROUND TRIP PER DAY. A DISABLED PERSON HAD TO HAVE ACCESSIBLE LODGING FOR THE NIGHT.

MADE

THE NEW ACCESSIBLE BUS PROGRAM WAS NOT WELL PUBLICIZED. THIS WAS DELIBERATE SINCE THE LIFTS WERE OF AN EXPERIMENTAL THERE WAS CONCERN THAT CONSUMERS MIGHT BE STRANDED.

NATURE.

THEY

WERE

THE LIFTS FOR THE FIRST YEAR HAD SEVERAL MECHANICAL PROBLEMS, AND WERE OUT OF SERVICE FREQUENTLY. EVENTUALLY REWIRED BY ONE OF THE BUS COMPANIES IN MASSACHUSETTS AND THOSE IDEAS WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE NEW LIFT DESIGNS.

LASTLY, IT MUST BE MENTIONED THAT ONE OF THE REASONS FOR RIDERSHIP FIGURES NOT BEING HIGH IS THE TIMIDITY OF PERSONS DISABLED PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONDITIONED TO

THE
WITH DISABILITIES.

THINK

THAT THEY CANNOT RIDE INTERCITY BUSES. INDEED, THEY HAVE BEEN SO BEATEN DOWN ABOUT THIS POINT THAT THEY HAVE BECOME RELUCTANT то TRY ANYTHING AT ALL THAT IS "NEW". THE OLD ADAGE "IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE,, IT PROBABLY IS" IS ETCHED ON THE HEARTS OF MANY DISABLED PEOPLE.

DRAMATICALLY.

WHAT IS KNOWN IS THAT AS TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS BECOME MORE ACCESSIBLE, THE RIDERSHIP BY DISABLED CONSUMERS INCREASES THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSIT AUTHORITY HAS SEEN THE DEMAND FOR ACCESSIBLE BUSES INCREASE SIX-FOLD SINCE 1986. YOU HAVE ALSO SEEN THE RIDERSHIP ON THE METRO SYSTEM HERE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. INCREASE. I UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN THAT SYSTEM WAS BEING BUILT THERE WAS CONCERN THAT THE DISABLED WOULD NOT RIDE IT. YOU NOW KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT TRUE. YOU HAVE SEEN THAT, AS CONFIDENCE IN THE SYSTEM GROWS, THE NUMBER OF DISABLED PEOPLE USING THE SYSTEM GROWS. ACCESSIBLE INTERCITY BUS SERVICE IN MASSACHUSETTS IS ALSO NEW, BUT I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THERE IS DEMAND AND THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE USED AS THE BUGS ARE

A

WORKED OUT, AS THE SERVICE IS PUBLICIZED, AND AS LOCAL

TRANSPORTATION

NEEDED ΤΟ COMPLETE THE TRIP BECOMES ACCESSIBLE. SUMMER, MASSACHUSETTS PURCHASED 22 MORE ACCESSIBLE COACHES WHICH SHOULD GREATLY IMPROVE TRAVEL

ALTERNATIVES.

THIS

IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT IF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT IS PASSED, IT WILL INCREASE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE THIS INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT

DISABLED.

WOULD RESULT IN MORE PEOPLE USING INTERCITY BUSES TO COMMUTE TO WORK. MOST DISABLED PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY THOSE BEGINNING WORK, WILL NOT HAVE MONEY TO PURCHASE A VEHICLE AND THUS WILL HAVE TO RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

WE

PUBLIC AND

NO

SENSE

MUST STRIVE то MAKE ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION, IT WOULD MAKE 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 ARE 100% ACCESSIBLE TO THE DISABLED THAT WE WILL SEE A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP BY DISABLED PEOPLE.

PRIVATE, ACCESSIBLE TO THE DISABLED.

LET ME

GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THE NEED FOR ACCESSIBILITY IN ALL FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION. I LEFT MY HOUSE AT 9:30 LAST NIGHT AND TOOK THE ORANGE LINE (WHICH IS A HEAVY RAIL LINE IN BOSTON) то THE AMTRAK STATION. THERE, I WHEELED FROM A HIGH LEVEL PLATFORM ONTO ONE or 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.

WHAT 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.