Tag Archive

Transportation and Travel

LightHouse News

Speaking Out for the Blind

On “Speaking Out for the Blind” host Brian McCallen interviews blind and visually impaired news makers and experts about the curious happenings, factoids, and topics that affect the community. It airs on ACB Radio Mainstream Wednesday’s at 7:30 PM Pacific Time. Visit acbradio.org, click on the MainStream link, then select the appropriate link to listen with the media player of your choice.

  • About Thunder Dog – airs June 20
    Michael Hingson talks about his new book Thunder Dog and how he and his former guide dog Roselle made the courageous escape from one of the Twin Towers during the 9/11 attack. He also gives some important advice to the blind and (their guide dogs) for how to survive major catastrophic emergencies.
  • Audio Reading Services – airs June 27
    Want to read your favorite books and newspapers, but can’t read them in print? Do you want listen to your favorite radio dramas, but have no access to an old time radio station? Well look no further than to your audio reading service. Joseph Hamilton of the Society for the Blind in Sacramento tells about how AccessNews and other services provide the content that informs and entertains the community every day.
  • LightHouse Audio-Tactile Maps – Airs July 4
    Maps are essential to participating fully in society, showing people how to get where they need to go. Greg Kehret, Director of Access to Information Services at the LightHouse for the Blind in San Francisco tells how the agency’s new audio-tactile maps for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) do just that.
  • Scott MacIntyre – Airs July 11
    Scott MacIntyre is a famous singer and songwriter. You may remember him from Season 8 on American Idol. Scott sings a little from his new album Heartstrings and gives insight into his ‘undiagnosed’ blindness for the very first time.

More episodes are coming this summer. So keep listening!

LightHouse News

Metropolitan Transportation Commission recruiting to fill Policy Advisory Council

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, MTC, is now recruiting for four vacancies on its Policy Advisory Council. Currently, there are three positions open for either a senior, disabled or low-income representative in San Francisco, Sonoma and Marin counties. In addition, there is one at-large position open for either a business or environment representative from any of the nine Bay Area counties. Information on the Council and its requirements, as well as the application can be found on the MTC website.

The deadline for all applications is Wednesday, May 9th.

For more information contact:

Pam Grove
Public Information Officer
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
510.817.5706
PGrove@mtc.ca.gov

LightHouse News

Focus Groups for Blind and Visually Impaired Clipper Card Users

Do you have a Clipper Card and have you had trouble using it? If so, please join the LightHouse and Disability Rights Advocates for a focus group of blind users to talk about situations and issues such as the following:

  • Difficulty finding the machines to tag your Clipper Card when riding BART or Caltrain
  • Difficulty determining if you have properly tagged your card
  • Trouble using your Clipper Card on another local transit system
  • Difficulty registering your Regional Transit Connection Card (RTC) on the Clipper Card website

You can participate in the discussion in either San Francisco or Berkeley. To RSVP contact Beth Berenson at info@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

San Francisco
April 19: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

Berkeley
May 8: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
LightHouse satellite office at the Ed Roberts Campus
3075 Adeline St., Ste. 110, Berkeley

LightHouse News

TSA Helpline for Travelers with Disabilities

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced the launch of TSA Cares, a new helpline designed to assist travelers with disabilities and medical conditions prior to getting to the airport.

Travelers may call TSA Cares toll-free at 1-855-787 2227 prior to traveling with questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, excluding federal holidays.

When a passenger with a disability or medical condition calls TSA Cares, a representative will provide assistance, either with information about screening that is relevant to the passenger’s specific disability or medical condition, or the passenger may be referred to disability experts at TSA.

TSA recommends that passengers call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that TSA Cares has the opportunity to coordinate checkpoint support with a TSA Customer Service Manager located at the airport when necessary.

More information about TSA Cares is available here.

LightHouse News

Share Your Input at Feb. 17 Demo of Taxi POS Device

Taxis in San Francisco now feature point-of-sale terminals that let passengers pay for their fares with a card without having to hand it over to the driver. The current model of these POS devices is inaccessible.

On Friday, February 17 at 10:30 a.m., the LightHouse (214 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco) will host a demonstration of a potentially accessible POS device for taxis. This is your chance to give community feedback on the accessibility of these devices. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Frank Welte at 415-694-7363 or fwelte@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Have you Had Problems Using Clipper Cards?

Disability Rights Advocates is investigating complaints regarding barriers that blind or visually impaired persons have experienced attempting to tag on or tag off at Caltrain stations using Clipper Cards.

If you have been unable to successfully tag on or tag off using a Clipper Card at a Caltrain station, have been unable to locate Clipper Card tagging machines due to the absence of tactile directional floor tiles, or have had to seek the assistance of a sighted person due to the inaccessibility of Clipper Card tagging machines, Disability Rights Advocates would like to talk to you. To share your stories, please contact Scott Murray by phone at 510-665-8644 or by e-mail at smurray@dralegal.org.

LightHouse News

NFB Early Explorers Program

The National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute announces the NFB Early Explorers Program. This free program is designed to introduce young blind children (age birth to 7) and their families to the long white cane.

Through the program parents will receive the tools, support and confidence needed to become their child’s first cane travel teacher. Providing children with an early start to independent movement and travel ensures that children will be more confident and curious travelers throughout life.

Families participating in the program will receive a free child-sized white cane, “Travel Tales” (a quarterly e-newsletter), an informational DVD and more.

To learn about this program or to register, please visit www.nfb.org/earlyexplorers, email earlyexplorers@nfb.org or call 410-659-9314, ext. 2418.

LightHouse News

Calling All Domestic Airline Travelers

Have you asked for assistance at an airport? What was your experience with the assistance you received? The LightHouse wants to know. Come discuss your domestic travel experiences.

When: Tuesday, January 24, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: LightHouse San Francisco Headquarters

The LightHouse advocacy team is examining the process in which travelers who are blind or visually impaired are assisted at various U.S. airports. The team is trying to determine if there are systematic failures with the current procedures. Have you been placed in holding areas for the disabled? Are you told to use wheelchairs even if you do not need one? Have you missed flights because of delays in “assistance”? Are you treated with respect?

Please join the discussion. Light refreshments will be served. To RSVP and for more information contact Beth Berenson at 415-694-7322 or info@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

LightHouse News

Elevator Out of Service at Civic Center Station December 14, 15 and 16

 

This morning, BART issued the following bulletin:

STREET-LEVEL ELEVATOR
OUT-OF-SERVICE
AT CIVIC CENTER STATION
December 14, 15 and 16

We apologize for the inconvenience that will be caused by the street-level elevator repair at Civic Center Station. The flooring needs to be replaced and the work should take no more than 3 days to complete.

While the repairs are going on, the elevator will not be available for use. Passengers who rely on the elevator should plan to use the elevator at a different station. We hope that once the work is complete, it will result in many more years of trouble-free operation.

Thank you for your patience.

To check the operational status of the elevators at nearby stations, please call 510-834-LIFT or 888-2-ELEVAT.

If you need language assistance services, please call BART’s Transit Information Center at (510) 465-2278.

LightHouse News

Bus Rapid Transit on Van Ness Avenue – Public Comment on Environmental Impact Accepted through Dec. 19

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is intended as an affordable approach to creating rapid transit along Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco’s major north-south transit route, for two miles between Mission and Lombard streets.

The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency is analyzing the environmental impact of three BRT build alternatives and one design variation. They include:

• Dedicated bus lanes, helping reduce transit travel time by 32%.
• Transit signal priority, giving buses more green lights and helping increase transit reliability by up to 50%.
• Faster, level boarding through all doors to reduce transit delays by more than 40%.
• These benefits are estimated to contribute to a 35% increase in transit ridership along the corridor.
• While undergoing planning and design, the project received the FTA’s highest rating for cost-effectiveness several years in a row, an indication of its high benefit-to-cost ratio.

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) is available for public review and comment for 45 days, with all comments due December 19 (see How to Read and Comment on the EIS/EIR). The document compares BRT alternatives to conditions without BRT and documents how the BRT alternatives would affect a range of issues.

A formal public hearing for the EIS/EIR will take place on November 30 and an online webinar will take place on December 5 (see details below).

• The public hearing will be held on November 30, 2011, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, 1500 Van Ness Ave. The event will include an open house from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. with staff available to answer questions, followed by a short presentation. A court reporter will be available during the public hearing to take verbal comments on the EIS/EIR.
• A webinar will be held on December 5, 2011, at noon. Register here.
• The next meeting of the Van Ness Avenue BRT Citizens Advisory Committee, open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, November 15, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the SFCTA offices, 100 Van Ness Ave., 26th floor.