Tag Archive

Transportation and Travel

Resources in the Community

Summer 2011 Taglit-Birthright Israel Trip

Perkins School for the Blind has announced a new partnership with Routes Travel: Amazing Israel.

Taglit-Birthright Israel offers the gift of first-time, peer group, 10-day educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults. Over 230,000 young adults from 52 countries have already been the recipients of this gift.

Routes Travel was chosen as the trip organizer because of its experience with specialized trips, such as one last summer for young adults who are wheelchair users. Next summer they will offer a trip for Jewish young adults who are blind or visually impaired, high school graduates and between the ages of 18 and 26. (Trip date will be announced later this fall.)

Activities may include:
*Visiting historical sites and museums
*Participating in lectures and discussions
*Staying in a Kibbutz
*Traveling with Israeli young adults serving as soldiers
*Hiking, rafting or other outdoor activities
*Archeological digs
*Tours with experienced guides
*Making new friends

The gift covers airfare from a departing city (to be selected on the East Coast), hotel, transportation, most meals and trip programming. Groups of three or more from a COSB school or alumni association may be asked to provide and fund a guide.

For further information and to request a pre-application in order to be considered for this summer’s trip, please contact: Beth Caruso, Director of Perkins Outreach Services, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472 at 617-972-7434 or Beth.Caruso@Perkins.org.

Routes Travel Birthright: www.amazingisrael.com

Taglit-Birthright Israel: www.birthrightisrael.com

Resources in the Community

Blind Travelers Sue Airlines for Better Access

Are you dreading all the time you will be spending in airports as the holiday season approaches? If you are blind, digital boards and electronic kiosks won’t make it any easier to find your gate and catch your flight. A group of blind travelers is trying to change that. Listen to this National Public Radio story about a lawsuit that has been filed against United Airlines.

Resources in the Community

Switching from Muni Disabled Fast Pass Sticker to Clipper Card

Muni, San Francisco’s public transit provider, is converting to a new fare system. The Muni website tells us:

The monthly paper passes are transitioning to the Clipper (formerly TransLink®) card and after 30 years new fare gates have replaced the old turnstiles in all Muni Metro stations. New Muni Ticket Vending Machines have also been installed in Muni Metro stations. Customers will need to get a Clipper card to load their monthly Muni pass. Starting with the November pass. This includes bus and train riders with disabilities who have been suing the Regional Transit Card (fast pass) with the purchase of a monthly discount sticker

What follows are some instructions for RTC card holders who are making the switch.

October:  This is the last month for the disabled sticker.

November:  You must load your discounted monthly pass to your RTC Discount Photo ID Card.

How to Check your RTC Card:

Go to a MUNI Ticket Vending Machine (in Metro Subway Stations).

Press View Balance (option D).

Hold your ID card flat to the round Clipper insignia located under the monitor.

If a screen pops up showing your card balance, even if it shows 0 balance, your card is ok.

If a screen does not pop up showing balance, your card needs to be replaced.

If card is not working:

Call 701-5435 to report your card.

DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR DEFECTIVE RTC ID CARD!

A replacement card will be delivered to the MUNI RTC Discount ID Office at 1 South Van Ness in San Francisco.

Call 701-5025 to confirm your card has been delivered prior to visiting the office.

BRING THE DEFECTIVE CARD WITH YOU WHEN PICKING UP YOUR REPLACEMENT.

Office hours are Monday through Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

If card is found to be defective, replacement fee will be waived.  If not defective (such as damaged, cracked, hole punches, etc.), $5 fee will be charged.

If Card is Okay:

Load your October discount pass to your ID card.

Do this anytime after September 17.

How to load the pass:

By phone or online (877-878-8883 or clippercard.com).

At a MUNI Ticket Vending Machine (available in Metro Subway Stations).

At a Clipper retailer (call 877-878-8883 or go online to find the one nearest you).

The LightHouse’s trusty orientation and mobility instructors went to the nearby Muni metro station yesterday to scope out the new fare gates and the Clipper machines. They reported back that the machines do indeed voice all of the information on the screen, including card balance and other details. A rider can hold their card flat (ish) against the round Clipper touchpad, which is raised and also labeled in Braille.  It shouldn’t matter which end of the card is applied to the insignia, the machine will still read it. Our O&M teachers recommend that you bring headphones to hear the audio output on the machine, as the voice is fairly low and busy stations tend to be noisy.

For questions about Muni services, contact:

Accessible Services Contacts

One South Van Ness Avenue, 7th Floor
San Francisco, California 94103-1267

Phone: 415.701.4485
Fax: 415.701.4728

Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or call the San Francisco 311 Customer Service Center.

For questions about orientation and mobility at the LightHouse, call us in the Resource Center! 1-800-400-8933. Our O&M specialists can also give you soem travel tips and on-site travel instruction for the temporary Trasnbay terminal. And the LightHouse can provide you with an Braille map of the station.

Resources in the Community

Global Explorers, Where Has Your White Cane Taken You?

In honor of White Cane Safety Day, LightHouse wants to remind adventurous blind youth to apply for Global Explorers Leading the Way program by November 15th!

This year, the expedition is called Rim to River and it involves a high altitude hike of the Grand Canyon in summer 2011. Go to the Global Explorers website to find out more about the application and ways you can fundraise for your journey:

Just imagine where your white cane can take you! Maybe you have already traversed the Grand Canyon with your cane? Or, a more exotic locale? We want to know. Send the LightHouse photos of yourself with your white cane in exciting destinations. Post them to your Facebook and share them on our Facebook page.

Resources in the Community

BART Stairwell Closure at 8th and Market, San Francisco.

Beginning August 18, 2010, contractors will close one stairwell at Civic Center Station for about four weeks. The contractors will close the stairwell at 8th and Market (near the Hotel Whitcomb) to replace a granite wall with a steel railing. This work is being done at the request of the City of San Francisco. The contractor expects to finish the project by September 15, 2010. During the construction, the contractor will erect temporary chain link fences and temporary lighting. BART apologizes for any inconvenience this project may cause.

LightHouse News, Resources in the Community

Will You Be Using the Temporary Transbay Terminal?

On Saturday, August 7th, 2010 the Transbay Terminal at First and Mission closes for a proposed six-year renovation. That same day, the Temporary Transbay Terminal, located one and a half blocks away and bordered by Main, Beale, Howard and Folsom streets officially opens for business. AC Transit and MUNI operations will be relocated to this facility.

LightHouse Partners with TJPA, Offers Maps and Training
The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) has partnered with the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind to provide enhanced accessibility and safety of the terminal for blind and visually impaired travelers. Braille, tactile and large print maps of the terminal will be available through the LightHouse. Certified LightHouse Orientation and Mobility Specialists will be available by appointment to provide information, guidance and route training through the initial changeover period, with direct free emboridery designs services through December 2010.

LightHouse representatives will be on hand to answer questions at the Temporary Transbay Terminal Open House on August 3 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Blind and visually impaired individuals desiring up to two hours of one-on-one instruction can arrange for an appointment with a certified Lighthouse Orientation and Mobility Specialist by calling (415) 694-7302 or emailing temptransbay@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Braille, tactile and large print maps of the terminal can be ordered by calling (415) 694-7302 or emailing temptransbay@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

For more information and to read the official press release, go to http://bit.ly/TempTransbay

Resources in the Community

Faregate Changes at Muni Underground Stations

A message from Matthew West, Muni Accessibility Coordinator:

Dear Friends of Accessible Public Transit:

I am writing to remind you that over the course of the next three months SFMTA will be replacing all of the existing faregates, emergency and swing gates, as well as installing new ticket vending machines at all Muni Metro underground stations.

Please be aware of the potential for construction detours during the listed time frames. An accessible path of travel to access the station agent booths will be maintained by our construction contractors.

For your review, we have assembled the following tentative construction schedule:

August 2nd through 6th | Civic Center Pilot Array of Fare Gates (NOTE: Existing fare gates will remain open)
August 9 | Powell Ticket Vending Machines
August 10 | Forrest Hill Ticket Vending Machines
August 11 | Castro Ticket Vending Machines
August 12 | Church Ticket Vending Machines
August 13th and 16th | Montgomery Ticket Vending Machines
August 17th and 18th | Embarcadero Ticket Vending Machines
August 24th | West Portal Ticket Vending Machines
First Week of September | Finish Civic Center installation
Late September | Van Ness Ticket Vending Machines
Mid-October | Full Installation Complete (All Metro Stations)

If you have specific questions about the construction or new faregates and equipment, please contact SFMTA Accessible Services at 415.701.4485

Thanks for riding the Muni!

Matthew West
Fixed Route Accessibility Coordinator
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
(415) 701-4439 | matthew.west@sfmta.com

Resources in the Community

Muni Service Improvements Public Hearing, Tuesday July 6th.

Make your voice heard as a blind Muni rider!

Muni Service Improvements Public Hearing
Noon, Tuesday, July 6
SFMTA Board of Directors/Parking Authority Commission Meeting
Room 400, City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

Visit www.sfmta.com/mtab for a detailed agenda. Additional information about the hearing can be obtained from www.sfmta.com or by calling the 3-1-1 customer service center (311 | 415.701.2311) which also provides assistance in other languages.

Resources in the Community

Key Stakeholders Agree on Measures to Protect Blind Pedestrians from Silent Cars, Urge Passage as Part of Motor Vehicle Safety Act

NFB Press Release

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, ext. 2330

(410) 262-1281 (cell)

cdanielsen@nfb.org

Key Stakeholders Agree on Measures to Protect Blind Pedestrians from Silent Cars, Urge Passage as Part of Motor Vehicle Safety Act

Baltimore, Maryland (May 19, 2010): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) announced today that they have agreed on proposed legislative language that will protect blind pedestrians and others from the danger posed by silent vehicle technology. The four organizations are urging Congress to adopt and pass the language as part of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010­, which is currently pending in both houses of Congress. The proposed language would require the Department of Transportation to promulgate a motor vehicle safety standard requiring automobiles to emit a minimum level of sound to alert the blind and other pedestrians.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:

“The National Federation of the Blind commends the automobile industry for its leadership on this issue and for its genuine concern for the safety of blind Americans, cyclists, runners, small children and other pedestrians. We look forward to working with the parties to this agreement, the United States Congress and the Department of Transportation to ensure that America’s streets remain safe, both for those who drive and for those who do not.”

“Good policy is a collaborative effort, and this is a good approach for pedestrians and automakers,” said Dave McCurdy, President and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Because blind pedestrians cannot locate and evaluate traffic using their vision, they must listen to traffic to discern its speed, direction and other attributes in order to travel safely and independently. Other people, including pedestrians who are not blind, cyclists, runners, seniors and small children, also benefit from hearing the sound of vehicle engines. New vehicles that employ hybrid or electric engine technology can be silent, rendering them extremely dangerous in situations where vehicles and pedestrians come into proximity with each other.

A recent report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that hybrid and electric vehicles are nearly twice as likely to be involved in accidents with pedestrians as vehicles with internal combustion engines.

Resources in the Community

Be a Social Entrepreneur in India for Braille Without Borders. Deadline soon!

Braille Without Borders
Call for Applications for IISE 2011 Program

Do you have a dream of starting and leading your own social project?

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others?

If your answer is “yes,” then The International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) in Kerala, India, is the study program for you. Taught by international experts in the field of management and social entrepreneurship, IISE empowers visionaries who are blind or partially sighted to set up projects across the world that address the needs of the underprivileged.

IISE is a unique institution with a distinctive philosophy, which cannot be compared to a university or other conventional academic entities. The institute is a “think and action tank,” where talented visionaries come from all over the world to exchange knowledge and experience, to work together as a team in the realization of their visions and dreams.

Every IISE participant is an active, contributing, independent, self-confident and skilled adult visionary, possessing expertise in different fields. You, as a potential participant, are therefore not coming to IISE as a student, but as an expert. Expectation of your participation and commitment to the program is therefore very high. To this end, before proceeding to the application process, ask yourself the following questions:

– Am I willing to spend 11 months of my life in a developing country working intensively in the pursuit of my social entrepreneurship/leadership skills?

– Am I willing to participate in all activities giving every moment the best of my knowledge, experience, creativity and energy?

– Am I willing to help others achieve their goals and develop their skills in areas I consider myself an expert?

– Am I willing to come to the Institute with a spirit of exchange, contribution and teamwork?

– Am I 100% committed to making my goals, dreams, vision and social project come true, continuing even after I complete the program?

If you answered “YES” to all the above questions, then you are the right candidate. Join IISE and impact your future and that of others.

Contact BrailleWB@gmx.net.

Deadline for applications from outside India and Nepal is May 30, 2010.