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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kathleen Collins, Board Member of Disabled in Action in Metropolitan New York, on Healthcare Access for People with Disabilities
1:45:56
ยท
4 min
Kathleen Collins, a board member of Disabled in Action in Metropolitan New York, provided testimony on healthcare access issues for people with disabilities. She focused on transportation challenges, particularly with AccessiRide, and concerns about the city's accessibility plans.
- Highlighted stress and missed appointments due to AccessiRide issues, suggesting expansion of the eHealth pilot program and reduced fares
- Pointed out problems with finding disability service facilitator information and lack of specifics in agency accessibility plans
- Emphasized the need for deadlines in accessibility plans and clarified misconceptions about ADA requirements
Kathleen Collins
1:45:56
Thank you.
1:45:57
Good afternoon and thank you for having this hearing.
1:45:59
My name is Kathleen Collins.
1:46:01
I'm a native New Yorker who is a congenital quadroprior amputee who uses a wheelchair and I'm a member of several disability organizations, including on the board of disabled in action in Metropolitan New York.
1:46:12
I I already submitted some written testimony, which I may also amend later, But I, first of all, like to thank councilman Batya for bringing up the whole thing about AccessiRide and about transportation.
1:46:24
And that is one of the things I was thinking this committee could actually work on is about the fact that we experience higher stress in trying to get transportation to our medical appointments, especially with the AccessiRide.
1:46:37
And I've heard many times people missing their appointments because of AccessiRide and that.
1:46:43
And also the fact that when you make your appointment, you have to kinda guess estimate when your appointment will be done, And there's the stress of, will I be reached before I have to leave this appointment?
1:46:53
But I give you some solutions.
1:46:55
One is the eHealth pilot program that the MTA has started, and that that should be expanded to more people.
1:47:02
And the price right now is $4, which is not a economic hindrance for me, but it is for many of our, people.
1:47:10
So therefore, if we could bring it down to what everybody else has to pay for transportation, which is $2 and 90, and that the number of rides not be limited.
1:47:18
Right now, the number of rides are limited, so you have to determine which rides do I need to have real time access to transportation versus access ride.
1:47:29
So that's another thing.
1:47:30
Also, I I appreciate, councilwoman Lewis' statement concerning about disability service facility facilitators and how you can't find that information.
1:47:41
And even on these, five year accessibility programs, even the one for DOH, it's not in the accessibility pro in the accessibility plan.
1:47:51
It's somewhere else on the website.
1:47:53
It just says the email address, but does not give a telephone number.
1:47:58
It does not give a relay number or a t Thank you.
1:48:01
Your time expired.
Linda Lee
1:48:03
Oh, sorry.
1:48:03
You can oh, go ahead and summarize.
1:48:06
Sorry.
Kathleen Collins
1:48:07
Okay.
1:48:07
Well, that's just, another example.
1:48:10
And just two other things I want to bring to your attention is one, there is no grandfathering provision in the ADA.
1:48:17
It doesn't allow grandfathering.
1:48:20
I don't know if that's a myth that people believe, but it doesn't exist.
1:48:23
And just the other thing in their plan that they don't set forth any deadlines.
1:48:29
And we know that in their plan, they talk about a compliance assessment that was in 2019.
1:48:34
But what happened with that?
1:48:36
And we worry about when you don't have deadlines such as in these plans, things just keep moving down the road and things never get done.
1:48:43
So please, we need more of that.
1:48:46
And who would we go to on the city council about these different accessibility plans, about them coming up with a better response?
Linda Lee
1:48:56
If you're talking about transportation specifically with AccessiRide, for example, or or no?
1:49:02
Is that
Kathleen Collins
1:49:03
It would be all the accessibility plans.
1:49:05
They all seem to have used the same kind of format, and they don't give you deadlines.
1:49:11
They don't give specifics on what they're doing and how they're gonna do it.
1:49:15
And even the one here with DOH, it talks about meeting a five pound force requirement, but it's not five pounds force requirement, it's less than five pounds.
1:49:27
And even with the ADA, the ADA is not a minimum guideline.
1:49:32
It's not a high standard.
1:49:34
I mean, are all things that people don't understand, and I think that's leading people down the wrong path.
Linda Lee
1:49:40
So, yes, this is actually a relatively new law that was passed and put in place, and so the agencies if if well, one of the places to go is the folks that are in charge of putting the report out with each agency.
1:49:56
So that's one place.
1:49:57
But ultimately, MOPD is the one that is monitoring the five year accessibility plans for all the agencies.
Kathleen Collins
1:50:05
And does one one committee of the council deal with the MOPD in
Linda Lee
1:50:10
specific Yeah, this committee, yes.
Kathleen Collins
1:50:12
Oh, okay.
1:50:13
Alright.
1:50:13
So then I'll have to write a letter to you guys.
Linda Lee
1:50:15
Yes.
1:50:16
Yes.
1:50:16
No.
1:50:16
If you want, can have a follow-up conversation after this.
Kathleen Collins
1:50:19
I would really appreciate that.
1:50:20
Thanks.