Emily Keller-O'Donnell, Journalist

United Nations Holds International Disabilities Day

    The United Nations (UN) celebrated people with disabilities December 3 with an annual celebration of speeches, panel discussions and films.

    Speakers at the International Day of Persons with Disabilities event included Assistant Secretary-General Thomas Stelzer, Ambassador Libran N. Cabactulan of the Philippines, Ambassador Ombeni Y. Sefue of Tanzania and Ambassador Yanerit Morg of Mexico.

Obituary of Irene Jill McGinn

    Irene Jill McGinn passed away December 3, just months after retiring from the Long Island Developmental Disabilities Services Office (LIDDSO), where she worked as director.

    The U.S. Senate passed a resolution honoring McGinn upon her retirement from the LIDDSO. The resolution said McGinn “rendered faithful, conscientious and valuable service to the Long Island Developmental Disabilities Services Office” and called for a celebration of her service on September 16, 2010.

Obituary of Anna Capell

    Anna Capell, an activist from the Bronx, passed away in September following a bout with pneumonia. She was reportedly in her 80s.

    Capell was born with a spinal disorder and has been a quadriplegic for the majority of her life. According to Co-op City News, doctors purportedly told Capell’s parents that she would not live to turn 18, and so it was unnecessary to send her to school.

Obituary of Laura Hershey

    Laura Hershey, a well-known activist, nonfiction writer and poet passed away November 26 following an illness. She leaves behind her partner, Robin Stephens ,and their daughter, Shannon, her mother, father and brother John Hershey.

    "She was a genius who lived with disability and lived well,” Stephens told The Denver Post.

    Hershey was an organizer for ADAPT and Not Dead Yet, a protestor against Jerry Lewis's muscular dystrophy telethons and an activist for gay and lesbian rights. She attended United Nations conferences on women's rights in Kenya and Beijing.

January 2011 Transportation News

    In this month's issue of Able News, I wrote articles about a City Council hearing on taxi accessibility, the Taxi and Limousine Commisson's finalists for the Taxi of Tomorrow, a lawsuit about inaccessible vans and a Senate bill to reduce the risk of silent hybrid and electric vehicles to pedestrians.

City Council Questions TLC About Taxi Accessibility

    The New York City Council committees on transportation and disabilities services are proposing a bill that would mandate accessibility in the Taxi & Limousine Commission’s (TLC) “Taxi of Tomorrow.”

    The bill comes just weeks after the TLC and Mayor Michael Bloomberg chose three design finalists in a plan to adopt a single vehicle as the exclusive replacement for the city’s taxi fleet over a period of ten years. City officials say accessibility is a goal but not a requirement for the Taxi of Tomorrow, and only one of three finalists submitted an accessible design (see related story.)

Senate Passes Pedestrian Safety Bill

    On December 10, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act (S. 841) to reduce the risk of silent hybrid and electric vehicles to pedestrians.

    The bill requires the Department of Transportation to study and establish safety standards to alert pedestrians that hybrid, electric and other vehicles are present and in motion within the next three years.

    The bill is a response to the auto industry’s silent vehicle technology, which endangers people who are blind and visibly impaired and rely on vehicle noise to track the speed and direction of traffic. Vehicle noise also provides an added warning to other pedestrians, including children and seniors, as well as to bicyclists and skaters.

Bus Riders Sue City Over Inaccessible Vans

    The United Spinal Association and two bus riders filed a lawsuit charging the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) with discriminating against people with disabilities by providing transit service along cancelled bus routes that is not accessible to people with disabilities.

    The lawsuit, filed November 9 in federal court for the Eastern District of New York, says the TLC is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by providing private, livery van service along selected former bus routes that were discontinued by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in June 2010. The ADA requires the provision of public transit to people with disabilities.

City Chooses Taxi Design Finalists

    New York City officials have chosen three taxi designs finalists to supply taxis to the city for at least ten years.

    Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Chairman David Yassky announced the winners November 15. The finalists are Ford Motor Company, Karsan USA and Nissan North America, Inc. City officials expect to choose a final winner in early 2011, and will work with the manufacturer to build a custom designed vehicle known as the Taxi of Tomorrow.

    City officials have made it a goal to design an accessible vehicle for people with disabilities, but have not committed to requiring that the new car be accessible.