Pat’s Place : MetroAccess, DMV Moves, and Why Transportation Matters for Blind Riders

Reverend Ray Razor introduces a new quarterly show, Pat’s Place: Don’t Turn a Blind Eye, featuring host Pat Sheehan. Pat shares his journey into blindness advocacy, explains how MetroAccess eligibility works, and breaks down what’s next for regional transit planning after last year’s major WMATA budget crisis.

Guests / Hosts

• Host: Pat Sheehan
• Announcer / Producer: Reverend Ray Razor
• Organization Mentioned: Metropolitan Washington Ear (Wash Ear Radio)

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Greetings, this is MWE Wash Ear Radio Show. And uh today we're gonna start a new show. It's gonna be called Pat's Place. Don't turn a blind eye. And what that means is that we're gonna we want to encourage people, the especial blind people and prepare people with disability, that issues that we're gonna talk about that bring to your attention that you should be aware of. So this is gonna be a new show starting, and you'll be able to go on our website uh to um listen to the show live, or you'll also be able to go on uh our stream of our radio station. Uh and all you have to do is say wash ear uh on tune it. Alrighty, but on Thursdays, um we do wash ear radio shows, and Patrick's show will be coming on Wednesday. So any Wednesday at 5 or 6 p.m. you will be able to listen to his show. So I want to welcome Pat Sheen. Welcome, Mr. Pat Sheen. Now, I Reverend Ray Razor will be the announcer, and throughout Pat Sheen's show, he is the uh host as well as the uh media star. And sometimes he will have uh a guest or a co-host, but I am the uh announcer. So, Mr. Pat Shin, welcome to your new show that'll be done quarterly. Um, how are you doing today? And um, we'll go over some things, but how are you today? I'm doing great, Ray.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

I'm happy to be here and uh didn't realize I was gonna get a new show. I hope it lasts for a while. We'll see. We'll see what the ratings are. Okay, it's good to be here.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Well, if you do a good job on the show as you did in retirement from now, where did you work and how many years did you work there, Pat?

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Well, I worked uh 35 years at the Department of Veterans Affairs. And then before that, I worked 12 years at FBI. Oh 47 years altogether. And uh then I retired in January, and I've been busier than ever.

SPEAKER_00 2:22

Isn't that always the case? So, because this is going to be a new is a new audience, and we're introducing you. Let's get a little background, and you are totally blind, but let's get a little background because I understand you come from Massachusetts. Yeah. Uh so let's get a little background about you. Uh, where were you born? Where did you come up? Uh and a lot of times blind people want to know in terms of your education. Uh, of course, for a lot of people, they did not go to schools for the blind. Uh they was mainstream, and I don't know if education or getting requiring blind skills, but uh tell us a little about your education and and when was you introduced to blind skills?

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Well, it's it's interesting. The uh I was born in Boston, uh, myself uh and my twin Mike. And Michael was uh totally blind and in a wheelchair. So as far as the blindness skills, uh, you know, I learned all about Perkins School for the Blind. Uh and of course he was, you know, uh using canes to get around. We were exposed to Braille, and the Commission for the Blind in uh Massachusetts um really did a wonderful job with blind people back then. So um uh when I uh I had perfect sight through uh about year 35. So I I uh was driving. Uh I had a small little Vega, red Vega with black interior, no air conditioning in Washington, DC. Then I got a Chevette, and uh I think the good Lord said, you know what? I had a little bit of an accident, and the good Lord said, we need to get this guy off the street.

SPEAKER_00 4:11

So, so Patrick, you was uh so you were an adult when you lost your son. Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

35, about 35. So uh so I went to uh public uh to public high school and then went to Providence College, got a degree in English. Okay Ernie D. Gregorio and John Thompson something and all that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

And then uh What did you major in college?

SPEAKER_01 4:39

English.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Really?

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Yeah, my dad. Yeah, you got it. My dad said, What are you gonna do as an English major? You know, really good jobs. So I came down here, found out he was right, and then I went back to school and was taking uh classes in uh at the University of Maryland uh in um uh math and uh computer science. Ended up getting a 25 on a math test, that was out of a hundred. Okay maybe I'll go into this computer stuff. Who knows? There might be a future in computers. Okay. So I started that in in uh 1980 or so. Lost a lot of my vision in 1981 due to due to an accident, and then started at um uh moved over from uh FBI where they didn't believe in paying people very well. At least didn't pay me very well. Oh, okay. And uh went over to the Department of Veterans Affairs and uh worked.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

Now you had sight then when you went to the veterans?

SPEAKER_01 5:46

I had oh you saw that I had a little bit of sight, but lost my sight early on. Okay. Uh and um and then uh adjusted to that. So I I for a while I was uh going through the low vision um track, but over time lost more and more sight. But was able to get into computers early with uh screen readers and that sort of thing, and then transitioned into uh what was called Section 508 of the Recab Act, which basically uh has the government um producing technology that is accessible to people with disabilities within the government. And of course, the Department of Veterans Affairs at the time has 450,000 people. Wow. About 70,000, I think, are disabled. Uh, and you've got about 12,000 with targeted disabilities. So it was great to be able to use my disability and say, I can't use your technology, I can't read your website, I can't read these documents, I can't access the application that you just developed. And so that I did that for 35 years. Uh, put together, people ask me what I did at VA, and my real answer is I developed, I I put together a great team and let them go and do great work. So it was that so that was a lot of fun. And uh and they're still working at it now. Uh everything has gotten more complicated, much more work, but you know, it's it's good work and it gives people with disabilities a chance to move forward and have good jobs, good paying jobs.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

So many of us, and even I still do, even after being blind for 60 years, sometimes I get that come down on me, you know, why me? You know, so many people out here doing wrong, and they seem to be healthy and living a good life. But uh during your periods of being blind, how did you deal with? I mean, did you feel like why you or why not you or how did you cope with it from day to day? Because it's a day-to-day situation.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

You know, I well first I think it was wasn't too hard for me. I I mean I I did have that accident that was kind of crazy, and um uh, you know, I lost vision and I lost it gradually over time. But my twin Mike was uh, you know, in a wheelchair and blind, and he was doing fine going through um getting his master's degree and all in rehab. And so I had I had a good role model, and and I think the uh you know my family, particularly my parents, just um, you know, they just expected uh us to do the best we could and and make the best decisions we could. And I I know my parents, you know, when I had lost some vision, they said, Well, what are you gonna do in Washington, D.C.? How are you gonna get along there? And I said, I don't know, but I I'll figure it out. And so it was just sort of putting one foot in front of the other. Um, when I came down here, I remember asking, uh, where's the commission for the blind? And of course, there wasn't one in Maryland, right? Right. So I had to figure things out on my own and got involved with uh different, you know, the different blindness organizations, National Federation of the Blind for a while, and then moved over to the American Council of the Blind, and just uh took one step after another. I did have good opportunities and took advantage of those opportunities to the best of my ability. And uh, you know, I think a lot of it just in life is getting along with people, finding out where you have common um goals and dreams and that sort of thing, working towards them, building relationships so that uh you can move forward uh and and try to make a difference. Uh and I've been lucky to be able to um help level the playing field for people with disabilities, particularly blind people, over the over the years and just stepped forward and took advantage of good leadership around me and learned from those people too.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

And you know, Pat, um so often and uh and being in this blind community, newly blind people, so many blind people still have not accepted the fact of their blind, you know, especially as you say you lost your sight when you was 35 and you had been driving. I think that's one of the hardest things to give up is uh that that that license of driving and being because that is such a sense of independence. But uh in saying that, how did you start to get involved with the blind community?

SPEAKER_01 10:53

Well, um I started out, I and I think the only blind uh organization I knew at the time was National Federation of the Blind. So I was there for about five years. Uh I knew some people uh in that area that belonged to that organization, and then I migrated back over to the American Council of the Blind. And I just learned from people around me uh, you know, what they were working on, areas of interest that um that I had. Uh I had an individual with the American Council of the Blind that said, you know, um, there's a transportation advisory committee in Washington, D.C. Uh maybe you could join that committee and uh, you know, and and and help out representing blind people on that committee. So I did, and I'm still with the committee, uh, what is it, 35 years later. Wow, wow.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

So which we will uh talk about uh in an some uh upcoming segment. Uh but also as you got involved with American Council of the Blind, uh you didn't have several uh uh decision making um you've been on the board and um you know, and you served as officer and certain uh levels and all of that, so you really, really got uh involved. And and at this point, Pat, I I would like our listener audience, because a lot of the blind people that just sit at home listening to us, and we try to give them hope. And I mean, and what would you say? I mean, a lot of, you know, I I it was a life-changing experience for me to go to a national convention and see a couple of thousand, a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand blind people independently, getting around the hotels, uh, having confidence. How important do you think that is?

SPEAKER_01 12:50

I think it's real important to to get involved with organizations and to be able to contribute. I think it's easier now than it used to be because we've got uh platforms like Zoom, uh not always in-person meetings, so that it's easier for people who are using technology technology to get involved. I think everybody has a uh a gift that they can bring to the table. So the one thing that you know you try to do when you um meet someone, meet is meet them where they are. Uh I know that it can be terribly um scary when you start throwing all the things and the technology and the capabilities of people, and they're just trying to adjust to, you know, like mobility issues or that sort of thing. And so it's important to be able to listen and see where they are, see what their needs are all about. I always say to people that, you know, the first two things that they need to be concerned with are things like um uh mobility so that you have safe mob good mobility skills, safe mobility skills.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

Uh we're gonna take a break now. First break right now, and then we're gonna come back because that's a whole less thought. So you all listen to the Metropolitan Watching Earl Radio uh Reading uh hour. But we and uh we're starting with a new show with Patrick, have been on other shows, so I know he's much comfortable and he's not gonna have a problem in hosting his own show. And it's gonna be a patched place and it's gonna be Don't Turn a Blind Eye. And that's gonna be where we're gonna encourage people, especially blind people, to go to the different uh organizations when they have meetings to find out what's going on. Because as a friend of mine said, if you are not at the table, then you might end up on the menu. So you don't want to get eaten up. So you need to get involved. So you listen to the Wash Earl Radio uh show, and we're gonna be heard every Thursday from 5 o'clock. Uh, and we're probably gonna be doing a couple hours of uh Patrick Show. It's be c it will be coming on Wednesday on the radio uh uh Metropolitan Wash Ear Radio show. And you did just have to say to your uh smart uh device is Metropolitan Washington Deal on tune in. And so tune in at 5 o'clock uh every day. Oh we will have something, and we're gonna have a person with disabilities, such as brother Pat here, that's totally blind, and the local show we're gonna be doing. We you know, you need to know what's going on going on locally in your community. So we're back to Pat. So Pat, you were saying.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

So I think the two things that you really need to worry about when first when you lose your vision or are losing the vision, is that you get good mobility skills, uh, you get the training necessary so that you're safe in the environment, you know, particularly using the cane, or you know, particularly if you decide to get a guide done. And then the second I think is making sure that you sign up with the library service so you can get access to books, magazines, services, and then start out from there. And then from the from the area for those of us that have been there and done some of that, I think our job is to listen, figure out what the you know what the individual wants, what what they are looking uh to get access to. Sometimes it's technology, sometimes it's audio description, you know, in the in the sometimes it's entertainment, so you know, it's their audio description in the museums. Do you have audio description at the Kennedy Center? And how do you get that? What is audio description? And what services are out there? So it's trying to meet the needs of the individual and giving letting them know that there are ways to get the same access as you used to have. Um you just need to be able to ask people that have been there and done that the right questions, and and and we need to be able to listen and uh be sensitive to where people are and provide the information that they need at the time they need it. And the other thing that um we need to be aware of with folks that have been there is that uh you don't give them ten things, you know, you give them a few things, you establish the relationship, the trust, and uh and then they take pride in the things they get done. There's just a whole lot of things that can hit us all at once.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

Yeah. And some of the service that Pat speaking of, uh, we will be sharing with you that the Washington Earl, we do uh provide uh and train the uh uh describers to go to the theaters, and you'll be hearing more and about more about that and some of the other things that we're doing. So go to our new website that will be coming up uh in September, washear.org. So we have put a lot of money into it and we have made it very accessible, and I know a lot of people complain about that website that washear has it not accessible, and I hit all the links and it don't go anywhere. Well, but all that and change. Okay, so you'll be able to uh really enjoy a robust uh watchea.org a website. Um so Pat, now I I want to talk about and we uh I want to uh talk about just this area right now that we're gonna talk about, get into the uh metro access. The last time you were on the show a few months ago, we was trying to uh harangue and uh squeeze people's pockets to make up that deficit of $700 million that uh uh not just metro access, but metro access was affected. Uh so give us a little of that background where we were and how we got through it and where we are now.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

Well, uh yeah, we had that budget uh deficit last December, January time frame about 700 million. We had to make up the difference um with between uh Virginia, DC, and Maryland, because that's how the compact is is basically funded. There were a lot of cuts that were taken, uh, efficiencies that Wamata put in to try to help make it more efficient, streamline the metro system. I know the flow salaries for for metro workers. There were a lot of things going on, but we still needed to make up about $500 million out of that um out of that uh money that was needed just to provide um uh this necessary service. 36,000 people who use Metro Access, and they were going to cut that down to about 9,000. So I think it was we all effectually called it the doomsday budget. So uh we worked at it, the officials within Virginia, DC, and Maryland worked at it and basically um was able they were able to make uh get the money in so that they didn't have to make any of the cuts basically on the bus, metro access or in the rail system. Prices have gone up because uh they went up from $4 to $4.50 for uh passengers here. But the service area remained the same, and the there were no cuts from that $36,000 of metro access users. So we lucked out, but I think the area learned a lesson because there was really that was the main topic of discussion from September, August, last August, September time frame, all the way through I think April. And you just can't run a railroad when all you're worried about is um trying to make the budget. There were so many other things that could have been done, and just trying to squeeze the money out of the system that way, year after year after year. It's just not efficient. And uh lot of hard efforts.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

And and I'm glad you brought that up because from our listeners, they we got some emails and text, and they wanted to know are we gonna go through this like you know, like the federal government does every every year, or or a couple of times a year, you know, at the at the you know, the last hour, you know, we gotta pass a resolution or pass somehow. So are we gonna go through this every year or is there a committee or Or there are group of people that's going to be working on this to make sure that uh that budget is met. Uh what what what going forward, what is the thinking?

SPEAKER_01 22:12

So yeah, so going forward, uh the answer is we are not gonna go and relive that nightmare that we had last last time. There was a group formed by the Washington uh uh county governments and Metro, uh and you've got other partners within that group, and that project is called DMV Moves. Uh DMV Moves is a project uh between all the jurisdictions and you know within Virginia, uh DC, and Maryland to try to do three things. Um one is to figure out what we want to do regionally, and that's a big, huge concept. What should we do regionally? How are we going to pay for it, and who is going to govern what? And when I say regionally, you're looking at Metro, you're looking at I think it was about 19 other private bus lines that are part of the region. You're looking at um Amtrak, VRE, uh the tr you know, and uh um and other bus transit routes like the Purple Line and that sort of thing. And you're looking at it regionally and you're saying, how can we improve this uh area so that we don't have to go through this whole thing year after year. There is a there are two groups that have been pulled together, there's a steering committee of about 15, uh 20 people on that, I think now. There are two um advisory groups, the um uh cons uh customer uh part the consumer partners advisory group, and there is a more technical group from coming from the from the management side of Metro and the different um uh groups that you know work in that area from the jurisdictions. So you're looking at CEOs, CIOs, engineers, and those in the technical group that are coming up with you know how can we ensure this technically. One of the things that I was really pleased about was that uh the accessibility advisory committee was uh asked to be part of the consumer partners advisory group so that we could talk about um accessibility issues. Too many times in the past uh things are put together and all of a sudden, you know, nobody thinks about um accessibility, or you talk about accessibility and everyone has a different definition of what accessibility is, and there are specific things in the transit area that need to be done, you know, whether you're looking at things like truncated domes, you're looking at things like signage, or you're looking, you know, at accessibility of bus stops, um, bus stops, uh the buses with uh you know signage and verbal output and you know uh and the uh transit properties, and you you're looking at uh accessibility that is built in uh the same way from one point to the other.

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Now, Pat, you know, we take so much for granted and and and uh and I have people to call in and say, uh, and this not elementary, but still, who qualifies for metro access and how do they qualify? Because we take for granted that uh just because you're blind, you're automatically gonna get you know a metro pass that they give you. Uh a lot of people don't even know how to apply. Some people say, you know, if you go to a service organization that serves blind people, they can fill out the application for you, or you have to go to your doctor. So, so let so uh share with us how you qualify and who qualifies for metro access.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Right. So the qualification for metro access is really the inability to use the fixed route service. Um and so um there is an application process through Metro, uh, and you do have to get uh uh determination from your doctor to be able to uh qualify. Um when you say inability to use the fixed route service, you might be able to um use the fixed root service a little bit of the time, uh half the time or whatever, but there might be some applications that you know some areas I mean that that uh you may not be able to get to. And so you can you can get a you know a conditional eligibility, or you know, if you can't use the fixed route system at all, you can be put directly on the metro access. In my case, I can use the fixed route system uh in some areas, but I can also call up metro access with the conditional eligibility and um uh get a metro access ride if I can't get from point A to point B. And so and and that's useful. The other nice thing is that with the uh eligibility that I have, I can use the fixed route service for free. And that's that's a useful perk that isn't available in all places in the United States.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

No, I I would say as one who travels a lot, that uh a lot of times we, you know, everything is not perfect, but you'd be surprised how close uh it is for this area if you go to other states and use their parent transit. Uh, I think you'll be so glad to get back here to the DMV uh uh area. Um and it and it doesn't, you know, as Pat said that uh they did have to raise the prices, and I think the most you would pay for a trip, going all the way out to Gatesburg, north, going all the way south down to uh Vienna or yeah, places, and then going east and west. Low county now. Yeah, and now wow, and and so you're only paying like 450. I mean, you know, you you can't get a Big Mac at 450 anymore, you know. Or Starbucks. Oh, Starbucks, right. So, um, so so you know, so here again, uh instead of just railing there's something, you know, get involved uh with the American Council of the Blind, or the National Federation of the Blind, of one of the organizations. Uh don't only call them when you're in trouble, okay? Get involved where you uh uh participating for when you do get in trouble, you have a national organization to uh to support you. We're gonna take our um our station break. You're listening to Washed Ear Radio. I guess we have to call it media, not just the hour since we'll be going, but we'll hear uh heard every week at 5 p.m. And uh you can go on our website and see the different shows. On Monday, we'll have what we call Marriage Monday where Ray Smith and his wife Neil does a show. On Tuesday, we call it Tech Tuesday, and Mr. Lil'John will be doing a show on technology as well as Libra Robinson and sometime uh uh Ansa Torres. On Wednesday, uh we call that Wisdom Work Wednesday and Sight and Vision. Uh, myself host, uh Reverend Ray Raves and co-host Ms. Renee, we'll be doing uh Sight and Vision, just Bill and Senior Talk Radio Show, where we'll be having guests come on and talk about uh the different agencies and the services. And also on that 6 o'clock hour, we'll be having uh one of our new shows called uh Magnify the Law, and that'll be with uh J.D. Hollett uh law firm. So uh listen to that. And then on Thursday, we'll have what we call Therapy Thursday, and we'll have our uh show called Sofa Talk, and that Sofa Talk is with Miss Joyce uh Brooks. So tune in for that. On Friday, we'll have our show called uh How the How and Wow of Fundraising, and that'll be with Mr. Mark Traeger, uh that he'll come on to talk about fundraising because when you are in um nonprofit organizations, and Pat Pat can tell you you are always raising money. So come on and listen to him. And on Saturdays, we're gonna be starting a sports show. Um so you can tune in to listen to sports show. We're gonna talk about beef ball, we're gonna talk about um several other different uh uh sports that blind people play. And some of them have a dots game that uh where dot boy talks to you when you throw the dot and hit it. And then it's gold ball that we're gonna talk about. And uh someone in this area has started um a hockey uh team, blind hockey team that the Capitol uh let them come out and and practice at their facility. So we're gonna talk about that. And on Sundays will be spiritual Sundays, and I'll start at 11 o'clock, and from 11 to 12 will be uh um uh Pastor uh Ernten, and from 12 to 1 will be uh a blind uh not a couple, uh, but it'll be um minister uh uh uh Gregory Martin and his co-host will be uh Minister Elizabeth Norman, and then we'll have a couple of other uh um religious shows, but you know, some of y'all people need uh the Lord to lay your hand on you. Alrighty, so we're gonna go back to our show down called Pat's Place. Uh don't turn a blind eye. So, Patrick, what's next?

SPEAKER_01 32:43

So I think on the on the transportation side, we have been focusing on a couple of areas. We talked about regionally how we want to work and um get a regional plan together that's gonna cover those three things. We've had a series of meetings. Uh, we took the month of August off because transit kind of shuts down at that time. We'll start back in um September with our two uh groups, the community partners advisory group and the more technical group. And they expect to have a plan in place by next July. So it's going to be a very aggressive schedule with the groups meeting um uh once a month, and then of course the steering committee meeting. And the outcome is going to be to have a regional plan where we will be able to raise the money necessary to uh avoid the doomsday budget scenario we had and uh figure out you know what we want, how we pay for it, and who's going to govern it. So I'm looking forward to that. Uh we really I think we really start in earnest in September and move all the way back through uh up through January and move forward like that. So that's good. The other parts of the transit area that we are focused on, and Ray, I think you'll find this useful, is um we are looking at Prince George's County right now. We want to see what we can do to improve uh access to the fixed route system. And I know we talk about we talk about um paratransit quite a bit, but more important than paratransit is the system that um that uh sits behind it, the fixed route system. If you and a lot of areas have found this out, if you don't have a good fixed route system, your paratransit system is going to be basically shut down. The paratransit system basically uh will ride wherever the fixed route system is, and that's bus and rail, within three-quarters of a mile. But if you end up shutting down the fixed route system, let's say in Montgomery County or Prince George's County, the corresponding paratransit system will be shut down. That's what we were seeing, almost saw last year, when they wanted to cut the area of buses down by one half, and that would have reduced the corresponding paratransit system. So having a flexible, robust, efficient fixed route system is critical. Um and so we're looking at Prince George's County because we've seen a lot of um transit projects tried there in the past, but I'm not we're not convinced that it is the most efficient use of some of the smaller systems that they have out there. And we're not looking also to um point any fingers, but the accessibility advisory committee, of which I'm the chair, wants to try to improve uh what's available on our Prince Economy. We, after some investigation and talking to some people in Annapolis, uh we investigated and found out that they have a transit vision plan which is going to be available uh at the end of the summer, which is right about now. Wow. So it would be very good for us to take a look at that. One of the things that um we have been fortunate enough to do over the last five years is to re is the Accessibility Advisory Committee reports directly to the um board of directors. And so it's walking, you know, look taking a look at that report, uh, talking to people directly in the um in Prince George's County who are uh in charge of developing the transit system, reporting to the board of directors what we how we think we can improve uh bus service within the um Prince George's County, and making sure that Prince George's County um receives sufficient funds to be able to make that happen. One of the things that I I was told is that Prince George's County actually gets more money for transit uh appropriated by Maryland than Montgomery County, and I was not aware of that.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

Yes. And and Patrick, uh I I am a resident of Prince George County, and I don't know if this was a curse or a blessing, but we, Prince George County, have more subway stations than any other county has over 15. And I always wondered because we have 15 subway stations, they didn't feel it necessary to develop as many fixed routes, you know. But on the reverse side of that, because we don't have the bus services, your routes, then persons that have paratransit, uh, and and and and I don't know if you can explain this because people ask me this. What is considered um the service area? You know what I'm saying? And so if that's not the case, like me, I'm fortunate, I live right up the street from the Green Belt subway station. So I can walk up there, and I never have a problem with uh metro because I'm in, I guess, uh I need just being near uh a subway station makes it well. But what is the service area that we hear they talk about if you night in the service area? Like we have a number of people come here to the Washington Air. This is uh 12061 uh Tex Road in Silver Springs, Maryland. And we have people coming from Charles County and stuff, and they have to um, you know, accuracy or whatever, go to a uh, you know, a location before they can pick up their uh their metro access.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Their paratransit, right. So so it's going to be three-quarters of a mile within the fixed route system. And so uh however far the buses, uh, and they can be um the bus from Prince George's County, ride on in Montgomery County, Metro Bus, or Metro Metro Rail, three-quarters of a mile uh within that system is the fixed route system, and that's what's covered by paratransit. Um in Prince George's County, at least the little bit of uh work that I looked at, uh there is kind of a patchwork of bus systems within Prince George's County, so that you've got the subway stations, but for a lot of the areas there's no bus route, and so there are some areas that are not served by Paratrans, and that is really difficult to work with. I I will say that there's a second product project going on called the Better Bus Network, and they have a uh and they've been working now for a couple of years, they've gotten a lot of information from the various locations, including Prince George's County, and they are more of the operational arm of what uh should be a more um robust uh bus uh system in the area. Now, because of the uh the fact that we went through the um gloom and doom scenario last year, the doomsday budget, uh I don't know that there was as much money dedicated to the better bus network uh as there could have been because I think in order to put in the plan that they had originally uh talked about, it was gonna cost $35 million, which which I think is a great idea. Let's spend it, let's get transportation out, you know, out there and all that. But um I think that uh I think you know other priorities um uh uh took took place and you know we got what we got, and I think they did a good job this year. But I think there is a plan through the Better Bus Network to try to make uh transportation more robust. They actually had some very good plans out there for uh for uh Prince George's County. Uh and I think that um when you're looking at the priorities of the DMV Moves uh project, which is looking at the uh system regionally, and then you look at the uh Better Bus Network, which is kind of the operational arm of the uh this is what we want to do, this is where we want to put the buses. Both of those groups are working together to try to um to make sure that the system that we have out there is going to be more regional, more efficient. One of the things that I in talking with people from the Better Bus Network is they realized that they had duplicate buses running across the same route. So they decided maybe we can uh uncomplicate this by having metro buses do this and these other buses hit these other areas. So that they're looking at ways in which they can make the bus system more efficient, extend out to more areas, and if they can do that and not raise the costs crazily, uh then you can you can also then extend uh paratransit if they want to out to those areas. But the priority I think needs to be let's build the bus and rail system so that it's robust, efficient, people can get to where they want. We need to figure out how they, you know, what is the what's the population doing now? Are they traveling different than they did before COVID? And they are. And so you've got to reflect um, you know, uh working from home, you've got to reflect uh new businesses, new hours, and different ways that people are traveling, weekend travel and that sort of thing. So there's a lot to consider, uh, but I'm I'm pleased that the DMV Moves project and the um Better Bus Network project, both from Wamata, are working together. You've got other regional buses in the area that I was not even aware about, and I've been working with WAMATA for about you know 35 years. And so there's so much to learn from other people who have expertise. You're looking at major corporations in the Washington, DC area uh that are involved in these groups. Uh we are the basic accessibility. Committee that is being represented. So accessibility is being represented, and we are we want to make sure that everything that we're working with we don't miss anything as far as you know making the system more accessible, either from a low vision point of view, uh blindness point of view, folks in wheelchairs, uh, you know, cognitively impaired, members of the American of the Accessibility Advisory Committee have all those disabilities, hearing impaired, um, you know, uh cognitively impaired. So we try to cover all the areas so that when we produce recommendations, whether it's going to be for this DMV Moves project or uh we're talking directly to the board of directors, that they understand, you know, this is what we want to recommend going forward.

SPEAKER_00 44:57

Uh um and Pat, um, you know, we got disability month uh coming up next uh month, October, and I want to touch on that. But but but but let me ask you this, uh, because uh some of the when we were going through this doomsday budget and we was having focus groups and people calling in the radio and sending in, you know, stuff, and and I don't have a big enough staff to do fact of the facts checking. But someone mentioned that in Philadelphia, and you can tell me how much out of uh out of the budget of Ramada, uh Wamada is that would take to run uh our paratransit, but they were saying that in Philadelphia and other places that you know that that the paratransit is uh a self, you know, self-run is not attached to like a Wamada or whatever oversee it. So two things. One, what is the budget breakout for the run metro access, a paratransit? And two, would that ever happen here in the DMV?

SPEAKER_01 46:09

So uh I don't have the exact numbers on the Metro Access budget, but the the um and I can get them.

SPEAKER_00 46:17

Someone say a little over uh uh a hundred million dollars.

SPEAKER_01 46:21

I think that's I think that's about right. Okay. Um paratransit is legally required, so you can't just decide we're not gonna provide paratransit. However, um I one thing I will say uh kudos to the disability community uh last year. There were over 700 people that either did the survey, answered questions, went to the hearings, provided letters, and all of that. So we we have to give them a cloud. Absolutely. So the outreach, you know, and and with Washington here being a big part of that, it was very well done. And so that got the that really got the uh attention of the board. And I will say the board is the current board at Wamana is very um uh accessibility conscious. And so uh there is a good reputation, I think, between the accessibility advisory committee uh and the board of directors uh because I think if we weren't be able to produce a good product for them, they wouldn't have asked us to be part of this DMP moves group. Um and and the other part that you know where you see um where you see uh paratransit uh go away metro access in our area is when they can cut the uh the fixed route system, whether it's closing stations, that was another thing that they were thinking of doing, closing 10 to 12 stations or whatever, and then or or or cutting bus routes. They can legally cut the paratransit system, and so we see that, and that's why when I say we need to make sure that we have a robust system for uh bus and rail, uh you know, we do, and and so that's being that's always being measured, uh, you know, what are the um how efficient are the bus routes on time performance and all that sort of thing. So they have a lot of metrics in that area.

SPEAKER_00 48:24

Okay, I'll have to take out our break here. Um you listen to the Washington Radio Um Radio, I have to get used to saying that Al, but the Washington Radio uh media and the show, new show starting is Pat's Place with Pat Sheen, and we want to uh call it Don't Turn a Blind Eye, because we want, as one of the commercials say, um uh uh uh what does it say about um what what you see or something like that? Uh say what you see or something. Uh so so for us that that's it. You know, you see something, say something. Uh so that so you be this show will be the uh quarterly, and we'll let you know. We'll have it on there, usual types of media. Uh also one of the programs we have is called Dallin, and that's a free program that you can become a subscriber, and you can call you call in, you can get a radio, short wave radio, long distance radio, or one of our Alexa's and who's the director of that dialing service is Mr. Stuart Brown. So uh if you're interested in one, call in at 301-681-6636. Ask for application. If you don't have anyone that you have to beg as a blind person to do it for you on the net uh online, so you can call that number and one of our uh very capable, very uh warm uh staff person will uh sit down with you and uh over the phone and fill an application out for you and send you a radio or a Alexa if you wish. And uh so you can also get the reading service where the magazines and all are posted. Uh, that we have over 200 uh dedicated volunteer readers that come in and some come into the studio and read anywhere from the postpaper down to a journal, or some of them we that we have set up at home through computers uh reading. They're just invaluable. We have readers that have been reading now for us over 20 years. So that is a lot of dedication. If you're interested in being a reader, that you can call that number 301-681-6636. And uh ask for uh Mr. Stuart Brown that you are interested in being a uh reader. And uh and we also have the audio description where the uh director, Miss U Renee Sewell Razor, you can call her if you're interested in being a uh describer. We have five theaters where uh we have plays that audio describe, and we would train the uh audio describer and they get to go and see plays and free and stuff. You know, uh we just went to the MJ uh uh J uh MJ play about Michael Jackson. You know, those tickets was $200. So it's that cheap uh going to the uh these uh theaters. But anyway, so call in at a 301-681-6636 and ask about other services that we provide. We now we do a braille class with Miss Ava Faraby as our braille teacher and Jaws trainer, and she has a braille class uh twice a month on the second and third uh Tuesday of the month. So you can call and become uh you know one of her braille students, and uh she's teaching the Perkins Braille Writing. We have people donate Perkin Braille Writing. You know them braille writers pack cost $600? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 52:28

So uh so if you're interested, just call in. And we also have Miss Sharon Payne, which a lot of people know her. She's a mobility teacher, she teaches cane travel as well as what we call blind friendliness. And blind friendliness is to uh help you get around uh your home, your community without killing yourself. Uh so please just call in 301-681-6636. Now back to you, Pat. MJ was great. Sorry, Jack. Did you go? Oh man, it wasn't great. It was. And I just can't believe the gentleman that they got to portray Michael Jackson. He, I mean, he did an outstanding job. He really, really did. And that's and that's Broadway uh quality. That's Broadway quality. It was Broadway, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:22

Yeah, and uh, I'll just plugging audio description. Okay. Uh, you know, you've got Joel Snyder. Yes. Yeah, father of audio description, right in in the Washington, D.C. area. And there's so much going on in audio description with what they have on TV. Um, Pat, let me let me stop you here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:42

Audio description has become so important that the American, National American Council of the Blind, they have recently funded a staff position for that, right?

SPEAKER_01 53:56

That is. Well, actually, they they uh had uh one uh lady doing it initially, Jolynn Bailey Page. Yes, and she was doing uh audio description and she was also in charge of working on their development program. And they now have um uh another dedicated person to it, uh, and her name is Tabitha Kenlan. Yes. And uh they have a lot of committees that work uh in that area. There's a media committee that deals with the eight or ten uh streaming services that are out there, and tremendously knowledgeable people, areas that deal with uh museums, so things like that.

SPEAKER_00 54:40

So we're looking to get Tabitha uh as a uh guest on our radio show to talk about how important. And as we move more and more into technology, AI, all of that, uh that's gonna just change here again, you know, another uh post uh post uh uh uh COVID, after COVID, uh another whole lifestyle for persons with disability but blind that's going be going to the theater and all. So we'll we'll we're looking forward to that challenge. Right.

SPEAKER_01 55:13

And even even looking at the stuff from home. Yes. You know, but you you know, you asked earlier about you know how do you get adjusted when you're losing your vision. Well, there's you know things like audio description that are out there that cover everything that you need it to cover.

SPEAKER_00 55:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:30

So how do you get it? What does it sound like, and that sort of thing? And and everyone's learning at the same time. So there's a lot more out there now that gives where you can have access to all of these movies and shows and everything like that.

SPEAKER_00 55:46

So it's it's great. And and and uh Pat, we're gonna close with this because we got a couple of minutes. How important is transportation for blind people?

SPEAKER_01 55:57

Well, it's critically important. Whether you want to get out to the theater, you want to get out to the um to church on the weekends, or you want to uh get to your job. It's critical. It's it's part of the infrastructure. Uh you've got to be able to depend on it. You don't want to have to wait hours and hours get to get from point A to point B. So you need to make it reliable. And and the, you know, I know that the Accessibility Advisory Committee, uh, and you can get there from uh wamada.com uh and send out an application. There are people that uh we you know if you're interested in transportation uh and you uh you want to learn more about it, get involved, uh there's always room for people. And I think one of the things that we need to stress, and I started 35 years ago in this, is you, you know, you you get involved, you sit, you listen, you learn, and over time you pick up the stuff. You don't have to go in and be an expert in transportation or anything like that, like audio description or pedestrian access. If you're willing, it's something you like doing, you want to make a difference, you're low vision, blind, you know, there's there's areas that everybody who wants to get involved can work in. And so I guess one of the things that um we can talk about with past place is uh you know, I'm always eager to talk to people, connecting people, finding out what they want to get interested in, uh what they're interested in, and and get involved. You don't have to be an expert, but if you're just enthused, you want to make a difference, step on in.

SPEAKER_00 57:44

Great. All right, thank you, Patrick. And this is the listen to the Metropolitan Washington Year, and this is the Wash Ear Radio Media, and our new show that we launched is called Pat's Place, and it's called Don't Turn a Blind Eye.