BLM Enters Into Memorandum of Understanding with Disabled Sports USA

To enhance the recreational use of public lands by the disabled, the Bureau of Land Management today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Disabled Sports USA. Recognizing the enormous value of promoting public-private partnerships that encourage people with disabilities to use public lands, the MOU creates a cooperative framework for programs and activities designed to increase the recreational use of public lands by disabled veterans and others with permanent disabilities.

“The Department of the Interior and the BLM are committed to ensuring equal access to outdoor recreation on public lands—particularly those activities that require specialized equipment or instruction,” said Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes. “This MOU advances that important effort.”

BLM Director Bob Abbey added, “The long-term relationship the BLM and Disabled Sports USA established today will cultivate dialogue, generate ideas, and enhance access for persons with disabilities to outdoor activities on BLM-managed lands.” The MOU will remain in effect for five years, at which point the BLM and Disabled Sports USA can renew the agreement.

The demand for outdoor adventure and recreation activities for persons with disabilities continues to grow, and new equipment and access innovations are constantly expanding the possibilities for enjoyable, healthy, active, outdoor experiences. Additionally, veterans wounded and disabled in recent wars are increasingly seeking challenging outdoor activities to aid in their recovery and improve their quality of life. With this in mind, the BLM and Disabled Sports USA will use the MOU to jointly pursue projects and activities on public lands that are appropriate for persons with disabilities.

Moving beyond outdoor recreation, the MOU also aims to increase the participation of America’s wounded and disabled veterans and others with disabilities in the BLM’s public land-use planning process. This open process provides opportunities for persons with disabilities to engage in land management planning activities including access-enhancement projects and safety and environmental education programs.

Through this involvement, along with shared information, networking, and partnerships generated by the MOU, the BLM can incorporate ideas and innovation into policies, land-use plans, and permitting allocations while better accommodating and expanding opportunities for all—especially America’s disabled veterans and persons with disabilities.

“We at Disabled Sports USA welcome the MOU with the Bureau of Land Management as a way to promote recreation on our public lands for our nation’s disabled veterans and others with disabilities. Because of innovations in adaptive equipment and an increase in trained instructors, those of us with disabilities are  experiencing greater accessibility to public lands,” said Kirk Bauer, executive director of Disabled Sports  USA and a disabled Vietnam veteran. “This represents a wonderful opportunity to enjoy healthy, outdoor  activities on public lands.”

Disabled Sports USA is a national, non-profit organization established in 1967 by disabled Vietnam veterans  to serve the war injured. Through its national network of more than 100 chapters in 38 states, Disabled  Sports USA offers sports rehabilitation programs to anyone with a permanent disability, including targeted  programs for disabled veterans. In serving those with disabilities – from visual impairments and spinal cord injuries to multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and amputations – Disabled Sports USA facilitates recreational activities on both public and private lands. 

Under the MOU, the BLM and Disabled Sports USA will work together to promote outdoor recreation participation on public lands and foster health and fitness, independence, and social integration for veterans and other persons with disabilities. The benefits of participating in recreational activities – such as skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, sailing, and whitewater rafting – are proven to enhance individuals’ self-confidence, physical and mental well-being, and their quality of life.

To read the MOU, go to http://blm.gov/qv5c.

To visit the BLM National Recreation Accessibility page, go to http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/Recreation/recreation_national/accessibility.html.

To visit the BLM page dedicated to accessibility for disabled veterans, go to http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/Recreation/recreation_national/accessibility/disabled_vets.html.

To visit Disabled Sports USA, go to http://www.dsusa.org

Accessible Lodging in Paris

Great results from several years of surveying Parisian hotels; scroll down past the introduction and terminology of the survey to find the actual listings... condos, hotels, and even what we call "do-able" hotels!

http://www.globalaccessnews.com/chabner%20paris_hotel_wheelchair_access_2010.htm

Hats off to Howard Chabner and Michele DeShafor for compiling this!!

Must be time to visit Paris!?  Well guess what, we are!  September this year we'll be in Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris!  Any tips you can send us, send to ask@accessanything.net!

United Airlines, taking baby steps

Thanks to United and Continental Airlines' ongoing merger, the latter has been dedicated to influencing the former to take baby steps in bringing access for all to the forefront of their customer service.

The latest update in this process is United's choice to add Continental's wheelchair information card to their website for customers who use wheelchairs and scooters to download, fill out, and attach to their mobility device to help protect its fragile areas.

http://www.united.com/ual/asset/Wheelchair_form_v3.pdf

Good job team!

Delta slapped with largest DOT382 (access) fine in history

Proving the government means to take DOT382 seriously, a fairly recent amendment to the Air Carrier Access Act (ADA of the skies), Delta was served a $2million fine this week for violations to this act.  View the official Press Release here.

Some of the fine will be allotted back into improvements to Delta's system for travelers with disabilities, such as improvements to jetway- and terminal-level access, enhancing booking specifics, and technology with their local vendors. 

Equal Rights Center launches new campaign

The Equal Rights Center (ERC) is getting ready to launch an exciting new multi-faceted campaign – “What’s Wrong with this Picture?” – which will educate people across the nation on what civil rights mean for people with disabilities, and barriers to look for in accessibility. 

The focus of our campaign will be a ‘game,’ in which users are shown a picture and are asked to identify the inaccessible feature.  In this way, people with and without disabilities will have a fun and stimulating forum through which to learn more about what federal law mandates.  Users will also find additional resources on accessibility, an easy to use complaint form, and real testimonials from people with disabilities encountering accessibility barriers in their daily lives.

ERC is asking your help in gathering real testimonies.  The project will be made stronger through the voices of real people, with various disabilities, who can share their experiences.  The testimonies need only be one to two paragraphs, can include a picture or not, and can be submitted with a real name or anonymously.  They would also love to share any videos which you think would be appropriate – of personal testimony, or of civil rights issues in general for persons with disabilities.

Please pass this along to your list, staff, advocates, and community members to submit testimonies of barriers to accessibility, or stories of reasonable accommodations or modifications, by January 31, 2011.  The focus of the campaign is housing, but we welcome public accommodations and employment stories.

Please email or send your testimonials to:

Robyn M. Powell, Disability Rights Program Manager
Equal Rights Center 11 Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 450,  Washington, D.C. 20036 
(202) 370-3210
rpowell@equalrightscenter.org