August 2022 Advocacy Update

 
 

From United Spinal National

Breaking News: Department of Transportation Passenger Bill of Rights

Earlier this month, the Biden administration introduced a first-ever “bill of rights” aimed at helping ensure people with disabilities have a smoother experience when flying.The 16-page document issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation is described as an “easy-to-use summary of the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act. ”It is designed to “empower air travelers with disabilities to understand and assert their rights, and help ensure that U.S. and foreign air carriers and their contractors uphold those rights,” the Transportation Department said.

Advocacy LIVE

Mark your calendars for the upcoming Advocacy LIVE events that are the third Tuesday of every month.  Pre-register for the event on August 16, 1:00PM ET at: https://unitedspinal.org/events/advocacy-live-at-1pm/ 

Working Groups Call for Participation

The Advocacy and Policy team is creating three different working groups, and we need your participation in order to help drive change! Please read about each working group below, and if you or your members would like to take part in any of these working groups, please contact United Spinal’s Director of Advocacy and Policy, Steve Lieberman, slieberman@unitedspinal.org or Grassroots Advocacy Manager, Annie Streit, astreit@unitedspinal.org.  

  • Accessible Parking Working Group - This working group will come together to advocate for improvement in accessible parking and increase awareness and education regarding common barriers to parking encountered by the disability community and accessible parking laws and regulations throughout the United States.

  • Outdoor Access Working Group - This working group, aimed at advocates with outdoor access and recreation experience, will come together to advocate against current constraints that hinder the disability community from participating in outdoor activities, while also raising awareness on the importance of inclusivity and equality for access to outdoor recreation.

  • Emergency Preparedness Working Group (Ready to Roll Emergency Preparedness) - This working group will focus on emergency preparedness for the SCI/D and wheelchair user community after a natural or manmade disaster, in an effort to help better prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.

In Case You Missed It: Airport Improvements

Through the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Biden at the end of last year, $5 billion has been granted to provide competitive grants for airport terminal development projects that address the aging infrastructure of the nation’s airports. The first $1 billion funds more than 90 projects at airports across the country. These projects improve airport terminals in communities of all sizes. The improvements deliver the following benefits:

  • Expand capacity at our nation’s airport terminals

  • Increase energy efficiency

  • Promote competition

  • Provide greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities

  • Build two new air traffic control towers

Visit here for more information: https://www.faa.gov/bil/airport-terminals

Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19

As called for in the Presidential Memorandum on Addressing the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), on behalf of the Secretary, is in the process of developing two reports. For more information on all things COVID-19 including the BA.4 and BA.5 variant, visit here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

ABLE Age Adjustment Act

On June 23, 2022, the United States Senate Finance Committee passed the ABLE Age Adjustment Act as part of the Enhancing American Retirement Now Act. Under current law, only individuals with a disability occurring before age 26 are eligible for qualified ABLE programs. This provision would increase the age limit for eligibility to 46. United Spinal has long been advocates of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act as well as the ABLE Act before it. Differences between the Senate and House versions (the House version passed in March this year) still need to be worked out before legislation can clear Congress and be signed into law by the president. We are one step closer. Thanks to all of you who helped make this a reality. Let’s keep rolling!

Share Your Story: Got Wheelchair and Mobility Device Issues?

Our community knows how important the right wheelchair is and we know about the challenges you face in getting the features that you need to be able to fully participate in your community. United Spinal is amplifying our community’s voices so that everyone hears about the challenges you face. United Spinal advocates shared their stories at Roll on Capitol Hill. Please share your wheelchair denial story and help us to make change.