A person being pushed in a wheelchair and the text

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is working jointly with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to host a virtual public meeting to gain more input from stakeholders on proposed advisory guidelines for aircraft onboard wheelchairs. The public meeting will take place on December 16, 2021, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern Time.

The Access Board has reopened draft advisory guidelines for aircraft onboard wheelchairs for supplemental comments from December 16, 2021, to January 17, 2022.

The purpose of the advisory guidelines is to improve access to lavatories on single-aisle aircraft with 125 or more passenger seats for individuals who utilize an onboard wheelchair.

The effort to address accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft started in 2016 by the DOT. The result was a DOT published notice of proposed rulemaking on January 2, 2020, titled “Accessible Lavatories on Single-Aisle Aircraft: Part 1.” Under the proposed rule, onboard wheelchairs would have to meet new standards.

DOT reports that they received few comments about onboard wheelchair design, among other items; therefore, DOT and the Access Board are jointly hosting this public meeting on December 16, 2021, to get further input from stakeholders...

 
three people with disabilities in conversation and the text: From a DRP Advocate: The Legal System Needs More People with Knowledge of Disability

From Elysia Duerr

Growing up with disability in my family, I, from an early age, became familiar with the barriers society and individuals place before disabled people. While community members often find themselves in positions advocating for their accessibility, many still need allies and advocates to help have their needs met. There is still work to be done in educating those in disability law, advocacy, and understanding the community. Prior to working with Disability Rights Pennsylvania, this is something I carried with me into private practice. When I became involved in the work of this Protection and Advocacy Agency, the ability to understand the disability community—particularly those who are neurodivergent—proved to be invaluable.

One moment that I will always keep with me is when I aided a young man in his early 30s with removing him from guardianship. For his entire life, his parents had made every choice possible in how he should live his life. Legally, they had the ability to say where he should live, what his job was, and how he should spend his money. Removing him from that guardianship felt like the work I am doing at DRP is worth it and empowered him as an individual. His status as a person with a disability remains, but now he can begin the life he has always dreamed of for himself. It is the little things, like choices that are often taken from people with disabilities for fear that they are unable to make the right ones, but realistically, we are all at the mercy of our choices and often find ourselves having to deal with things that are beyond our control. Choice and self-direction should not be restricted based on the stereotypes of what society thinks disabled people are capable of.

 
A child using sign language and the text: This #GivingTuesday, Donate to Ensure Pennsylvanians with Disabilities Live the Lives They Choose

Giving Tuesday is here! Can you believe the year is coming to a close? The holiday season is well under way, and this #GivingTuesday is bigger than EVER! This year, there is a $1,500 donation match for all gifts made to Disability Rights Pennsylvania for Giving Tuesday, today, November 30th. This means that your donation will go that much further.

Help us raise awareness about our work by sharing your support on social media and using the hashtag #GivingTuesday to get your friends and family involved! You can share our donation page to your social networks and share more about our mission by alerting people to the necessary advocacy information on DisabilityRightsPA.com. To hear from DRP advocates themselves, we are sharing stories about what this work means to us. Read and become empowered by these stories.

We thank you for being in community with us at DRP and supporting the rights of Pennsylvanians with disabilities.

-From all of us at Disability Rights Pennsylvania 

 
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Disability Rights Pennsylvania
301 Chestnut Street Suite 300 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101
800-692-7443 | intake@disabilityrightspa.org

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