Once again, uh, thank you everyone for joining. My name is Christy Angel. I am the president for the citywide council for district 75 and also the chair for our outreach committee. This is our first outreach meeting for the year. We wanted to make sure to prepare parents
with a lot of different information that you would need. So, we do have CDI CIDNY uh Anna Humphre here with us today to walk us through Accessoride. Now, she will also be here on Thursday for our lunch and learn. Hopefully, you guys have your food in front of you. You're
ready. On Thursday, we're going to walk through knowing your rights as far as far as it goes with transportation. And we know there's a lot going on with transportation and in New York. So, we want to make sure you all have what you need. With that being said, we are
supposed to have interpreters here, but as of right now, they have not shown. So, please be patient with us as we move through that. And outside of that piece of information, we will now give the floor over to Miss Anna Humphrey so she may begin her presentation. Once again,
thank you so much Anna for being willing um to provide the resources and and information on today. Thanks so much Christie. You're welcome. Thank you everyone. Thanks for having me. Uh my name is Anna Humphrey and I'm here on behalf of the Center for
Independence of the Disabled New York or Sydney and I am their transportation and voting community organizer. So I'm here today just to give you some information about Accessory, um what the program is, the application process, and then I also have a short
survey at the end for those of you who may already have experience with the program to share some of your experiences. Um, so we're just going to get right into it. Let me see if it's going to let me change the slide. Sorry. Bear with me.
There we go. So, um, what we're going to be talking about today. So, first of all, I'll talk about what is Accessoride. Um, and then I'll talk a bit about how to apply for the program, the different types of eligibility, and what to do if you are denied the
service. So what is Accessoride? So Accessoride is a paratransit door-todoor ride share service that is provided by the MTA. It operates within the five burrows of New York City and it also extends into the
nearby areas of Nassau and Westchester counties. Um trips for accessoride must be scheduled 24 hours in advance. So, for example, if you have an appointment that's um tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., you would have to book your trip today at
12:00 p.m. Um, and riders pay the same amount as a subway or a bus fair, which is $2.90 each way, which will be increasing to $3 by the end of the year. Um, and another thing to mention is that on Accessoride,
every rider is allowed to have one personal care attendant or um a chaperone of any kind, whether it's a parent um on the trip with them, and that person will ride for free. It just has to be a designated person um that is
registered beforehand through the program. So, how do you know if you are eligible for access rides? So riders must apply and be approved for accessorized services. So to do that, proof of
disability is required. Um that may include doctor's notes and any other documentation from a medical professional. And you may also provide a personal statement which could explain why your disability or your child's disability prevents them from riding
public transit. Um, and then an assessment is required in person at one of the MTA's assessment centers. So, the MTA will send a vehicle and you will ride for free to the closest assessment center to your location. And the
assessment itself will include an interview where you just talk about again why the nature of your disability makes it difficult for you to use public transit. Um, and then it would also include a physical assessment which would include simulations of transit
related tasks. So going upstairs, stepping up onto a bus um from a platform or a train or holding the handrails and things of that nature to simulate um using public transit um just to measure the person's abilities.
So next I'll talk about how you actually apply for the program. So, there's a couple of ways to go about the initial inquiry. So, you could fill out an inquiry form. I have the link here. It's just a mta.info/incquiry.
Um, or if you just wanted to search up like apply for accessoride and click on the link from the MTA, it will take you right here to this form as well. Or another option is to call the eligibility staff um and they will determine your eligibility. So, the number for that is on the screen. and
it's 8773372017. So after that point, after you complete the inquiry, they will mail an application to you. Um, and you'll fill that out. It just has some questions, some personal information about um the nature of the person's disability. Um,
some information about um the closest bus stops or closest subway stations to where you live. um locations that you frequent um and things like that. And then you will mail that application back to the MTA. And then the next step is
that they will send you a date in the mail for your Inerson assessment. So after the assessment, which I explained before, you will receive the decision in the mail within 21 days. So 3 weeks from your Inerson assessment date is when you
can expect to receive your decision in the mail. So that decision letter will include what type of eligibility um you have been determined for accessoride. So full
eligibility is the first option. So this would mean that the customer is eligible for all accessoride trips without any restrictions. So anywhere you want to go um doortodoor service no matter um the weather the circumstances um as long as it's within that
accessoride service area you can use the service for that trip. Um the second type of eligibility is conditional. So this means that they will provide accessoride only when specific conditions apply and this will be determined based on your physical
assessment. Um, so they may determine that you are stairs restricted. So this would mean that um you can use excess ride when the specific trip that you're requesting requires using an inaccessible subway station. So it would require you to go up or down some
stairs. In that case, they would send you the accessoride car. Um, you could also have a condition of extreme temperature, so extreme cold or extreme heat. Um they determine extreme cold to be 39 degrees Fahrenheit or less and
extreme heat is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Um some other conditions are distance. So if um they determine that you can't travel more than three blocks on your own. Um if your trip is beyond
that limit they will send you accessoride. Another example is unfamiliar places. So, if your disability is um cognitive disability or a visual impairment that may cause you to be um confused or
getting lost in an unfamiliar place, they will send you accessoride for that trip. And that would just be determined based on um it not being an area that you frequent um often. And then you can also have a combo of conditions. So if you're also sensitive to extreme
temperatures or your stairs restricted, you can have multiple conditions that they will send you a car for. Um so the last three types of eligibility there are so there's conditional eligibility. So this is for those who can or I'm sorry continual I
misspoke. Continual eligibility is for those who can never use subways or buses due to a permanent or a worsening disability. So, for most people who use Accessoride, you will have to reertify every 5 years for the service. Um, and
that will include an in-person assessment. However, with continual eligibility, because um you have a disability or a disability that's never going to go away or it's worsening, um they will allow you to just in update
your information online or over the phone every 5 years instead of doing that in person reertification. Next is full temporary eligibility. So, this means that you're eligible for all trips for a limited time during a
temporary disability. So anywhere you want to go on accessoride, you can, but it's only for a limited time because you may have um a temporary disability. So if you are temporarily injured or you're having a surgery or something like that, that will limit your mobility. They will
allow you to use accessorizes for a certain period of time. That would be determined based on recommendations from your doctor um as well as from the assessment. And then conditional. Temporary is kind of a combination of temporary and conditional. So for
example, if you have surgery that limits your ability to use stairs just for a limited amount of time, they would allow you to use accessoride for let's say 5 months um and only for trips that would
require you to go up or downstairs. Um so that's conditional temporary eligibility. And then lastly, you could receive that letter back in the mail and they could determine that you're ineligible for accessoride based on your assessment. So, um, if this happens,
what can you do from there? So, if you are denied the service, you have the right to appeal your eligibility decision. Whether it's whether they say that you're ineligible or they say that you only have conditional eligibility and for whatever reason you think that
that is not what you need, you have the right to appeal the decision within 60 days of the notification. So from the date that you get that letter in the mail. Um in that letter they will include an appeals form and instructions
um for how to go about the appeal. And these can be done in person or over the phone um or a video call. Um some people think that waiting until you can get an in-person date is going to be better because they'll see you in person again
and you'll be able to argue you argue your case better or something like that. But it's actually recommended to do a phone or a video call just because it'll help you get through the appeals process quicker. They get through more um virtual appeals that way. or else you
could end up waiting for a bit of time. And there actually is no um you're not any less likely to be to have your appeal approved if you do it over the phone versus in person um according to the approval rates. So we actually
recommend if you are denied, you can just go ahead and do your appeal over the phone or a video call. Um, and if you need help with the appeals process or even just the initial application process, you can contact me at Sydney. I have my um, email and my phone number
listed here. Uh, I work with our general counsel, our lawyer at Sydney to help with these um, processes cuz it can be confusing at times. and if you just need an advocate there with you um to help
explain why you might be able to um why you might need access and why public transit is difficult for you. Um that's we're a good resource for that. Okay. So now I will take any questions. I haven't been able to to see the chat
since I've gotten into the screen sharing. Um, so I'll go through the chat, but if anyone has any questions, now would be a great time. And I'm also just going to put on the screen um, for now this survey. If anyone would like to
scan this QR code, it will take you right to a survey about Accessoride. Um, it should take you about 5 minutes to fill out depending on how much information you have to share, but it's just going to it can be anonymous if you if you would um prefer that, but it will
just ask you some questions about your experience at assessment centers, your experience um with the accessoride program generally. So, it would be really helpful for us if you could fill that out just because it helps our advocacy to continue to push the MTA to
improve this program. So, I will take any questions now if anyone has any. Um, I don't see any in the chat. Um, but I do have a quick question. I know that some people use um MAS with you know medical services to get back and forth
for doctor's appointments and accessoride I think is a little bit different where you know you have the the bigger buses or the vans and then now it's moving to possibly Ubers and things of that nature. I've heard um families say, you know how when we go in
for our children and and we try to get them these different services and we have to make sure we talk about them on their worst day so people understand what it feels like to move through these spaces. My question would be for those people who need accessorized, what do they expect really when they go into the
interview? Like are we supposed to look like it's just like we really can't do this? it's really this bad or like I don't want like I think some people feel nervous when they go into the interview because they have to prove something or feel the need to prove something for accessoride. Would you be able to say
anything like surrounding that? Yeah. So I do get a lot of calls from people like you said feeling nervous about it because they feel like like you said they need to prove that they have a disability. But um what I would say to that is really just um
just explain to them the biggest part I think is explaining to them in the interview itself um an example of a time that you have attempted to use public transit or your child has attempted to use public transit um and the challenges that you faced with that um to explain
why it's not a good option for you. Um, the doctor's notes are also really important to have that proof of disability and um that contribution from your doctor that's showing um like that you've treated them for this amount of time. This is what their disability is.
This is um why it makes it hard for them to use public transit and that's really what they're looking for. The assessment itself um especially if the person applying uses a mobility aid of any kind. um they're not going to obviously like force you to do things that you
really can't do. Um but the assessment I would say don't feel nervous about it. Don't feel badly if you are if you think you're like doing too well physically. Um in terms of the assessment, like you don't have anything really to prove
there. The biggest thing, like I said, is those doctor's notes and um just evidence that public transit is not a suitable option for you or for the person that's applying. Um and I will say that it's not always a mobility
impairment. I I actually did see in the chat somebody asked um do kids with autism qualify? And the answer is yes. So um it doesn't have to be someone that you look at and you can just tell that they have a disability. People with indiv in invisible disabilities do
qualify. People with cognitive or ID do qualify. Um we do encounter more of those when we're helping people with appeals. Um simply because of the fact that I don't think the assessment process is adequate um for those types
of situations. Um they don't really assess ID very well. They don't really understand. they just see, oh, they can walk up the stairs, so they can use public transit, but they're not really fully understanding the nature of the disability that, oh, maybe if this
person is in a super crowded place or an unfamiliar place, um, they may get overwhelmed and just not have a good time on the public transit, it's not an option for them. So, um that's definitely a case that we that we get often, but yes, people with autism or
other intellectual disabilities of any kind do um do qualify and we're a great resource to help um make sure that they get that service. Would you suggest that um our D75 parents get a letter from
their doctor prior to going to the actual um meeting? Uh yes, prior to the assessment. Yes. Um so that's something that's good to send in with your initial application as well as um bring a copy to the
assessment. that's really helpful for them to have beforehand um as well as on that day be able to look it over again. So, yes. Okay. Miss Glenny Marte had her um hand up for a question. Miss Marte, you may um unmute and ask your question,
but I Yes. Hi, how are everyone? I think you answered it about I was going to say my child is autistic and I wanted to know what Well, actually, what do I need? an application is some sort of form, medical form that the doctor should fill out or just a regular letter that they write.
Um, it is just a regular doctor's note. Um, we do suggest that it includes at least um the amount of time that the doctor has been treating your child, um the nature of their disability, and why
it um why it would make it hard for them to use public transit. Those are the three main things that they're looking for in the doctor's note. But no, there's no like set template. Those are just the things that we've found that they look for. Got it. Thank you so much.
You're welcome. I do not see any additional questions in the chat. Um, what was it? Oh, Mommy Glenny, yes, you have the floor. Yes. Good afternoon, everyone. Hope your day is going well. What a great thing to
bring um to parents. I'm a person who uses myself. I'm an adult um accessoride um for a very long time. I would also suggest that you um could have your doctor assist you in filling out the
application because it may be things on there that you may you may say uh like question yourself that the doctor would say no I think you need to check this off or whatever. Um I think that um I have I also know a lot of um parents who
have children that use accessoride and I think that um one thing that people um don't really think of is that um you know the parent if they get accepted can ride free because nowadays the biggest
thing that they have is that anyone can be your personal care attendant. And that's something that a lot of people don't realize, you know, and so that person does not pay. And so I will say that a lot of parents that I know, you
know, become their child's already their personal care attendant and they use accessoride. And I'm going to say when you go for the assessment, don't, you know, don't be ashamed. Don't be, you know, some people are so reluctant to be
able to tell it the way it is. you know, go in with a positive attitude. You never know who you're going to get, but it's like anything else that we have to deal with. You just have to go in, you know, I would also, if I have a child, I would
bring my child with me. I really would. Um because we know, you know, sometimes anything can trigger a child to not be at their best. But even if they are at their best, you know, you giving their story through the application and what
you have to say is definitely beneficial. And I love the fact that she brought up that, you know, not every disability is visual, you know, and I'm so I'm talking now that you already got accessoride.
Just remember also the drivers sometime don't have a lot of knowledge about all types of disabilities. I have been in where uh my um disability is apparent, but I've been in rides
where some people don't have a parents and a parent, you can't tell that they have a disability and when they would get out, the drivers would say, "Well, what are they using accessoride for?" You know what I mean? So, you know, we're always judged in all kinds of ways. So, just keep the these things in
mind. But like I said, go in. I think I believe that every um person who needs accessoriz should get it because like I stated, you know, there's so many different types of disabilities. You know, sometimes getting on a train and
the sound may trigger something. You know, sometime it's visual. Getting on a bus and you know people are staring at you for instance may trigger something. So the accessessorite is another alternative. Thank you.
Thank you too for bringing that up, Mon'nique. It's it's really important to hear from other people when we're going through these processes because sometimes it could be a little bit overwhelming or you might be a little bit hesitant. Um so hearing from other parents always does make it um a little
great. Now I will say this um I do see Anna someone says what is the application for? We do have a few people that did join a little bit later. Could you go over the application again in brief? Yes. I'll just go back um to this slide
that explains how you apply for Accessoride. So, there is an inquiry form that you can fill out online. The link is here. Um I I can't share it in the chat, but maybe Chrissy, if you can like copy it and put
it into the chat, um that would be great. And then there's also a phone number that you can call. Um, and then from there after in completing the inquiry, they will send you an application in the mail. Um, and then you'll receive a date for your inperson
assessment and then you'll get into that assessment process that I that I explained before. Um, are there any other specific questions maybe from people that might have missed the beginning of the presentation that I can answer? Hill
Samira Hill has her hand raised for you. Oh, thank you so much. Good afternoon everyone. Um I just joined. I just got the ping from the remind so I'm a little bit late. Um I started the application process. Um and I didn't realize So I started the application process. I have
to restart it again because I missed the meeting or whatever. But I had a question. Um my daughter does have a home health aid who travels with us. So, I know there's a companion that's free, but is there what is the additional
charge for an additional person? So, say there's me, my child, and the home health aid. What is the additional charge? That's a good question. I know that they they do allow, like you said, the one um home health aid or attendant with
someone for free. Um I don't know. I would assume that if they do allow another person on the trip as well, it would be another 290. That would be my guess. But I think um if you called Accessoride about eligibility at this
number on the screen right here, um the 877 number, I think they could answer that question for you better. Um yeah, I haven't had that come up before, but that's a really great question, especially um for parents. Um but yeah,
I'm sorry I don't have I would just like to interject and say that um that usually they make uh the third person have to pay the regular um price, but I would also say that that would be something good to bring up to a
cessoride and I also know someone who um works with assesses very intently and I will bring it up to her. Um, but I I think that parents should be allowed to ride free regardless of if the child has um a aid or not, you
know. So, that's something that can be brought up, but other than that, they will make you have to pay along with the um child. Thank you. Can I just add I'm ignorant. What is the amount that people pay? Is it the 290 that you would pay on the subway or is there a different amount?
Yes, it's 290. Um it's 2.90 unless you have the Fair Affairs program. If you're enrolled in that program, um that's a half off um Metro card that also works with Accessoride. Um and it's an income
eligibility requirement for that. Um I think it's 145% of the federal poverty level right now. Um is what that threshold is. Um but otherwise, yes, it's it's $2.90 and it will be the fairs for subways and
buses. Um as well as accessoride will be increased to $3 by the end of the year. Just so everyone has a heads up. How would they pay that, Anna? If they're in the vehicle, how do you pay that? You give the driver 290. You tap. You do. So they are rolling out Omni and
Accessoride um slowly but surely. So you will eventually be able to tap for every ride. Um, but it could also be paid um with the exact amount of cash like you would on a bus. Okay. Um
or there's some people that still have the metro card option. Um they are phasing that out and everyone will have Omni by the end of the year, but the Metro card is the other option. If people still have a Metro card and it still has um funds on it, you you can use that up until the end of the year
and then it'll switch over to Omni automatically. Actually, they'll just mail you the the card in the mail. Okay. But I also would like to say, I know I'm saying a lot, but I just like people to actually know someone who actually uses
accessory. They also um you have to pay the exact fair. And if um they don't take Metro cards, they don't take the Omni. We have to pay the exact fair. So I would, you know, if you get it, I
would say make sure you have your 290. Some drivers are lenient and they may allow you to, you know, if you have a $5 bill or $10 and they will change it for you, but most times they're told just take $2.90. That's it. It has to be the exact plan. Thank you.
Thank you. So, um, Anna, I see a couple of questions. Um, I think you've answered in regard to can a child travel with one parent or both parents, do they ride for free? So, what I'm hearing you say is both parents can go, but a third person would have to pay, right? Yeah, that's that's my assumption. I
would confirm that um with a representative. Um, you can call the 877 number on the screen and explain that your child has a home health aid or personal care attendant. um but you would like to travel with them. I'm not sure if they would allow you to also
ride for free, but um yeah, like I like Mon'nique said, I also will bring that up to someone at the MTA cuz that's definitely a an issue for parents. Um hopefully they'll allow allow you to ride for free. Um and I see the other question is, do you need Medicaid in
order to apply? And if you are above the poverty line, can you apply? So yes, I was only referring to the poverty line question was only referring to the fair affairs program. So that allows you to have halfp price trips on accessoride
and on bus and subway trips. Um so you would be paying $145 instead of $2.90. um if you qualify for that program. But just for generally applying for accessoride, yes, it it you don't need Medicaid and you don't have to be in a
certain um income level for to apply. Um and I just got another question. How do we go about fixing the PCA requirement on accessoride? um approved for accessoride but cannot travel alone. Despite there was no PCA
added despite submitting a doctor's letter. Um so I would say if you want to reach out to me directly about individual concerns um we can address that. I'll put my contact information back on the screen. Um if you and that
goes for anyone if you have any issues with your individual child in their accessoride case. Um, this person was saying that they didn't get their PCA added to ride for free, although they submitted submitted that doctor's letter. Um, if anyone has any issues or
anything like that um, related to their accessory um, file, please reach out to me and we can help with that. Miss Patel or Mr. Patel, did you want to come off of mute to ask the question, does everyone need that? I'm not sure
what the that is that you're referring to. So, my question was, do everybody need an accessory ride or no? Um, you do not need to use accessorite. Um, if you have a car or if your child
or you is comfortable with using the bus or the subway, those are good options for some people, but for others, accessoride is a better option. Um, the the fair is the same amount. The only difference I would say um the downside
of access is that like I said you have to book your trips 24 hours in advance. So it's a good option for some people um and you can also feel free to use that just as like a supplemental another
option um if you prefer to use the subway or the bus at other times and then use accessorizes for certain trips. Um that's definitely doable. I hope that answers. Okay. So I had one more question. So
if say say for example if if we use SS right do we have to um which do we have to pay for it or? Yes. So it's $2.90 for each trip just
like a subway and a bus fair would be. Okay. So, it's the same thing. I suppose for Okay, thank you. You're welcome. Um, Anna, got a question. So, for parents who use like MAS, the medical services to get back and forth, can they have MAS and Accessoride, can you have
all of those different services? Yes. Yep. And I I don't know if I mentioned before, but Accessoride can be used for any trip. doesn't have to just be a medical appointment or anything like that. You can use it to go see family. You can use it to go to the
movies. You can use it for whatever you want. Just like you can use the sub subway or the bus for whatever you want. Just the only thing like I mentioned is just booking 24 hours in advance. Would you recommend that parents um cuz we know with with district 75 some of us
have our own diagnoses or different things that may have may be happening with us healthwise. Would you recommend for parents when they do apply for Accessoride for their children that they apply for themselves as well? Um, yeah. If you also have a disability and you think that accessoride would
work for you, um, definitely, especially if you happen to also have a disability, that issue with having a PCA ride for free as well as yourself, um, that would maybe mitigate that issue. Um, but yeah, anyone that has a disability can qualify
for the program. Wonderful. Okay, guys. Um I know there were a few of us that came in a little bit late. So, while we have Anna here, if you have anything you may not have thought of or something that you may want her to touch base on again, please let us know so we can make sure that you
have the info that you need. And from what I'm hearing, Anna, you don't need a care coordinator to get this ball rolling. Right. Right. And if you and if you have any um any trouble with the application or or
with your appeal or anything, if you already use Accessoride and and you're having an issue, maybe they're sending you a vehicle that doesn't work for you, anything along those lines, please again reach out to me. Um my phone number and email are on the screen. Um I see in the
chat, do siblings ride free or they pay? If you want your sibling to be registered as um your PCA or anything to ride for free, it just it can be anyone that can ride with you. If you want um
to ride with your child or if you want a PCA to ride or your sibling, they just have to be registered. Um I think you are able to change who that person is. Um but you can't it can't be just like on the fly. Like it can't just be, oh, for this one trip my sibling is going to
come. It has to be you have to get on the phone with them and and reregister that person as you as your free attendant if that makes sense. Would they have to keep reregistering the person for per ride or would it be No, they'll be on the file. They'll be on the file for that one person to
always be riding with you. Um, so it could be a sibling. Yes. But it can't be a sibling as well as a personal care attendant. the the someone over 18. I don't believe that they necessarily have to be over 18. I have a question. Yes, ma'am.
Yes. Because I have my daughter. They say if she doesn't have appointment, if my twin had appointment, they cannot arrive it only for her. I'm not sure if I understand the question. They told me if they don't have it, they
not qualify. But my daughter she's a she's qualified but the siblings they cannot do the appointment only she had appointment they can't write with her um like the the child has the qualifying um disability to get into accessory but
the yeah but if she doesn't have a no appointment if my twin had appointment I want to take them they say no she had to be there for them to get So, you're saying your main daughter has to be there in order for the siblings to be qualified to ride with her?
Yes. Yeah. So, I'm not sure if I'm answering the question correctly, but the the person who qualifies for the accessoride service has to be there for another person to to you can't like take someone else's
accessoride ID and use it for that trip. the person that qualified for the program, the person with the disability has to be there for every trip. Okay, that's what they said. I got you. Thank you. Okay, you're welcome. Um, Mr. Accessor,
I think someone's asking, does Accessoride take you back after it brings you where you go? So, um yeah, for each trip when you're booking it, you'll tell them the pickup location and the drop off location. And then, um you'll tell them the time that you want
to be picked up and the time that you want to be dropped off back where you came from. You could also go multiple places, like you could tell them, um take me to the supermarket by 3:00 and then to the eye doctor by 5 um and then
back home. You can do that. That's good to know. I didn't know that aspect of it. I'm like I'm literally sitting here now like okay I think I'll probably try to do accessoride. Um even for my son again we have MAS and a couple of other things but he struggles terribly on the Long Island Railroad
subway. Forget about it. Um this has been informative at least for me too. Uh just to say you know use the resources you know that you have even though you may have some questions ask the questions. Talk to your doctor. Get the paperwork filled out. We have Anna
if you need any assistance like she's a great handholder. She can also help you. Her information is on screen um and in the chat. Uh Stephanie Bonia, did you uh council member did you want to come off of mute and just add anything else? I see that you um said stated a few things
um in the chat. Don't mean to put you on the spot. No worries. Hello. Good afternoon everyone. Good afternoon. I was just adding um to the question of the parent about the other children
um attending without the child. Yes, they will not um let you ride without the client. But if you're going somewhere with the client is there, you could just say the PCA needs um guests
and then the other children could be added as guests in order to ride as well with them. Does that give but does it give you just two places for that or or more than um when you do the when you do the sign
up whenever you're going to do like where what place you're going they'll ask you is it PCA and do you have any guests? Okay. So the children you'll add them as guests because they're minors and for
the guests you have to pay the um 290 fair. So you'll um the PCA goes free but it goes for the uh the guests have to pay the 290. Do you guys Anna thank you Stephanie. Do you guys know like say somebody doesn't
have exact change will their person be turned away from riding with them? No. Usually they they'll have change or um if they don't have the 10 cents they'll just give you the dollar. They'll give you the $2.
Okay. Okay. Um, Anna, I see someone says, "How far does Accessoride go in the city?" So, Accessoride operates within the five burrows of New York City and also um a little ways into Nassau and Westchester
counties. Um, so essentially it's within 3/4 of a mile of every subway and bus route. That's wonderful. Thank you. Do we have any additional Let's see.
What is the furthest location on AR that writers can go? For example, Long Island. Okay, you did just answer that. Um, this is awesome to know. Uh, Sesh Patel, did you ask your final question? Is he Is he or she still with us?
Um, you may have answered it up. Sesh, are you able to unmute? I know that you said that you had one more question. Oh, he says, "Thank you for letting us know." So, maybe uh the question just got answered. Okay. Yes. So, then we'll go back to you, Anna,
since um I'll keep checking the chat for you, but I don't see anything else. Did someone answer how far accessorized goes into the city? She says it's in all five burrows and did you say 3.5 miles outside of Yeah. So it's all five burrows. It also
goes into Nassau and Westchester counties and essentially it's within 3/4 of a mile of every subway or bus route. Okay. 3/4 of a mile is very different. So 3/4 of a mile within the subway and
or bus route. That's still very um very accommodating. Um, she has a question. Go ahead. Yes. Hello. Hi. Good afternoon. Um, I just wanted to know how long does it
take to I guess um like get approved like like how long is the process? So, I'm not sure exactly. It changes. um accessoride will get kind of backed up at times and they'll be having a lot of
people applying at once so they'll get backed up. So I'm not sure what the current um rate is for how quickly you can get approved. Um but I do know that it takes 3 weeks from after your assessment date to get your results
back. 3 weeks is like the max. Um, but to get your assessment, it could take from like two weeks to a month is what I've been seeing on average. So, unfortunately, it is a bit of a process, but it can um give or take. It could be
a little bit less or a little bit more than that just depending on the the amount of applications that they're getting in. Okay. Thank you. That's not bad. I'm I'm thinking that it takes months, almost a year.
Yeah, it shouldn't be um more than two months, I would say. All right, thank you very much. You're welcome. Which means people should start applying now so you're getting ready for the new year and the holidays and anything else you need because you know realistically um fiscally for us a lot it takes a lot for
us to get around and things. So as we have these supports we definitely should um be diving into them now. Um, I see that there was one more question. Uh, Mr. Patel, you wanted to unmute. Yeah. So, my question, my other question
was, do I think I'm not Oh, I forgot what question was. I think my question got answered by one of one of them, I think. I'm not sure. So, at the moment, I'm good. Thank you. Alrighty. Um, does anyone else I don't
see any other hands raised. Does anyone else have any questions or did we bypass any questions accidentally? I think we're locked in for when we go to the actual assessment with the children, the cost, the rides. Miss Monique Glindsy gave us a lot of great information outside of Anna. Anna, do
you have anything that we might be missing or needing to tie a bow on? Um, no. I think that's it from me. I'm happy to answer any other questions offline or any individual um complaints, concerns. Uh again, my information is
here. I'll also just type it in the chat if that makes it easier if people want to copy and paste. I know sometimes that works a little bit better. So, I'll put my email and my cell in the chat right now. Um oh, I did see what's the time
frame does accessoride go. So, it's the same as the subways and buses. So, um, which is 24 hours. Um, put up your QR code again, too, just in case, Anna. Yes. So, I'll also go back to that slide
with the QR code. So, this will take you to a survey. This is for people that already use Accessoride or feel free to share it with anyone you know that uses the program that might have some experiences that they want to share. It will ask you about the assessment process as well as um it gives you the
opportunity to just talk about any complaints or experiences that you've had with Accessoride. Um it'll it's pretty quick to fill out and it will just really help us continue the advocacy that we do um with the MTA to help them improve the program for
people. Okay, I am screen capturing that because I actually want to push that out to our parents. Um, today we do have a lot of parents who um use Accessoride, a lot of students who use Accessoride and they have a lot of feedback. So, we will make
sure that we um do our due diligence on that part to make sure we uh do the sharing out. Awesome. So, I want to say thank you again. Let me double check the chat. I see a few things. Um what's the time frame? Emails. Thank you. Yes, this meeting
will be posted on YouTube, our CCD75 outreach page. We're also going to put a couple of snippets up for the Instagram Facebook so that you guys can have access to it. Please do remember we are having another meeting on Thursday, same time, same place, same person, Anna and
CDNY. We will be going through your transportation rights um specifically. Anna, did you want to give up any additional information for what Thursday's uh workshop will be? Yeah. So, I'm going to be talking briefly about accessoride again, as well as um
subways, buses, accessible taxis, any type of accessible transportation you can think of, um fair payment, um different programs that we have for um that the city has for half price, um metro cards, omni cards, um just
anything related to accessible transportation and your rights around that. So um yeah, I hope to see some of you there as well. Absolutely. And then in September, we are going to have a workshop about your voting rights. You guys know how sensitive things are right now and we need to make sure that we have all the
information that we can have um to make sure that we are set up, situated, know where to vote, how to vote, and are registered to vote so that our voices do matter. I do see that Miss Bonia wrote um MAS forms. Some parents don't know they could have that for appointments.
Um, yes, we didn't really get to discuss MAS, but Stephanie, I can get that information and we can send it out to everyone who's also registered or pull some information up. Did you have anything to add for MAS? Anna, um,
no, I didn't, but yes, that is true. um any other documentation like that is helpful for them um when applying for accessoride. Wonderful. All right, guys. On my end, I'll make sure that we do have the MAS stuff um to help support on Thursday. Uh
please do register for this event again on Thursday to make sure you have the information to pass it on. Each one teach one, each one reach one. Thank you again for taking your lunch break to uh get in here with us with CDNY and Accessoride. Thank you for your time.
Anna, thank you um for your time as well. And we will see you again at noon on Thursday. Guys, again, CCD75 outreach if you need to watch this from the beginning. We're going to be putting it up shortly. All right, everybody. Have a great day and thanks again.
Thanks so much everyone. See you on Thursday. The back.