Metro News Release
For immediate release: May 22, 2009
Metro opens Transit Accessibility Center
New center focuses on Metro services for people with disabilities
Metro recently opened a new Transit Accessibility Center to better meet the needs of a growing number of people with disabilities who are applying for MetroAccess service.
Metro receives about 300 applications a week for MetroAccess, the service for people whose disabilities prevent them from using Metrobus or Metrorail. About 70 percent of those applications are new applicants, with the remainder being current customers who are required to recertify every three years.
The center will include a centralized eligibility process that will be faster and more customer focused. Instead of performing all eligibility assessments through contractors, Metro staff will review requests for MetroAccess service, conduct customer interviews, perform functional evaluations and provide applicants with education and resources about Metro’s fully accessible bus and rail system.
“Bringing MetroAccess eligibility determinations in-house will allow us to be more focused on customers and consistent during the evaluation process,” said Donna Moss, Metro’s Director of Eligibility Certification. “Our ultimate goal is to help people with disabilities travel independently throughout the Washington region.”
Eight Metro system orientation specialists have been hired and will be assigned to specific MetroAccess applicants to help them through the process, from start to finish. The specialists are trained professionals who have extensive experience working with people with disabilities. Their backgrounds include previous experience in occupational and recreation therapy, vocational rehabilitation, special education, mental health and orientation and mobility.
Metro is in the process of hiring two additional Metro system orientation specialists. Anyone interested in applying should visit http://www.wmata.com/careers/.
The new Transit Accessibility Center is located at Metro Headquarters, 600 5th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., just one block from the Gallery Pl-Chinatown and Judiciary Square Metrorail stations.
For more information about accessibility in the Metro system, visit http://www.wmata.com/accessibility/ or call 202-962-1100 (TTY 202-962-2033). For information about MetroAccess, visit http://www.wmata.com/accessibility/metroaccess_service/ or call 301-562-4640 (TTY 301-588-7535).
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Media contact for this news release: Angela Gates or Lisa Farbstein at 202-962-1051.
News release issued at 9:12 am, May 22, 2009.