Access Advisory Committee to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA. 02116-3968
Voice: 857.702.3658, Fax: 617.570.9192, TDD: 617.570.9193, E-mail: AACT@ctps.org

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

(**Portions of these meeting minutes are incomplete due to a recording failure.)

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Board of Directors:

Chairman - James F. White
Vice Chairman - Rick E. Morin

Executive Board

Mary Ann Murray
Ian Perrault
Beverly Ann Rock
Lisa Weber

Notables

The AACT Executive Board will meet from 10:00 AM to noon and the Membership meeting will be conducted from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on the fourth Wednesday of the month, except when noted.

AACT can be found at on the MBTA website at www.mbta.com/aact. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the MBTA and AACT; the AACT Bylaws; ADA Regulations, as well as agendas, calendar items, upcoming meetings, and past meeting minutes can be obtained by accessing those highlighted links on AACT’s web page.

Comments and questions concerning AACT should be directed to Chairman James White by contacting the AACT Coordinator, Ms. Janie Guion, at Voice: 857.702.3658, Fax: 617.570.9192, TDD: 617 570.9193, E-mail: AACT@ctps.org, or at c/o CTPS, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA 02116 (mail).

The AACT meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities and is near public transportation. Upon request (preferably two weeks in advance of the meeting), every effort will be made to provide accommodations such as assistive listening devices, materials in accessible formats and in languages other than English, and interpreters in American Sign Language and other languages. Please contact the MPO staff at 857.702.3700; 617.570.9192; (TTY) 617.570.9193 (fax); or publicinformation@ctps.org.

The MPO complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal and state non-discrimination statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. The MPO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, English proficiency, income, religious creed, ancestry, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or military service. Any person who believes her or himself or any specific class of persons has been subjected to discrimination prohibited by Title VI, ADA, or other non-discrimination statute or regulations may, her or himself or via a representative, file a written complaint with the MPO. A complaint must be filed no later than 180 calendar days after the date on which the person believes the discrimination occurred. A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO (see above) or at www.bostonmpo.org.

Members needing service information or wanting to inquire about MBTA services should do so through the MBTA Marketing and Communications Department at 617.222.3200 or 800.392.6100, TTY 617.222.5146, Monday through Friday 6:30 AM to 8:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, or the MBTA website at www.mbta.com/customer_support/feedback/.

Please sign in at all meetings.

Announcements are always welcome. Please be prepared to give as many details as possible: date, time, location, contact person, and phone number. A written notice is always appreciated.

Meeting opened at 10:02 AM

Reading of the Agenda

Introductions

Attendees

James White, Rick Morin, Ian Perrault, Mary A. Murray, and Lisa Weber

MPO Staff:

Janie Guion

Chairman’s Report

The Chair stated the following:

AACT has been invited to take part in the Red and Orange Line Car Ad Hoc Committee is scheduled to start in May, with AACT involvement. The new vehicles will have a variety of accessible features. The design process will take up to three years for the Orange Line and longer for the Red Line cars.
He met with Gerald Francis, the new general manager for Keolis Commuter Services, who stressed the need for his staff to have the ADA training to help identify and aid passengers who have disabilities. He noted that Mr. Francis is looking forward to the collaboration between the MBTA’s System-Wide Accessibility directorate, Keolis, and a customer engagement group, (which includes AACT) that will develop the training.
He informed the members that AACT, along with other disability stakeholders, is part of a newly formed customer engagement group. He will have more information about their efforts at the next meeting.
He attended the bus operator Recertification Training and the National Express Transit passenger assistance training.

Treasury Report

Chairman White stated he has had no luck at opening up an account for the ($1280). He noted that the issue is that AACT is not established as a charitable organization. He also noted that making a deposit of that sum may impact his Social Security Income benefits. The check for $1280.00 and letter will be returned to Ms. Harlon with a request to issue the funds as a card.

**Committee Reports

Lisa Weber, AACT Board of Directors and representative to the MBTA’s Rider Oversight Committee (ROC) discussed the activities of the committee.

The Secretary of Transportation attended the ROC meeting. She answered questions and gave updates. She noted that she would be taking all issues into consideration, including the needs of people with disabilities, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
As the AACT represented she stated there is a lot of advocacy at meetings and that she is always pleased to remind everyone not to forget the needs of the disability community.

Old Business

**None was presented.

New Business

**None were presented.

Announcements

**None were presented.

Meeting adjourned at 11:55 AM.