Hard of Hearing

I want to take a little break from talking about Bil and talk, instead, about an incident that occured on the bus I take to work.

There are a number of disabled individuals on that bus.  Here in upstate NY, a lot of people who take mass transit are either elderly, too young to drive, have suspended licenses for one reason or another, can't afford a car for whatever reason, or have a disability that makes driving impossible or difficult.

It is a fact of life on mass transit that people will shut themselves off from others in one way or another.  Bus riding, for many people, is not a social occasion. (On the other hand, there are those who love to chat with the driver, and if the driver chats back, one can find out a lot of very interesting things!)  Rather, they bury themselves in their cell phones or in their MP3 players or Walkmans. (yes, some still use Walkman CD players.)

The rule is that if you play music, it isn't supposed to leak out of your headphones.  Well, today, a young woman was playing music and it was LOUD.  Sometimes you can hear the base line, but this was so loud (and I wasn't even sitting next to her) you could hear the entire song.  As a veteran of mass transit, I buried myself in my magazine.  But one woman across from this young lady took exception.

"Turn it down!" she said.  No response.

"Turn it down!" she yelled, loudly.  No response.

"She's playing it too loud to hear you" another passenger offered helpfully.

The woman appealed to the bus driver.  Now, this particular driver doesn't hesitate to discipline his passengers. (some won't).  He stopped the bus, got out of his seat and walked over to the passenger. She was still oblivious!  He just about got into her face.  Now she paid attention.

"I'm hard of hearing!" she protested.  "How am I supposed to play my music?"  (If you've ever heard people with hearing impairments talk, they sometimes have a certain quality to their voice - and I heard it in her voice.  I don't think she was lying).

I don't think she should have been blasting her music.  I don't care that that was the only way for her to hear it.  Not in public.

I may not be too popular with some, but people with disabilities deserve (and are legally entitled to, in some situations) a "level playing field".  What they are not entitled to is special privileges.  Like disturbing an entire bus with their music.

I find it hard to listen to music on the bus.  There is a lot of noise.  As it happens, it is not enough to be a disability for me, but I do have a degree of hearing impairment. (I think it may have come from an antibiotic I was given, years ago, to treat - ironically, an ear infection.) Guess what?  I don't play my MP3 player on the bus.  I don't have the right to impose myself on others.

I don't think this hearing disabled person had that right, either.

Cuts in BC Transit

For many disabled people, public transportation is a must. 

I have heard through the grapevine of pending cuts in BC Transit, the mass transit covering Broome County, New York.
-Sunday service will be cut out entirely shortly
-not immediately, but in the near future, all night service will be cut, with the final buses running at 6pm

Express buses will be cut on the #35 line, which is probably the longest line in the system.

Disabled people have few alternatives, except taxis, which are beyond the budget of many working poor.

If Bil was living up here, I would be concerned. And who knows, he may have to move up here one day.

I am aware that public mass transit is being cut in many areas. It's a vicious circle, and disabled people, and the working poor as usual, bear the brunt of cuts.

Learning to use Public Transportation?

Being able to drive is such an important part of American life.  To many with autism, including what I suspect is a fair number of those with Asperger Syndrome, it is almost impossible.  So therefore, enter public transportation.

I am not sure Bil has ever been exposed to public transportation.  He has had (up to now) his mother to drive him.   There is little public transportation where he lives.  The ARC he receives services from provides transportation to and from his sheltered workshop job.

What if Bil had to live with us one day?  Would he ever be able to use public transportation?

I do use public transportation, and the quality in our area (buses only) is somewhat spotty.  But we live within walking distance of a major line in this area.  For Bil to learn to use public transportation:

1.  He would have to know where to catch the bus and where to get off.  I think Bil could learn that fairly quickly, especially if he was using the bus only for one or two destinations.

2.  In our area, (with few exceptions), the buses use a "pulse" system i.e. the buses go to one central area (downtown) you get off, you find the bus you want to transfer to.  Again, I think Bil could handle this.

3.  To use the bus, you must have either exact change or a bus pass.  You must swipe the pass and it must register before you leave the boarding area and sit.  Again, with some repetition, I think Bil could use this.

4.  To signal the driver to let you off, you need to pull a cord.  Again, I think Bil could learn this.  On some buses, depending on where you sit, you might have to press a strip.  Having two alternate methods might be a bit tougher.

But, could he put all the actions together?

Where I am not sure Bil could learn is the social interaction.

1.  I think Bil would want to sit in the same place every time.  That isn't possible, especially on the more crowded routes/times.  I think that would be a real problem.  He has a rough time adjusting to small things like having to purchase a new radio.

2.  What if the bus driver had to engage him in conversation, such as if the pass didn't work right? (that does happen).  I think that would totally throw Bil "for a loop".

And, what would happen if the bus wasn't working right or broke down?  That has happened several times to me, so it is a possibility.  More than once the bus has stopped and the driver indicates everyone must get off.  They do this when there is a bus to pick us all up.  We have to walk to the new bus, get on, and in that situation you don't pay another fare.  I think that would totally throw Bil.

It will be most interesting if we ever have to train Bil to use the bus (assuming he ends up living in this area.)  I sure hope there are trained professionals to help us with this.

Riding the Pee Bus

Twice in the past week I have ridden a Broome County Transit bus that reeked of pee.

Budget cuts?

The 2nd time, it wasn't my imagination, as another passenger tried to open windows and ended up spraying hair product into the air in an attempt to mask the smell.  Then several of the passengers got into a discussion about it.

Here in the Triple Cities of Upstate NY, the majority of riders of the buses are either elderly, disabled or poor (or, more than one of these.)

They don't deserve this.  No one deserves this.  I can think of Bil, perhaps living up here one day, needing to ride a bus that smells like pee.

I hope someone looks into it soon.