* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          ALL RIGHT, 
          [00:00:01]
EVERYONE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON 
          [Commission on Disabilities on November 26, 2024.]
AND WELCOME TO THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES MEETING. 
          TODAY'S DATE IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH, 2024, AND THE CURRENT TIME IS 2:01 PM WE HAVE MET QUORUM AND I NOW CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER PRIOR TO GETTING STARTED. 
          A FEW HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS TO BE MINDFUL OF. 
          FIRST, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE JOINING US REMOTELY, WE KINDLY REQUEST THAT YOU KEEP YOUR CAMERAS ON AT ALL TIMES IN ORDER FOR US TO COUNT YOU PRESENT. 
          SECOND, IF YOU WISH TO ASK A QUESTION OR MAKE A COMMENT, WE ASK THAT YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND RESPECTIVE DISTRICT IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFUSION. 
          AND LASTLY, WE ARE FULLY AWARE THAT COMMISSIONERS IN THIS ROOM HAVE MANY CONCERNS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SHARE. 
          WE HEAR YOU, BUT REQUEST THAT YOU KEEP YOUR COMMENTS AS BRIEF AND CONCISE AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO GIVE OTHERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THEIR QUESTIONS AND VOICE THEIR CONCERNS ON THAT NOTE, SECTION 16 OF CHAPTER EIGHT STATES THAT NO BOARD MEMBER SHALL SPEAK MORE THAN ONCE ON ANY GIVEN TOPIC. 
          AND IF THEY WISH TO SPEAK A SECOND TIME, THEY ARE WELCOME TO DO SO. 
          HOWEVER, THEY WILL NEED TO WAIT UNTIL EVERYONE ELSE HAS FINISHED SPEAKING, THEN THEY CAN SAY WHAT THEY NEED TO. 
          HOWEVER, IT CANNOT BE MORE THAN TWICE THAT THEY SPEAK ABOUT THE SAME GIVEN SUBJECT AS INDICATED AT OUR PREVIOUS MEETING. 
          I WILL BE REFERRING TO CHAPTER EIGHT FROM TIME TO TIME TO ENSURE THAT WE IN FACT ARE BEING COMPLIANT. 
          OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ROLL CALL. 
          WHEN YOUR NAME AND RESPECTIVE DISTRICT ARE CALLED, PLEASE SIGNIFY YOUR ATTENDANCE BY SAYING I. 
          WE WILL START WITH COMMISSIONER GAY REVY, DISTRICT ONE PRESENT. 
          AYE. 
          MM-HMM . 
          COMMISSIONER ROD H****R, DISTRICT THREE. 
          AYE. 
          COMMISSIONER STARLET RAMIREZ, DISTRICT SIX. 
          OKAY. 
          COMMISSIONER CHRISTINA POE. 
          DISTRICT EIGHT, COMMISSIONER POE. 
          HERE. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          COMMISSIONER BEVERLY WHITE. 
          DISTRICT NINE. 
          COMMISSIONER. 
          COMMISSIONER CHRISTOPHER BLU, DISTRICT 10. 
          CHRIS BLU. 
          AYE. 
          COMMISSIONER NANCY IMMERMAN. 
          DISTRICT 11. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          AND LASTLY, COMMISSIONER STEVEN HUSHKA. 
          DISTRICT 13. 
          AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          YES, YES. 
          I APOLOGIZE. 
          I SAID HERE AND THAT, AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          THAT IS EVERYONE. 
          I WANT TO ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY, GIVEN THAT THIS WEEK IS A HOLIDAY WEEK, AND THAT THANKSGIVING WILL BE HERE IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, WHICH I WILL GET TO LATER IN MY ANNOUNCEMENTS. 
          I WANT TO THANK EACH ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR TRUE DEDICATION, COMMITMENT, AND EFFORTS AND YOUR SUPPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES AND OUR PRIORITIES. 
          WE COULD NOT DO THE WORK WE DO WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR PRESENCE. 
          OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS PUBLIC SPEAKERS. 
          AS A REMINDER, EACH SPEAKER GETS THREE MINUTES TO COMMENT ON AN ISSUE PERTAINING TO DISABILITIES. 
          I NOW WELCOME MS. SUSAN HYDE MAHONEY FROM DISTRICT 14 TO PROVIDE HER TESTIMONY. 
          IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE NO SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          WITH THAT BEING SAID, THAT CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC COMMENT SEGMENT OF OUR AGENDA. 
          AS I HAVE INDICATED AT OUR PREVIOUS MEETINGS, I STRONGLY URGE EACH COMMISSIONER TO GET IN CONTACT WITH INDIVIDUALS THEY KNOW IN THEIR CIRCLES TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENTS AND TESTIMONY ABOUT ISSUES PERTAINING TO DISABILITIES. 
          THE MORE VOICES WE HEAR, THE STRONGER WE ARE AS A BODY. 
          OUR NEXT 
          [00:05:01]
ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE VOTING AGENDA. 
          WE ARE APPROVING THE MINUTES FROM THE OCTOBER 22ND, 2024. 
          BEFORE WE GO AHEAD WITH APPROVING THE MINUTES, I DID WANT TO MAKE ONE MORE MENTION OF THE FORMATTING AS STATED IN ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER AND CHAPTER EIGHT MINUTES ARE ONLY MEANT TO BE A RECORD OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MEETINGS. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, THEY ARE NOT A DETAILED REPORT OF THE SPECIFIC EDITS THAT WERE MADE AND WHO SAID WHAT IN THE MEETINGS. 
          IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S JUST A GENERAL SUMMARY OF WHAT WENT ON AND NO DETAILS OF WHO MADE THE EDITS OR WHAT THE EDITS WERE NEED TO BE MADE. 
          PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH OFFICES OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL TO MAKE SURE WE ARE FULLY BEING COMPLIANT WITH BOTH ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER AND CHAPTER EIGHT IN ORDER TO MOST EFFECTIVELY ACHIEVE OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND GET BUSINESS DONE. 
          OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, OKAY, YES, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, AT THIS POINT I WOULD LIKE TO CALL ON EACH COMMISSIONER TO PROVIDE EDITS FOR THE MINUTES OF THEIR OWN, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER REY DISTRICT ONE. 
          NO EDITS AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          COMMISSIONER, UH, COMMISSIONER H****R, DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE EDITS TO THE MINUTES? NO EDITS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          COMMISSIONER. 
          COMMISSIONER PEY, DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE EDITS? UM, I'M THOUGHT, I'M SORRY. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN. 
          COMMISSIONER PEY, DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS AN EDIT, MORE OF A QUESTION AND INQUIRY IN REFERENCE TO THE MINUTES. 
          UM, OUR MINUTES SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE THOSE EVERYONE WHO'S IN ATTENDANCE, EVEN STAFF, UM, AND THE PERSON RECORDING THE MINUTES THAT SHOULD ALSO BE LISTED. 
          UM, ALSO THE MINUTES SHOULD FOLLOW THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA, MEANING THAT EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT A FULL DETAIL OF THE ACCOUNT OF THE MEETING ITSELF, WHEN EACH COMMISSIONER HAS A MENTION OF SOMETHING THAT THEY ATTENDED OR WHAT THEY SPOKE ON, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, UNDER CHAIRMAN CAL CONNEY, IT MENTIONED THAT HE HAD A TWO 10 MINUTE RECESS WITH NATIONAL FEDERATION OF BLIND. 
          SO UNDER REPORTS IT DOES LIST ALL OF THE COMMISSIONERS, BUT I REMEMBER COMMISSIONER REEVE SPEAKING ON TRANSPORTATION. 
          UM, SO WITH WITH EACH COMMISSIONER, WHATEVER THEY ATTENDED, OR IF THEY HAD A QUESTION IN RELATION TO DISABILITIES, I MAY BE MISPRONOUNCING IT. 
          I DID ASK EARLIER, PRIOR TO THE MEETING, IT STARTS WITH AN M ANOTHER TRANSPORTATION SERVICE THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED. 
          AND ANY DOCUMENTATION THAT WE PRESENT, UM, IT SHOULD BE ALSO UPLOADED, UM, AND ATTACHED TO FOR REVIEW BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY WE KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE AUDITORIES AND PEOPLE ARE VISUAL, BUT I DON'T SEE ANY OF THE ATTACHMENTS FROM, UM, WE'VE HAD PRESENTATIONS EITHER WITH COMMISSIONERS OR FROM PRESENTERS. 
          SO EDITS OR NOT, SINCE WE'RE FOLLOWING A PROTOCOL, I'M JUST LOOKING AT SOME THINGS THAT ARE MISSING, UM, THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED. 
          COMMISSIONER PUE, THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THOSE POINTS. 
          I DID WANT TO CLARIFY, HOWEVER, ON THE POINT YOU MADE WITH REGARDS TO DOCUMENTATION, BECAUSE AT OUR PREVIOUS MEETINGS WE DID NOT PROVIDE ATTACHMENTS OF THE DOCUMENTATIONS IN TERMS OF PRESENTATIONS THAT WERE MADE BY COMMISSIONERS. 
          AND WE FELT THAT NOT BEING NECESSARY. 
          AND, UH, UPON READING ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, I DON'T RECALL THAT BEING A REQUIREMENT. 
          SO CAN YOU PLEASE CLARIFY ON WHAT IT IS YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY HERE? SO IN READING MINUTES, SHOULD FOLLOW ORDER OF AGENDA SUMMARY SENT IS OF EACH ITEM AND THE NAME OF THE PERSON WHO PRESENTED THE INFORMATION SHOULD BE ATTACHED AND INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE MINUTES. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN COMMISSIONER REY AND EVEN YOURSELF HAD VISITED, WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE COMPANY? MISO. 
          MOSEY MOSEY, UM, WHATEVER PICTURE, WHATEVER INFORMATION, WHATEVER DATA, WHEN THESE NOTES ARE ATTACHED INTO THE WEBSITE OR THE URL LINK, ALL OF THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED, NOT JUST FOR THE COMMISSIONERS, BUT ALSO FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND EVERYONE WHO'S IN THE MEETING, EVEN WHEN WE HAVE A VOTE, I DID LEAVE THAT OUT. 
          THAT SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED, UM, IN THE THE MINUTES BECAUSE, UM, ADHERING TO WHAT THAT PROTOCOL IS AND THAT POLICY, IT HAS TO ALSO INCLUDE WHO TOOK THE NOTES. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF OUR COORDINATOR 
          [00:10:01]
TOOK THE NOTES, WE PUT HER NAME AND SAY NOTES TAKEN BY. 
          UM, AND IF WE VOTED ON SOMETHING LIKE WHEN WE VOTED TO HAVE THIS MEETING TODAY, WE NEED TO ALSO INCLUDE THE NAME OF THOSE COMMISSIONERS WHO VOTED. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT. 
          COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE, DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE EDITS? I DO NOT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          COMMISSIONER BALLOU, DISTRICT 10. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE EDITS FOR THE MINUTES? NO, NOT AT THIS TIME. 
          UM, AND LASTLY, COMMISSIONER HUSHKA, DISTRICT 13. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE EDITS? NO EDITS AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          SO BASED ON OUR CONVERSATION, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS CORRECTED? I WILL START WITH YES. 
          COMMISSIONER BELU. 
          SORRY. 
          I WAS GONNA GIVE YOU YOUR, I JUMPED THE GUN. 
          GO AHEAD. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER BELU. 
          BASED ON WHERE THE CONVERSATION IS GOING, IT APPEARS THAT I DO HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS READ AND CORRECTED. 
          ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING A, WE'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER REEDY. 
          DISTRICT ONE. 
          AYE. 
          COMMISSIONER H****R, DISTRICT THREE. 
          AYE. 
          COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER PUE. 
          DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          AYE. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE. 
          AYE. 
          COMMISSIONER BLUE DISTRICT 10. 
          AYE. 
          AND LASTLY, COMMISSIONER HUSKA. 
          DISTRICT 13. 
          AYE. 
          NO, NO. 
          OPPOSED? AND ALL OPPOSED? APPARENTLY THERE IS ONE. 
          SO THE MOTION PASSES AND THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AS READ AND CORRECTED. 
          SO APPARENTLY THERE ARE NO OPPOSITIONS AND THE MINUTES HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AS READ AND CORRECTED AS MENTIONED, OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE OFFICER'S REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. 
          I WILL BEGIN BY SHARING THE CHAIRMAN'S REPORT FOR THIS MONTH. 
          ON OCTOBER THE 29TH, I HAD THE DISTINCT HONOR OF PRESENTING TO THE TEXAS GOVERNOR'S COMMITTEE ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, G-C-B-D-G-C-P-D ABOUT THE CITY OF DALLAS COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES. 
          IT WAS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS ABOUT OUR WORK AND THE IMPACT IT IS MAKING IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          THIS WAS ALSO A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BRING A HUMAN FACE TO EVERYDAY CHALLENGES FACED BY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ON A DAILY BASIS. 
          WE ARE GRATEFUL TO GCPD FOR THEIR RECEPTIVENESS AND WILLING TO SUPPORT US ON THIS JOURNEY AS WE STRIVE TO PROMOTE A CITY THAT IS ACCESSIBLE, EQUITABLE, AND INCLUSIVE FOR EVERYONE. 
          ON NOVEMBER THE 16TH, I WAS PRIVILEGED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2024 NORTH TEXAS UN TOWN HALL, WHICH WAS HOSTED BY THE UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF THE U-N-A-U-S-A DALLAS CHAPTER IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SMU HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM AND HUMAN RIGHTS DALLAS. 
          HERE I ALSO SPOKE ABOUT OUR COMMISSION AND THE DIFFERENCE IT IS MAKING ON THE LIVES OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 
          I AM GRATEFUL TO HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO ENGAGE WITH YOUNG STUDENTS AND SHARE ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DOING THIS WORK. 
          WHILE CHANGE DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT, HAVING THE COURAGE, PASSION, AND DETERMINATION TO ACHIEVE OUR MISSION CAN SAY SO MUCH ABOUT OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN. 
          THIS WAS A MOMENT WHERE WE REAFFIRMED OUR COMMITMENT TO STAND WITH THE MARGINALIZED, AMPLIFY THE VOICES, WHICH FOR A LONG TIME WERE SILENCED AND IGNORED AND UNITE TO DISMANTLE THE SYSTEMIC ABLEISM AND IN AND INEQUITIES THAT ARISE FROM THE ACTIONS OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS. 
          AS THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES, THERE IS SO MUCH TO ACHIEVE AS WE MOVE TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF NOT ONLY THE DIFFERENCES, BUT ALSO THE SIMILARITIES THAT BIND US. 
          THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT FOR NOVEMBER. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. 
          AND I WILL NOW TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO 
          [00:15:01]
COMMISSIONERS TO PROVIDE REPORTS OF THEIR OWN. 
          IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT, YOU MAY INDICATE SO WHEN YOUR NAME AND RESPECTIVE DISTRICT ARE CALLED, WE'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER REEVE, DISTRICT ONE. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT OF YOUR OWN? NOTHING AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER REEVE. 
          NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER H****R FROM DISTRICT THREE. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT? NO REPORT AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER H****R. 
          COMMISSIONER POEY, DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT? UH, YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, SO IN REFERENCE TO THE REPORT, I WANNA PIGGYBACK ON CHAIRMAN CON CONNIE, UM, MYSELF AS WELL. 
          UH, I PHYSICALLY ATTENDED THE GOVERNOR'S COMMITTEE ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UH, COUNCIL MEETING THAT WAS HELD IN LANCASTER, TEXAS. 
          UM, IT WAS ALSO HELD AT ONE OF OUR, UH, DALLAS COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGES, UM, IN LANCASTER, WHICH WOULD BE THE CEDAR VALLEY CAMPUS. 
          UM, MAYOR OF LANCASTER WAS IN ATTENDANCE. 
          UM, SO I ACTUALLY TOOK MY SON WITH ME BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, UNLESS IT'S THE PERSON WHO'S ACTUALLY CHALLENGED OR AFFECTED IN THEIR DAILY LIFE WITH A DISABILITY, WE HAVE A LOT OF LEGISLATORS WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT DISABILITIES, ALTHOUGH THEY CAN, UM, TELL YOU ABOUT THE MONEY AND THE DATA, BUT TO ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY SEE IT. 
          AND EVEN THAT MORNING, MY SON HAD A SEIZURE, SO HE HAD A BRUISE ON HIS FACE. 
          AND I TALKED ABOUT, UM, BEING A COMMISSIONER WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS, I TALKED ABOUT HOW A LOT OF TIMES WE HAVE THESE WITH THAT I CALL 'EM COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS OR TEA TALKS, BUT THERE'S ACTUALLY NO, IT'S JUST A CHECKLIST TO SAY, LOOK WHAT WE'VE DONE. 
          THIS IS WHAT'S IN PLACE. 
          BUT WHILE IT'S IN PLACE, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO BE PROACTIVE BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH, UH, MANY OF US HERE, WE SERVE A PURPOSE NOT JUST IN OUR DAILY LIVES, BUT ALSO HERE WITH THE CITY. 
          AND WE, WE STILL FEEL LIKE OUR VOICES AREN'T BEING HEARD. 
          'CAUSE WE CAN TALK AND TALK AND TALK, BUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AFFECTED WITH THEIR DISABILITIES, AND THEY MAY RECEIVE SOME FUNDING SUCH AS SOCIAL SECURITY OR, UM, SSDI, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          BUT IN TERMS OF ACTUALLY IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS, WHEN IS THAT GOING TO START? UM, SO IT WAS, IT WAS GREAT AND A LOT OF PEOPLE SHARED THEIR STORIES ABOUT THEIR CHALLENGES, BUT THAT'S A CONTINUUM. 
          AND SO SLOW CHANGE IS GOOD, BUT REAL CHANGE IS BETTER. 
          ALSO, AFTER THIS, THEY HAD SOME WORKSHOPS. 
          I'M NOT SURE IF ANY OF YOU KNEW IT, BUT PLEASE CHECK THEIR WEBSITE BECAUSE, UM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO PHYSICALLY. 
          IT IS ONLINE IF YOU CHOOSE TO ATTEND. 
          SO I ATTENDED ON NOVEMBER THE 12TH, THERE ARE POLICIES ABOUT PERSONAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS, AND THEN ON NOVEMBER THE 14TH, I ATTENDED THEIR POLICY PRIORITIES OF ACCESSIBILITY. 
          SO I JUST, THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE FOR MY REPORTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU COMMISSIONER POI FOR SHARING THIS INSIGHTFUL REPORT. 
          I DO AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE ELECTED LEGISLATORS IN TERMS OF WHEN THEY RELAY INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          THERE'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN JUST NARRATING DATA AND STATISTICS VERSUS PHYSICALLY SEEING PEOPLE WHO FACE THESE CHALLENGES ON A REGULAR BASIS AND REALLY BEING AWARE AND APPRECIATING THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. 
          AND AS I HAVE INDICATED PREVIOUSLY, YES, CHANGE IS SLOW. 
          AND WHILE YOU AND I AND ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM CERTAINLY WISH FOR REAL CHANGE, AND WE CERTAINLY WOULD PREFER THAT OVER SLOW CHANGE, UM, AT LEAST WE'RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. 
          AND I AM GRATEFUL TO YOU AND FOR ALL THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN ON THEIR PART TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR VOICES ARE IN FACT BEING HEARD. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          COMMISSIONER WHITE FROM DISTRICT NINE, DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT FOR NOVEMBER? I DO. 
          UM, I HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FOR ANYONE THAT DOESN'T ALREADY KNOW THAT. 
          UH, AND TRAVELING IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME, PARTICULARLY IN AN AIRPORT. 
          AND IT'S DIFFICULT BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I WORK FULL-TIME AND I'M A FULL-TIME ARTIST ON TOP OF THAT, I GET LOST EASILY. 
          AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, SOMETIME BACK TO TALK TO THE DISABILITIES OFFICE AT LOVE FIELD WHEN THEY CHANGED THE RIDE SHARE TO THE PARKING GARAGE TO MAKE SURE THEY HADN'T DONE THAT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, WHICH THEY HADN'T. 
          SO WHEN I NEEDED TO TRAVEL RECENTLY TO SAN ANTONIO FOR BUSINESS, I CALLED THEM TO ASK THEM IF THEY COULD HELP ME NAVIGATE THE AIRPORT. 
          THEY MET ME AT THE CAR WHEN MY SON DROPPED ME OFF. 
          THEY GOT ME ALL THE WAY, WAY THROUGH SECURITY AND TO THE GATE EVEN STOPPING AND LETTING ME GET SOME COFFEE. 
          [00:20:02]
AND WHEN I CAME BACK, THEY MET ME AT, AT THE GATE AND GOT ME ALL THE WAY BACK TO WHERE MY SON WAS PICKING ME UP. 
          I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH POSITIVE ABOUT IT. 
          IF ANYONE YOU HEAR OF NEEDS HELP NAVIGATING THE AIRPORT, GIVE THEM A SHOUT BECAUSE THEY'RE WONDERFUL. 
          UH, THE AIRPORT IN SAN ANTONIO, UNFORTUNATELY WASN'T WONDERFUL, BUT I DIDN'T DIE OR ANYTHING, SO , SO I GUESS IT WAS OKAY. 
          MY SEATMATE ACTUALLY HELPED ME GET THROUGH THAT. 
          BUT ANYWAY, UM, I'M VERY PROUD OF OUR, OF OUR AIRPORT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU COMMISSIONER WHITE FOR OFFERING THIS REPORT. 
          IT IS VERY INSIGHTFUL AND I CERTAINLY DO RECOMMEND DALLAS LOVEFIELD AS THEY I KNOW FOR A FACT STRIVE EVERY DAY TO MAKE THE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE BETTER. 
          HOPEFULLY THAT WILL BE THE SAME WITH ALL OTHER AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER BLUE DISTRICT 10. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT FOR NOVEMBER? NO, I DO NOT. 
          NO REPORT. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. 
          NEXT. 
          AND, AND LAST WE HAVE COMMISSIONER HUSHKA, DISTRICT 13. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT FOR NOVEMBER? NO REPORT AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          COMMISSIONER HUSHKA. 
          OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE BRIEFINGS. 
          WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM DART MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES. 
          WE WERE ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO HAVE MS. TAMMY LING, SENIOR ASSISTANT AND VICE PRESIDENT OF MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SPEAK TO US. 
          HOWEVER, GIVEN HER CONFLICTING SCHEDULE, WE ARE NOW GOING TO HAVE MR. NOAH BERLIN, THE DIRECTOR OF DART'S MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES, TO PROVIDE US AN UPDATE ON SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT THEY HAVE UNDERGONE WITH THEIR SERVICES. 
          WE ARE SO HONORED TO HAVE THEM AS ACCESSIBLE. 
          TRANSPORTATION IS A FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHT THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD NOT BE DEPRIVED OF. 
          WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I NOW WELCOME MR. BERLIN TO THE, THE, UH, FLOOR TO PRESENT HIS REPORT AND HE'LL BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY. 
          HI. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. 
          THANKS FOR HAVING US THIS AFTERNOON. 
          UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS BERLIN. 
          UM, EXCUSE ME, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INTERRUPTION. 
          WE ARE HAVING A VERY HARD TIME HEARING YOU, SO IF YOU'D BE SO KIND TO SPEAK LOUDER OR COME CLOSER TO THE MIC, THAT WAY WE CAN HEAR YOU BETTER. 
          UH, IS THAT BETTER? I CHANGED MY MICROPHONE. 
          UM, SIR, SIR, WE ARE STILL NOT ABLE TO HEAR YOU. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          ONE MOMENT. 
          GOSH, THIS WORKED JUST FINE EARLIER. 
          UM, WE CAN HEAR YOU. 
          YES, SIR. 
          WE'RE ABLE TO HEAR YOU FINE. 
          YOU JUST NEED ME TO SPEAK MORE LOUDLY. 
          IS THIS BETTER? YES, THIS IS. 
          YES SIR. 
          WE CAN HEAR YOU VERY CLEAR. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          WELL, I CAN TRY AND SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT. 
          UM, NO PROBLEM. 
          UH, ANYW WHO, UH, NO UPPER LYNN, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES AT DART. 
          UH, I AM JOINED BY, UM, TRACY JOHNSON AND HER OFFICE. 
          THANKS FOR COMING. 
          TRACY. 
          UM, I WAS, UH, UH, ASKED TO TAKE TAMMY'S PLACE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. 
          UM, SO I AM NEW TO HER PRESENTATION, BUT I'M PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH THE CONTENT. 
          SO, UH, PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF I STUMBLE THROUGH SOME OF THIS. 
          I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND SHARE MY SCREEN AND GET, GET THAT ROLLING. 
          OKAY. 
          AND LET ME KNOW IF EVERYONE CAN SEE THAT PRESENTATION POP UP. 
          YES, SIR. 
          IT LOOKS GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SUPER. 
          OKAY. 
          VERY GOOD. 
          SO, UH, NAME OF THE PRESENTATION, DART MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES UPDATE. 
          UM, I WAS SOLD, I HAVE 10 TO 12 MINUTES. 
          I THINK THERE ARE 20 SLIDES IN HERE, SO I MIGHT MOVE THROUGH THEM A LITTLE BIT QUICKLY. 
          UH, PLEASE BEAR WITH ME. 
          FEEL FREE TO, UH, UH, OF COURSE, TAKE ANY NOTES AND ASK QUESTIONS, UH, IF YOU HAVE THEM. 
          SO, UM, QUICK AGENDA, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR DEPARTMENT A LITTLE BIT, OUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, AND THEN OUR FUNCTIONS, SOME FACTS AND OUR SERVICES. 
          AND THEN I'M GONNA SPEAK FOR A MOMENT ABOUT OUR TRANSITION TO A NEW CONTRACT, WHICH BEGAN ON OCTOBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR. 
          SO, QUICK ORG CHART. 
          UM, NOT VERY EXCITING, BUT I'LL WALK YOU THROUGH IT QUICKLY. 
          UH, THE LEADER OF OUR TEAM IS, UM, MR. DOUG DOUGLAS. 
          HE IS THE VP OF MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES. 
          UH, I REPORT TO TAMMY HENNING, WHO'S THE SE SENIOR, A VP OF MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES. 
          UM, SHE AND DOUG HAVE BOTH BEEN, 
          [00:25:01]
UH, WITH THIRD FOR MANY YEARS NOW. 
          UM, AND, UH, REPORTING TO TAMMY, OUR CHRIS HAWKINS AND MYSELF, NOAH BERLIN. 
          UH, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE, UM, RESPECTIVELY FOR, UM, UH, CHRIS FOR ADMINISTRATION, MYSELF FOR OPERATIONS. 
          AND WE'VE GOT VARIOUS FUNCTIONS WITHIN OUR TEAMS, INCLUDING, UM, A CERTIFICATION TEAM, UH, MOBILITY AMBASSADORS, CUSTOMER RELATIONS, UM, PLANNING AND, UH, UH, BUSINESS. 
          AND THEN WE'VE GOT CONTRACT COMPLIANCE, FIELD OPERATIONS, AND PROGRAM, UH, MANAGEMENT OF, UM, UM, THE GOLINK SERVICES. 
          ALL OF THIS IS SORT OF, UH, RECAPPED, I BELIEVE. 
          HERE WE GO, UM, UH, INTO SOME OF THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS THAT WE HAVE. 
          I THINK THE ONLY ONE I MISSED HERE MAYBE WAS WE DO OFFER TRAVEL TRAINING AND ORIENTATION FOR OUR PROGRAMS. UM, I THINK THE REST OF THESE, I GOT, OH, QUALITY ASSURANCE IS MAYBE THE ONE I DIDN'T SAY, UH, QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR OUR, OUR CONTRACTED SERVICES. 
          SO, UM, SOME FACTS ABOUT OUR, UM, SIR, PARDON ME FOR INTERRUPTING. 
          I DO KINDLY REQUEST, HOWEVER, IN THE INTEREST OF MAINTAINING ACCESSIBILITY AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH YOU WHENEVER YOU ARE GOING THROUGH SLIDES, IF YOU CAN PLEASE SAY NEXT SLIDE, THAT WAY WE CAN FOLLOW WITH YOU. 
          AND ALSO, IF YOU CAN SAY SLIDE AND PAGE NUMBERS, THAT WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          I WILL TRY TO . 
          SO IF YOU, AND ALSO IF YOU'D BE SO KIND TO DESCRIBE THE IMAGES THAT YOU'RE SHOWING IN FULL DETAIL, THAT WOULD ALSO BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED AS THERE ARE SOME OF US WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND CANNOT SEE WHAT IS ON THE SCREEN. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, NO PROBLEM. 
          SO ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, UM, I HAD A PICTURE OF OUR ORG CHART UP, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MADE UP OF THE TEAMS THAT I DESCRIBED. 
          AND THEN I, I PROCEEDED TO, UH, A SLIDE THAT HAS GOT BULLETED, A BULLETED LIST OF THE VARIOUS FUNCTIONS OF OUR TEAM, UM, WHICH I LISTED. 
          UH, UH, I'M MOVING OVER TO THE NEXT SLIDE HERE, WHICH HAS GOT FACTS ABOUT OUR DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, STARTING FROM THE TOP, IT SAYS THAT WE HAVE GOT, UH, 45 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. 
          OUR ANNUAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 IS ABOUT $85 MILLION. 
          UM, OUR SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE, WHICH ARE PARATRANSIT SERVICES, GOLINK SERVICES, AND, UH, RIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THE MANAGEMENT OF THE UTD SHUTTLE, UM, UH, ALL OF THOSE SAVE THE UTD SHUTTLE ARE, UH, MANAGED UNDER A PURCHASE TRANSPORTATION CONTRACT WITH, UH, TRANSDEV NORTH AMERICA. 
          UM, THAT, UH, UM, CONTRACT, WE'RE GONNA SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT LATER IN THIS PRESENTATION, BUT SOME KEY POINTS ARE THAT, UM, THAT CONTRACT BEGAN ON OCTOBER 1ST OF THIS YEAR. 
          IT IS A $602.5 MILLION CONTRACT, UH, AND IT WILL LAST FOR EIGHT YEARS. 
          UM, WE WILL BE USING, OR WE ARE USING 41 LIFT EQUIPPED STARCRAFT STARLIGHT VEHICLES, UH, FOUR LIFT EQUIP ALL STAR VANS, UH, 215 RAMP EQUIPPED MINIVANS, AND THEN TNC SUPPORT. 
          SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT TERM, TNC MEANS TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANIES. 
          THESE ARE OUR RIDE SHARE TYPE SERVICES LIKE UBER OR LYFT THAT YOU MAY BE AWARE OF. 
          UM, FINALLY ON THIS SLIDE, UH, IT LISTS THE THREE FACILITIES THAT WE OPERATE FROM OUR, UH, ELIGIBILITY ASSESSORS WORK AT DART HEADQUARTERS ON PACIFIC AVENUE, DOWNTOWN DALLAS. 
          UH, THE, UH, MOST OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM AND OUR CON CONTRACT COMPLIANCE TEAMS WORKED IN EAST DALLAS AT 1 0 1 NORTH PEAK STREET. 
          AND THEN OUR OPERATING FACILITY IS AT 89 98 SENATE STREET, UH, IN EAST DALLAS. 
          OKAY, MOVING TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UM, THIS IS JUST ANOTHER REALLY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE, UM, WITHIN A DA PARATRANSIT SERVICES, THERE'S TWO SORT OF SMALLER PROGRAMS. ONE IS A, UM, SHUTTLE WITH PARKLAND, WHICH IS SORT OF A, UM, A A WILL CALL SERVICE WHERE, UH, INDIVIDUALS CAN LET US KNOW, HEY, I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT THAT'S GONNA BE OVER AT TWO O'CLOCK, AND IF THEY END UP GETTING OUT EARLY OR A LITTLE BIT LATER, UM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE THEM HOME. 
          UH, WE'VE GOTTEN ON ON-DEMAND, 
          [00:30:01]
UH, PILOT, WHICH ALLOWS THOSE WHO ARE REGISTERED TO, UM, BOOK ON-DEMAND TRIPS THROUGH THE UBER APPLICATION FOR A DISCOUNT. 
          UH, I'VE GOT A SLIDE ABOUT THAT LATER ON. 
          WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT. 
          UM, NEXT WE'VE GOT MICROT TRANSIT SERVICES, WHICH ARE IN 34 ZONES THROUGHOUT THE DART SERVICE AREA. 
          UM, WE'VE GOT THE RIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE OFFERED TO RESIDENTS OF SEVEN OF OUR CITIES. 
          THIS IS A, UM, TRANSPORTATION SUBSIDY PROGRAM FOR, UH, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES THAT MAY NOT QUALIFY, PREPARE TRANSIT PEOPLE 65 YEARS AND OLDER. 
          UM, NEXT IS THE UCD SHUTTLE, WHICH IS ROUTE 8 83. 
          THIS IS THE, THE HIGHEST PERFORMING ROUTE, UM, THAT DART HAS ON THE BUS SIDE, AND THEY ARE CONTRACTED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES. 
          UH, FINALLY, OUR TEAM IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE REDUCED FARE PROGRAM FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, UM, WHICH ALLOWS FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO PARTICIPATE TO GET A DISCOUNTED FARE ON DART FIXX ROUTE SERVICES. 
          OKAY, ON OUR NEXT SLIDE, UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS ABOUT A COMPANY. 
          I'M SORRY, DID SOMEONE THAT'S FINE. 
          WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU? OH, I SEE. 
          SOMEONE HAS GOT THEIR MIC OPEN HERE. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO ANYHOW, WE'VE GOT SOME, SOME BULLETS, UH, ON THIS SLIDE ABOUT PARATRANSIT SERVICE. 
          UM, UH, YOU KNOW, PARATRANSIT SERVICES ARE REQUIRED BY THE AMERICAS DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990. 
          UM, THE SERVICES ARE OPERATED BY TRANSDEV, UH, NORTH AMERICA AND THEIR PROVIDERS. 
          UM, IT IS A COMPLIMENTARY SERVICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WHO ARE UNABLE TO RIDE FIXED ROUTE BUS AND RAIL SERVICES. 
          UM, SERVICE ON, UH, A DA PEER TRANSIT MUST BE COMPARABLE TO THAT PROVIDED ON FIXED ROUTE. 
          UM, WE CANNOT HAVE A PATTERN OR PRACTICE OF CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS. 
          WE CANNOT DENY SERVICE, AND WE HAVE MOVED OVER TO A TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM CALLED SPARE LABS AS OF THE 1ST OF OCTOBER. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, UH, ON THIS NEXT SLIDE, UH, WE HAVE GOT, UM, TRIP COUNTS FOR THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDED IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. 
          THERE'S A TABLE AT THE TOP AND THERE'S A GRAPH DOWN BELOW. 
          UM, THE TABLE AND THE GRAPH BOTH, UM, UH, DESCRIBE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT WE'VE PROVIDED OVER TIME, UM, SHOWING PRE AND POST PANDEMIC, UH, RIDERSHIP LEVELS. 
          UM, AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED, RIDERSHIP FELL DURING COVID-19. 
          IT HAS RISEN SLOWLY SINCE THEN. 
          AND NOW WE ARE BACK TO AROUND THE SAME LEVEL THAT WE WERE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. 
          AND IN TERMS OF VOLUME, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, PRE PANDEMIC, UH, FISCAL YEAR 19 OF 824,640 PARATRANSIT TRIPS. 
          AND IN THIS PAST FISCAL YEAR, 2024, UH, WE PROVIDED 860,000. 
          SO WE ARE BACK ABOVE THAT PRE PANDEMIC LEVEL LEVEL. 
          OKAY, NEXT SLIDE. 
          ON DEMAND PILOT PROGRAM. 
          UM, SO THIS IS THAT, THAT PILOT THAT I WAS DESCRIBING A MOMENT AGO, UM, IT BEGAN IN 2022. 
          UH, IT UTILIZES UBER'S VOUCHER PROGRAM, UM, WHICH ALLOWS US BASICALLY TO DISCOUNT UBER TRIPS. 
          UM, WRITERS DO BOOK THEIR OWN TRIPS. 
          THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR BOOKING THEIR OWN TRIPS DIRECTLY IN THE SMARTPHONE APPLICATION, UH, ON THEIR OWN MOBILE PHONES. 
          UM, TRIPS ARE SUBSIDIZED BY DART THROUGH THE UBER APP. 
          THEY'RE DISCOUNTED TO $3 FOR UP TO $33 IN TRIP VALUE. 
          UH, THEY'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, FOR THE COST OF THOSE TRIPS. 
          BEYOND THAT $33, UM, THERE'S 433 REGISTERED WRITERS. 
          WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY, SIR, EXCUSE ME, SIR, PARDON ME FOR INTERRUPTING ONCE AGAIN. 
          BUT, UM, I DID WANT TO INFORM YOU THAT WE ARE STILL NOT RECEIVING THE VISUAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE IMAGES THAT ARE SHOWN AS WE HAVE KINDLY REQUESTED YOU TO DO, BUT WE STILL HAVE NOT BEEN RECEIVING THEM. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THE, SO THE ONLY VISUAL , AND, AND IF YOU CAN ALSO, PARDON ME, IF YOU CAN ALSO PLEASE GO A LITTLE SLOWER, THAT WAY IT'LL BE EASIER FOR US TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING A LITTLE FAST. 
          SO I AM ON SLIDE 11 OUT OF 21. 
          IS THERE, IS THERE A TIME CONSTRAINT OR WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TAKE MY TIME? IF YOU CAN. 
          OKAY. 
          IF YOU CAN PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME AND JUST, YOU KNOW, SLOWLY SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO. 
          YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO TELL US WHAT NUMBER, WHAT SLIDE NUMBER, AS LONG AS YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THE SLIDES. 
          I THINK IT WOULD ONLY BE SUFFICIENT IF YOU SAID NEXT SLIDE, NEXT SLIDE. 
          THAT, THAT WILL BE MUCH EASIER FOR US. 
          BUT WE DO 
          [00:35:01]
KINDLY ASK THAT YOU SPEAK SLOWLY AND CLEARLY. 
          THAT WAY WE CAN FOLLOW, FOLLOW ALONG WITH YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          I'LL TRY, I'LL TRY TO SPEAK MORE SLOWLY AND MORE CLEARLY. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU, SIR. 
          ON THIS SLIDE IS THE, THE FIRST IMAGE THAT I'VE SHOWED THUS FAR. 
          AND IT IS A, UM, A PICTURE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO PLAN A TRIP IN THE UBER APPLICATION. 
          SO AT THE TOP HALF OF THE IMAGE IS A MAP WITH A, UM, ORIGIN, A DESTINATION, AND A, UH, PROPOSED ROUTE. 
          AND THEN ON THE BOTTOM HALF ARE A COUPLE OF THE DIFFERENT UBER TRIP BOOKING OPTIONS, INCLUDING UBER X, UBER COMFORT, AND UBER XL. 
          UM, WHAT THE IMAGE IS MEANT TO CONVEY IS THAT THE UBER X SERVICE IS DISCOUNTED FOR THE ON-DEMAND PILOT PROGRAM. 
          UM, THAT'S THE IMAGE THAT WE HAVE ON SCREEN HERE, AND THERE'S AN OPTION TO BOOK THAT TRIP, UH, AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT IMAGE WITH THE DISCOUNTED PRICE. 
          UM, SO IN THIS BULLETED LIST, UM, I MENTIONED, OH, THE REGISTERED WRITERS AND THAT WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING NEW APPLICANTS. 
          UH, THIS IS A FAIRLY COSTLY PROGRAM, AND IT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCESSIBLE AT THIS TIME AS, UM, WE DO NOT HAVE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES THAT ARE PROVIDING THE SERVICE. 
          SO, UM, IT IS STILL IN THE PILOT PHASE. 
          WE ARE EXPLORING OPTIONS TO EXPAND THAT PILOT AND MAKE IT A PERMANENT PROGRAM, UM, WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME ON OUR NEW PURCHASE TRANSPORTATION CONTRACT. 
          UH, WE'RE HOPING TO SEE THAT IN THE, IN THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO. 
          UM, THERE ARE ABOUT 10,000 TRIPS THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED EACH MONTH THROUGH THIS ON DEMAND PILOT. 
          UM, THERE, UH, UH, BETWEEN THE MONTHS OF MARCH, 2022 AND AUGUST, 2024, WE PROVIDED OVER 287,000 TRIPS. 
          OKAY, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, THIS SLIDE IS ABOUT GOLINK MICROT TRANSIT SERVICES. 
          UH, IN THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER, THERE IS A, AN IMAGE OF ONE OF OUR VEHICLES IN OUR MAINTENANCE SHOP. 
          UH, THE IMAGE IS OF VEHICLE, UH, T FOUR 20, WHICH IS A, UH, FORD STARCRAFT STARLIGHT VEHICLE. 
          UM, THEN ON THE SLIDE WE'VE GOT A, A TOP PORTION, WHICH HAS GOT SOME DETAILS, UH, ABOUT THE SERVICES, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT, UM, THE SERVICE OPERATES WITHIN 34 ZONES. 
          UH, THE ZONES OPERATE FROM 5:00 AM TO MIDNIGHT, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. 
          UH, THE SERVICES OPERATED BY TRANSDEV, ALONG WITH THEIR, UH, A COUPLE OF THEIR CONTRACTORS, IRVING HOLDINGS, BIG STAR AND UBER. 
          UH, FINALLY, THE SERVICE OPERATES ON THE SPARE LABS TECHNOLOGY. 
          UM, IN THE BOTTOM HALF OF THIS SLIDE, THERE IS A LIST OF EACH OF THE VARIOUS ZONES. 
          UM, THERE ARE 34 OF THEM. 
          I WILL NOT LIST THEM ALL HERE. 
          UM, HOWEVER, UH, THERE IS A SORT OF A DENOTATION, UM, WHICH STATES FOR, UH, PILOTS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON RIGHT NOW, WHICH THERE ARE FOUR. 
          UM, WHAT WE CALL ZONE TO ZONE TRAVEL, WHICH IS WHERE YOU CAN TRAVEL, UH, THROUGHOUT THE BOUNDARY OF MULTIPLE ZONES. 
          UH, WE'RE DOING THAT IN NORTH DALLAS, WE'RE DOING IT IN PLANO. 
          UH, WE'RE DOING IT IN THE RILEY KLEBERG AREA. 
          AND WE'RE ALSO DOING IT IN, UM, THE ETTE SOUTHEAST GARLAND AREA CALLED THE EASTERN PILOT. 
          OKAY, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, WE HAVE GOT A, UH, THE NEXT SLIDE IS ABOUT THE LINK RIDERSHIP. 
          THERE'S A TABLE AT THE TOP AND A GRAPH BELOW THAT DESCRIBE THE GROWTH IN GOLINK RIDERSHIP. 
          UM, WHAT THESE ARE MEANT TO CONVEY IS THAT THERE'S BEEN A, A VERY LARGE GROWTH IN THE RIDERSHIP ON GOLINK MICRO TRANSIT SERVICES. 
          UM, THERE ARE TWO DATES THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE BAR GRAPH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN. 
          UM, ONE MENTIONS OUR EXPANSION FROM 14 ZONES TO 30, WHICH OCCURRED IN Q2 OF, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2022. 
          UM, THERE'S ALSO AN EXPANSION OF THE SERVICE HOURS IN QUARTER TWO OF FISCAL YEAR 2023, WHICH BROUGHT THOSE HOURS TO A UNIFORM. 
          UM, UH, 5:00 AM TO MIDNIGHT, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. 
          UH, FROM THERE SINCE THEN, WE'VE SEEN A VERY LARGE INCREASE IN RIDERSHIP. 
          UH, AT THE END OF THE PREVIOUS FISCAL YEAR, FISCAL YEAR 2024, UH, WE PR HAD PROVIDED, UM, 1,648,808, 
          [00:40:03]
UH, RIGHTS. 
          OKAY. 
          OUR NEXT SLIDE IS ABOUT, UH, THE WRITER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
          UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THIS IS A PROGRAM FOR RESIDENTS IN, IN ONE OF THE, UH, SIX MEMBER CITIES, UH, WHERE IT IS AVAILABLE. 
          UM, YOU HAVE TO EITHER BE 65 YEARS AND OLDER OR HAVE A CERTIFIED DISABILITY. 
          UH, YOU DO HAVE TO REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. 
          UM, THE CITIES, WHICH ARE INCLUDED ARE ONE ZIP CODE OF ADDISON. 
          UM, THE CITIES OF CARROLLTON AND DALLAS, UH, TWO ZIP CONES AND FARMERS' BRANCH FIVE ZIP CODES IN IRVING, AS WELL AS THE CITIES OF PLANO AND ROULETTE. 
          UM, THE WAY THAT IT WORKS IS THAT RIDER PAY, UH, 50% OF A TOTAL TRIP COST OR UP TO $50 IN A CALENDAR MONTH. 
          UM, THE TRIP COST ARE CALCULATED ON A, A PICKUP RATE, A MINUTES RATE, AND A MILEAGE RATE, SORT OF SIMILAR TO A TRADITIONAL TAXI SERVICE. 
          UM, ONCE THE $50 IS UH SPENT, CUSTOMERS WILL PAY 100% OF THE COST BEYOND THAT. 
          UM, THAT SERVICE ALSO OPERATES ON THE SPARE LABS TECHNOLOGY AND, UM, IT'S OPERATED BY THE TRANS PROVIDER NETWORK. 
          UH, THERE ARE NO IMAGES ON THIS SLIDE. 
          ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, THERE IS A, ANOTHER TABLE AND GRAPH WHICH DESCRIBED THE CHANGES IN, UH, RIDERSHIP FOR THE RIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. UM, THE RIDERSHIP HAS, UH, SLOWLY GO, UH, GROWN IN BETWEEN FISCAL YEARS 2021 AND FISCAL YEAR 2023. 
          UM, THERE IS A, UH, A POINT THAT IS SET ASIDE WHEN THE COLLIN COUNTY RIDES PROGRAM MOVED TO, UH, THE DENTON COUNTY, UM, TRANSIT AUTHORITY ON FEBRUARY 1ST, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2024. 
          SO FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, UH, THOSE SERVICES MOVED OVER, WHICH SHOWED US A, UH, A DROP IN RIDERSHIP AND COMBINED RIDERSHIP FOR THE WRITER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. AND IT'S SORT OF STEADILY GROWN SINCE THEN, AND FISCAL YEAR 2024. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          SO THE NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES ARE ABOUT OUR NEW CONTRACT, AND THE NEXT SLIDE IS CALLED NEW MMS. UH, IT SAYS CONTACT, I THINK IT SHOULD SAY CONTRACT THERE. 
          UM, WE ISSUED A, UM, REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ON OCTOBER 13TH, 2023. 
          UH, BEFORE THAT WE HAD A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION, AND WE HAD MEETINGS WITH MULTIPLE VENDORS. 
          WE HAD AN OPEN HOUSE TRYING TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT WAS AVAILABLE IN THE INDUSTRY. 
          UH, THE CONTRACT WAS AWARDED ON JUNE 18TH, 2024. 
          IT IS A, UH, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IT'S A $602.5 MILLION CONTRACT, UM, AS AWARDED FOR AN EIGHT YEAR PERIOD. 
          UH, THE TRANSITION OF SERVICES BEGAN. 
          THE SERVICES BEGAN, I SHOULD SAY, ON OCTOBER 1ST, 2024, WHICH INCLUDES, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF, UH, NEW VEHICLES, UNIFORM OPERATORS, UM, NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR A DA PARATRANSIT SERVICES, AS WELL AS A, UH, CONSOLIDATED DISPATCH CENTER AND A, UM, PRIME CONTRACTOR PROVIDING SERVICE. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, IT SAYS WHAT CHANGED OVER ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, THERE ARE TWO PHOTOS THAT SHOW, UH, ONE PHOTO SHOWS, UH, MANY OF THE MINIVANS, THE NEW MINIVANS IN THE FLEET, AND THE OTHER PHOTO SHOWS MANY OF THE, UH, STARCRAFT VEHICLES, WHICH ARE THE, UM, WE CALL 'EM BIG VANS OR SHORT BUSES. 
          THEY'RE CUTAWAY BODY ON CHASSIS STYLE VEHICLES. 
          UM, IF YOU KNOW WHAT ALL THOSE WORDS MEAN. 
          UM, SO WHAT DID CHANGE, UM, VEHICLES FOR ONE THING. 
          UH, THERE'S SEVERAL BULLETS ON THIS SLIDE DESCRIBING, UM, THE MINIVANS, WHICH ARE VULNERABILITY CHRYSLER VOYAGERS, UM, THE CUTAWAY VEHICLES, WHICH ARE, UH, T THREE 50 STARCRAFT STYLE VANS. 
          AND THEN WE'VE GOT A LARGE CUTAWAY VEHICLE, UH, WHICH IS THE STARCRAFT ALL STAR VAN. 
          UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF TECHNICAL DETAILS THAT ARE LISTED HERE. 
          ONE THING THAT I WOULD SIMPLY DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO IS THAT 
          [00:45:01]
THE MINIVANS ARE RAMP EQUIPPED SIDE LOADING VEHICLES, WHEREAS THE OTHER TWO ARE, UM, HYDRAULIC LIFT QUICK VEHICLES. 
          RIGHT? THEY CAN HOLD UP TO 800 POUNDS. 
          OKAY, MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT SLIDE. 
          WE'RE GETTING CLOSE HERE, FOLKS. 
          HOPE EVERYBODY'S STILL AWAKE. 
          UH, UH, THE OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED, I THINK WE'VE SPOKEN QUITE A BIT ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOW USING SPARE, UH, LABS FOR ALL OF OUR, UH, SERVICES. 
          UM, WE DO THINK THAT IT'S A MAJOR IMPROVEMENT. 
          IT HAS A A LOT MORE EFFICIENT AND INTUITIVE SCHEDULING SYSTEMS AND, AND DISPATCH SOFTWARE. 
          UM, OUR AGENCIES AND AND CENTERS. 
          SO, UH, YOU KNOW, ADULT DAYCARE FACILITIES, UM, DIALYSIS CENTERS, ET CETERA, ARE ABLE TO MONITOR, UM, TRIP INFORMATION, TRIP STATUS INFORMATION, TRIP DETAILS, UM, UH, CONCERNING DRIVERS, SUPERVISORS AND DISPATCHERS. 
          THERE'S NEW AND RETURNING DRIVERS, ROAD SUPERVISORS, DISPATCHERS, AND OTHER OPERATION STAFF. 
          UM, A COUPLE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW CONTRACT INCLUDE THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT, UH, UNIFORM SKILLS AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF DRIVERS, ROAD SUPERVISORS AND OTHER OPERATION STAFF, UH, CALL TAKERS OR PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED. 
          AND, UH, DRIVERS FOR A DEDICATED SERVICES HAVE PROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE AND DRESS. 
          THAT WAS A BIG ONE FOR US, OUR DRIVERS, UM, BEFORE WE WERE NOT IMPRESSED WITH SOME OF THE DECORUM AND PROFESSIONALITY. 
          UM, NOWADAYS THAT'S MUCH IMPROVED. 
          EVERYONE DOES WEAR, YOU KNOW, POLO SHIRTS AND SAFETY VESTS, SIM CLOTHES, TOED SHOES. 
          THESE ARE THE REQUIREMENTS. 
          UH, FINALLY ON THIS SLIDE, UM, IT SAYS THAT RESERVATIONS ARE TAKEN UP TO FOUR DAYS IN ADVANCE BY LIVE AGENTS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, 8:00 AM TO 5:00 PM UM, BEFORE THIS WAS ONLY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, AND YOU WERE ONLY ABLE TO BOOK TRIPS TWO DAYS IN ADVANCE, EXCEPT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. 
          AND, UH, WE ARE NOW, UH, OFFERING THIS SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, FOUR DAYS IN ADVANCE. 
          SO IT'S A, IT'S A, UM, BIG IMPROVEMENT TO PEOPLE CALLING IN AND, AND, UH, REQUESTING TRIPS. 
          NEXT SLIDE. 
          UH, SAYS WHAT DID NOT CHANGE? SO ONE THING THAT DIDN'T CHANGE IS THAT BEARS ARE STILL $3 PER TRIP, UH, FOR PARATRANSIT SERVICES. 
          UH, PAYERS CAN BE PAID IN THE FORM OF, UM, COUPONS AND CASH. 
          THOSE ARE STILL THE TWO WAYS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO ACCEPT FAIR FOR PARATRANSIT. 
          UM, OUR CONTRACT COMPLIANCE FIELD SUPERVISORS, WHO MEMBERS OF MY TEAM, THEY'RE CONTINUING TO MONITOR THE SERVICE FROM OUR CONTROL CENTER AND OUT IN THE FIELD WITH OUR WRITERS. 
          UM, ONLINE BOOKING IS STILL AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.DART.ORG/RIDE PARA. 
          THEN THERE'S CONTACT INFORMATION THAT'S LISTED ON THIS SLIDE. 
          INFORMATION FOR, UM, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR RESERVATIONS LINE, OUR DISPATCH LINE UNDER PARATRANSIT SERVICES. 
          THAT'S OUR GENERAL, UH, CALL RATE. 
          WE'VE GOT OUR CUSTOMER RELATIONS DIRECT LINE LISTED HERE, OUR TRAVEL TRAINING PROGRAM, PHONE NUMBER, IT'S LISTED. 
          THEN THERE'S A NUMBER FOR PARATRANSIT CERTIFICATION SERVICES, UH, A PHONE NUMBER WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN CALL TO PROVIDE COMPLAINTS AND ACCOMMODATIONS. 
          AND THEN A PHONE NUMBER FOR OUR CUSTOMER INFORMATION CENTER. 
          SO, UM, THAT IS THE END OF OUR PRESENTATION TODAY. 
          I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. 
          THANK YOU MR. BERLIN FOR THIS INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION. 
          AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT DART HAS IMPLEMENTED WITH THEIR SERVICES AS IT SPECIFICALLY RELATES TO PARATRANSIT. 
          I DID HAVE A FEW COMMENTS, AND THEN I DO HAVE A QUESTION, BUT I WILL FIRST BEGIN WITH COMMENTS. 
          I DO REMEMBER WHEN THE ON DEMAND PILOT PROGRAM STARTED, THERE USED TO BE A PHONE LINE THAT A CUSTOMER COULD CONTACT AND SCHEDULE A RIDE ON DEMAND. 
          UM, I WOULD, NOW, IF THIS ENDS UP BECOMING A PERMANENT PROGRAM, ONE THING TO CONSIDER MIGHT BE TO IMPLEMENT A PHONE LINE WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN REQUEST THOSE ONLINE ON DEMAND RIDES BECAUSE THE UBER APP SOMETIMES DOESN'T WORK. 
          AND THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES WHO MAY NOT BE COMFORTABLE USING THE APP. 
          AND SO I WAS JUST HOPING THAT THERE WOULD BE, UM, A, AN ALTERNATIVE, UH, WAY TO SCHEDULE RIDES IN THE CASE IF FOR SOME REASON THE APP ENDS UP NOT WORKING OR IF SOMEONE IS HAVING A DIFFICULTY USING IT. 
          AND THEN MAYBE ONE OTHER WAY TO CONSIDER EXPANDING THE UBER IS YOU SHARED WITH US 
          [00:50:01]
THAT UBERX IS THE ONLY DISCOUNTED RIDE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS, BUT YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE WHEELCHAIRS, BUT THEN THERE ARE ALSO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO USE SERVICE ANIMALS LIKE MYSELF. 
          AND SO PERHAPS MAYBE EXPANDING THIS TO UBER PETS OR SOMETHING WHERE DRIVERS ARE, WELL, THERE'S UBER PETS, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF THE VOUCHER WOULD APPLY TO THAT SPECIFICALLY. 
          I DID HAVE A QUESTION THOUGH. 
          WITH REGARDS TO, UM, RIDERS WITH DISABILITIES WHO USE SERVICE ANIMALS LIKE MYSELF, ONE COMMON PROBLEM THAT SEEMS TO BE OCCURRING ON A REGULAR BASIS IS CUSTOMERS OR TRAVELERS WHO WANT TO UTILIZE RIDESHARE SERVICES, YET THEY GET DENIED SIMPLY BECAUSE THE DRIVERS DON'T WANT THEIR SERVICE DOGS. 
          UM, I WOULD, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY PART OR IF, IF YOU'VE ANY, IF YOU'VE ENCOUNTERED OR IF YOU'VE HEARD STORIES LIKE THIS THAT CAME ABOUT FROM PASSENGERS AND WHAT IS DART MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES DOING TO FURTHER REDUCE, REDUCE THESE COMPLEXITIES? UH, SURE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO, SO THERE'S QUITE A BIT THERE AND, UM, PLEASE, LEMME KNOW IF I MISS ANYTHING AS I TRY TO ANSWER, RESPOND TO THOSE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS. 
          SO, UM, CERTAINLY WHEN WE MAKE THE, UM, ON DEMAND PROGRAM A A PERMANENT PROGRAM, UH, WE WILL ACCEPT RESERVATIONS AND PROVIDE ASSISTANCE OVER THE PHONE AS WELL. 
          UM, WE'D LIKE TO INCORPORATE IT INTO OUR, YOU KNOW, SUITE OF SERVICES A HUNDRED PERCENT IN TERMS OF, UM, PAYMENT ACCESSIBILITY, UH, IN TERMS OF BOOKING AND, UH, ALSO, YOU KNOW, MAKING IT, UH, VIABLE FOR PEOPLE WITH, UH, MOBIL MOBILITY DEVICES. 
          SO, UM, UM, POINT, POINT WELL MADE AND, AND THAT WILL BE A, A, A QUALITY THAT WE EXPECT TO PROVIDE. 
          UM, AS FAR AS THE USE OF UBER AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH SERVICE ANIMALS. 
          SO OF COURSE, UM, UBER, SAME AS ANY RIDE SHARE SERVICE, THEY ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO, UM, PROVIDE SERVICE TO INDIVIDUALS WITH SERVICE ANIMALS FOR NO ADDITIONAL COSTS. 
          SO THE UBERX SERVICE, UM, UH, IS NO EXCEPTION. 
          UH, THE DRIVERS WHO DO, UH, REFUSE TO TRANSPORT DUE TO PEOPLE HAVING SERVICE ANIMALS, THOSE PEOPLE ARE REPORTED AND, UH, REMOVED FROM OUR SERVICE IMMEDIATELY. 
          UM, THAT IS NOT OKAY WITH US. 
          UM, UBER HAS THEIR OWN INTERNAL PROCESS WHERE THEY, UH, UH, FOLLOW THROUGH. 
          I THINK THERE'S ONE STRIKE THAT THEY ALLOW. 
          UH, AND THEN THEY WILL REMOVE THOSE DRIVERS FROM THE UBER PLATFORM, UH, DARK, UH, NOT DARK DART. 
          UH, WE DON'T , WE DON'T, UH, IF WE HEAR ABOUT THAT ONE TIME, WE'LL REMOVE THAT DRIVER FROM OUR PLATFORM. 
          UM, AS FAR AS UBER PET IS CONCERNED, UM, UBER PET DOES HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. 
          IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPENSIVE, UM, BECAUSE THOSE DRIVERS UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE MAY NOT BE SERVICE ANIMALS. 
          THESE MAY JUST BE PEOPLE'S PETS THAT THEY WANNA BRING IN THE CAR. 
          AND, UM, WE HAVE, UH, IN SITUATIONS WHERE WE HAD A WRITER WHO MAY BE STRANDED FOR EXAMPLE, OR WAS HAVING A LOT OF ISSUES WITH UBERX, WE HAVE BOOKED THEM UBER PET TRIPS, WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT. 
          BUT AGAIN, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL COST. 
          SO, UM, WE WOULD REALLY LIKE FOR, YOU KNOW, UBER AND OUR RIDE SHARE PARTNERS TO PLAY BALL, OBEY THE LAW, AND, UH, MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THEIR DRIVERS ARE ALLOWING SERVICE ANIMALS ON BOARD. 
          OKAY. 
          I BELIEVE YOU'VE ADDRESSED ALL THE COMMENTS AND QUESTION THAT I HAD, SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT MR. BERLIN. 
          I WILL NOW TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO COMMISSIONERS THAT MAY WISH TO ASK QUESTIONS, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER REY DISTRICT ONE. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          THIS IS COMMISSIONER REVY, DISTRICT ONE. 
          MR. BERLIN, WELCOME. 
          I'M HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE TODAY. 
          I AM GOING TO MAKE SEVERAL COMMENTS REGARDING RIDE SHARE IN THE PAST, MY HUSBAND AND I USED, UH, THE PARA OF TRANSIT SINCE HE DIED. 
          I NOW USE A RIDESHARE. 
          I HAVEN'T OWNED A CAR SINCE 2012 AND I'M 84 YEARS OLD, SO I RELY ON DART. 
          I USE THE RED LINE, I USE THE STREET CAR, AND I USE RIDESHARE A LOT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          MY FIRST QUESTION IS THIS. 
          IF I GET OFF THE RED LINE AT HAMPTON STATION OR ANY OTHER STATION, AND I'M GOING TO CALL RIDE ASSIST TO GET ME HOME FROM THE STATION, WHICH IS ABOUT FOUR MILES, IS THERE A DEDICATED SPOT FOR RIDE SHARE DRIVERS TO MEET ME, MEET ME ONCE I GET OFF 
          [00:55:01]
THE TRAIN? HMM. 
          FOR RIDE SHARE? THANK YOU. 
          I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND ONE . 
          UH, SO, SO SPEC. 
          SO I THINK YOUR QUESTION IS SORT OF NOT ONLY ABOUT HAMPTON STATION, BUT AT ALL REAL STATIONS, WHAT ARE THE RIDESHARE FAIR SUPPOSED TO DO? RIGHT. 
          UM, SO WE DO HAVE SIGNAGE THERE. 
          UH, AND, AND I CAN'T SPEAK TO A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE SIGNAGE THAT'S AT THOSE RAIL STATIONS. 
          I'D HAVE TO KIND OF GET BACK WITH YOU ON THAT. 
          I KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE SIGNAGE UP THOUGH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE TO PARK, WHERE TO WAIT FOR GO LINK. 
          UH, AND THEN OF COURSE WE'VE GOT THE, YOU KNOW, THE UM, THE SIGNS THAT HAVE GOT INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIXED ROAD OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. 
          TRACY, DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW OFFHAND IF OUR RAIL STATIONS HAVE ANY KIND OF A RIDESHARE INFO? NO. 
          TO MY KNOWLEDGE THEY DON'T. 
          OKAY. 
          NOT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT RIDESHARE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'D APPRECIATE YOUR LOOKING INTO THAT AND GETTING BACK TO ME AS A SINGLE WOMAN WHO USES A CANE, I FIND IT VERY, UM, DIFFICULT TO LOOK AROUND AND BE BY MY OWN AT A TRAIN STOP NOT KNOWING WHERE OR WHEN MY RIDE MAY SHOW UP. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THAT. 
          UM, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. 
          I HAVE RECEIVED THIS WEEK A REQUEST FROM A RESIDENTIAL FACILITY. 
          MM-HMM . 
          WHO CONTACTED THIS COMMISSION AND ME AS A COMMISSIONER TO COME AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT MOBILITY SERVICES FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE DISABILITIES, SPECIFICALLY WHEELCHAIRS. 
          AND WHILE I'M HAPPY TO DO THIS, I'M WONDERING IS IT POSSIBLE FOR DART TO SEND A REPRESENTATIVE TO THIS RESIDENTIAL FACILITY TO MAKE A PRESENTATION ON THE SERVICES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES? AND IF SO, HOW WOULD I CONTACT THAT PERSON? SO, UM, WE DO HAVE A TEAM THAT DOES EXACTLY THAT. 
          UM, THOSE ARE OUR, UM, MOBILITY AMBASSADORS. 
          AND, UM, SINCE I AM GONNA REACH BACK OUT TO YOU WITH INFORMATION ABOUT SIGNAGE AT THEIR RAIL STATIONS, UH, I WILL ALSO PROVIDE, UH, A GOOD CONTACT NUMBER, UH, FOR YOU TO GET IN TOUCH WITH SOMEONE. 
          UM, OR I'LL HAVE SOMEONE, LET ME THINK OF THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS. 
          I'LL GET YOU GOOD, GOOD CONTACT INFORMATION TO GET THAT PRESENTATION SCHEDULED. 
          MR. COMMISSIONER INTERRUPTION. 
          I THINK THE WHOLE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT INFORMATION, SO IF MAYBE YOU COULD PROVIDE IT BACK OUT THROUGH, 'CAUSE THAT'S STUFF PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT. 
          SORRY. 
          NO PROBLEM. 
          ABSOLUTELY. 
          AND FINALLY, UH, A COMMENT PLEASE. 
          A COUPLE OF COMMENTS HERE. 
          I HAVE BEEN USING RIDESHARE SINCE I APPRECIATE IT. 
          I HAVE FOUND THAT SINCE YOU HAVE THIS NEW CONTRACT WITH UBER IN GENERAL, THE RIDES ARE MUCH BETTER FOR ME IN A, IN GENERAL, THE CARS ARE CLEANER, THEY ARE IN BETTER CONDITION. 
          I HAVE YET TO GET AN UBER VEHICLE WITH CRACKED WINDSHIELD. 
          AND THAT HAPPENED FREQUENTLY WITH YOUR LAST VENDOR. 
          AND IN GENERAL, THE GPS SYSTEM IS MUCH MORE ACCURATE THAN WITH YOUR PREVIOUS VENDOR. 
          PREVIOUSLY, I HAD TO LOOK UP AND DOWN THE STREET TO SEE HOW I COULD FIND THIS VEHICLE AND IT PULLED UP RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. 
          THEIR GPS SEEMED TO BE LAGGING A LOT, AND THE UBER GPS SEEMS TO BE KEEPING UP TO THE MOVEMENTS OF THE VEHICLE AND MY PRESENCE. 
          AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SWITCHING TO UBER AS A VENDOR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          ARE YOU A USER OF THE RIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS? IS THAT RIGHT? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          OKAY. 
          WE DID MAKE A SWITCH TO UBER IN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS. 
          YES, YES. 
          IT, YES. 
          AND THIS TRANSITION WENT VERY SMOOTHLY. 
          THE ONLY THING I HAD TO DO WAS REENTER MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER. 
          THAT'S, SO, IT WAS A VERY SMOOTH TRANSITION. 
          YEAH. 
          OKAY. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK. 
          THANK YOU COMMISSIONER VIE FOR THOSE COMMENTS AND, AND INSIGHTFUL QUESTIONS. 
          NOW WE WILL MOVE TO COMMISSIONER H****R FROM DISTRICT THREE. 
          DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESENTER? NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER H****R. 
          NEXT, COMMISSIONER PUE, DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          UM, MR. BERLIN, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. 
          WE MET BEFORE IN 2023 WHEN WE HAD A BIG ROUND TABLE ON NORTH PEAK STREET. 
          THANK YOU, UM, FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, THERE WAS SOME MORE THOROUGH AND NEW DATA. 
          DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. 
          UM, 'CAUSE I COMPARED IN CONTRAST FROM THE OLD PRESENTATION AND THE NEW 
          [01:00:01]
PRESENTATION. 
          OKAY. 
          ON PAGE THREE UNDER MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES, I, I, I KIND OF ASKED THIS QUESTION QUITE OFTEN SINCE WE ARE THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES. 
          AND WHILE THIS ORGANIZATIONAL CHART IS BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT, DO YOU NOT, OR HAVE YOU NOT CONSIDERED, AND YOU MIGHT WANNA KIND OF JOT THIS DOWN 'CAUSE I'M GONNA GO THROUGH EACH QUESTION FOR TIMEKEEPING SAKE AND THEN YOU CAN KIND OF ANSWER INSTEAD OF GOING ONE BY ONE AND ONE BY ONE. 
          UM, I DON'T SEE A DISABILITY BOARD. 
          MAYBE, UM, LIKE SOME VOLUNTEERS OR SOMEONE WHO CAN SPEAK ON BEHALF OF NOT JUST THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, BUT ALSO INTERNAL PRACTICE WHERE THEY SEE WHETHER SOME IMPROVEMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERED WITHIN DART. 
          THAT WAS ON PAGE THREE. 
          UM, ON PAGE SIX, IT DOESN'T HAVE A PAGE NUMBER, BUT I WOULD PRESUME IT'S PAGE SIX UNDER MMS FAX. 
          UM, THIS QUESTION WAS SOMEWHAT KIND OF ALREADY ASKED IN REFERENCE TO COMMISSIONER REY TALKING ABOUT AT THE HAMPTON STATION. 
          THERE'S NO SIGNAGE. 
          I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO KNOW, UM, IF DART HAS THAT INFORMATION OF HOW MANY TRANSIT LOCATIONS IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR EITHER DO OR DO NOT HAVE THE SIGNAGE FOR THE PICKUP, THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW. 
          OR IF THERE HAVE BEEN ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THAT FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE CAUGHT INTO DARK ON PAGE 11, ON GO LINK MICRO TRANSIT, UM, THERE WERE SOME ADDED ZONES, BUT THERE'S ALSO A QUESTION OF, SO UNDER NORTHWEST ZONES, NORTH CENTRAL DALLAS WAS ADDED, BUT UNDER NORTHEAST ZONES, CENTRAL RICHARDSON WAS TAKEN OFF. 
          SO I'M, I, I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY. 
          AND THEN UNDER THE WESTERN ZONES, UM, CENTRAL IRVING WAS TAKEN OFF ON PAGE 13. 
          UM, THIS WAS ALSO SOMEONE MENTIONED IN REFERENCE TO A NUMBER OF SOMEONE CALLING, I KNOW LAST YEAR IN OUR MEETING, I ACTUALLY PULLED MY PHONE OUT, CALLED THE NUMBER TO, WE DID GET AN ANSWER. 
          BUT AT THAT TIME THERE WERE ONLY FIVE INDIVIDUALS IN THE CALL CENTER WHO ANSWERED FOR THE PARA TRANSIT. 
          SO I'LL BE CURIOUS TO KNOW IF THERE'S BEEN ANY ADDITIONAL, UM, INDIVIDUALS HIRED IN THAT, IN THAT DEPARTMENT. 
          AND RAY READ READS, UM, DART RIDES IS A RIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR REGISTERED RESIDENTS WHO ARE EITHER AGE 65 OR OVER OR HAVE A CERTIFIED DISABILITY AND WHO RESIDE IN A QUALIFIED CITY OR ZIP CODE. 
          UM, IN THE OLD DATA, IT ONLY STATED THAT ENROLLMENT IS REQUIRED. 
          SO I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT CHANGE AND WHY WOULD THEY HAVE TO GIVE THEIR ZIP CODE POSSIBLY. 
          I KNOW THAT'S FOR DATA PURPOSES, BUT IF THEY'RE IN CARLTON OR RICHARDSON, THEY HAVE A DISABILITY, EVEN IF THEY'RE TWO STREETS OVER IN A DIFFERENT ZIP CODE, WOULD THEY NOT BE PICKED UP? ALSO ON PAGE 12, UM, IN REFERENCE TO THE COMPLAINTS, AND I'M SORRY, THAT'S ON THE OLD DATA IN REFERENCE TO THE CONCERNS, COMPLAINTS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE, I DIDN'T SEE ANY DATA IN THE NEW PRESENTATION IF MOST OF THOSE HAVE BEEN RESOLVED AND WHAT THEY WOULD LOOK LIKE NOW. 
          UM, BECAUSE IN THE OLD DATA, THERE WAS DATA FOR NO-SHOWS, PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST COURTEOUS INVESTIGATIONS, PEOPLE WHO WERE LATE PICKUPS OR DIDN'T PICK UP. 
          SO SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN SOME ADDED, UM, SERVICES, I WOULD BE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT THAT DATA LOOKS LIKE. 
          AND ON PAGE 17, WHICH IS MY LAST COMMENTING QUESTION UNDER WHAT CHANGED, ARE YOU ADDING ANY TYPE OF, IN REFERENCE TO WHAT CHAIRMAN CALLED CONNIE MENTIONED ABOUT SERVICE DOGS? WHAT ABOUT SENSIBILITY TRAINING AND SERVICE DOG TRAINING? BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, THEIR DOGS OR THEIR PETS HAVE THE LITTLE VEST ON OR IF NOT A VEST, A COLLAR, BUT SOMETIMES THEY DON'T. 
          SO IS THERE SOMETHING IN PLACE WHERE IT SAYS IF IT'S A BULLDOG THEY CAN'T GET IN, OR IF IT'S A YORKIE, THEY CAN'T GET IN, WHICH THEY, THERE'S NO DISCRIMINATION, BUT YOU DO HAVE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE DRIVERS. 
          THIS IS ME LOOKING AT BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN HERE. 
          YOU DO HAVE SOME DRIVERS WHO ARE AFRAID OF DOGS, PERIOD. 
          SO I WOULDN'T WANT SOMEONE TO GET TERMINATED BASED ON THEIR PHOBIA, BUT POSSIBLY, UM, FIND OUT WHICH DRIVERS HAVE AN ALLERGY TO DOGS OR WHICH DRIVERS OR HAVE PHOBIAS AND NOT TAKE THAT RIDE. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, LET ME ADDRESS THOSE, UM, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. 
          SO THE FIRST QUESTION THAT YOU HAVE IS ABOUT OUR ORG CHART. 
          AND YOU MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE EXCLUSION OF, UM, A COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES OR A DISABILITY BOARD. 
          UM, WE DO HAVE SUCH A GROUP. 
          WE'VE GOT OUR PARATRANSIT ADVISORY AND ACCESSIBILITY GROUP, UM, WHICH MEETS ON A QUARTERLY BASIS. 
          UH, THEY REPRESENT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. 
          THEY ALSO REPRESENT, UM, CENTERS AND BUSINESSES WHO SERVE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. 
          UM, THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE ASKED TO 
          [01:05:01]
GIVE A REPORT TO OUR BOARD ON A QUARTERLY BASIS TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND ATTEND THOSE MEETINGS, AND ALSO TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR A DA COMMUNITY MEETINGS, WHICH WE ALSO HOLD ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, WHICH ALLOW FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO COME IN AND GIVE US FEEDBACK ON, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING WELL AND WHAT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT. 
          UM, SO PLEASE FORGIVE THE, UH, EMISSION OF THOSE DETAILS FROM THE ORG CHART. 
          UM, HOW MANY STATIONS DO NOT HAVE SIGNAGE? SO, UM, I THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SIGNAGE, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY WHERE LIKE UBER AND LYFTS SHOULD PICK PEOPLE UP? IS THAT THE, I'M I'M SPEAKING VERY SPECIFICALLY TO IF IT IS FOR PARATRANSIT AND OR UBER OR WHATEVER OTHER VEHICLE, A VERY SPECIFIC, LIKE HOW WE HAVE THE BLUE AND WHITE ACCESSIBILITY SIGNS THAT THAT IS VERY SPECIFIC TO TAILORED TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH A DISABILITY. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF COMMISSIONER REBE NEEDED HER RIDE, THERE SHOULD BE SIGNAGE THAT SAYS PARATRANSIT PICKUP OR, UM, RIDE SHARE, A DA PICKUP RIDE ASSIST. 
          THANK YOU. 
          RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WE DO HAVE SIGNAGE EVERYWHERE THAT, UM, SO EVERYWHERE IN OUR SERVICE AREA AND ALL OF OUR TRANSIT CENTERS AND RAIL STATIONS, UH, SHOULD HAVE SIGNAGE FOR PARATRANSIT. 
          UH, IF THERE IS ANY, IF ANYONE OBSERVES SIGNAGE THAT IS MISSING, WE'LL NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S REPLACED. 
          UM, GOLINK, LIKEWISE, ALL OF THE TRANSIT CENTERS AND RAIL STATIONS WHERE GOLINK SERVICES ARE PROVIDED SHOULD ALSO HAVE SIGNAGE. 
          UM, THE WRITER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY SIGNAGE AT AT THOSE LOCATIONS, UM, WHICH IS SORT OF INTERESTING. 
          UM, UH, BUT I'LL TAKE THAT FEEDBACK BACK TO OUR, TO OUR GROUP, UH, FOR CONSIDERATION. 
          SO, UM, MOVING ON, YOU MADE SOME MENTION OF SOME OF THE CHANGES TO THE ZONES ON GOLINK. 
          UM, IT IS TRUE THAT THE CENTRAL RICHARDSON ZONE WAS REMOVED. 
          UM, THAT ZONE WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. 
          AND, UM, UH, UH, IN TERMS OF RIDERSHIP AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WERE USING THAT SERVICE, IT WAS REMOVED, BUT IT WAS REPLACED BY ADDITIONAL FIXED ROUTE SERVICE GOING THROUGH THAT CORRIDOR. 
          UM, THERE WAS SOME CHANGES TO A COUPLE OF THE ROUTES IN CENTRAL RICHARDSON, UM, UH, IN AREAS WHERE THOSE ROUTES WERE PREVIOUSLY SUCCESSFUL. 
          AND SO, UM, UH, I THINK THAT THAT'S BEEN A POPULAR MOVE AND THAT PEOPLE HAVE ENJOYED HAVING GREATER ACCESS TO THOSE BUS ROUTES. 
          UM, CENTRAL IRVING, ACTUALLY, THE CENTRAL IRVING ZONE WAS REPLACED WITH A NORTH CENTRAL IRVING ZONE, UM, WHICH I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S CLEAR BY THE NAME, BUT IT ACTUALLY COVERS EVERYWHERE THAT CENTRAL IRVING COVERED AND MORE. 
          IN FACT, NOW ALMOST ALL OF IRVING IS COVERED BY GOLINK. 
          UM, I THINK THERE, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WERE OTHER ZONES THAT YOU HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT OR THOSE ARE THE TWO MAIN ONES, RIGHT? BASICALLY YOU ANSWERING FOR THOSE WOULD PROBABLY, AND I'M HOPING IT'S NOT A PRESUMPTION, BUT ACTUAL FACT, SINCE SOMETHING WAS REMOVED AND SOMETHING WAS ADDED, TO YOUR POINT, THE POSSIBILITY OF IT BEING REMOVED IS BECAUSE IT WASN'T SUCCESSFUL. 
          SO YOU LOOKED AT WHERE MORE RIDES WERE BEING CALLED IN. 
          JUST WANTED SOME CLARITY ON THAT. 
          SO IF SOMEONE DID ACTUALLY CALL, THEY SAID, WELL, WE'RE NOT GETTING THE SERVICES, BUT, BUT IF THEY ARE IN, IN CENTRAL TON, WILL THEY STILL BE ABLE TO GET PICKED UP? YES. 
          OKAY. 
          PERFECT. 
          YES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          FOR SURE. 
          YOU BET. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, OKAY, THERE'S NEXT WE HAVE, PARDON ME, SORRY, YOU HAD, OH YES, THERE'S A FEW MORE QUESTIONS I WAS GONNA RESPOND TO QUICKLY. 
          UM, ONE IS ABOUT, UH, THE RIDER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. THIS IDEA OF A CERTIFIED DISABILITY. 
          UM, AND THESE SLIDES MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE ONES THAT WE SAW BEFORE, BUT THE WAYS THAT WE'RE CERTIFYING DISABILITIES HAVE NOT CHANGED. 
          UM, WE SIMPLY ASK INDIVIDUALS TO SEND US, UH, QUALIFYING DOCUMENTATION AND A MEMBER OF OUR PLANNING TEAM REVIEWS THOSE DOCUMENTS. 
          AND, UM, UH, IT'S VERY INCLUSIVE, I WOULD SAY, IN TERMS OF, OF, UM, WHO'S ALLOWED BASED ON THEIR DISABILITY. 
          UM, WE TRY NOT TO, YOU KNOW, GATE KEEP THOSE SERVICES. 
          SO I THINK WE HAVE A VERY HIGH, UM, UM, SUCCESS RATE. 
          I CAN'T THINK OF WHAT THE RIGHT TERM IS FOR THAT RIGHT NOW. 
          BUT, UM, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WE ACCEPT, UM, ALSO WHY ZIP CODE? WHY ZIP CODE IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION. 
          THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UM, QUESTION AS TO WHY THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE PROVIDED BY ZIP CODE. 
          WHEN THE PROGRAM WAS CREATED, WHAT IT LOOKED AT IS THOSE ZIP CODES, WHICH HAD, 
          [01:10:01]
UH, LOWER ACCESS TO FIXED ROUTE SERVICES, UH, AREAS THAT WERE NOT AS WELL SERVED, AND TRY TO FIND A WAY TO FILL IN SOME OF THE GAPS. 
          AND SO THAT'S THE REASON THAT THOSE ZIP CODES WERE, UM, SELECTED. 
          NOW, THERE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE CONTINUED TO HAVE CHANGES TO OUR SERVICE AREA SINCE THAT TIME. 
          AND NOW THERE'S DISCUSSION, UM, INCLUDING ITEMS BEING TAKEN TO OUR BOARD THAT ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, UM, CONCLUDING THAT PROGRAM ALTOGETHER. 
          UM, THAT PUBLIC HEARING HAS NOT BEEN HELD. 
          THAT DECISION HAS NOT BEEN MADE BY OUR BOARD, BUT IT WILL BE MADE HERE IN THE NEXT, UM, FEW MONTHS. 
          UM, SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. 
          UM, COMPLAINTS AND NO-SHOW DATA, UM, AT THE START. 
          SO SINCE WE JUST MADE OUR TRANSITION OVER TO OUR NEW CONTRACT, UM, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME ISSUES WHICH HAVE GENERATED MOUNTAINS OF COMPLAINTS. 
          I MEAN, UH, AND I'M NOT PROUD OF IT. 
          I'M NOT SAYING THAT SUGGESTING THAT AT ALL, BUT MANY, MANY COMPLAINTS. 
          AND WE'RE HOPING THAT, AND IN THE COMING MONTHS AS WE SORT OF GET A FEW THINGS FIGURED OUT, WE SEE THOSE COMPLAINT NUMBERS, UH, GOING DOWN AND, AND I'M SURE WE'LL BE HAPPY TO, UH, SHARE WHAT THOSE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE ONCE WE'VE, ONCE WE'VE KIND OF GOT OUR HANDS AROUND, UM, THE NEW, THE NEW NORMAL FOR OUR SERVICES. 
          UM, SAME WITH THE NO SHOW DATA. 
          WE'VE GOT SORT OF, UM, LOTS OF UNRELIABLE DATA FROM THE FIRST FEW WEEKS JUST BECAUSE OF ISSUES WITH SUBSCRIPTION TRIPS AND MOBILITY DEVICES AND SO ON. 
          AND SO AGAIN, WE'RE HOPING TO GET, YOU KNOW, MORE RELIABLE, MORE CONSISTENT DATA IN THESE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS NOW THAT WE'VE SORT OF GOT SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES OUTTA THE WAY. 
          UM, FINALLY, UH, IN TERMS OF SENSITIVITY TRAINING AND SERVICE ANIMAL TRAINING, UM, UH, I CAN SPEAK TO WHAT'S DONE ON THE DEDICATED SIDE. 
          SO, UM, THE, THE ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, DART BRANDED VEHICLES AND, UH, UNIFORM DART EMPLOYEES, UM, THEY DO RECEIVE SENSITIVITY TRAINING AND SERVICE ANIMAL TRAINING. 
          UM, UH, AND IT'S EXPECTED THAT ALL OF THOSE DRIVERS ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO, UM, ASSIST INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SERVICE ANIMALS. 
          UH, UM, THE JOB THAT THEY'VE SIGNED UP FOR IS TO SERVE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AND THAT INCLUDES INDIVIDUALS WHO USE SERVICE ANIMALS. 
          SO, UM, UH, WE ALLOW PEOPLE TO DECIDE THAT THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN, IN DRIVING FOR PARATRANSIT, UM, IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO OR THEY'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH SERVICE ANIMALS, ET CETERA. 
          UM, BUT IT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL DRIVERS. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR THE CLARITY AND TRANSPARENCY. 
          AND JUST TO BE FAIR, UM, PEOPLE DO HAVE TO BE A LITTLE PATIENT. 
          'CAUSE WHEN YOU ROLL OUT A NEW PROGRAM, YOU DO GOTTA WORK OUT THE QUIRKS AND ALL OF THAT. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          IT'S REALLY TRUE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU COMMISSIONER POY FOR THOSE QUESTIONS. 
          NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER WHITE, DISTRICT NINE. 
          DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESENTER? I DO. 
          UH, BEVERLY WHITE DISTRICT NINE, UM, ON THE GOAL LINK MACRO, UH, MY QUESTION IS, I SEE NOTHING IN, UH, WHAT I WOULD CALL FAR EAST DALLAS, WHERE I LIVE, WHICH IS CASBU CASTLE LINDA. 
          MM. 
          IT'S PRETTY GOOD SIZE AREA TO HAVE NOTHING, EVERYTHING AROUND IT. 
          LAKEWOOD, LAKE HIGHLANDS, ETTE. 
          MM-HMM . 
          BUT NOT, NOT US. 
          AND WE DON'T HAVE GOOD BUS SERVICE THERE EITHER. 
          SO, UH, COINCIDENTALLY I LIVE IN THAT AREA AS WELL. 
          AH, HI NEIGHBOR. 
          AND I WISH, UH, UH, THAT WE HAD A GOING ZONE WHERE I LIVE 'CAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. 
          UM, UH, OUR PLANNING TEAM HAS TOLD ME WHEN I'VE, WHEN I'VE COMPLAINED AND ASKED FOR IT IN THE PAST, THAT, UH, THEY DO FEEL THAT THE AREA IS WELL SERVED BY FIXED ROUTE BUS, UM, BY THOSE ROUTES THAT ARE GOING DOWN SHILOH ROAD AND FERGUSON ROAD, FOR EXAMPLE,  ROUTES ROUTE 1618. 
          OKAY. 
          I KNOW, I KNOW. 
          SO I CAN WALK HOW MANY BLOCKS IF I NEED TO TAKE A BUS FOR, FOR ME, IF I WANNA GET TO WORK. 
          IT'S ABOUT A ONE MILE WALK. 
          SO, YEAH, I, I LIVE BY ST. 
          PIUS AND I, I WORK UP BY MEDICAL CITY. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, AT ANY RATE, UM, I THINK IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO REVIEW AND, UM, TO THEIR CREDIT, OUR PLANNING TEAM, THEY, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY NIMBLE ABOUT MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO ZONES, UH, ADDING ZONES WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED, REMOVING THEM WHERE THEY'RE NOT. 
          SO, UM, I WANNA SAY NEVER SAY NEVER. 
          I, I HOPE THAT WE DO SEE SOME GOING SERVICE GOING TO THAT AREA IN THE FUTURE. 
          I WOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST, OVER 65 AREAS IN THE CITY, SO THAT FOLLOWS THAT WE HAVE A GOOD PERCENTAGE OF DISABLED PEOPLE AS WELL. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, UM, I, I HEAR YOU LOUD 
          [01:15:01]
AND CLEAR, AND OF COURSE I WON'T SPEAK FOR OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT, BUT, UM, POINT WELL MADE I AGREE WITH YOU. 
          WOULD YOU BRING IT UP TO THEM? SURE WOULD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          NEXT IS COMMISSIONER BLUE DISTRICT 10. 
          DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESENTER? YES, I DO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THE TRANSITION HAS GONE VERY SMOOTHLY. 
          OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE WAS REALLY, UH, OUR FAULT. 
          WE MISSED AN EMAIL FOR REREGISTRATION, FOR REPAIR TRANSIT USERS, UH, AND HAVE A THREE DAY A WEEK DRIVE, UH, TO AND FROM A PROGRAM FOR MY DAUGHTER. 
          SO IT IMPROVED A LOT UNDER THE NEW SERVICE, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. 
          MY COMMENT THOUGH, UM, OR QUESTION IS WHEN A TRIP IS IN PROGRESS, OR WE HAVE HAD A SITUATION WHERE THE DRIVER WAS LATE AND SIGNIFICANTLY, AND WE HAD A FRIEND OF OURS WHO HAS HAD A DRIVER NOT SHOW UP, UM, WHICH IS A LITTLE SCARY WHEN YOU HAVE A CHILD WITH A, UH, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY STUCK SOMEWHERE IN PLANO. 
          AND, AND, UH, FOR US, THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED, WE WERE ACTUALLY OUT OF TOWN AND THE PERSON WHO WAS TAKING CARE OF OUR DAUGHTER COULDN'T GET UP THERE. 
          SO WE WERE LITERALLY STUCK FIVE HOURS AWAY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          AND SO WE TRIED TO CALL THE NUMBER. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, EACH TIME WE'VE CALLED THE NUMBER, THE MINIMUM HOLD TIME HAS BEEN 30 MINUTES, MOSTLY MORE. 
          AND THAT'S JUST, I HATE TO USE THE WORD UNACCEPTABLE, BUT IT'S JUST NOT, UH, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE, UH, SOMEONE IN THE MIDDLE OF A, IN THE MIDDLE OF A RIDE OR TRYING TO GET INTO A RIDE AND YOU NEED TO REACH SOMEONE TO, TO FIX SOMETHING. 
          SO THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE KIND OF A IN TRANSIT NUMBER TO CALL OR A WAY TO, TO TOUCH BASE. 
          AND AS A PARENT WITH A CHILD WHO CAN'T REALLY ADVOCATE FOR HERSELF COMPLETELY, THAT'S, THAT'S WHY WE DON'T PUT HER ON REGULAR SCHEDULED BUSES, IS WE DON'T WANT HER, YOU KNOW, THAT'S REALLY UNSAFE. 
          SO ARE YOU GUYS AWARE OF THIS AND ARE YOU TAKING STEPS QUICKLY TO REMEDIATE IT THROUGH MORE PHONE OPERATORS OR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING? 'CAUSE IT'S A HUMAN BEING WE NEED TO TALK TO. 
          YES, SIR. 
          UM, A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          AND I, AND I DO KNOW, UM, MS. JULIA BALLOU AND, AND I DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE YOUR NAME. 
          I DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE YOUR NAME RIGHT AWAY, BUT I DO KNOW, UM, JULIA. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, UH, Y YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT THE WHOLE TIME. 
          IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE. 
          THEY'RE FAR TOO LONG. 
          UM, AND I THINK SOMEONE ELSE ACTUALLY ASKED THIS QUESTION, SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT BACK TO ME ABOUT, UM, THE STAFFING OF THAT CALL CENTER. 
          SO, UM, IN THE FIRST, IN THE FIRST WEEK OF OUR SERVICE, THE, THE FIRST DAY WE RECEIVED 10,000 CALLS. 
          AND, UM, I THINK THAT WHAT THAT SPEAKS TO IS SORT OF A, UM, A LACK OF TRUST IN THE SERVICES. 
          UH, 'CAUSE MANY OF THOSE CALLS ARE, WHERE'S MY RIDE CALLS? ASKING, YOU KNOW, WHAT TIME IS MY RIDE GONNA GET HERE? OR SAYING, HEY, MY RIDE'S LATE, OR THEY NEVER CAME. 
          AND, UM, DUE TO THE VOLUME OF CALLS, UM, BEING SO DIFFERENT FROM THE WAY THAT IT WAS BID, THERE WERE HUGE ISSUES WITH WAIT TIMES. 
          NOW A A LOT OF, UH, TEMPORARY STAFF WERE BROUGHT IN TO HELP, UM, BRIDGE THE GAP IN OUR CALL CENTER. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN EARNEST, IT'S REALLY STILL NOT WHERE I WOULD LIKE IT TO BE AT ALL. 
          WE'RE STILL SEEING TIMES IN THE AFTERNOONS WHERE THERE ARE 30 MINUTE HOLD TIMES, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, AND IT'S GOTTEN MUCH BETTER. 
          UM, THE AVERAGE HOLD TIMES HAVE GOTTEN BETTER. 
          THE AVERAGE, UM, SPEED AT WHICH THOSE CALLS ARE ANSWERED, THOSE ARE METRICS THAT WE TRACK DAILY. 
          I'M LOOKING AT THEM THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND THEY'RE REALLY STILL NOT WHERE WE NEED THEM. 
          BUT, UM, THERE HAS BEEN, UM, DISCUSSION THIS WEEK ABOUT, UM, OFFERING OVERTIME OPPORTUNITIES, BRINGING ON SOME OF THOSE TEMPORARY STAFF AS PERMANENT. 
          UM, IT'S A PROBLEM WHICH WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS, UH, AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. 
          SO, UH, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE OF ANY LONG WAITS. 
          UM, AND YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAPPEN TO KNOW SOMEONE IN THE ORGANIZATION THAT MY WIFE IS ABLE TO TEXT FROM THE EMERGENCY, AND WE TRY NOT TO USE THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT PERSON IS, IS A VERY BUSY PERSON. 
          BUT THAT'S JUST THE KEY IS THAT WE HAVE A LOTS OF FRIENDS WHO DON'T KNOW PEOPLE WHO WORK AT DART. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE CHALLENGE IS. 
          AND SO YEAH, IF WE COULD JUST KEEP WORKING, WE HAD AN ISSUE, WELL, IT WAS, UH, A WEEK AGO WHERE, ANYWAY, A BUNCH OF STUFF HAPPENED. 
          THE IRONIC THING IS AS I WAS ON HOLD WITH DART, THIS WAS THE POSITIVE TRYING TO GO, I'VE BEEN ON THE WHOLE 25 MINUTES, THE PHONE RINGS ON MY WIFE'S PHONE FROM DART SAYING, HEY, WE KNOW THEY'RE LATE, THEY'LL BE THERE IN 10 MINUTES. 
          SO THERE WAS A POSITIVE THERE TOO, IN THAT WE ACTUALLY GOT A PROACTIVE CALL. 
          SO WE KINDA LAUGHED BECAUSE WE'RE LIKE, THAT'S WHEN WE WERE OUT OF TOWN FIVE HOURS AWAY AND WE'RE PANICKING IN A HOTEL ROOM. 
          AND WE'RE LIKE, WELL, AT LEAST THEY KNOW THERE'S A PROBLEM AT THIS TIME, WHICH I DON'T THINK WE HAD BEFORE. 
          SO THAT 
          [01:20:01]
WAS A VERY BIG CONCERN. 
          THAT'S NICE. 
          THAT'S NICE. 
          AND THAT IS THE, THE GOAL WHEN WE HAVE LATE TRIPS IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE SOMEBODY CALL OUT, UM, AND SORT OF LET YOU KNOW WHAT THAT ETA A SHOULD BE. 
          UM, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN NEARLY AS OFTEN AS WE'D LIKE, OF COURSE. 
          BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S ALSO THE ONLINE OPTION. 
          THERE'S THE DART.ORG/RIDE PARA. 
          UM, I THINK, I THINK AT THIS MOMENT, IT LEADS, IT LEAVES, UM, SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED IN TERMS OF LIKE REAL TIME, UM, TRACKING. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO IF YOU WANNA KNOW, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, FOR INSTANCE, ONCE JULIA IS ON BOARD, YOU'D BE ABLE TO SEE THE DRIVER MOVING AROUND. 
          YOU WOULDN'T REALLY BE ABLE TO SEE THEM ON THE WAY THOUGH, EXCEPT FOR THESE LAST FEW MINUTES AS THEY'RE PULLING UP. 
          UM, WE USED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT. 
          SO THAT WAS A CHANGE. 
          ULTIMATELY. 
          WE'LL, WE'LL BE WANTING TO BRING ALL OF THAT BACK, UM, AND EVENTUALLY TRANSITION PARATRANSIT ONTO OUR GO PASS APPLICATION, UM, WHERE IT WOULD MIRROR THE SAME EXPERIENCE THAT YOU'D HAVE ON GOLINK, FOR EXAMPLE. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, DEVELOPMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE HAPPENING ON THE TECHNOLOGY SIDE IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT POINT, BUT I'M HOPING THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SEE IN THE NEXT YEAR. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. 
          OH, SURE. 
          THANKS FOR HAVING US. 
          THANK YOU MR. BALLOU FOR THAT QUESTION. 
          AND LASTLY, WE HAVE COMMISSIONER HUSHKA FROM DISTRICT 13. 
          DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS? UH, NO QUESTIONS. 
          I JUST WANTED TO THANK MR. BERLIN FOR HIS TIME TODAY. 
          OKAY. 
          IN THAT CASE, MR. BERLIN, WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOU JOINING US TODAY. 
          IT WAS AN HONOR TO HOST YOU AND WE CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING ABOUT ALL THE UPDATES THAT MOBILITY MANAGEMENT DOES TO THEIR SERVICES AND FURTHER ADVANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          WE CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR JOINING US. 
          THANKS FOR, THANKS FOR HAVING US. 
          AND I'LL, UM, I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH, UH, MS. KELSEY PETERSON WITH SOME OF THAT INFORMATION THAT WAS REQUESTED. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THIS CONCLUDES THE BRIEFING SEGMENT OF OUR AGENDA. 
          WE ARE NOW MOVING TO THE ANNOUNCEMENTS PORTION. 
          THERE ARE SEVERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS I WISH TO MAKE. 
          AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, THANKSGIVING IS IN A COUPLE DAYS. 
          IT IS A TIME OF YEAR THAT MANY OF US RESONATE WITH. 
          NOT ONLY IS IT FESTIVE, BUT IT ALLOW, IT ALLOWS US THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON ALL THE THINGS THAT WE ARE THANKFUL FOR. 
          I PERSONALLY AM THANKFUL FOR THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES. 
          IF IT WAS NOT FOR MAYOR JOHNSON AND HIS TEAM, THIS COMMISSION WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY. 
          AND WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE SET FOR OURSELVES AS A BODY. 
          AND I'M GRATEFUL TO EACH ONE OF YOU, THE COMMISSIONERS, FOR SUPPORTING THE COMMISSION ITSELF, FOR BEING HERE AND FOR SHOWING YOUR ENTHUSIASM, YOUR COURAGE, YOUR COMMITMENT. 
          THIS CERTAINLY MEANS A LOT TO US. 
          I THEREFORE WANT TO SAY HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU. 
          AND AS YOU ALL CELEBRATE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH YOUR LOVED ONES AND FAMILY MEMBERS, THINK ABOUT ALL THE, THE BLESSINGS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU. 
          I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION THAT ON DECEMBER 10TH, HUMAN RIGHTS DALLAS, WHICH WAS CO-FOUNDED BY MY PROFESSOR FROM SMU DR. 
          RICK HALPRIN AND HADDI JAWAD BACK IN JULY. 
          IF YOU MAY REMEMBER, WE WILL BE CELEBRATING HUMAN RIGHTS DAY. 
          THIS IS A DAY TO REFLECT ON NOT ONLY WHY HUMAN RIGHTS MATTERS, BUT IT IS ALSO A TIME TO COMMEMORATE THE SIGNING OF THE, THE 76TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. 
          THIS IS AN ASPIRATIONAL DOCUMENT THAT RELATES TO ALL OF US, INCLUDING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          I'M VERY HONORED NOT ONLY TO BE FEATURED AS ONE OF THE SPEAKERS, BUT I WILL ALSO BE RECEIVING AN AWARD FOR BEING THE HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR. 
          I JUST GOT NOTIFIED PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF OUR MEETING. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND I CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO IF ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS CAN ATTEND THAT, THAT EVENT, I WOULD CERTAINLY BE VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOU ALL THERE. 
          IT WILL BE ON DECEMBER 10TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 12:00 PM HERE AT DALLAS CITY HALL. 
          YOU YES, I CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO YOU BEING THERE, COMMISSIONER PUE. 
          UM, I WILL NOW TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO COMMISSIONERS THAT MAY HAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER REY DISTRICT ONE. 
          I BELIEVE WE HAVE A GUEST SPEAKER. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, PARDON ME, COMMISSIONER REY FOR THE INTERRUPTION. 
          UM, WE DID HAVE A PUBLIC SPEAKER BY THE NAME OF SUSAN HYDE MAHONEY, WHO HAD A 
          [01:25:01]
TESTIMONY SHE WANTED TO SHARE. 
          SO I WOULD NOW LIKE TO GIVE THE FLOOR OVER TO HER. 
          UM, FIRST, MY NAME IS, UH, PRONOUNCED SUSAN HEIDI MAHONEY. 
          UM, I LIVE HERE IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS. 
          UM, PARDON ME, MS. MAHONEY. 
          UM, I DID WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO PROVIDE YOUR TESTIMONY. 
          YEAH, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I ACTUALLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS COMMISSION, UM, UP UNTIL A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, UM, RESEARCHING TO TRY TO FIND OUT SOME THINGS. 
          I TRY, I AM A PARATRANSIT USER, UM, BUT I TRY TO STAY AS INDEPENDENT AS POSSIBLE. 
          SO THE ONLY THING THAT, THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, I, I OWE IT TO THEM, I GUESS, AND, UM, PUT BESTOWED UPON THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT I CAN REMAIN INDEPENDENT WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND TRY NOT TO USE THE PARATRANSIT, UM, VEHICLES, UM, WHERE I HAVE TO ARRANGE A RIDE. 
          SO I UTILIZE, UM, A LOT OF THE TRAINS AND THE BUSES, BUT I NEED SOME, SOME HELP FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, WORKING WITH, UH, DART. 
          UM, I NEED YOU GUYS, WHENEVER YOU'RE DOING ANY TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION, UM, WITH THOSE STOPS OR AROUND THOSE STOPS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL. 
          UM, THIS IS NOT MY CHILD, THIS IS MY GRANDCHILD. 
          UM, I WAS OUT TRYING TO, UM, GET SOME ERRANDS RUN AND MY VEHICLE WAS DOWN. 
          UM, SO I HAD, UM, WE HAVE TWINS. 
          UM, I HAD BOTH OF THEM WITH ME AND I WAS TRYING TO MANAGE A STROLLER AND I WAS DROPPED OFF AT A PLACE THAT I USUALLY GO TO ON A FREQUENT BASIS AND HAVE UTILIZED THE BUSES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. 
          SO I WAS LET OFF IN A MEDIAN AND I HAD TO WAIT FOR THE BUS TO COME BACK JUST TO PICK ME UP TO TAKE ME BACK HOME WITHOUT GROCERIES. 
          SO I NEED YOU GUYS TO COORDINATE, TO MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN THAT I CAN KEEP MY INDEPENDENCE OF DAILY LIVING, UM, WHEN I DON'T WANNA MAKE A CALL BECAUSE LOADING THEM INTO A PAIR OF TRANSIT, I DON'T EVEN THINK IT'S POSSIBLE. 
          UM, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE CAR SEATS AND EVERYTHING, UM, I, I WOULD LIKE YOU GUYS TO BE ABLE TO ORCHESTRATE THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER. 
          UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS AND NEW THINGS GOING ON WITH, UM, PARATRANSIT. 
          SO MAYBE I'LL SIGN BACK UP, BUT I WAS TOSSED AROUND LIKE A GARDEN SALAD IN THE BACK OF A VEHICLE WHEN THEY HAD, UM, THE OTHER MANAGEMENT SERVICE. 
          SO I CEASED TO USE PARATRANSIT INDIVIDUALLY AND JUST USED THE TRAINS AND THE BUSES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 
          UM, OTHER THAN THAT, I REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH TO BAD TO SAY ABOUT IT. 
          DALLAS HAS COME A LONG WAYS AND THEIR DISABILITY, AND I MEAN, TO THE POINT THAT I MOVED INTO A HIGH RISE BUILDING, I LIVE ON THE 31ST FLOOR, SO I TRUST THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, AS A PLACE TO LIVE. 
          WE'RE BUILDING A HOUSE UP IN LAS COLINAS, SO HOPEFULLY, UM, WE'LL BE STILL IN DALLAS COUNTY, UM, AT THAT MATTER. 
          BUT I DO THANK YOU GUYS, UM, FOR HAVING THIS COMMISSION. 
          I HOPE THAT I CAN LISTEN AND COME AND VISIT WHEN YOU GUYS HAVE MEETINGS IN THE FUTURE. 
          MM-HMM . 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH MS. MAHONEY FOR PROVIDING YOUR INSIGHTFUL TESTIMONY. 
          IT IS VERY IMPORTANT AS THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES TO HEAR TESTIMONIES FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU SO THAT WE CAN, BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT WE GATHER, WE CAN WORK EXCLUSIVELY AND DILIGENTLY TO ACHIEVE THE PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE SET FOR OURSELVES. 
          AND TRANSPORTATION IS ONE MAJOR, ONE OF THEM. 
          NOW, OF COURSE, WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF FACILITIES OR THE OPERATIONS OF PARATRANSIT SERVICES. 
          THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN CERTAINLY TALK WITH THE PRESENTER ABOUT MR. NOAH BERLIN FROM MOBILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES. 
          BUT WE AS A BODY WOULD BE MORE THAN DELIGHTED TO ASSIST IN ANY, ANY WAY WE CAN THROUGH OUR CORRESPONDENCE AND COLLABORATION. 
          COMMISSIONER REY FROM DISTRICT ONE, DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS? NOTHING AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          COMMISSIONER H****R FROM DISTRICT THREE, DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS? NOTHING AT, AT THIS TIME. 
          WISHING EVERYBODY A HAPPY HOLIDAY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER PU, DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS? YES. 
          FIRST AND FOREMOST, UM, I WANNA SAY HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE. 
          I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES THE HOLIDAYS CAN BE A LITTLE DEPRESSING, UM, BASED ON GRIEF, LOSS OF ANY KIND AND JUST MEMORIES THAT RESONATE THAT MAY TRIGGER. 
          UM, IF YOU HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS WHO YOU CAN CONNECT WITH, UM, PLEASE DO THAT SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE SOME PEACE AND SOME JOY. 
          I ALSO WANNA THANK, EXCUSE ME, EACH COMMISSIONER HERE TODAY BECAUSE IT IS A HOLIDAY, WELL THE WEEK OF AND PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING AND COOKING 
          [01:30:01]
AND, AND SPENDING TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS AND YOU CHOSE TO BE HERE TODAY. 
          SO THANK YOU. 
          I DO HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. 
          UM, SOME OF YOU ARE AWARE AND SOME ARE NOT ABOUT RAY OF LIGHT AT THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OFF OF INWOOD, WHERE IF YOUR CHILD OR IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS A CHILD WHO HAS A DISABILITY OF MULTIPLE DISABILITIES, IT IS FREE RESPITE CARE EITHER EVERY SECOND FRIDAY OR EVERY THIRD FRIDAY OF THE MONTH. 
          YOU DO HAVE TO SIGN UP AND REGISTER AND THEY CAN ALSO BRING THEIR SIBLING. 
          SO FOR PARENTS WHO DON'T EVER GET ANY TYPE OF SELF-CARE, THAT FOUR HOURS FROM 6:00 PM TO 10:00 PM IS GREAT. 
          YOU CAN GO OVER TO NORTH PARK, GO GET SOME FOOD OR SLEEP OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO, BUT YOUR CHILD WILL AGE OUT OF THE PROGRAM AT AGE 22. 
          SO FOR MY SON THIS DECEMBER WILL BE HIS LAST MONTH. 
          SO THERE ARE SOME OPENINGS. 
          I WANTED TO, UM, GIVE THE ADDRESS AND THE PHONE NUMBER FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE ADDRESS. 
          SO IT IS RAY OF LIGHT AT THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH AT 9,200 INWOOD ROAD, DALLAS, TEXAS 7 5 2 2 0. 
          AND THE NUMBER IS 2 1 4 7 0 6 9 5 3 5. 
          AND YOU CAN ASK FOR DEBBIE SOLOMON. 
          SHE'S THE DIRECTOR AND TRUST AND BELIEVE THEY HAVE A DALLAS POLICE OFFICER IN UNIFORM. 
          THEY HAVE NURSES WHO, UH, REGISTERED, UH, RNS AND YOUR CHILD WILL, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE NEED IS, THEY MAY HAVE UP TO THREE VOLUNTEERS TO ASSIST THEM WITH CHANGING AND WITH FEEDING AND WITH ACTIVITIES. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT'S WONDERFUL. 
          THANK YOU FOR THAT ANNOUNCEMENT. 
          COMMISSIONER POEY. 
          NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS? UH, I WISH TO COMMENT ON COMMISSIONER POE'S COMMENT. 
          BOY, WHAT I WOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN FOR THAT AS A SOLE PARENT OF TWO MEDICALLY COMPLEX KIDS, I COULDN'T, THE, THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS COULDN'T EVEN HANDLE MY DAUGHTER AND I HAD NOBODY THAT EVER GAVE ME A BREAK. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY, REALLY NICE TO HEAR. 
          I ENDED UP HOMESCHOOLING BECAUSE I COULDN'T EVEN FIND CHILDCARE. 
          UM, SO THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR. 
          THANKS FOR ANNOUNCING THAT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SAME TO YOU. 
          COMMISSIONER WHITE. 
          NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER BALLOU, DISTRICT 10. 
          DO YOU HAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS? I'M JUST GONNA PILE ON COMMISSIONER EY. 
          WE USE THAT SERVICE FOR MANY YEARS. 
          IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. 
          I'LL ALSO MENTION THAT HIGHLAND PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH HAS A SIMILAR PROGRAM CALLED, UH, NIGHT OWLS. 
          UM, SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT ONES IN DALLAS. 
          UH, THE HIGHLAND PARK METHODIST HAS EXPANDED IT A LOT ALSO TO INCLUDE, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES INCLUDING THEATER AND MOVIE PRODUCTION. 
          SO JUST SOME REALLY WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS TO GET SOME MUCH NEEDED RESPITE, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN KIDS ARE YOUNG. 
          UM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, EVERYBODY HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND I BELIEVE WE CANCELED OUR MEETING FOR DECEMBER. 
          SO HAVE A HAPPY FULL HOLIDAY SEASON. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          COMMISSIONER BLU. 
          YES, WE DID CANCEL THE MEETING IN DECEMBER. 
          WE WILL BE MEETING AGAIN IN JANUARY AND I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT. 
          AND LASTLY, COMMISSIONER HUSHKA FROM DISTRICT 13. 
          DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS? UH, NO ANNOUNCEMENTS. 
          EXCUSE ME. 
          NO ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THIS TIME. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          THAT CONCLUDES THE, UH, THE ANNOUNCEMENT SEGMENT OF OUR AGENDA. 
          AND NEXT WE'LL BE ADJOURNING. 
          HOWEVER, PRIOR TO ADJOURNMENT, I WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR SUCH A PRODUCTIVE YEAR. 
          AND I ALSO WANT TO TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO REFLECT ON THIS PAST YEAR. 
          IT HAS BEEN A VERY PRODUCTIVE ONE. 
          WHILE WE ARE RELATIVELY NEW, WE AS A COMMISSION CERTAINLY HAVE MADE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN MANY AREAS. 
          OUR WORK IN TRANSPORTATION IS ENABLING MEMBERS OF A DISABILITY COMMUNITY TO FREELY VENTURE OUT AND DISCOVER THE WORLD AROUND THEM. 
          OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS HAVE HAVE CREATED A SPACE FOR INDIVIDUALS NOT ONLY TO BE AWARE OF THEIR RIGHTS, BUT ALSO THEY HAVE BECOME INFORMED ABOUT THE APPROPRIATE AVENUES TO SEEK WHEN EXPERIENCING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND DISABILITY BASED DISCRIMINATION. 
          OUR COLLABORATION EFFORTS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, BUSINESSES, AND NONPROFITS, HAVE ALLOWED US THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE RESOURCES AND REFLECT ON WAYS WE CAN PURSUE DISABILITY JUSTICE FORWARD. 
          AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FOR THIS YEAR, OUR A DA CELEBRATION, WHICH HAPPENED ON JULY THE 26TH. 
          THIS IS A MOMENT THAT WE WILL FOREVER TREASURE GIVEN THAT THIS WAS THE VERY FIRST CELEBRATION FOR OUR CITY 
          [01:35:01]
AND I CERTAINLY HOPE IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST. 
          THIS WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY TO DISCUSS THE HISTORY OF DISABILITY JUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE A DA ON THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, BUT THIS ALSO SERVED AS A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON WAYS WE CAN GO ABOUT IN ADVANCING CIVIL RIGHTS AND EQUALITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. 
          WE ARE CERTAINLY LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR WHEN WE RECOGNIZE JULY AS DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH AND ORGANIZE A FLAG RAISING CEREMONY HERE AT DALLAS CITY HALL. 
          MUCH MORE TO COME IN THE COMING MONTHS. 
          ON THAT NOTE, I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO WISH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU A VERY JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH YOUR FAMILY. 
          AS COMMISSIONER PEY DID MENTION, THE HOLIDAYS ARE BOTH GOOD AND BAD TIMES. 
          NOT NECESSARILY BAD, THEY ARE. 
          WHILE HOLIDAYS ARE MEANT TO BE JOYOUS, IT CAN BE DEPRESSING FOR SOME, GIVEN THE LOSSES, THE GRIEF, AND THE MEMORIES THAT HAVE TO BE SHARED. 
          BUT REGARDLESS, IT IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF YEAR AND I CERTAINLY WISH THAT YOU ALL WILL BE SAFE AND BLESSED AND THAT YOU ALL WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELVES. 
          AND I VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO COMING TOGETHER HERE AT THIS SPACE IN THE NEW YEAR. 
          THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR ATTENTION. 
          AND I NOW MAKE A MOTION THAT WE CALL THIS MEETING TO ADJOURNMENT. 
          SECOND. 
          UM, OKAY. 
          SECOND. 
          ALRIGHT, NOW WE'LL GET TO MAKE SURE THAT I DO HAVE A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT. 
          I'M GOING TO CALL ON EACH MEMBER AND THEIR RESPECTIVE DISTRICTS STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER, UH, REVY, DISTRICT ONE. 
          UH, YES, LET'S ADJOURN. 
          WONDERFUL FOR THE YEAR. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, NEXT. 
          COMMISSIONER H****R, DISTRICT THREE. 
          UH, YES, I AGREE. 
          LET'S ADJOURN. 
          ALRIGHT, AND COMMISSIONER POEY, DISTRICT EIGHT. 
          I AGREE TO ADJOURN. 
          ALRIGHT, NEXT. 
          COMMISSIONER WHITE. 
          DISTRICT NINE. 
          I AGREE. 
          OKAY. 
          AND NEXT. 
          COMMISSIONER BALLOU, DISTRICT 10. 
          I AGREE. 
          WONDERFUL. 
          AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER HUSHKA DISTRICT 13. 
          I AGREE. 
          PERFECT. 
          ON THAT NOTE, THEN WE HAVE, THERE ARE NO OPPOSITIONS. 
          SO IN THAT CASE, THE MEETING HAS ADJOURNED. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE FOR COMING AND WISHING ALL OF YOU A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.