WHEREAS, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) provides fixed route and paratransit services to the Washington, DC area; and
WHEREAS, people with disabilities, many of whom are unable to drive, use public transportation, both fixed route and paratransit, more than other segments of the population; and
WHEREAS, the WMATA board sets policy about transit accessibility; and
WHEREAS, none of the WMATA board members or senior staff members have disabilities as defined by the Department of Transportation; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in convention assembled this ____ day of November, that the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland urge the WMATA board to require at least one of its members to be a person with a disability as defined by the Department of Transportation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that WMATA actively recruit and hire qualified people with disabilities for senior staff positions, especially those dealing directly with paratransit or other disability-related issues.