Fresh Perspectives

Neglecting Obligations

As a society, we have an obligation to make it possible for everyone to have similar opportunities to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. In order for people with physical, mental or developmental disabilities to have these opportunities, government-funded programs are needed. There is a payback; good governmental programs help PWD work and contribute back to society.

The overall cost of placing People with Disabilities (PWD) in nursing homes is high. The overall cost of helping PWD remain within the community is much less. This is a fact backed by statistics! It makes sense too; in a nursing home setting, buildings, infrastructure, salaries, benefits, administration, service coordination and other overhead costs are essential to the operation of the system. Many of those same costs apply to home and community-based programs (HCBS), but the costs are at a much lower level. And for many PWD, being within the community allows them to enjoy a higher quality of life.

In Pennsylvania, the Office of Long Term Living (OLTL) has cut the hourly amount of funding to HCBS service providers, plus they have changed the billing structure to incremental hours. Within these costs are attendant pay, employer-paid benefits, workers compensation, service coordination and other associated costs. All of these costs are critical elements to HCBS; take even one element away and the system stops working. Everything done by a service provider relates directly to service rendered to the consumer.

OLTL is working under the premise that service coordination can be cut in order to save money. Service coordination requires salary, benefits and a facility from which deliver the service. In many cases, Centers for Independent Living (CIL’s) are the service providers. In Pennsylvania, many CIL’s are reducing service coordination staffing and are no longer able to provide an adequate level of service to PWD. People with physical, mental and developmental disabilities are now victims.

Politicians and policy-makers have an obligation. Many of them are effectively neglecting that obligation through both their action and their inaction. Their priorities are wrong; the balance is wrong. They are taking away the gains we have made as a disability community and as a society as a whole.

The programs for People with Disabilities are NOT Entitlement programs. There is very little abuse within these programs, yet our government tries to count the pennies while the dollars fly away. Our government is hurting people at their most essential level; affecting lives to the core. It is malacious!

I would bet that many of these same politicians and policy makers have not been touched by disability. If they were, their attitude might change.

 

Disability Does Not Discriminate

Disability does not discriminate.

If you have wealth, it can take it away,
And when your wealth is gone, you will subservient to the whims of government.
It doesn’t care the color of your skin.
If you have a life plan, disability will change it
And it may change your family relationships.
If your ego is large, it will humble you
And give you perspectives you never had.
Disability can happen to you…at any time…in many ways.

Disability will teach you acceptance.
It will teach you resourcefulness….because it limits your choices.
You will learn to live in the moment,
And notice the world around you.
You’ll learn a level of patience you didn’t know you had.
Disability will compel you to make hard choices.
It will change you in ways you never imagined.

To all the decision-makers who believe what the government provides to people with disabilities are “entitlement programs”, remember that what we get enables independence and choice…choices you take for granted.

Remember that putting us in nursing homes triples the cost, takes us out of the community, and limits our ability to contribute.

Remember that together we all have a better chance of making things right, So please don’t shut us out.

But most of all, remember that disability will likely touch your life in some way, because disability does not discriminate.

A True Evangelist

I’m a big follower of Guy Kawasaki.  Guy was an “evangelist” for Macintosh early on, and is now a venture capitalist, author and speaker.  He has a contagious passion for marketing. 

I was recently watching a local PBS show called Northeast Business Journal, a program that highlights local entrepreneurs and is hosted by Bill Kelly, station President.  Bill’s guest was Jim Corbett, principal of a Minooka Subaru, a large local Subaru dealer.  Like Guy, he has a passion for marketing and is an evangelist for the Subaru brand.  Jim loves to sell cars, a passion he learned from his father, Jake Corbett.  Jake started as a used car dealer in 1954 and took on the Subaru dealership in 1970.  In 1969, I purchased my first vehicle from Minooka Motors, and my brother-in-law purchased a brand new Subaru FF1 (pictured) in 1971.  Jake Corbett was a true evangelist for Subaru, and was one of the most convincing salespeople I have ever met.

In a 2006 blog article, Guy outlined the “art of evangelism”.  Let me take a few of Guy’s points and equate them to Jake:

• Create a Cause – In 1970, the $1,900 Subaru brand was very new to this area.  This was a time when the quintessential small car was the Volkswagen.  The oil crisis was ramping up.  Jake took advantage of this time and leveraged the advantages of better gas mileage in a very dependable small package, and he truly was a creator of the cause he was also promoting.
• Love the Cause – Jake was passionate about the cause and the car.  The Subaru automobile became his life’s work, and he truly believed in it.
• Look for Agnostics, Ignore Atheists – Jake Corbett knew when to cut his losses and move on.  He could quickly spot a person who would never share his passion, and he quickly moved to people he knew could share his passion.
• Let People Test-Drive the Cause – Everyone who stepped onto the lot had to take a test-drive.  These cars were all standard shift, and whether you had ever driven a stick-shift, Jake insisted on taking you out to drive the car.  These things were truly fun to drive, and in experienced hands, could be shifted without using the clutch.
• Never Tell a Lie – Jake was so passionate about the car that one could have viewed him as pushy.  Yet, Jake was sincere and truly believed in the product.  He had no reason to lie, and never did.  You could count him among the few numbers of honest car salesmen. 

Minooka is a section of Scranton, PA that was originally settled by people of predominately Irish decent, and is considered its own town by some residents.  By 1973, many people in Minooka were driving Subaru cars all thanks to Jake Corbett.  His neighbors and friends purchased the cars, and now, Minooka Motors is one of the largest Subaru dealers in the nation.  The foundation of passion for the brand lives on with this family-owned business.

In these difficult times, it is great to find a business like this.  They are true evangelists of their product. 

The Price of Admission

I had a chance discussion yesterday which prompted me to reflect on the issue of professional standards.  From the bankers who were involved in less than ethical situations to sports figures taking steroids, it seems the media is full of stories about people not living up to basic standards of professionalism.  Here are some examples:

• The cleaning person who doesn’t correctly sanitize a public restroom puts the people using that restroom at risk.
• The contractor who does shoddy work and covers their mistakes. Anyone who watches the TV show “Holmes on Homes” can relate.
• The accounting firm who ignores professional standards by involving themselves in illegal schemes of their client.  When it happens large-scale, the overseers (AICPA) have to enact rules that adversely affect the good accounting firms.
• Professional firms taking part in political pay to play schemes.  This seems to be the standard in Washington.
• The insurance agent who sells a customer sub-standard auto insurance just to get business.

In all of these cases, the individuals likely know where the line is drawn, yet they frequently cross that line. 

There are many cases to the contrary as well, although they generally don’t get media coverage.  Many of the people I know seem to fall into this category.  I very much value these trust relationships:

• The insurance broker I deal with both personally and professionally has been in the business most of his life.  I trust him inherently and completely.  He earned that over time.
• The used car dealer I deal with exclusively has been in business over 30 years and he doesn’t advertise.  He does not compromise anything and has earned my trust.  The few dollars more I may pay for a vehicle is well worth it.
• The contractor who works on my house never cuts corners; he goes above and beyond.
• The accounting firm I deal with professionally is a true independent auditor and upholds a high standard.  They’ve done so for almost 25 years even before it was statutory.

The best way to promote professional standards is to demand it as a minimum price of admission.  I’ve found that doing so uncovers people who also perform the work well beyond expectation.  In my view, although there are situations where compromise is necessary, we shouldn't compromise professional standards.  If we hold professional standards as foundational, maybe the abundance of rules and regulations we have could prove to be unnecessary.

NEPACIL - Community Presence

The Northeast Pennsylvania Center for Independent Living (NEPACIL) is dedicating its new building on Friday, November 18.  I'm back on the Board of the NEPACIL, and I view this dedication as a monumental occasion for people with disabilities in the counties covered by the CIL.  The main reason?  Community presence.

This renewed community presence helps promote the ideals of independent living.  It promotes a different mind-set when legislators are making decisions about programs for people with disabilities; it promotes the understanding that people with disabilities need to be part of the community; it lets everyone know that people with disabilities can work and prosper.  The community supports that the NEPACIL embraces and promotes are not hand-outs.  Instead, they provide ways for people with disabilities to contribute to the community through work and interaction.

So this is much more than just a building.  Its a representation to all of us that everyone deserves the right to say "nothing about me without me"! 

Shibumi Strategy

Next month, Matt May's new book, Shibumi Strategy, will be published.  It's a well-told fable about transformation(s) that can happen in everyone's life.  Matt has transformed himself into a legitimate author and has penned two other books, The Elegant Solution and In Pursuit of Elegance.  He was kind enough to give me a "galley" copy of the new book.

Matt has a very genuine writing style, and his books are intended to be transformational more than informational.  The Shibumi Strategy is indeed transformational.  It has personal meaning for me in that it reflects a major transition I experienced in my own life.  I recently wrote a letter in to New Mobility magazine which was published this month:

"The Good Side of Trauma" is a very compelling article. My story entails progressive disability, but there was a "moment of clarity" that changed my life completely. I have limb girdle muscular dystrophy, which remained undiagnosed for many years. It started as a peculiar gait that got more noticeable. It wasn't much of a problem through my teens, but as the disease progressed, walking, using steps and doing anything physical became more difficult because of deteriorating muscles. By my 30s, rising from a seated position was somewhat difficult, but I remained ambulatory. By 37, I needed a wheelchair, but sheer stubbornness prevented it! I began falling frequently, resulting in many injuries. My parents viewed a wheelchair as giving up, and that was my belief as well.

From 37 to 43, I became a hermit, leaving the house only to work my desk job. At home, I lived in my bed. I was developing some severe personality disorders and separated myself from my wife, my kids, extended family and friends. I lived in a constant state of paralyzing fear.

Then came my moment of clarity, in April 1998. Driving home that day, I felt an intense notion that I had hit bottom. I strongly considered ending it. But I decided that life was worth living, and a wheelchair was developmental, not terminal. I got the wheelchair, adapted my home and began using an accessible van. I just recently got a new high-end wheelchair, lowered-floor van, and more home modifications.

Since that day in April I've experienced those five areas of personal change identified by researchers Tedeschi and Calhoun. I've also discovered innovation and possibility, began reading and writing more, and got involved in disability issues, serving six years on a board of a large CIL. It's true, disability sucks, and sometimes life is a kick in the nuts. But amidst all of that, I found the world of possibility. Post traumatic Growth is real.

While reading Shibumi Strategy, I realized that although the story is different, it has astounding parallels to my own life.  And all I can do is extend a heartfelt "thank you" to my friend Matt May for writing such a wonderful book.  Get it, read it!

Update - Driving with a Disability

Back in July 2009, I wrote about driving with a disability.  Finally, in February 2010, I took delivery of my new van.  After a few minor adjustments, I began using the van for work shortly after.

Driving - at first, I was tentative while driving and really wasn't comfortable with the controls.  I fashioned a removable seat belt which is used to help me maintain just a bit more seating stability while stopping.  After that, I got progressively more comfortable with the controls.  Although the gas/brake is entirely drive by wire, I now have a very comfortable "feel" for the vehicle.  I moved from operating the vehicle to driving it.  Driving has become second nature.

Electronic Problems - I encountered a few electronic problems with the AEVIT system, all of which we have corrected over time.  With a vehicle modification as extensive is this, these problems should be expected.  Remember that there are several vehicles out there that can be modified, and the manufacturer (EMC) is interfacing their own electronics with OEM electronics.  The OEM electronics are different for each manufacturer, and withing manufacturers, they change frequently.  For example, Chrysler changed their electronics in 2008 and again in 2010.  Yet, EMC company stays on top of things and provides software, firmware and other solutions quickly.  Also, Keller Wheelchair Lifts have been giving me outstanding service!  They truly care about what they do, and they understand disability issues.

Moreover, the process was time-consuming and intense, but the results were worth the wait.

If you are going through this process, please don't hesitate to contact me.  I would be happy to help anyone through this or any other disability related issue!

Purpose-Built Accessible Vehicle

This year, the MV-1 universally accessible vehicle is being introduced.  It is intended for the fleet market and is specifically built for the rigors of a fleet duty-cycle.  The base vehicle begins at about $40,000 which includes a 6:1 incline manual ramp and Q-Straint© brand tie downs for all types of wheelchairs.

Although this is purpose-built for fleets, individuals will be able to buy them as well.  Due to DOT regulations, they must include a driver’s seat, and most people with disabilities couldn’t drive the vehicle unmodified.  Nevertheless, this is a gigantic advance in the area of public transportation.  Right now, most public transportation companies can’t afford to incorporate very many accessible vehicles into their fleet.  Hopefully, this will change and vehicles like the MV1 will become part of the public transportation landscape.

I drive a lowered-floor Chrysler Town and Country which was converted by Braun©.  The additional adaptive equipment was installed by Keller Wheelchair Lifts.   This was a van I purchased from a dealer, and the lowered-floor was done afterward.  That is a major process and involves removing the floor from the front of the rear seat to the firewall, then re-structuring the vehicle.  It’s expensive to do this, so a purpose-built accessible vehicle is much more cost effective.  See my prior post about driving with a disability.

20 Years after ADA

Today is the 20 year anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Although this isn’t a perfect law, it has succeeded in putting the issues about disability center-stage.

In writing the Fresh Perspectives blog, I do lots of research.  I sometimes like to read an article or book concerning matters I know I disagree with, yet, I try to read them with the “mind of a beginner”.  I did this with a controversial book called “Make Them Go Away” by Mary Johnson.  Clint Eastwood and Christopher Reeves have their pictures on the cover, and the book touts the inherent problems with the ADA.  The focus of the book is that the ADA should not be a civil right law, and the people with disabilities do in fact need help, not a law.

I read the book with an open mind, and it did in fact show me some of the flaws in the ADA legislation.  Then, I thought back to 1960.  I was 5 years old then, and I saw a ward of kids with Muscular Dystrophy.  In 1960, people with disabilities weren’t part of the community, were considered “abnormal” and were pitied, and most were institutionalized.  People generally weren’t receptive to those who were different, and people with disabilities were separated from the community at large.  Separatism for both minorities and people with disabilities were the norm. 

The questions I pose to you are this; if separatism isn’t a civil rights issue, then what is?  How can the ADA NOT be a civil rights law?  From where I sit, it is and it should be! 

Having grown up in the 1960’s, I have memories of feeling broken and abnormal.  I have those memories because I walked differently and was treated differently.  Now, some 50 years later, although I use a wheelciair, I am part of the community at large.  And since ADA in 1990, opportunities for PWD are greater than any time in our history. 

Understanding is the key, and the ADA has promoted understanding exponentially. Yet, there is so much more to do. The ADA isn’t perfect by any means.  It is a work in progress.

Together we can, and do, make a difference!
 

Funding for Assistive Devices

I just read a supplement to New Mobility magazine (30 seconds to load) about wheelchair funding.  The article talks about the area of “complex rehab”.  Complex rehab is about the correct fitting of wheelchairs and other assistive devices to individuals with MS, Muscular Dystrophy, spinal injuries and other such diseases.  This is an aspect of disability that few people, most especially politicians, simply don’t understand.  A correct fit is the difference between working productively in society and being hospitalized for an extended period due to a pressure sore.

Physicians and many other health care professionals aren’t trained or well versed when it comes to complex rehab.  People with disabilities need to rely on the providers, all of whom are being squeezed by decreases in Medicare reimbursements for durable medical equipment (DME).  Health insurance companies generally follow suit with Medicare. 

In my case, I coordinated my own care.  I use a high end complex rehab wheelchair.  After years of using a low-end wheelchair with non-adaptive positioning, I desperately needed correct positioning.  The low end wheelchair caused a foot deformity, so now I need to use a brace.  In moving to the high end, I was fortunate to have found a provider who employed a complex rehab specialist.  He assisted me in engineering the seating exactly to my needs, and he helped me with other aspects of my equipment needs as well.  I also use an overhead rail-type portable lift system for bed, toilet and bathing transfers.

Funding?  Since I am already working, the PA Office of Vocational Rehab helped a great deal with funding.  OVR does not cover high-end wheelchairs, but since I had DME funding through employer-provided insurance, OVR helped with the remaining funding.  OVR has stopped covering home modifications, but we were able to get funding for the lift system since it is considered “transportation”.  Moreover, I had to jump through hoops for 2 years to make this happen and keep me working.  It was frustrating!!

This supplement tells the real story.  This isn’t a financial issue since DME accounts for only about 1.7% of Medicare.  This is an issue of understanding and education.  We need to educate our federal legislators about this important issue! 

People with Disabilities and Health Care

Our current health care system is operated under a “one-size-fits-all” idea of care.  It is a system which has difficulty dealing with a diverse population, and the federal health care bill is more of the same.  According to the National Organization on Disability (NOD);

“Americans with disabilities are more than twice as likely to postpone needed health care because they cannot afford it. Furthermore, people with disabilities (PWD) are four times more likely to have special needs that are not covered by their health insurance.”

I can relate directly to this!  My physician wants me to have a “routine” colonoscopy, yet health insurance will not cover an overnight stay for the preparation.  I’ll have to figure out a way to do the prep at home.

Let’s look at the issues:

• Very few health care facilities are set up to deal with the special needs of people with disabilities.  Scanning machines and other evaluative equipment aren’t set up for PWD.  For example, many mobility-impaired people need a Hoyer type lift to exit the wheelchair.  These provisions need to be made ahead of time, and many times, offices cannot accommodate these needs.
• I believe the majority of health care professionals are caring individuals trying to do a difficult job under a system that makes the delivery of health care difficult.  And performing an evaluation on a person with special needs takes time.   This sometimes creates a reluctance to deal with PWD.  Further complicating things is the fact that insurance companies do not adjust their reimbursements accordingly.  Insurance is one-size-fits-all, and no delineation is made for PWD and special circumstances.
• Dentist offices can be especially troublesome for PWD.  In order to adequately treat someone in a wheelchair, the person needs to be in the dentist chair.  In my case, I went over 8 years without a teeth cleaning due to this accessibility issue.  I now have a wheelchair that tilts and reclines, plus I have a dentist who has personal experience dealing with someone using a wheelchair.
• In my experience, few health care professionals truly understand how to best treat a PWD.  The rehabilitation professionals who deal exclusively with PWD are trained to do so, but many others learn on the job.  Like I said, health care professionals are doing a difficult job under a system that makes quality health care delivery even more difficult.

Yes, the ADA 1990 has helped us become involved in the community.  It seems, however, that the health care system needs work in that regard.  The entire system needs to be looked at in terms of dealing with diverse needs.  

I’d love to hear your comments!

Leveraging Limitations

To most people, the physical limitations of using a wheelchair are obvious.  But I can tell you from experience that some of the limitations are much less obvious.  In overcoming the trade-offs involved, there are 3 basic choices; a) adapt the wheelchair, or b) adapt the surroundings, or c) all of the above.  Today, I want to talk about these trade-offs.

Because of changes in my body, I’ve had to transition to a high-end “rehab” type wheelchair with customized seating.  This wheelchair has the ability to elevate, tilt and recline, plus it has leg rests that elevate as well.  All of this is done with high-end electric motors, and I have the ability to raise my legs well above my heart to alleviate leg swelling.  For the most part, the transition to this wheelchair has been positive:

• The high-end brushless motors are quiet, very reliable and strong. They provide more than adequate power to traverse most inclines.
• The ability to tilt/recline adds to my stability on ramps and long inclines.
• The seating, although restrictive, fits my body giving me better seated posture and greater leg comfort.
• The wheelchair frame and seating is rock-solid. This provides a modicum of security for me. This is indeed a very high quality wheelchair.

These are the trade-offs;

• The chair seats me about 2 ½ inches higher than I was before. This makes eating at a table of normal height more challenging given limited arm strength. Where possible, I’ve adapted my surroundings accordingly with platforms.
• Because I drive, the wheelchair lock-down receiver (a pin mounted under the wheelchair), which is needed to lock the chair in driving position, is about ¾” from the floor. As a result, I need to be careful about the transitions in doorways and on ramps. One way around this is to enter and exit ramps at a slight angle, although this is impossible when going through narrow doorways. Also, the pin impedes the chair from rolling on anything but somewhat solid ground. Grass and gravel surfaces become a problem.
• This chair is large, much larger than my old one. It is also rear-wheel drive, making it less maneuverable than my old wheelchair which was mid-wheel drive. I drive a minivan, and getting to the driving position behind the wheel is tight. I need to back up the ramp, and the room inside the van is adequate but tight.
• The large size of the front turning wheels plus the weight of myself and the wheelchair combine to make this chair a “rug eater”. Wall-to-wall carpeting isn’t a problem, but any other kind of carpet gets tangled in the front wheels.

Moreover, although great strides have been made in providing greater mobility for the mobility-impaired, there is room for even further innovation.  I agree with Matt May; limitations provide opportunities for innovation.  I can tell you that people with disabilities are by necessity some of the best at improvising, adapting and overcoming many physical limitations.  But some of these limitations need to be addressed at the design level using “design thinking”.

I would love to hear ideas and feedback from readers.  Let’s try to get some discussion going on this issue. 

Adapting to Change II - The Power of Collaboration

For those of you who follow this blog, you know that I use a wheelchair due to Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy.  Up to now, I’ve been using an electric wheelchair with standard seating, and I’ve been able to left-transfer from that to a commode and bed.  That situation slowly changed as my condition deteriorated, and these transfers are now nearly impossible. I talked about this process in December 2008.

I actually began this process in April 2008.  Here it is some 22 months later, and I finally took delivery of a new accessible van.  As of yesterday, I actually began using the new wheelchair as well.  It is a major adjustment.  Here’s why:

• The new rehab wheelchair seats me correctly and gives me excellent seated posture. That causes some slight discomfort in my hip flexors, but on the positive side, supports my back better and helps with the pain of scoliosis.
• This chair sits 2 or so inches higher than my old one. That’s an adjustment since I now sit higher at a table.
• The only way I can transfer from this chair is with a lift system.
• My new van is completely different. I now drive with an electric gas/brake control, and all secondary systems in the van are controlled electronically. I also drive from the wheelchair. After about 20 hours of driver training, I am doing well with this arrangement.

Going through this process really illustrates the power of collaboration.  In my case, the people involved were all top-shelf in their respective fields.  They all showed a level of caring that really made an impression on me:

• First, the staff at Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) did an excellent job with my case. The Pennsylvania Office won the National Council of Rehabilitation Education President’s Award for Excellence in Vocational Rehabilitation. My experience with OVR was commensurate with that award.
• I utilized the services of a wheelchair seating expert, Mike DiCello from Andrew Brown’s Home Health Care. Mike takes his job seriously and personally, and the results I’ve encountered show it. This transition would have been very difficult without his personal interest in my situation.
• The firm that adapted my van is Keller Wheelchair Lifts in Luzerne, PA. Keller’s is a family owned business, and the original owner is in the business because disability touched his family. The Keller’s are passionate about getting things right. But more importantly, they have an uncanny understanding about disability. In my case, they went over and above my expectations. As a result, I have a van I am very comfortable with, and they made the process of getting there effortless for me. I have posted before about this process.
• My Physician, Dr. Philip Boccagno, is an internist and family practitioner. Not only is he an excellent clinician and diagnostician, he makes it a point to understand the entire person in a holistic manner. That has made a big difference for me in this process, and in my general wellbeing. Also, I dealt with Debbie, a nurse from the Heinz Center. Having been touched by disability in her own life, she had an excellent grasp of my situation.
• My wife, Betsy, has put up with my occasional “Panic Button Syndrome” moments throughout this process. Living with disability isn’t easy for family members, and she possesses the insight, understanding and level-headed compassion that I needed to get through this. She is the most genuine person I know.

All if this was done to keep me living and working within the community.  I am eternally grateful for everyone involved! None of this is at all possible when tackled alone; there needs to be a collaborative effort.  There is indeed power in collaboration.

A Student of Human Moves

Dan Pink’s book Drive is outstanding! 

Dan’s ideas about intrinsic motivation aren’t new.  People have talked and written about these ideas for years.  Years ago, Dale Carnegie wrote about these ideas in How to Win Friends and Influence People.  More recently, Matt May nicely illustrated the workings of intrinsic motivation and autonomy in In Pursuit of Elegance.  These ideas are not new, yet, they are largely unapplied in the world of business, education and government.  Dan Pink tells us why.  He provides many examples and scientific studies in support of the benefits of intrinsic motivation.  Then he shows us why people are reluctant to rely on it!  He clearly shows us why the “carrot and stick” mentality we are accustomed to, and which is so engrained in our thinking, needs revision.

This book gets to the core of human nature.  It makes me think about the line in Color of Money where Fast Eddie Felson tells his protégé that he needs to learn to be a “student of human moves”.  This book underscores the significance of understanding human moves.

Many times, people look for the breakthrough idea in a book.  Drive is not a book with a breakthrough idea, rather it is a fervent call for actionable change.  The real breakthrough is in Dan’s vision of how best to apply this knowledge.  And like his prior book A Whole New Mind, it fleshes out how we might best survive and thrive in a new world. 

Dan Pink is a modern “student of human moves”.  He might just be the “professor of human moves” as well.  His book is compelling!

Government Gets it Right

Many areas of the country offer coordinated transportation services for people considered “transportation disabled”.  The system is subsidized through local, state and federal sources, and it provides local transportation services for the elderly, disabled and economically disadvantaged.  The Lackawanna Coordinated Transportation System has about 25 small busses each equipped with wheelchair lifts and variable amounts of seating.

Right now, I am in the final stages of getting my own van, but I’m using the Coordinated Transport in the meantime.  This service is getting me to work and back for a $5.00 per day round trip fee.  All of the drivers I’ve had have been great, the vans are in good condition and seem well maintained, and the scheduling has been excellent. 

I had one occasion where a van had an interlock problem with a lift, and the driver had to manually pump the lift to get me in.  These are electric over hydraulic commercial lifts similar to the lift in my old van, and even under the best of maintenance programs, the lifts can fail.  Mine is 11 years old and still works fine, but the maintenance cost over those years was a bit expensive.   I know that keeping the lifts working in an entire fleet of vehicles requires good planning and procedures.  Lackawanna County gets this right!

In a time where inefficiencies in government take center stage, it is gratifying to find a government run agency that gets it right.  The Lackawanna Coordinated Transportation System, and the mass transit agency COLTS, is to be commended for a job well done.  I am indeed grateful for this invaluable service!