Hi, I am Kezia. I'm a stroke survivor and member of BIND. And
Hi, I'm Carrie, a stroke survivor, and also a member of BIND. And today we've invited Rick, who is also a member of BIND, and he is our resident Dart expert here at the Clubhouse. So we are gonna talk with him to, for him to share his experience and knowledge as a frequent user of Dart. So welcome, Rick.
Welcome. Thank you.
So tell us a little bit about yourself and how, why you're a BIND
All right. Yeah. My name is Rick Roth and I've been a BIND member since 2015, and so that was a year and a half or two years after it opened. Okay. I've been a brain injury survivor since 2007, and I had a central neuro cytoma, which is an extremely rare type of brain tumor, and they had to actually go through my brain go through, you know how you have two halves? They went through the middle of that and they blasted out the tumor with the laser.
Wow. So after, because it was on the right side after, and the. Right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. I was almost completely paralyzed on the left side. Luckily I was in pretty good shape cuz I used to bicycle to work or a part way to work almost every day. And I worked out and I was pretty good shape.
So I had, they called me Miracle Man in the hospital because within a couple of weeks I was from almost completely paralyzed on the left side to where I could walk with assistance. And then pretty soon, Uh, you know, I was still in a wheelchair, but they let me, they let me walk with assistance. That's cool. Yeah, so it didn't take me too long to get back. But the other issue is my brain, [Mic bleed] course, and I have [Mic bleed] short term memory problems and general cognitive processing.
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Thank you so much for sharing that, [Mic bleed] Um, so as, um, the person here at buying that knows the most about dart, can you tell us about what DART is and also why do you
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Okay, well first of all, I will say I've been taking public transportation for a while because probably from about the year 2000, you know, I like everybody. I experimented it a little bit before then, but starting. In about 2000, I was actually, or I guess 99, I was actually in Portland, Oregon studying to be an urban planner, and during that time they have one of the best systems, especially for a relatively mid-sized city.
So I learned to use it there and became really comfortable with it, and it was, I found it pretty efficient, especially in Oregon.
So you were riding public transportation before your brain injury?
Yeah, so I had it all figured out before. In fact, when I moved to Dallas in 2006, that's when I took a job as a senior planner at the city of Dallas. And that was like my dream job. And I had, so I took all my environmental background, which I had starting as an undergraduate in biology and then as an environmental educator. And then I also took the urban planning experience I had.
From Oregon and was kind of able to apply that all to the Trinity River Project, which is covers parts of downtown Dallas. Mm-hmm. And outlying parts and the green parts. And that really fit not only my values, but my interest and and my background. So that was a really exciting job. Unfortunately it was cut a little bit short because I was diagnosed with the brain tumor, right. Less, I think just a little bit more than a year. After I had started at the Trinity River Project.
Okay. So you were lucky enough before your brain injury, you kind of already knew about dart. So tell us about how DART maybe became a little more important to you after your brain injury and transportation became a bigger issue.
Right, so after the brain injury, I had, uh, an inability to drive not only inability, but. It was illegal for me technically because there's a law in the state of Texas, I believe you have to [Mic bleed] re-certified. Mm-hmm. If you've had a head injury before you're allowed to drive [Mic bleed] in the rehab, I remember they give you, it seems silly at the time, but they give you this little dot and you have to [Mic bleed] you see the dot.
But I have a, what they call a delay in visual motor reaction time because of my brain injury. And I was never able to pass that. And that's like the first step. Before you even get to go into the car and get retrained. So that's main, basically the reason why you [Mic bleed] the most to be able to, so I had to, yeah, then use dart. But in the beginning, since I had used it so much, a lot of people would need retraining.
It might go right into the paratransit, and I was probably a little bit, um, optimistic, but I thought, okay, well I don't need that. I can still, since I could walk. And I wasn't that far from the bus, bus stop, and I actually would get rides a lot at first when my father-in-law, he was actually working downtown at the time.
And then after he went to work somewhere else, I was comfortable enough with my condition that I was able to walk then, uh, [Mic bleed] bus, and then I would take the bus to the train. [Mic bleed] I, did have some problems with, I had what they call an aura. I have seizures and an aura is a, a funny feeling. It's really hard to describe. Mm-hmm. That you get before you might have a seizure. Doesn't mean you'll always have one.
But I had that and then eventually, one time I did have one on the way, but I have what they call partial onset seizures, which is, not everyone has that. Mm-hmm. A lot of people have one that just. Snap and they're almost unconscious, just like that. I've always been able to, I've even been able to call myself for a ambulance just to come and make sure that everything's gonna be okay and get on the ground where I'm not on [Mic bleed] where I'm gonna damage myself. [Mic bleed]
That all explains really good as to like why you [Mic bleed] transportation. That is more like obviously you can't drive [Mic bleed] taking advantage [Mic bleed] dART [Mic bleed] travel [Mic bleed] for what you're doing right now, taking the bus, the train, and or para transit, um, do you have to apply to that? Do you have to explain all these issues?
Yes. The paratransit requires, it's not just for anybody or. So Paratransits, not for the everyday [Mic bleed] paratransit, you're required to have a medical condition which would not allow you to drive [Mic bleed] for a medical condition. So it could be, you could have, you don't have to be completely blind, but you could have an optical, you know, something wrong. Sure. Makes it hard or illegal for you to drive, okay? Or you could be fine, ambular.
You can take the, potentially take the service. [Mic bleed] it's hard for you and uh, you might have a seizure on the way. So they have a condition for that. And that's what I have also, like where the brain injury memory could affect it. There was a couple times early on where I tried to take it. Mm-hmm. And I got lost. Yeah. Even though, like I was mentioning, I've been writing it for a while, I got totally confused and stuff.
So I think I would be better now, but it's wonderful to have a service. Sure.
So for our listeners, so Paratransit is, For the disabled and it's door to door pickup, like they pick you up at home and drop you off at the location that you're going to Correct? Exactly.
Okay. So the big difference is like for instance, I'm very fortunate in that I do live somewhat close to the bus, but they recently did in a complete reset of the system. So I used to be [Mic bleed] 10 or 12 minute walk to the bus, which is actually very excellent. Not very many people have that to begin with Now. They changed the bus service to be more efficient for probably 90% of the people.
But I was one of those where it would literally take me probably 25 minutes to walk to the bus stop where I need to get now. And overall it's more efficient for people, but for me it makes a problem, especially in the heat or extreme weather, I try and avoid just because of the seizure issue and [Mic bleed] why take a [Mic bleed] so it's very nice. You just have to register usually. Uh, one day in advance, and then they'll come pick you up at the door. It's three bucks.
So it usually comes out cheaper than gas would be if you had a car.
Yeah, that's so true. That is so true. Thank you so much for sharing the experience and also giving a little bit more examples of like why you [Mic bleed] dart and why you're using it. That's super helpful to understand and I hope other, um, our listeners really understand that. Um, so thank you for that. [Mic bleed] do you use, so I know right now you're talking about paratransit. And the bus, um, someone of our guests had, or our, [Mic bleed] listeners had asked about [Mic bleed] rail.
Do you know what that is? And do you use it?
Okay. All by federal law, all of the dark services, not just the paratransit, have to be what they refer to as fully accessible. Okay. What that means is even if you're in a wheelchair, even if you're in one of those, [Mic bleed] offense, but those giant tank, 2000 pound, uh, motorized wheelchairs. Mm-hmm. They have to have a way for you to get on and off all of the dark vehicles. That includes the right light rail, in which case the center car usually, mm-hmm.
Always has a, a ramp, at least the center car. Sometimes all of them [Mic bleed] there's no steps, [Mic bleed] straight. You could [Mic bleed] walk straight in or if you have a walker or something, you can get in very easily into that center car.
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Um, just, I'm gonna take a two second break real quick just to remind our listeners that are listening to Rick right now and us here on a Thursday to make sure to like us and listen to us every Thursday. You can listen to us on any of your, um, platforms and we're here. So just a reminder for everyone.
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So overall though, it sounds like, I mean, you would say dart's pretty easy to you. Maybe there's a little bit of a learning curve in the beginning, like as far as getting registered, signed up and approved and then figuring out how to use it. Sure,
and I would say one of the things that they have when you get certified, there is a training program that is required. Just to make sure, even if you already know kind of how to use it, they wanna make sure that you can cross, even cross the street Oh, wow. Safely with a, because you know they're dealing with all different levels. Sometimes it's kids with a disability. So when you. Ride with a, a rider, I mean, is they're in your hands.
I mean, if they have an accident, they have to be extra careful [Mic bleed] of that.
Oh, cool. I definitely did not know that. That's really cool to have that available. Um, do you use, uh, DART to your personal trips or do they all have to be like medical trips that you're, you're asking for? Yeah, the para transit. And that's a good point because in some cities, and while I'm at it, I should mention.
Whoever lives in Dallas area, whether or not they have paratransit or use the regular system, they are so lucky because if you live in a lot of big cities or mid-size cities like Austin, which is where I'm from, you know, it's really hard to get around. Yeah. With the public transit system here, we have a very good one. We also have a very good paratransit, which means for $3, which is a lot cheaper than some places. You can get it.
And also I feel like although it's very, depending on the year, they've improved the service to where a lot of times I'll be the only rider. Mm-hmm. Depending on where I'm going. Usually it's a short distance, but even if I'm going all the way downtown, sometimes I'll be the only rider. [Mic bleed] the other thing is they've recently. [Mic bleed] know, if you think about it, they have to pay for this big, sure.
It's usually like a big van slash bus diesel or sometimes it is hybrid, but, or natural gas. But that takes a lot. And then they have to pay the driver a pretty good wage. Sure. But they have sometimes when, if they're crowded, they will send you an Uber. So as long as your ambular, that's the only thing. Some people really can't [Mic bleed] uber. They need a. Fully accessible. Sure. For their wheelchair or walker [Mic bleed] So that's very convenient, but it is.
But then kind of following back on what Kezia is saying for the paratransit, if, I mean, I know DART bus and light rail, you can use it to do whatever you wanna do. But for the paratransit, since it's more specific to the disabled, Does it, can it only be used for medical purposes, like going to a medical doctor or can you use dart pair transit to go grocery shopping to, come to BIND.
Uh oh. That's a very good question. [Mic bleed] Once you get qualified, basically it's like having your own service. The only thing is, like I mentioned, you usually have to do it the day before. Sure. So you would request it the day before. Then they come at a specific time. They give you a 20 minute window. In which they come, they, you know, there's nothing really you can do if they're late, but if you're late, they're gonna probably leave you behind.
And if you're late too many times, which, if you think about it, someone who has a disability, sometimes they're almost ready. They need to get something and it may take them a lot longer. Sure. The drivers are generally very patient, [Mic bleed] they have their timeline to get to someone else. So you do have to be careful to be ready to go. [Mic bleed] go out the door when they get there. That's, and you can take it anywhere you want.
If you want to go to movie, if you want to go, uh, [Mic bleed] a party or just to visit a friend or your family, you can do that. You just have to plan in advance. So it is a really nice way to get more mobility. And not have to worry about taking a public [Mic bleed] with a regular bus. Yeah.
Thank you so much. I think those are really great tips so far that you've been giving throughout like the episode. Um, but I do, we do wanna ask what do you think is the most important tip or information that you personally would like to share with our listeners about transportation? Especially with that in transportation with DART here in in Dallas. For,
for the disabled, mostly
What? What? Yeah, just in general I think it's a great system for this disabled particularly, I would say don't take it for granted that we have that system here in Dallas because I do think it is superior to a lot of cities and don't be afraid to go through the process to be certified just cause. You don't want to be a burden on the system or you say, Hey, I have family and friends.
They can take [Mic bleed] But the thing is, a lot of times it just gives you the independence and the freedom to be on your own schedule and to go where you really want to go [Mic bleed] Maybe someone would be happy to take you out to eat or whatever, but you want to go do something on your own. Go shopping, right? Or whatever. It gives you a really neat. Neat way to do
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and this may seem like everyone should know this, but just to make sure you have to live in Dallas County proper, right? To be a DART user,
you have to be, you have to live within the DART zone. That doesn't mean Dallas County, okay? It means Colin County, Dallas County. You can live. I think there's places south. There are, I think I want to say 15 cities or something that DART encompasses. [Mic bleed]
But may be Colin County. Well, and we're gonna talk to someone from Dart, so we'll make sure we clarify that because I thought it was just, didn't even show
Dallas of all the areas that it covers. So it is a very wide area. They do not go, for instance to Allen. So there are places where it can be a little bit of a. [Mic bleed] disappointment cuz [Mic bleed] close, but it's, they're technically not part of Dart. But even like, I'm going to Irving, to the synapse laps on Saturday, plug for the synapse laps. And, um, and so I just, this morning I scheduled a trip.
They're coming to pick me up, I think at eight 30 in the morning, taking me all the way across from Plano to Irving. [Mic bleed] for three bucks. I mean, where can you beat that?
That's so true. That sounds great.
Yeah. And just for our listeners, sorry, but by the time you hear this synapse laps will have already ended, but you could still go on our website and donate to support Rick for walking at synapse laps.
That's true. Yeah, do it. Do it right now. Stop what you're doing and go to the BIND. Dot org or where is there a better place?
Nope, that is the best place to go. Okay. Yep. That is
the best place, place to go. I, I feel like you've been giving so much information that's really helpful for brain injury survivors, for people that are living here at, um, In Dallas, in Texas. Um, but also I feel like for people that don't live here, um, and what to look for because like you said, there's so many great cities that have these services available and don't feel like a burden. Look for it and be like, get your independence. So I think that was really great.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Yeah, that's a very good point. Kezia, there is a federal law, thankfully [Mic bleed] think it's associated with the American Disabilities Act, which requires all transit agencies, at least all of those within a certain size to have a form of paratransit. But like I also mentioned, they are variable. So you may be in a city where they have it, but it's just inadequate. It's not convenient. [Mic bleed] doesn't go where you need to go. [Mic bleed] too slow.
So that's a good thing to keep in mind, right? Even if you're moving and you have a disability, that could be a [Mic bleed] consideration.
That's a good point. Yeah.
It would be for me.
Yeah, I definitely see, see that as an issue, but I also think that it would be great for those that are listening and don't have a good service. Be an advocate for everyone around there. Right. And like, look for it and demand it, and hopefully it'll get changed. So honestly, it's been a great conversation to have with you. Rick. Thank you so much for being a guest and making your time available to be with us. So thank you so much.
Um, and thank you all of you that are listening to this episode.
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Again. Thanks Rick. And if you would like to contact us here at BIND Waves, kezia and I, again, the email is BIND waves the BIND dot org, and you can also follow us on Instagram at BIND Waves, or follow our website, um, as Rick has already mentioned, the BIND dot org. So go ahead and follow us everywhere you can.
And don't forget to like and share us, subscribe on your favorite social, um, platform and also hit Notify on YouTube so you can see us all [Mic bleed] the time. So and so. That way you can listen to us on BIND Waves.
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And don't forget we're here every Thursday. You can find a new episode on whatever platform you enjoy listening to and or watching on. So thanks so much for being with us today.