Mark's Transformative Thoughts: Feb. 2022

David Schmit • February 22, 2022

Paratransit Problems

Dear Split Second Family,


Many of you know that I serve on the Regional Transit Authority’s Board of Commissioners. Mayor Cantrell appointed me to the board,  so that I could advocate for the rights of people living with disabilities within our public transit system. We’ve had some success and the RTA is more accessible today than ever before, but we are far from where we need to be. 


Transportation is essential for any functioning society, and unfortunately the lack of transportation remains the biggest barrier for people living with disabilities. You can’t get to healthcare facilities, work, school or spend time with friends. Why? There’s no truly regional public paratransit system in the New Orleans metro area. Our buses are wheelchair accessible, but different disabilities require different needs. What about riders whose disability requires curb-to-curb pickup and delivery? 


Consider these facts: 


  • Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson parishes all have curb-to-curb systems, but they don’t work together;
  • You can arrange pickup by RTA Paratransit Service in Orleans Parish and then a specific drop off in Jefferson Parish, but you can’t ask JET (Jefferson Parish Transit) to do the reverse; and
  • Parish paratransit services are specific to the parish, meaning only parish residents can use them.


So much for regional cooperation. Let’s be real: this lack of services is discrimination. People living with disabilities have as much right to use public transportation as those without disabilities. By creating a representative regional transportation system, we would be opening up the world for many people living with disabilities. And freedom is something we all deserve.


With Gratitude,

 

Mark 


Watch Mark Raymond Jr. on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday, May 7th

May 6, 2024
Watch Split Second Foundation founder Mark Raymond Jr. in his appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show this Tuesday, May 7th!

Diving Accident Survivor Dedicates Life to Helping Others: ‘Being Quadriplegic Is My Superpower'

March 16, 2024
The last thing Mark Raymond Jr. remembers in those final seconds before the accident was standing in the back of his buddy’s boat at the end of a perfect July afternoon in 2016, and staring down into the waters of Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain. Then he dove in and instantly felt his forehead slam into the sandy bottom of the lake. “I couldn’t move and realized, 'I’m probably going to drown,’ " Raymond tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. “My last thoughts were about my mom and just praying that my friends would realize what was happening.” He was close to death when his pals pulled him out of the water and performed CPR. Two weeks later, Raymond awoke from a medically induced coma in a New Orleans hospital to discover that he’d fractured the fifth vertebrae in his neck and could no longer walk or fully use his hands. “I quickly learned that my life was going to be really different,” he says. “To call it a huge adjustment is an understatement.” Read more.

Nonprofit opens Louisiana’s first inclusive gym

March 13, 2024
Split Second Fitness founder Mark Raymond Jr. talks about his organization which is the first gym focusing on individuals with a disabling condition and transforming individuals’ hope into action. Read more.
Show More