Senators Duckworth, Durbin urge Amtrak to change its disability policy
Source: Central Illinois Proud
NORMAL, Ill. — Amtrak will begin reviewing its nationwide disability policy, after CEO Richard Anderson met with U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill).
The meeting comes after the rail company mistakenly charged a group of wheelchair riders $25,000 to travel from Chicago to Normal.
According to a press release from Duckworth’s office, Anderson admitted the charge was improper and apologized. He then promised the two that the company will work with Congress to bring disability voices to its board of directors.
“I’m glad Mr. Anderson is approaching these issues with the seriousness they deserve and committing to several key accessibility requests that Senator Durbin and I made,” said Duckworth. “Once implemented, these measures will help amtrak begin earning back the trust of the disability community after this frustrating and offensive incident.”
In a statement given to WMBD, Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson said “While we have made substantial progress on accessibility for customers with disabilities over the past decade, there is always room for improvement, as we saw in this most recent incident. I look forward to working with Senator’s Duckworth and Durbin on ways to continue to improve the state of our infrastructure and the delivery of our service for customers with disabilities here at amtrak.”
By: Munashe Kwangari III
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