[blindkid] question re shopping assistance

[Mike Freeman]

Susan:

I agree with your son's O&M instructor. The law says your son has a right to 
visit places of public accommodation and participate in programs and 
services just as anyone else who is not handicapped does. This may mean that 
reasonable accommodations should be provided -- *except* that this need not 
be done if said special accommodations would cause an undue hardship to the 
place of public accommodation, program or service. Of course, your son has a 
near-absolute right to participate in places of public accommodation, 
programs or services if s/he elects not to use special accomodations.

So this is one of those situations wherein blindness is a nuisance and your 
son should become sufficiently resourceful to obtain his own shopping 
assistant if he is pretty sure that there won't be any where he intends to 
shop. For example, I'd procure someone to assist me any time I planned to 
shop at either Costco or Winco! (grin)

I know this wasn't what you wanted to hear but them's the breaks!

Happy holidays!

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "SUSAN POLANSKY" <sepolansky at verizon.net>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 5:58 AM
Subject: [blindkid] question re shopping assistance


This week my son's O&M lesson was at the mall where he was going to do his 
Christmas shopping. He has his list and his money and off he went with his 
O&M teacher. In each store he was to ask for assistance to look for the 
desired item. This went well in until they got to Sears. He went to customer 
service and requested someone to assist him to shop and was told that they 
did not have anyone to do that. When I asked what the O&M teacher said about 
that he stated he was told that there was nothing they could do about it as 
there is no law that says the store has to provide him with assistance. Now 
I am 99% sure that this is not correct. Can someone cite the law to me? 
Thanks.

Susan

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