[Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...

[James Kelm]

Hello...

    The company that turned me down for a blood donation was not Red Cross,
but rather a private for profit company.  But there is an interesting update
to my story.

    After this situation on Friday, I telephoned the Justice Department
about the discrimination.  They asked me to E-mail them the details of the
situation, along with the contact information for the offending company.  I
did this, as well as sending a copy of the E-mail to the company itself.
After I had sent my E-mail to you guys on this list, I received a telephone
call.  It was the local director of the offending company, informing me that
she had a meeting with her corporate superiors about the E-mail that they
had received.  She apologized for their offensive treatment of my wife and
I, and informed me that they would make a special allowance for me, if I
chose in the future to donate with them.

    Of course the phone call was something, but I can only assume that it
was there way of minimizing their legal vulnerability within this situation.
They did not say that they would change their polocy of discrimination, but
only that they would make a special allowance for me.  I was polite and
respectful, but inside I can only think that they still do not truly
understand their offensive policies!


Your Brother in Christ,
Pastor James Kelm
True Hope Church of Duluth
Web Site: www.thcduluth.org
Office E-mail: office at thcduluth.org
Phone: 218-727-4186

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Jacobson" <steve.jacobson at visi.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 12:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Polocies Against The Blind...


> I have given blood here in Minnesota through my employer to the red cross
and I am finding it
> increasingly difficult to donate.  We have had other problems in the Twin
Cities in the past that we
> tried to address, but I must say, not having an emergency exit policy is
about the most blatent and
> least defensible thing I have heard.  Certainly you have a right to feel
frustrated, but it does seem
> that there is work to be done as well.  I can't help but wonder what their
general policy is to deal
> with someone who is half through giving blood and who might be dizzy if
forced to stand in a hurry.  I
> would think that blindness would be the least of the problems that one
might have.  <smile>
>
> You might be interested to know that it is now common practice to not
permit someone you know to fill
> out the paperwork with you.  The justification is that you might not be
honest with them in your
> answers.  This requires you to take the time of a staff person, and even
if they are willing, they are
> often required to tend to other tasks.
>
> Were you working with a branch of the Red Cross there in Duluth or is it
another type of blood bank?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve Jacobson
>
> On Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:22:35 -0600, James Kelm wrote:
>
> >Dear friends,
>
> >    Well an interesting thing happened to my wife and I last Friday, and
I
> >thought that I'd see what you all thought.  It seemed to be a relevant
> >story, based upon the recent conversations here on this list.
>
> >    Wanting to do something good for our fellow human beings, my wife and
I
> >decided that we would donate blood at one of our local blood banks.  We
> >arrived, filled out the necessary paper work, and waited in the waiting
room
> >to do our duty.
>
> >    After a few minutes, a gentleman came out and requested that we
follow
> >him to his office.  I am assuming that this gentleman was some kind of a
> >manager.  After entering his office, he politely informed us that he had
> >spoken to his corporate office, and learned that they currently had no
> >policy in place to assure my safety in the case of an emergency, so
> >unfortunately they did not allow blind people to donate blood.  He then
> >turned to my wife, who is sighted but like many middle-aged people, wears
> >reading glasses.  The gentleman went on to explain that unless my wife
went
> >home to retrieve her reading glasses and thereby demonstrating that she
was
> >not blind, they also would not allow her to donate.  I politely explained
> >that the corporate office should be aware that their company policy
violated
> >Federal anti-discrimination laws, and they did not have the legal luxury
of
> >determining which laws they were, or were not prepared to follow.  The
> >gentleman told me that he understood, but that he had to comply with his
> >corporate office's instructions to not allow the blind to donate blood.
>
> >    This situation came as a bit of surprise to me.  Of course most of us
> >blind folks are use to vague and concealed discrimination, but I was
caught
> >off guard to face such an open and obvious demonstration of one's civil
> >rights being disregarded.  It was rather shocking to be directly told by
a
> >business, that they did not want the blind!
>
>
> >Your Brother in Christ,
> >Pastor James Kelm
> >True Hope Church of Duluth
> >Web Site: www.thcduluth.org
> >Office E-mail: office at thcduluth.org
> >Phone: 218-727-4186
>
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>
>
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