[il-talk] Fw: [Nfbc-info] Blind couple barred from bus

Tue Dec 30 23:19:03 UTC 2014

This is a ridiculous story this driver should be at Best retrained at worst discipline for this. I have been in situations where I have chosen to sit near the back door of the bus because my destination was closer to the back than the front sometimes (??) probably sit at the (??) what. I'm getting off at bottom Line is my choice where to sit not the drivers or anyone else and the same should apply in this case. This driver should be called in the carpet for this stupid nonsense.

Jemal Powell sent you this voice-to-text generated email using Voice on the Go.
To listen, click on the voice message link or open the attachment.
https://vemail.whitelabelapp.net:443/enterprise/Recordings/mG405yDb-20141230-1814.wav

> Original Message:
> ---------------------------------
> 
> From: Andrew Webb via il-talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> 
> Sent: December 30, 2014 5:03:12 PM
> To: 'eileen Truschke' <eileentruschke at yahoo.com>, 
	'NFB of Illinois Mailing List' <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [il-talk] Fw: [Nfbc-info] Blind couple barred from bus
> 
> I have no doubt that the regulations were explained to this driver along with all his colleagues within the training process, but unfortunately this particular driver appears to have an IQ approximating that of a grapefruit, and a bit of an anger management issue to boot.  I know Cindy personally, she is a very bright and assertive woman and I am impressed that she and Mike brought this incident to the attention of the local news bureau.
> 
> As a side note, however, am I the only one on this list who would have handled this situation by pushing my way past this Neanderthal driver, taking my seat wherever I happened to find one, then smirking at the driver and asking him what exactly he planned to do about it?  Or is there just something faulty in my wiring?  ;o)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: il-talk [mailto:il-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of eileen Truschke via il-talk
> Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 3:49 PM
> To: rcubfank at sbcglobal.net; NFB of Illinois Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [il-talk] Fw: [Nfbc-info] Blind couple barred from bus
> 
> Someone should educate bus operators about the laws regarding priority seating.  When bus operators are in training, whoever trains them should explain that blind folks do NOT need priority seating .    We've had the ADA laws for a good 25 years.   Eileen Truschke 
> 
>      On Tuesday, December 30, 2014 3:26 PM, Rob Kaiser via il-talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>    
> 
>  Hello again. I know this is the 2nd day in a row I have sent out an article 
> forwarded from the California listserve. I feel these articles are important 
> for all Federationists to read. I hope noone isn't upset I'm forwarding 
> these articles.
> 
> This one really appalls me. When I had my leaderdogs back in the 1980s, I 
> rairly sat in the fron of the then called the RTA busses because I felt 
> there was more room a little bit towards the back of the busses. No one ever 
> questioned this.
> 
> Enjoy this article.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rob Kaiser, President National Federation of the Blind of California Orange 
> County Chapter cell#(760)792-0525 email;
> rcubfank at sbcglobal.net
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Tina Thomas via Nfbc-info
> Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 12:43 PM
> To: 'NFB of California List'
> Subject: [Nfbc-info] Blind couple barred from bus
> 
> 
> 
> Here is the article from komonews.com.
> 
> SEATTLE -- A blind Seattle couple says they were barred from a bus by a
> driver who insisted the seats for people with disabilities were full.
> 
> Cindy Bennett and Michael Mello were trying to catch the bus on Capitol Hill
> Sunday when they say the driver insisted they get off the bus and wait for
> the next one because no priority seats were available.
> 
> "He was making an assumption that the only seats we could sit in were those
> designated as ADA seats," Bennett said. "We felt that it was a pretty clear
> indication that we were not welcome on that bus."
> 
> "He started kind of getting louder and more irate with me and saying, 'the
> ADA section is full.' I said, 'that's fine. We can sit anywhere else on this
> bus. It's no problem,'" added Mello.
> 
> King County Metro Transit, which operates buses in Seattle, apologized to
> the couple Monday and said it would investigate what happened.
> 
> The Americans with Disabilities Act <http://www.ada.gov/>  says that people
> who are blind and visually impaired have the right to use public transit but
> that they do not have to ride in special seating, said Marci Carpenter,
> president of the National Federation of the Blind of Washington.
> 
> "For us, it's the same as African-Americans being told they have to sit in
> the back of the bus. Mike and Cindy were told, 'you have to sit in the front
> of the bus or you cannot ride,'" Carpenter said. "It's a civil rights
> issue."
> 
> "What happened is unacceptable and we apologize," said Jeff Switzer, a
> spokesman for Metro Transit, in a statement. "Blind passengers are not
> required to use the ADA priority seating area. We've identified the operator
> and his chief will be working with him on this issue and will take
> appropriate action."
> 
> Switzer declined an on-camera interview.
> 
> Bennett and Mello, who live in Seattle, were catching the number 11 bus
> Sunday near the intersection of Pike and Broadway on Capitol Hill. They had
> just left brunch with friends, they said.
> 
> "We were so shocked when we got off the bus because we hadn't experienced
> that before and we didn't know what to do," said Mello. "I mean, the point
> of public transit is to provide us with more independence. That's what it
> does on a regular basis."
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Nfbc-info mailing list
> Nfbc-info at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbc-info_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Nfbc-info:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbc-info_nfbnet.org/rcubfank%40sbcglobal.net 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> il-talk mailing list
> il-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/il-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for il-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/il-talk_nfbnet.org/eileentruschke%40yahoo.com
> 
> 
>    
> _______________________________________________
> il-talk mailing list
> il-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/il-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for il-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/il-talk_nfbnet.org/awebb2168%40gmail.com
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> il-talk mailing list
> il-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/il-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for il-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/il-talk_nfbnet.org/derek2872%40yahoo.com

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: VoiceMessage-20141230-1815.wav
Type: audio/x-wav
Size: 368698 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/il-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20141230/74ab10de/attachment.wav>