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

Wed Dec 31 17:29:34 UTC 2014

This is why I emailed the article to the listserve.

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: Jemal Powell via il-talk
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2014 9:22 AM
To: Kelly Pierce ; NFB of Illinois Mailing List
Subject: Re: [il-talk] Fw: [Nfbc-info] Blind couple barred from bus

Lee, with all due respect, I disagree with you.  Although the Seattle bus 
case may seem isolated in nature, I do think it's appropriate to discuss 
cases such as this and others on this ****.  So, by the off chance, if 
similar situations happened here in Illinois, we can have a proper response 
to them.  Situations like these can happen to blind people anywhere, 
anyplace, and anytime and not just be isolated through one part of the 
country.  This is is still a blind affiliate issue and it should be 
discussed here, in my opinion.

Thank you and have a Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Jamal

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/SxJSOD3W-20141231-1212.wav

> Original Message:
> ---------------------------------
>
> From: Kelly Pierce via il-talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: December 31, 2014 11:15:51 AM
> To: Gregory Chang Patti <pattischang at gmail.com>,
NFB of Illinois Mailing List <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [il-talk] Fw: [Nfbc-info] Blind couple barred from bus
>
> If the pair boarded the bus, the driver could have contacted police,
> demanding their arrest.  The argument being that the couple was
> informed that their personal safety as well as that of the public
> would be endangered if they were to have ridden that specific bus.  If
> they were to have ignored these specious warnings, the couple would
> then be trespassing on public property, a criminal misdemeanor in
> Illinois.  Whether or not someone engages in civil disobedience is a
> personal choice.  I do not make judgments on that decision, which may
> not be appropriate at a particular place and time for even the most
> strident activists.
>
> I do question though the need to take time and attention from Illinois
> Issues to an isolated incident by a nasty bus driver in a distant
> state.  I don?t want this list to be a forum for every hassle and
> discriminatory ill of thousands of blind persons around the country.
> I wish we could keep the list confined to issues impacting people in
> Illinois.
>
> Kelly Pierce
>
>
>
>
> On 12/31/14, Gregory Chang Patti via il-talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > Pls sign il-talk messages.
> >
> > "The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> > characteristic that defines you or your future."
> >
> > Patti S. Gregory-Chang
> > NFBI Treasurer
> > NFB Scholarship Comm. Chair
> > Sent from my iPhone
> >
> > On Dec 30, 2014, at 8:10 PM, Rob Kaiser via il-talk <il-talk at nfbnet.org>
> > wrote:
> >
> > Hello my friends from Illinois: This was sent out to the California list
> > serve. I wanted to send this out to the Illinois list serve as well. 
> > Enjoy
> > this. It really gets to the point regarding the earlier article I sent 
> > out.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > 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: Frida Aizenman via Nfbc-info
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 5:48 PM
> > To: Tina Thomas ; NFB of California List
> > Subject: Re: [Nfbc-info] Blind couple barred from bus
> >
> > A Little Bit of Inspiring History:
> >
> > *Blindness: The Coming of the Third Generation *
> >
> > An Address Delivered by Kenneth Jernigan
> > President, National Federation of the Blind
> > At the Banquet of the Annual Convention
> > Kansas City, Missouri, July 3, 1986
> >
> > When Terry McManus rode on a city bus and the driver and the other
> > passengers tried to make him play the part of the helpless blind man, he
> > remembered---and refused. Here is his letter:
> >
> > I am writing to relate a blatant incident of discrimination which
> > occurred against me on Tuesday, January 14, 1986. I think you will find
> > it strikingly similar to the outrages blind people have experienced at
> > the hands of airline officials.
> >
> > On that afternoon at about 5:15 I boarded a standing- room-only Port
> > Authority Transit Bus. Just as I stepped through the door, the driver
> > shouted, "Handicapped passenger; give him a seat." I explained to him
> > that blindness did not in any way limit my ability to stand, that I had
> > good balance and preferred to stand. At this he became quite irate and
> > proclaimed that if I didn't immediately take a seat, he would not move
> > the bus. calmly told him that I would continue to stand. He began
> > apologizing to the passengers for the inconvenience I was causing them.
> > Then, he spotted a supervisor on the street and got off to consult with
> > him. Meanwhile, the other passengers began bitterly attacking me,
> > calling me "crazy," "inconsiderate," "ignorant," "arrogant," and a few
> > other things which are not printable. One man sarcastically said that he
> > hoped I would sleep well that night. I tried to explain to them that it
> > was not I, but the driver, who was inconveniencing them, and that it was
> > a matter of discrimination and a violation of my civil rights that was
> > involved. They didn't want to listen and grew angrier. I was frightened
> > but knew that I had to continue standing.
> >
> > You see, this was not the first time I had been harassed by a bus driver
> > in this manner. It had happened a number of times in the past, and on
> > each occasion I sat down after a violent argument. Each time I was
> > embarrassed and humiliated and felt that I had sold out my blind
> > brothers and sisters, who were courageously battling similar
> > discriminatory actions. The last time it happened I promised myself that
> > it would never happen again.
> >
> > The driver returned with the supervisor, who said he concurred with the
> > driver's decision not to move the bus if I didn't sit. I told him I
> > would stand. He said the seats in the front of the bus were reserved for
> > handicapped persons. I told him I was not handicapped in my ability to
> > stand. I said that if I was breaking some law, he should have me
> > arrested and that if I was not, he should order the driver to move the
> > bus. He obviously knew that I wasn't doing anything wrong because he did
> > not call the police. He said there was an empty bus behind the one I was
> > on and that I could get on that one and sit without feeling that I was
> > being discriminated against. I said I would stay where I was. The driver
> > and the supervisor conferred a bit longer and then decided to take all
> > of the other passengers off the bus and put them on the one behind. They
> > all filed past me, continuing to pour out abuse and make disparaging
> > comments, until only an elderly woman and I remained on board. She
> > explained that she was not able to stand on the other bus. The driver
> > went to see if there was space and returned to report that there was
> > room but that he didn't want to inconvenience the passengers by asking
> > one of them to stand for her. How ironic! He created a major incident by
> > harassing a blind person who was perfectly capable of standing but would
> > not ask passengers to stand for someone with a legitimate reason for
> > requiring a seat. Finally, another bus came, and the elderly woman left.
> >
> > The supervisor returned, and he and the driver continued to badger me
> > with excuses for their actions:
> >
> > Since, as the supervisor put it, I didn't have the "privilege of
> > seeing," I wouldn't know when people wanted to get past me and thus
> > would create an obstruction. (They obviously had no trouble filing past
> > me to get to the other bus.)
> >
> > People are crazy and might knock me down. (I weigh close to 200 pounds,
> > so that is not likely.)
> >
> > I was standing too close to the driver and obstructing his view. (Other
> > people were standing as close to him as I was, and I would have been
> > happy to move; but the bus was jammed, and there was nowhere to go.)
> >
> > I had been standing there for about thirty minutes and was beginning to
> > fear that I would spend the rest of the evening on that bus, being
> > badgered to sit---or something even worse. Finally, believe it or not,
> > they decided to take the bus out of service for the general public and
> > drive me to my stop. In retrospect I guess that this is no more
> > unbelievable than cancelling a flight to get rid of a blind passenger.
> > Of course, I continued to stand as we drove to my stop.
> >
> > The driver went on harassing me about what an ignorant and inconsiderate
> > person I was. I again repeated that it was a question of civil rights. I
> > explained that this was just a small part of a large pattern of
> > discrimination faced by blind people every day. He said that, as a black
> > man, he had been facing discrimination for four hundred years---but of
> > course this was different since sitting down would have in no way
> > prevented me from reaching my destination. I explained that this was
> > precisely the argument used against blacks who dared to object to being
> > forced to sit at the back of the bus, but he refused to see my point. I
> > told him that all of the employers, landlords, insurance carriers,
> > airline officials, and other service providers who practice
> > discrimination feel that their situations are also "different." He
> > informed me that if he ever saw me waiting for a bus again, he would
> > pass me up, and he hoped and anticipated that other drivers would do the
> > same. He further stated that I might have "signed my own death warrant,"
> > because the passengers I had inconvenienced would remember me and take
> > action against me on the street. I asked for his bus number, and he
> > sarcastically replied that I should "go out and look at it." Finally, we
> > reached the stop, and I bade him good day. He said I had already ruined 
> > it.
> >
> > As I began walking up the hill toward my home, the shock began to take
> > full effect, and I felt badly shaken by the brutal and dehumanizing
> > treatment I had just received. At the same time I was grateful that my
> > involvement in the National Federation of the Blind had given me the
> > courage to endure such an experience---not only for myself but for all
> > blind people. I was also grateful for the hard work of the members of
> > the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania in securing passage
> > of the amendments to our state's human relations act, which outlaws this
> > type of behavior. I determined to file complaints with both the city and
> > state human relations commissions, requesting the following relief: 1)
> > The Port Authority be required to issue a clear policy statement
> > indicating that its drivers may not order blind passengers to be seated
> > on buses when no seats are available and when other passenters are
> > permitted to stand, and that drivers may not in any way treat blind
> > passengers differently from others; 2) The driver be required to publish
> > in the newspaper a public apology for his abusive behavior; and 3) the
> > Port Authority be required to pay me fifteen hundred dollars in personal
> > damages.
> >
> > I also decided to bring the matter to the attention of the media. The
> > story received coverage on radio, television, and in the press with
> > varying degrees of support. At first the Port Authority refused to
> > comment, saying that I had threatened legal action. (I never made such a
> > statement to them.) Later they began to claim that I had refused to
> > stand anywhere but in the front of the bus and that I was obstructing
> > the driver's view. (As I have already said, this is not the truth.) The
> > company refused to have a representative appear on camera, but they
> > issued a written statement to the media which claimed that their policy
> > was that elderly and handicapped passengers could stand on buses,
> > provided that they did not interfere with the operation of the bus. In
> > the opinion of the driver, I had done just that. Later, on a call-in
> > talk show, the president of their board of directors indicated that it
> > was the company's policy that handicapped passengers be required to sit.
> > This further demonstrates the need for a clear policy statement. About
> > two weeks later their director of public relations appeared on a talk
> > show, gave a total fabrication of the incident, and poked fun at me.
> >
> > Thus far, the pain I have suffered has borne some fruit. I have been on
> > several buses since then where the drivers have allowed me to stand.
> > They may have learned something.
> >
> > *Blindness: The Coming of the Third Generation *
> >
> > An Address Delivered by Kenneth Jernigan
> > President, National Federation of the Blind
> > At the Banquet of the Annual Convention
> > Kansas City, Missouri, July 3, 1986
> >
> > https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/convent/banque86.htm
> >
> >
> >> On 12/30/2014 12:43 PM, Tina Thomas via Nfbc-info wrote:
> >>
> >> 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
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> >> Nfbc-info:
> >> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbc-info_nfbnet.org/nfbfrida%40gmail.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
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> >
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