[nagdu] questions I get from my bus driver that is not anaccessible bus just regular bus

Fri Dec 10 12:31:25 UTC 2010

Jenine,
    As it was stated by a DOJ Senior Trial Attorney during one of my many 
discussions concerning this that helped me better understand this issue 
while I was grappling with it, "If someone gains access with a pet that they 
are claiming to be a service animal and it is well behaved and causes no 
threat to the health or safety of others, what harm has been done? On the 
other hand, even a legitimate service animal that is a threat or is 
disruptive can be removed!"

Fraternally yours,
Marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jenine Stanley" <jeninems at wowway.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 5:57 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] questions I get from my bus driver that is not 
anaccessible bus just regular bus


> Cheryl,
>
> All the bus driver can ask are the two questions specified by the DOJ.
>
> Is that a service animal to assist with your disability?
> What tasks does that animal perform?
>
>
> If the dog is disruptive and has a history of being so on buses, then it 
> can
> be banned from the buses all together. The person cannot be banned but the
> dog can, so if she leaves the dog at home, she can still ride.
>
> If a dog gets on the bus with someone and that person says it's a service
> animal and the dog doesn't bother anyone, then there's nothing to be done.
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of cheryl echevarria
> Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 5:38 PM
> To: nagdu
> Subject: [nagdu] questions I get from my bus driver that is not an
> accessible bus just regular bus
>
> As many of you know I live out in Long Island, NY not to far from GDF.
>
> And there has been a person, who swears that there dog is a guide dog,
> meaning a pit bull.
>
> I don't know if Jeanine knows about this issue.  But here on Long Island, 
> I
> believe every year the Suffolk County Bus Company for there drivers that 
> is
> called sensitivity training.
>
> I wish they would allow me to come as well as being part of NAGDU, and 
> have
> a representative from GDF as well as the other service animal schools in 
> the
> area.
>
> One day, I was a passenger on the bus when this person tried to pass off
> there dog as a service animal, again this dog is a pit bull.
>
> I was sitting there and the driver said that we are stopping and the 
> person
> has a dog and has tried to get on the bus before the driver side to me, 
> they
> don't carry a card with them, but they carry the print out of the ADA law
> with them.
>
> I will tell you what happened, and then I will put what the driver's
> question is.
>
> First when the driver stopped and the woman tried to get on the bus, now
> mind you I sit in the front because I like to talk to my driver as well.
> Nice guy, many years he has been the driver, anyway she tries to get on 
> but
> her dog starts to growl and bark at my dog.  Maxx moved closer to me not
> wanting anything to do with this dog.
>
> I asked her what type of dog is that, she said a pit bull, no I said 
> meaning
> what kind of service animal is it.  She said he was just a service animal
> and that she has the paperwork to prove it. I said what job does the dog 
> do
> for you, I didn't say what disability she has.  She said he is her comfort
> animal.  I said 1, Comfort animals are not considered Service Animals and
> fall under the ADA. 2. In the State of NY, especially Suffolk County NY, 
> and
> some other parts of NY to even have a pit bull, and that I am blind and a
> graduate of GDF I said which school, and I pulled out my ID from GDF, I do
> not need to carry paperwork around with me and never should she. From my
> searching I have found that especially in the state of NY there is no
> service animal training schools that train pit bulls. I asked her where 
> she
> got her dog, she said NY.
>
> The driver asked her to please leave if she could not control her dog.
>
> A few months later she tried to get on another bus and the driver let her
> on.
>
> The driver and I spoke the other day since I had to go somewhere, that she
> tried to get on again on his bus, and he said he wouldn't allow the dog on
> the bus.
>
> The driver wants to know how far are they allowed to go to stop this.
>
> To many people are trying this in Suffolk County.
>
> Yes we get IDs and I don't know what the big deal is about giving ID, I
> think that helps a lot, especially in the case that it is not always 
> obvious
> to lets say in this situation to tell if someone is disabled and needs a
> dog, I mean if a person is blind it is not always noticeable, not everyone
> uses dark glasses, or has a dog with a harness with the schools name on 
> it,
> or a person in a wheelchair, and with more children and adult with 
> seizures
> or autism or other disabilities how is one to know.  You can't ask what 
> the
> disability you have, you can't force a person to show ID.  What is the
> answer?
>
> The biggest compliment you can pay me is to recommend my services!
>
> Cheryl Echevarria
> http://Echevarriatravel.com<http://echevarriatravel.com/>
> 1-866-580-5574
> Reservations at echevarriatravel.com<mailto:Reservations at echevarriatravel.com>
>
> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel 
> CST-1018299-10
> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Absolute Cruise and Travel 
> Inc.
>
> join my yahoogroup
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> @yahoogroups.com>
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