[nagdu] Cab drivers in DC pass blind people with guide dogs

Thu Sep 9 13:27:41 UTC 2010

I think that religion is just an excuse for not taking our guide dogs because the person just doesn't like dogs or something. Or else it's poorly educated thingy... 
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY

On Sep 9, 2010, at 9:23 AM, Cathryn Bonnette wrote:

> What's up with being Muslim and not taking a service animal or dog in your
> cab? I've had many Muslim cab drivers, and have yet to hear that excuse.
> 
> Cathryn (& Abby)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Jewel S.
> Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 6:53 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Cab drivers in DC pass blind people with guide dogs
> 
> I was talking to a driver for the company I usually use for
> non-scheduled (non-paratransit) trips. His company, Cardinal Cabs, has
> never given me or anyone I know any trouble with accessibility. We
> discussed the guide dog issue and what he would suggest as an
> alternative for taxi drivers who genuinely cannot have a dog in their
> cab, such as someone who is severely allergic. He made the comment
> that he is severely allergic to dogs himself (what coincidence!), and
> the last exposure he had (with medicine even) sent him intot he
> hospital. The company he works for informed him he could not refuse a
> customer with a service animal, but did offer a special accommodation
> that I thik would be a good special accommodation for Muslims also.
> All taxis have to have some way of speaking to headquarters, so if
> they come across someone with a dog but can't (for religious or
> medical reasons) take the dog into their taxi, they can call HQ and
> request another cab be sent to this person ASAP. The cab driver who
> spotted the person would be responsible for stopping and letting the
> service dog owner of the situation and give them both the HQ phone
> number and the employee numbers of himself and the cab driver who was
> assigned to serve this person.
> 
> We must remember that we are not the only disabled people out there.
> Taxi drivers can also be disabled with severe allergies, and I think
> it is important to give accommodation for religious reasons. America
> is the land of the free, and that means everyone, not just some.
> Muslims are entitled to their religious opinions, but that doesn't
> mean they should leave that person without transportation.
> 
> What do you guys think of this solution? As I said, this is a solution
> currently being used by a cab driver in Raleigh, NC who is severely
> allergic to dogs. He said that most cab drivers in the area are more
> aware of the needs of the disabled because of the fact that our
> paratransit system is contracted to taxis rather than buses. I tend to
> agree. I also thinkn more cities should employ taxi drivers as
> paratransit service providers as Raleigh does.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you all have to add to this!
> 
> On 9/7/10, Robert Stigile <rstigile at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> Hello Marion and All,
>> There has been a lot of discussion on this list, about taxi cab
>> drivers in DC.
>> This last Washington Seminar, I had my first experience of a
>> driver, in a long time, that thought you needed to pay a fee for
>> having the dog in the cab.
>> He even went as far as trying to tell me, that the sign on the
>> back window, told you how much extra it will be for the dog.
>> I finally gave up trying to explain to him, that there should not
>> be a extra charge, and said, well, if you are so inclined to
>> charge an extra fee, then I guess I will have to take it out of
>> your tip.
>> He backed off at that point, and when we got out of the vehicle,
>> I had someone read him the sign, of which it said, there is no
>> extra charge for service animals.
>> Here in my area, specifically the San Fernando Valley, a suburb
>> of Los Angeles, we really do not have issues, because I have
>> filed several complaints with the Department of Transportation,
>> as well as our Division, CAGDU, has worked very hard, around the
>> state, to inform the agencies that oversee the taxi cab
>> companies, that it is our right to travel with a service animal,
>> and because of the work we have done, a lot of the issues have
>> disappeared.
>> Once in a while, there will be a driver who thinks, he can get a
>> way with not picking you up, but the dispatchers can tell when
>> the driver is doing that, and they will suspend them, I have
>> actually heard them over the radio or while on the phone, telling
>> a driver they will need to bring their cab in, due to their
>> behavior towards a blind person.
>> So, it may be tedious for a while, but you have to file
>> complaints.
>> I hope this helps,
>> 
>> 
>> Robert Stigile
>> E-mail: rstigile at sbcglobal.net
>> Skype: robertstigile1
>> 
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Marion Gwizdala" <blind411 at verizon.net
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog
>> Users"<nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:23:02 -0400
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Cab drivers in DC pass blind people with
>> guide dogs
>> 
>> Will,
>>    There is no obligation, as I have stated, to inform the
>> company of the
>> presence of a guide dog.  Again, if you are refused access
>> because of your
>> guide dog, I strongly suggest you file complaints as widely as
>> possible.
>> this means with the agency that regulates the cab company, your
>> state's
>> human rights department, law enforcement, and the DOJ.  If you
>> ever need any
>> assistance, please do not hesitate to call upon me!
>> 
>> fraternally yours,
>> Marion Gwizdala, President
>> National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> National Federation of the Blind
>> 813-626-2789
>> Blind411 at Verizon.net
>> HTTP://NAGDU.ORG
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "William ODonnell" <william.odonnell1 at yahoo.com
>> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog UsersNAGDU Mailing
>> List"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Sent: Monday, September 06, 2010 7:21 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Cab drivers in DC pass blind people with
>> guide dogs
>> 
>> 
>> Many times, I have been told that they will not take people since
>> the
>> oporator did not inform the driver that there was a dog, etc.
>> The
>> 
>> --- On Mon, 9/6/10, Marion Gwizdala <blind411 at verizon.net> wrote:
>> 
>> From: Marion Gwizdala <blind411 at verizon.net
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Cab drivers in DC pass blind people with
>> guide dogs
>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog
>> Users"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Date: Monday, September 6, 2010, 2:11 PM
>> Will,
>> I'm not sure what you mean by needing to
>> "go on explaining and waiting for the approval of the
>> supervisor"! If you mean that you are advising them that you
>> will be accompanied by a guide dog, the way to resolve this
>> is to not tell them.  You are under no obligation to do so
>> under the law; likewise, they are obliged under the law to
>> transport you.  The presence of your guide dog is irrelevant,
>> so don't tell them!
>> What I did here in Tampa is to call about
>> ten minutes aftter my first call to check on whether or not
>> the call had ben dispatched.  Generally, they would tell me
>> what cab number was dispatched to pick me up.  If the cabbie
>> refused to carry me, I would advise him that I am blind and
>> my dog is a service animal.  If the driver continued in the
>> refusal, I would let him drive away so that there was a
>> clear refusal.  In Florida, violation of the law is a second
>> degree misdemeanor and, as per resolution 2010-25, it is now
>> the policy of the NFB to work for the same penalties in all
>> states.  File a complaint against the cabbie and against the
>> company.  The company may claim that they have no control
>> over their drivers if the drivers are independent
>> contractors; however, the law does not see it this way and,
>> when the owners of the cab companies find themselves paying
>> their high-priced attorneys to defend them against charges
>> of discrimination, they will start making some changes!
>> 
>> Fraternally yours,
>> Marion Gwizdala
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "William ODonnell"
>> <william.odonnell1 at yahoo.com
>> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog UsersNAGDU
>> Mailing List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Sent: Monday, September 06, 2010 9:47 AM
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Cab drivers in DC pass blind people
>> with guide dogs
>> 
>> 
>> The same thing goes on here in NYC.  If you need a
>> cab, you can get a yellow cab in Manhattan; however, outside
>> the city, it is a hit or miss issue with the car
>> companies.  First, you need to call for the cab and go
>> on explaining and waiting for approval of the supervisors,
>> dispatchers, and drivers.  If you are trying to get a
>> cab on the street, well, good luck.  The yellow cabs I
>> mention above are the ones from the medallion Taxi and
>> limousine commission (TLC).  They will usually pick you
>> up; however, then you need to go on with the explanations
>> that the dog is a service dog and will not harm anyone
>> because very often you here the fear from the driver that
>> the dog may harm them.
>> --- On Sun, 9/5/10, Dan Weiner <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net
>> wrote:
>> 
>> From: Dan Weiner <dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Cab drivers in DC pass blind
>> people with guide dogs
>> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of
>> Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Date: Sunday, September 5, 2010, 7:42 AM
>> Granted, Sherri, the wording is
>> regrettable, but the fact is we're not
>> going to win on some of these points and in the case
>> of the
>> article we'd be
>> missing the forest for the trees pointing that out,,
>> or however that goes.
>> At lease when I lived in Maryland I can tell you that
>> access was a problem
>> when it came to cabs.
>> And, those friends of mine who lived in DC would
>> confirm
>> the estimate of
>> half the drivers passing by or not taking you.
>> 
>> This is the height of absurdity and even shameful,
>> that
>> we've had eighty
>> years of guide dog training here in the USA and it's
>> still
>> that way.
>> And like it or not, nine times out of ten in my neck
>> of the
>> woods in
>> Maryland it was people from the mid East, Africa and
>> Asia,
>> emigrants in
>> other words, who did the worst offending in this
>> regard.
>> This is the first
>> time in my life, sorry to say, that I started feeling
>> a
>> real hostility to
>> emigrants, who, in my way of thinking, were dishing
>> out to
>> people from here
>> worse treatment then they were getting.  They had jobs
>> and
>> could find them
>> quickly again, no skin off their nose to treat a
>> blind
>> person like dirt.
>> And, guys, don't start with me the old chorus of how
>> they're afraid of dogs,
>> etc.  I couldn't care less, it isn't a dog popularity
>> contest we're in here.
>> The reasons are immaterial to me, how to reverse this
>> trend
>> is what I'm
>> interested in.
>> 
>> 
>> Sad but true it was a lot of folks from other lands
>> who did
>> this.
>> .
>> Not that there weren't any good old native American
>> born, white and black
>> guys, who had their chance to step up to the plate and
>> be
>> butt holes because
>> there were.
>> So, you were lucky if you got drivers who knew you, or
>> I'd
>> take numbers of
>> cabbies I liked and give them some business on the
>> side,
>> but frankly, the
>> fact that we have to do that means there's something
>> seriously wrong.
>> I mention that because some blind friends there said
>> rather superciliously,
>> "well, what I do is make sure I get the drivers who
>> don't
>> mind dogs".  I'm
>> beating my head against a wall, here, guys, but the
>> cabbies
>> are supposed to
>> take us, ain't up to us to get a little black book of
>> people who decide it's
>> convenient to follow the law.
>> Now, here in Florida, I've only taken a few cabs
>> recently
>> as I'm trying to
>> save money, so what can you tell me about access here,
>> or
>> Marian in Tampa,
>> etc?
>> 
>> There would be only two reasons that at some point I
>> decide
>> not to choose a
>> guide dog as my main means of mobility:
>> 1.  It's hard on me to see them get old and so on,
>> very hard.
>> 2.  This access situation.
>> When I call a cab, I should not have to have my heart
>> in my
>> mouth wondering
>> whether they're going to see me and drive away.  One
>> of the drivers who
>> liked me told me that several of them who didn't like
>> dogs
>> would just not
>> come if they knew it was a dog user and say they came
>> and I
>> wasn't there, or
>> other little tricks.
>> In Prince George's County, Maryland, the company had
>> some
>> GPs system whereby
>> they could tell which driver was nearest to whatever
>> location I was calling
>> from and he would be assigned.  Now, that would mean I
>> could very often and
>> would get a person for whatever reason, decided to
>> drive
>> away or in some
>> other way treat me like the scum of the Earth because
>> I
>> dare to want to be
>> independent and use a guide dog.
>> 
>> Of course they're computers, the cab company's may not
>> be
>> the most accurate,
>> I called once from my cell phone when at Dunkin''
>> Doughnuts
>> and every time I
>> called from my cell they'd say "Oh, we'll send
>> someone to the Dunkin'
>> Doughnuts, and I had to make sure they got it before
>> they
>> hung up.
>> One day I got really frustrated and said, I don't care
>> who
>> you send but make
>> it someone who understands English and make sure
>> they're
>> not an idiot."
>> I swear, one of the cab drivers thought this was
>> funny
>> because whatever
>> dispatcher had put that under my phone number on the
>> computer, so it would
>> come up as "has a guide dog, wants someone who
>> understands
>> English, doesn't
>> want an idiot.".
>> Still, all of those qualifications didn't help
>> sometimes--smile
>> 
>> Rant over
>> 
>> 
>> Dan W.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
> -- 
> ~Jewel
> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
> 
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