[nagdu] Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room - phillyBurbs.com

Fri Aug 12 15:45:13 UTC 2011

    Dar,
    This message borders - and perhaps crosses the line - of flaming. This 
list is an open list. Anyone who wishes to subscribe may do so.

Fraternally yours,
Marion


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "d m gina" <dmgina at samobile.net>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room - 
phillyBurbs.com


> Hi there,
> Since you don't have a dog and wish not to get one from this message, why 
> are you here on this list?
> I understand the stand you took and yes you did the correct thing, still 
> want to know why you are on the list.
> Is this list now open to anyone who wishes to come?
> If so I understand, if not, then what is going to happen to Rebecca, would 
> she pleased be asked to be removed?
> Thanks,
>
> Original message:
>> You know, this is part of why I don't have a dog.
>> My daughter had a sore throat that was impacting her ability to eat. It 
>> is called kissing tonsels and she needed to be seen right now.
>> I am glad I didn't have a dog to deal with.
>> It's fine to say "I'll see somebody else" but what do you do when you or 
>> your child needs to see somebody right now.
>> My little girl was so sick and so hungry. It was horrible. She was hungry 
>> but couldn't swallow food and she had a high fever. Truly awful to see.
>> How as a mom (or dad) would you feel if a doctor gave you that crap?
>> My daughter was a toddler at the time. There's no way I could have just 
>> said "Okay sweetie, go on in there and I'll chill out here"
>
>> Have other parents been in that situation? What have they done about it?
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf Of Sherry Gomes
>> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 2:56 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room - 
>> phillyBurbs.com
>
>> I had an opposite experience with a doctor of mine once, a very positive 
>> experience.  when I lived in san Diego, I had an orthopedic surgeon for 
>> my joint replacement surgeries.  He was really good and always seemed 
>> happy to see my then golden retriever guide dog.  one day, before I went 
>> to the back office for the appointment, the front office staff took me 
>> aside, and told me privately that the doctor had terrible dog allergies. 
>> They said he loved dogs and never wanted to tell me about the allergies, 
>> so they never had.  but this particular day he was having trouble in 
>> general.  They asked if I would mind leaving her with my friend in the 
>> waiting room for this one time.  I didn't mind, actually, and I had my 
>> appointment.  The doc asked where my dog was, and I explained.  He 
>> thanked me.  But the next appointment, my dog went into his office with 
>> me, as she always had done before.  It was only the one time they asked 
>> me to let my friend hold her, and they wouldn't have argued if I'd 
>> insisted on taking her in with me.
>
>> On the other hand, if I went to a doctor's office that refused to see me 
>> or my partner or spouse or child or whatever, cart blanche, because of my 
>> dog, I would find a different doctor and be filing complaints.
>
>> Sherry
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf Of cheryl echevarria
>> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 12:46 PM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room - 
>> phillyBurbs.com
>
>> This was also posted on my guide dog school alumni list.
>
>> I think it is appalling how this all turned out.
>
>> Whether there were other patients or not I go to my doctors office 
>> probably more then others, I see at least 4 doctors a few times a year, 
>> and some are smaller than other ones. I only had to put my foot down once 
>> as well, he was from another country, but my doctor recommended him, and 
>> was in the building right next door.
>
>> The Staff where he worked which was part of Stony Brook University 
>> Hospital Clinics here on Long Island.  They I had a right to be there, 
>> the dog had a right to be there. He said well he can't see me then, I 
>> said fine, I will just go next door to the Head of the Transplant 
>> Department, and tell him he wouldn't see me because I have a guide dog.
>
>> Let's just say, we found me another doctor in the same office to see me, 
>> and that doctor has moved on.
>
>> Not much they can do. Yes they do.  They also have to determine if that 
>> is the kind of doctor they want to deal with as well.
>
>> Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
>
>> Cheryl Echevarria
>> http://www.echevarriatravel.com<http://www.echevarriatravel.com/>
>> 631-456-5394
>> 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 & Travel, 
>> Inc.
>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: Ginger Kutsch<mailto:GingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
>>   To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
>> Users<mailto:nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>   Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 1:38 PM
>>   Subject: [nagdu] Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room - 
>> phillyBurbs.com
>
>
>>   Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room - phillyBurbs.com
>
>> 
>> http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/breaking_news/doctor-bars-guide-dog-from-waiting-room/article_2bb1009f-5a51-5350-bb2f-6783c4767b5a.html<http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/breaking_news/doctor-bars-guide-dog-from-waiting-room/article_2bb1009f-5a51-5350-bb2f-6783c4767b5a.html>
>
>>   Doctor bars guide dog from waiting room
>
>>   By Christian Menno
>
>>   Staff writer
>
>>   Thursday, August 11, 2011
>
>
>
>>   ?A guide dog for a visually impaired Bensalem man was kicked out of a 
>> local doctor�s office, but the doctor said she had the right to do so.
>
>
>
>>   But, according to a lawyer and advocate for the disabled, the Lower 
>> Southampton doctor�s actions violated the Americans with Disabilities 
>> Act.
>
>
>
>>   �You cannot exclude service animals except in very specific 
>> situations,� said Rocco Iaculla, an attorney with the Disability Rights 
>> Network of Pennsylvania. �Unless the animal is out of control or not 
>> housebroken or someone nearby has a severe allergic reaction, you must 
>> permit them in any area that the public is permitted. It has to be more 
>> than someone feeling uncomfortable with an animal present.�
>
>
>
>>   Dr. Priya Punjabi argues that it is her right to determine who enters 
>> the property and that a large animal could scare or upset her patients.
>
>
>
>>   On Aug. 4, Joseph Cichonski accompanied his wife, who was scheduled to 
>> receive a physical, to Punjabi�s office at 1629 Bridgetown Pike.
>
>
>
>>   As he does whenever he leaves his home, Cichonski, 58, brought his 
>> guide dog Hero, a Labrador-golden retriever mix.
>
>
>
>>   Cichonski said Hero was lying calmly at his feet in the waiting room 
>> and Cichonski�s wife was waiting to be treated in the examination room 
>> when the doctor approached him, saying that pets weren�t allowed in the 
>> office and telling him that he had to wait outside.
>
>
>
>>   �I told her that it�s not a pet, it�s a guide dog, but she still said I 
>> couldn�t have him in there,� Cichonski told the newspaper. �How many pets 
>> do you know that can be declared on your federal income tax forms?�
>
>
>
>>   Cichonski, who said he sees only a little light and shadows, said he 
>> then stepped outside the office because he didn�t want to cause a scene, 
>> but not before informing the staff that he was calling the police to file 
>> a complaint.
>
>
>
>>   �I could have just sat in that chair until the police arrived,� he 
>> added.
>
>
>
>>   He said his wife was told she wouldn�t be treated while the dog was in 
>> the office. So she left, too.
>
>
>
>>   Cpl. Michael Wojnar of the Lower Southampton Police Department arrived 
>> and went inside to speak with Punjabi, Cichonski said. He said the 
>> officer was friendly and helpful and told him that a report would be 
>> filed.
>
>
>
>>   On Wednesday, Wojnar said that a complaint had indeed been filed. He 
>> added that if the newspaper wants to see the report, a right-to-know 
>> request must be completed because the matter is civil, not criminal.
>
>
>
>>   Punjabi told the newspaper that the dog had occupied a large portion of 
>> the floor space in the small waiting room. The room holds just seven 
>> chairs for patients, she said.
>
>
>
>>   While no other patients were there at the time, she said that two 
>> walked into the waiting room just as the situation with Cichonski was 
>> unfolding.
>
>
>
>>   Punjabi said that a Bensalem woman who arrived later that morning to 
>> accompany her 90-year-old mother for an appointment heard the story and 
>> agreed with the doctor�s decision. Punjabi said she asked that woman to 
>> put her feelings in writing and provided the newspaper with a copy of the 
>> letter Tuesday.
>
>
>
>>   The woman, who asked that her name not be published, said that while 
>> she loves dogs and respects all disabled people, she would not have felt 
>> comfortable having the dog in the room with her mother.
>
>
>
>>   �My mother has liquid bones and is very frail,� she added. �I would 
>> have been afraid the dog might have bumped into her, causing even more 
>> injuries.�
>
>
>
>>   Punjabi, who said she is afraid of dogs, added that her request was 
>> polite.
>
>
>
>>   �We simply asked him to step outside,� she said. �I have my rights and 
>> my phobias, too.�
>
>
>
>>   Iaculla said that Cichonski handled things correctly by staying calm.
>
>
>
>>   �Unfortunately, there�s not much you can do in a situation like that,� 
>> he added. �I�d recommend contacting an organization (like the Disability 
>> Rights Network). Hopefully, the agency can contact the doctor�s office 
>> and try to get a dialogue going to explain the laws and how to handle a 
>> similar matter in the future.�
>
>
>
>>   Cichonski said Wednesday that he�s exploring his options.
>
>
>
>>   �I�m not trying to cause a fuss,� he added. �I just want to let people 
>> know that things like this are happening and I�d like to prevent them 
>> from happening to other people with disabilities.�
>
>>   _______________________________________________
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>
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> -- 
> --Dar
> skype: dmgina23
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> www.twitter.com/dmgina
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