[nagdu] A Cab incident with a positive outcome

[Natalie]

Right on, Chasity.  Glad to hear it had a good outcome.
Best,
Nat and Liam Joshua

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chasity Jackson" <chasityvanda at charter.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2011 12:02 PM
Subject: [nagdu] A Cab incident with a positive outcome


> Hi folks. I wanted to come out here and talk about an incident that I 
> recently had with a cab company back in July. It got resolved in late July 
> early August, but I had a lot of unforseen worry at that time and did not 
> come out here and discuss it as early as I would have liked. I had a 
> friend in the hospital for a while who was gravely ill at that time, and 
> couldn't get my mind wrapped around writing this through and getting it 
> out here. But it is a very good story, with a positive ending. We have 
> recently been discussing access issues again as they pertain to cab 
> companies, and I thought it would be a good time to tell this experience.
>
> Around July 14, I was going to take a cab up to the store to get a few 
> things. When the cab came, the driver immmediately said he couldn't 
> transport us because he had an alergic reaction to dogs. I explained very 
> quickly that unless the allergy rises to the level of a disability, he 
> does not have the right to deny us access to his cab. He chose to, 
> however, before pulling up all the way, he pulled out, said there would be 
> another cab on the way and left.
>
> I notified the cab company. The supervisor agreed with the driver in 
> question and said that if he truly had an allergy, it would be hazardous 
> to both of us.
>
> I then contacted the Metropolitan Taxi Cab Commission here in St. Louis, 
> where the drivers get licensed. At that same time, I contacted Marion to 
> ask if I was taking the proper course of action, or if I should have done 
> anything differently. He said I was taking the right approach. I spoke 
> with a woman at the commission who asked me several questions about the 
> incident. One question, however, had me a bit perplexed. She asked me how 
> much my dog weighed, and how big my dog was. She said, "It's not a German 
> Shepherd or anything like that is it?" I thought this question was 
> irrelevent and wondered if she would consider the driver's fear legitimate 
> if my dog was a bigger dog, such as a German Shepherd.
>
> I talked to Marion about this and he called her. We found out that she 
> wanted this information as identifying information...It was to be used in 
> case the driver took the fact that they gave him a citation to court. If 
> the driver later said, "No, this wasn't the same dog," they had that 
> identifying information and could say that it was.
>
> The lady who worked on this particular case only worked there part time. 
> She worked full time, however, as a police officer. She had never dealt 
> with laws concerning guide dogs. She researched them and took the 
> necessary action in giving the driver a citation that was accompanied by a 
> fine.
>
> I thought this was an experience with a positive outcome. Not only did the 
> driver become educated by getting a citation, but the woman, in her work 
> as an agent for the commission, learned about guide dog laws, and can now 
> use them in her line of work as a police officer.
>
> Just thought I would relay to you a story with a very good outcome.
> Chasity
>
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