[nagdu] An altercation on the bus yesterday

[Lyn Gwizdak]

Yeah, I have no issue with wheelchairs on the bus - their users have just as 
much right as I do on the bus and there is only the two places where the 
room and tie-downs are located.

What I don't like is when these people bring on a mega-sized baby carriage 
or stroller on and plop down in the front area and take up space that a 
senior or disabled person needs to use.  Our rules say that the child must 
be removed from the stroller for the ride.  I don't like sitting in the back 
because I can't hear the driver call the stops and there's no real room for 
my big, long dog!  I don't know why these people don't use the smaller 
umbrella-style strollers for riding the bus.  They're small and fold up very 
easily unlike the huge ones that aren't really meant for riding buses with. 
They're loaded down with other stuff besides the kid and it all is very 
awkward.

I'm not anti-kid, but I don't like to see the disabled seating taken up with 
these huge things.  I need my dog to be protected under the seat and they 
don't need to bring giant strollers on.

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jenny Keller" <jlperdue3 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 7:39 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] An altercation on the bus yesterday


> Please don't take offense to what I said about wheelchairs.  I wasn't 
> trying to be disrespectful of people who use them.  I have friends who use 
> them, and that really wasn't the issue.
>
> My point only was that the chair, and the dog serve the same purpose.
>
> If I offended anyone, please except my sincerest apology.
>
> Jenny
> On Jun 6, 2012, at 9:20 PM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
>
>> That one is certainly rare!  My wife uses a wheelchair so I know what 
>> kind of room they take up.  I also let her get on the bus first so as not 
>> to accidentally run over Holly's feet.  I certainly would have opened my 
>> mouth and then loged a complaint with the bus company.  And, it is 
>> certainly public transportation!
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jenny Keller" <jlperdue3 at gmail.com>
>> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List" 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 10:02 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] An altercation on the bus yesterday
>>
>>
>>> I just had to tell you all about what happened on the bus here in 
>>> Rockford yesterday.
>>> A guy I knew with a guide dog got on the bus.  There were two 
>>> wheelchairs on the bus as well, so he had to walk in between them.  One 
>>> of the people in a wheelchair told the guy that he needed to get that 
>>> dog off the bus because she had allergies.  the guy told her that his 
>>> dog was a guide dog and continued to walk by her.  I was sitting behind 
>>> her and could feel my temper rising as she continued to argue with him.
>>>
>>> He continued to argue with her too and the bus driver had to tell them 
>>> both to quiet down and drop it.
>>>
>>> It took all I could to do not blurt out that the dog had as much right 
>>> on the bus as her wheelchair did, but I kept my mouth shut because it 
>>> wouldn't have come out in a nice and respectful tone of voice.  I kind 
>>> of felt like pot, meet kettle, if you know what I mean, as her 
>>> wheelchair took up so much space on the bus.  It angered me so much that 
>>> someone with a disability that caused her to use an aid that also causes 
>>> inconvenience, by taking up three regular seats on a bus, would make 
>>> such a huge and loud scene about someone else with a disability with a 
>>> dog that he needed to get around with.  You would think that both people 
>>> would respect the others needs and ways of travel and just get along.
>>>
>>> that's why I kept my mouth shut, I knew I wouldn't have handled it 
>>> properly.  I was beginning to feel a little militant and quite insulted 
>>> myself as having been a dog user.
>>>
>>> I told the gentleman to go ahead of me as we exited the bus however, 
>>> because I was going to make my statement known if she had said one more 
>>> word to him.  I had enough of that kind of attitude.
>>>
>>> Maybe I should've said something after all, but I felt my temper flaring 
>>> and knew that it would be in a militant and combative tone, so again, I 
>>> kept my mouth shut.  Making sure however, that she said nothing to him 
>>> as he passed her to exit the bus.  It would have been a mistake on her 
>>> part to utter one more word on the subject at that time, cause I was 
>>> about to let if fly.
>>>
>>> Anyway, just thought I'd relay the experience.  In my opinion, that dog 
>>> was no different than that chair.  Plain and simple.
>>>
>>> Jenny
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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>
>
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