[nagdu] An altercation on the bus yesterday

[Steven Johnson]

Lynn, all the more reason to point this out to the transit authority.  Most
buses now days, have security cameras on-board capturing the essence of the
moment/grin.

Steve & Bennett


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Lyn Gwizdak
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 12:30 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] An altercation on the bus yesterday

Well yeah, Jen, good thing to just keep quiet in that instance.  To me, it
sounded like the guy with the guide dog was in the process of passing by the
wheelchair user to get further back in the bus.  Soounds like your buses are
like ours - only on ours, a wheelchair takes up three or four seats
depending on the seats and bus model.

You were right to not say anything because the bus driver could have gotten
pissed at you and the other two and throw you and the guide dog user off the
bus and who needs that.  And you weren't really involved sinse you did not
have a dog and be directly confronted by that woman.  It was between the man
and the woman.  But, I sure can understand why you wanted to say something! 
(grin!)  In my younger days, I always would get involved in stuff - even
when it really didn't concern me but I was there.  Now I generally pick my
battles and will say something only if I felt I could help. Life's too
short!

The wheelchair user sounded a bit looney anyway.  If she were a nice person
and had an allergy, she probably would have said nothing until she saw that
the guy was going to sit right next to her with the dog right there.  But,
no, the guy was just passing through to go further down the aisle so she
really didn't have to jump on his case at all.

I haven't run into this situation but I have run into some of those
emotional support dogs who have no proper socialization or training and they
have tried to attack my guide dog.  Sometimes, I've had to fight with people
who think their luggage, giant strollers, and packages take priority over a
disabled senior.  I have bad knees and standing on the bus is quite
uncomfortable for me.  Most of the time I win - with or withouot driver
backup.

Ahhh, the "fun" of riding public transportation! LOL!

Lyn and Landon
----- 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 7:02 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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