[nagdu] Texas access laws and denial of service

Jenine Stanley jeninems at wowway.com
Wed Mar 26 13:01:52 UTC 2014 

We do need to better educate local police as in just about every case I’ve been involved with on behalf of our grads, the police swear it’s a civil issue. We can argue and present the law but they still don’t seem to get it. The situations have occurred all over the state but primarily in the eastern sections, Dallas area, Austin, Houston and in many a small town in between. 

I do always give people the numbers for the consumer groups but some of our service dog grads are less likely to call due to perceived prejudices among guide dog handlers toward their issues.
Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com

http://www.twitter.com/jeninems

On Mar 26, 2014, at 8:53 AM, National Association of Guide Dog Users <blind411 at verizon.net> wrote:

> Anne,
> 	One of the differences between New York and Texas is that Texas has
> a criminal remedy whereas New York's law is civil. As a criminal law, we
> have the remedy of law enforcement intervention. We need to better educate
> them on this issue!
> 
> Marion
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
> Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 8:19 PM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Texas access laws and denial of service
> 
> Does Texas have a Human Rights Commission or the equivalent?  That is where
> I had to go to file an access denial complaint in New York back in the early
> days of the ADA.
> 
> If not, I suppose you can go to the Federal level, to the Department of
> Justice, to file a complaint under the Federal ADA.
> 
> Best,
> Ann
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jenine Stanley
> Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 2:47 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Texas access laws and denial of service
> 
> Thanks Laurel, 
> 
> I'll contact you as well tomorrow. 
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.com
> 
> http://www.twitter.com/jeninems
> 
> On Mar 25, 2014, at 5:40 PM, Laurel and Stockard <laurel.stockard at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>> It was Laurel by the way, and that's bull! Jeannine, please write me 
>> off list, I'm both a NFB of Texas member and a paying NAGDU member, 
>> and would love to help with this. I live in the Dallas Fort Worth area 
>> and
> know of many resources besides the office of the attorney's office. My email
> is laurel.stockard at gmail.com Laurel and Stockard On Mar 25, 2014, at 4:37
> PM, Jenine Stanley <jeninems at wowway.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Darla, I so wish the Texas Attorney General did take it seriously but
> we've called and they say it's not their job to enforce the state access
> laws. They completely washed their hands of several denial of service
> complaints. Amazing. It was the first place I thought to go as well but
> apparently not so.
>>> Jenine Stanley
>>> jeninems at wowway.com
>>> 
>>> http://www.twitter.com/jeninems
>>> 
>>> On Mar 25, 2014, at 5:27 PM, Laurel and Stockard
> <laurel.stockard at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> My mother used to be on the Texas State school for the blind's 
>>>> board,
> several years ago. I asked her where she might recommend people go with
> access complaints here. She suggested that whoever's having guide dog access
> issues, in this case NAGDU, GDF and the handlers involved, contact the Texas
> Attourney General's office for help. I did not mention to her your email
> message or any specific discussion we've had on list pertaining to this
> issue, as to protect list privacy. I just asked her for general info. She
> thinks that if the attourney general's office is contacted, they'll take
> this seriously and help advocate for the handlers in question. I hope this
> helps. I do not have the actual text of our guide dog laws, but as far as I
> know our laws comply fully with ADA.
>>>> Laurel and Stockard
>>>> On Mar 25, 2014, at 4:20 PM, National Association of Guide Dog Users
> <blind411 at verizon.net> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Jenine,
>>>>> 	I don't seem to have a copy of the Texas law, only a summary. If 
>>>>> you have it, would you please send it to me to
>>>>> 
>>>>> President at nagdu.org
>>>>> We have a very strong affiliate in Texas and an up and coming NAGDU 
>>>>> division. This would be an excellent project for them!
>>>>> 
>>>>> Marion
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 	
>>>>> 
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jenine 
>>>>> Stanley
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2014 4:40 PM
>>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>> Subject: [nagdu] Texas access laws and denial of service
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hi All,
>>>>> 
>>>>> I'm asking the following questions to try to help a number of our 
>>>>> graduates and others with what seem to be an inordinate number of 
>>>>> access denial issues around the state of Texas.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Both guide and service dog grads from our programs have been 
>>>>> consistently denied entry with their dogs, or if allowed entry, 
>>>>> harassed throughout their meals at restaurants, followed around 
>>>>> stores or denied opportunities to view rental property.
>>>>> 
>>>>> In most cases too, the owner is a local person not from another 
>>>>> country who believes these laws just don't apply to him/her.
>>>>> 
>>>>> It's incredibly frustrating. though the Texas law states punishment 
>>>>> and such, there seems to be no real explanation of who serves up 
>>>>> this punishment. How does a person file a state-based access complaint?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Is there any way we at GDF/AVD can work with NAGDU on some PR for 
>>>>> this state letting people know what the relevant laws are and that 
>>>>> yes, even in Texas, they have to obey them?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Sorry, I've taken 6 access complaints since the beginning of the 
>>>>> year from Texas across the board, businesses, housing, employment, 
>>>>> you name it. Thanks for any help you can give.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Jenine Stanley
>>>>> jeninems at wowway.com
>>>>> 
>>>>> http://www.twitter.com/jeninems
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
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>>>>> 
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