[nagdu] Considerations

[Chaim B. Segal]

Hi All:

First off, thanks to all of you who responded concerning the China Bus service. I am now inspired. I would not want to use them to travel all the way to New York City, but I do have reason to go to Cincinnati and Columbus from time to time. I feel that educating these folks concerning guide dogs is as important as our access. Yes. If they are doing business here, they must abide by our laws. I have a recent favorite way of saying this. If you want some American Pie, you must eat it properly with the right kind of fork and spoon.

Uber:

Now, so I will not  appear as contradicting myself, let me say that I strongly feel that anybody who is driving for Uber owes it to us to transport us, no ifs, endbbs, or buts. The only exception to the rule should be someone who has a true, documented case of a medical allergy to dogs. Truth be told, I don't think that somebody that allergic should be driving other people around anyway, because people's clothing often carries scents which can cause allergy, even if the person does not have an animal. I.E. cigarettes. This being said however, I'm going to be extremely interested to hear what the judge says. While I will not of course defend the drivers, I will say that this issue raises a question of value. Like it or not, Uber's drivers are using their own private cars. This being said, I know a number of people who are highly protective of their own cars. Indeed, my own older brother is strongly insistent that when I ride with him, no matter how old his car, that I have a sheet on the floor for my guide. And, he actually likes dogs. I have a neighbor who our pets go nuts over who will not transport me in her car with the dog(s) because she is trying to keep her car in good shape. Does the fact that my brother and other friends not want the dog touching the surface of their car mean they are being unfair? Not exactly. However, if someone is part of a company who provides service to the general public, this is an entirely different ball game. I wonder this. If Uber told them from the start that in order to work for them they will need to transport a service dog in their car, how many of these drivers would have said, "Never mind then", and found employment elsewhere or hired themselves out? And, that's another thing. If somebody has their own private one-man-show operation of driving people in his or her car, how far can laws be enforced?

I had an experience this morning which I would like to share with the list. Due to a set of unexpected circumstances, I had to take the regular city bus in to work today. As I was trying to exit the bus, a young man who was rather petrified of Yahtzee tried to step aboard the bus with no warning. I will leave the gentleman's race and ethnicity out for the time being, because I have noticed that the entire spectrum of reaction to our dogs exists within all races and ethniceties. Anyway, the guy coiled at the sight of Yahtzee, but did not just step back in order to allow me to exit. I'm not quite sure what happened. However, I am probably preaching to the choir by saying this, but I think it's the bottom line. I'll say this. The major reason for a lot of our access issues is blind ignorance, pardon the pun. If we are going to fight for access issues, and expect companies and the public to stand by our rights, they need to know the facts. I think that transit companies, whether local or national, whether taxi, bus, train or aircraft, need to be sent recurring videos of people with  guide and service dogs being featured in various circumstances. The transportation systems should, as a matter of course, show these videos in their stations and hubs. While a number of people, especially drug addicts often live for the moment, some other people will get something from it. While dog phobia cannot officially be cured for good in many people, education concerning our dogs and their use can help. By rights, I think that education about the capabilities and achievements of people with disabilities in our society should be a mandatory part of grade-school education.

Just a little more of my two cents.

Chaim

Chaim B. Segal
Customer Service Representative: Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio

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