[nagdu] Blind man, guide dog banned from bus ride in Tampa | WFLA.com

Thu Nov 26 13:32:39 UTC 2015

The thing is, you can't educate people into caring.   If they are open to 
learning then education can sure help guide them in the right direction. 
However no amount of education is ever going to move people to action if 
there is no feeling of concern, curiosity or engagement.

You have to meet people where they are.  They have to know how what you are 
saying could affect their life in a meaningful way.  Telling someone who 
doesn't care that discrimination is wrong and hurtful will get you 
absolutely nowhere.  If you tell that same person that it's illegal and 
these specific things can happen...fines, jail time, community service 
hours...then they see immediately how their actions will affect their life. 
But if your talking to someone who really, really doesn't care, even that 
won't matter.  It won't be until they experience the pain of forking out the 
money for a lawyer and explaining their actions in front of a judge that it 
really hits home.

I guess my take on all of this is that I think education is a sort of 
invitation only thing.  If someone wants to do better, learn and grow, then 
I'm happy to help them in whatever way I can.  However if they have no 
interest in changing their behavior, then education is a lost cause.  Action 
is what is needed.

Julie
Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now 
available! Get the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
-----Original Message----- 
From: Cindy Ray via nagdu
Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2015 7:11 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Cindy Ray
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Blind man,guide dog banned from bus ride in Tampa | 
WFLA.com

Staci, it is more than lack of training and ignorance. They had training. It
is against the law. This wasn't the first time Marion has used that service,
and they knew they were picking up a man with his guide dog. Sarge is a big
dog, but the dog was under control, he was not a threat to others, and he
does perform the tasks of a guide dog. I find it ironic that our NAGDU
president is the person who received this service, but I guess I shouldn't
be at all surprised. We have to continue fighting this kind of thing in
courts where required, with education when possible, and with the kind of
respect that we would prefer to be shown. If we just let it happen, it is
going to continue to happen. I did that last year on Thanksgiving. I went
into a Perkins and was given equal but separate benefit. They were going to
seat us in a darkened area that was not set up for service at the time
because they did not want the dog to disturb their customers. I never did
anything about it and I should have. If someone else went to that Perkins in
Houston, the same thing might happen. I left. My daughter's response to that
was, "What is this, the 1960s?" I regret that I did nothing. I did file a
complaint with Southwest Airlines when they insisted I needed to sit in the
bulkhead. We all have to try hard to do what we can, even if it is removing
ourselves from our comfort zone to do it.
I hope all have a happy Thanksgiving.

Cindy Lou Ray
cindyray at gmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Stacie Hardy via
nagdu
Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2015 5:55 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Stacie Hardy <stacieandcash at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Blind man, guide dog banned from bus ride in Tampa |
WFLA.com

Hello All,

First, let me start off by wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
As I read this story yesterday, I couldn't help but thinking about the many
times this has happened to my guide dog, Cash and I. I can only hope, that
with all of us working together that this sort of thing can be
lessened.Unfortunately, stupidity will never be eliminated, but with the
proper training ignorance can be overcome. I can only hope, that I'm around
when guide and service dogs finally  are given the respect they so deserve.
Hugs and pats to all from his majesty and I.

--
Stacie Hardy

In every guide dog, there beats the heart of a puppy raiser.
Twitter: @PatriotsGirl7

On 11/25/2015 9:35 PM, Steven Johnson via nagdu wrote:
> http://wfla.com/2015/11/19/blind-man-guide-dog-banned-from-bus-ride-in
> -tampa
> /
>
>
> Blind man, guide dog banned from bus ride in Tampa
>
>
> News Channel 8 Reporter Melanie Michael By Melanie Michael
> Published: November 19, 2015, 9:02 pm | Updated: November 19, 2015,
> 11:08 pm
>
>
> Marion Gwizdala and Sarge
>
>
> TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) - Marion Gwizdala calls it disrespectful and
> disappointing. Most of all, he says, it's discrimination. Marion and
> his guide dog, Sarge, depend on public transportation around Tampa
> Bay. They utilize the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit system.
>
> On Wednesday morning, their commute became controversial. As the
> President of the National Association of Guide Dog Users, Marion is
> accustomed to fighting for the rights of the visually impaired. But
> that morning, he admits, seemed typical and uneventful. He had no idea
> it would soon make headlines. Marion was waiting, with Sarge by his
> side, for a HART transport van.  It was a ride he planned two days in
advance.
> Sarge
> Sarge
>
> When the paratransit service arrived at Marion's Tampa home, the
> problem began. When Marion and Sarge tried to get on board, he was
> barred access, he says. "When I inquired as to the reason I could not
> open the door, I was told there were two other people on the van," Marion
explained to WFLA.
>
> Stunned, he stood there while the driver called a dispatcher. Moments
> later, he was informed that a passenger was afraid of dogs. So, Marion
> and Sarge were left behind. "I'm frustrated because this should never have
happened.
> It's against the law," he told us. "You can't discriminate against
> someone for their disability. I plan to fight this."
>
> Sarge
>
> Ironically, Marion was on his way to a conference where he was
> advocating for the rights of the visually impaired. "I was going to a
> grant writing workshop. . I just want to live an independent life.
> This hurts our ability to do that.  It's hurtful, demeaning,
> undignified," he says. Marion has filed multiple complaints with
> various agencies, including the Department of Justice. He now has
> representation, is considering legal action and plans to file a complaint
with Hillsborough County as well.
>
> When 8 On Your Side contacted HART, a spokesperson admitted this was
> not handled properly. "I understand where he's coming from. We
> recognize that things can be tweaked and better. We get that. This was
> an unfortunate situation. I don't think [Sarge} is by any means a
> threat, but it is a large dog. We know we need to make changes," Sandra
Morrison from HART said.
>
> The driver and dispatch operator are now under investigation. News
> Channel 8 was told that HART has entered into an agreement with Yellow
> Cab to help with situations just like these. That agreement goes into
effect in January.
>
> Meanwhile, Marion wants changes within the HART agency. "They can't
> treat people like this. It's happened before and it keeps happening.
> It's got to stop," he said.
>
>
>
>
>
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