<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Hi all! </div><div id="AppleMailSignature">I recieved this and knew that I needed to pass this on. The message below effects everyone with a disability. </div><div id="AppleMailSignature"><br></div><div id="AppleMailSignature"><br><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Blessed be!!! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Kendra Schaber </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;">National Federation of the Blind </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;">"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" Author Unknown </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> </span><div><div><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> Sent From My GMail EMail account On My IPhone SE. Typed to you with my Keys To Go blue tooth Keyboard, the only keyboard I know to work with an IPhone SE. </span></div></div></div></div><div><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Demaya, Diego via acb-chat" <<a href="mailto:acb-chat@acblists.org">acb-chat@acblists.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> June 5, 2017 at 08:56:58 PDT<br><b>To:</b> "'General discussion list for ACB members and friends where a wide range of topics from blindness to politics, issues of the day or whatever comes to mind are welcome. This is a free form discussion list.'" <<a href="mailto:acb-chat@acblists.org">acb-chat@acblists.org</a>>, "<a href="mailto:acbt@groups.io">acbt@groups.io</a>" <<a href="mailto:acbt@groups.io">acbt@groups.io</a>>, "<a href="mailto:hcb-l@yahoogroups.com">hcb-l@yahoogroups.com</a>" <<a href="mailto:hcb-l@yahoogroups.com">hcb-l@yahoogroups.com</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> "Demaya, Diego" <<a href="mailto:Diego.Demaya@memorialhermann.org">Diego.Demaya@memorialhermann.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[acb-chat] The Americans With Disabilities Act Is Under Attack in Congress - Rewire</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> "General discussion list for ACB members and friends where a wide range of topics from blindness to politics, issues of the day or whatever comes to mind are welcome. This is a free form discussion list." <<a href="mailto:acb-chat@acblists.org">acb-chat@acblists.org</a>><br><br></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<h1 style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:6.0pt;margin-left:0in;mso-line-height-alt:14.4pt">
<b style="mso-ansi-font-weight:normal;mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><font size="6" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:29.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight:normal">The Americans With Disabilities Act Is Under Attack in Congress<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">May 30, 2017, 9:47am<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt"><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__rewire.news_author_robyn-2Dpowell_&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=0xK2bF5uDLDC5AxTVKDk4CUdKFwIfp5Mw857819G64U&e="><font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">Robyn
Powell</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">The House Judiciary Committee is currently considering imposing significant limitations to the ADA through the passage of the ADA Education and
Reform Act of 2017. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:18.0pt"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><img border="0" id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://reujq2sar5z38mfxc343rf51-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/shutterstock_582799705-740x525.jpg">Never
in my life as a disabled woman have I been so terrified of losing my civil rights as I am now.
<br>
</span></font><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman""><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.shutterstock.com_image-2Dphoto_sign-2Dwheelchair-2Daccessibility-2D582799705-3Fsrc-3DVTJpCmwEa5IuQ5nibAdT7A-2D1-2D33&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=XpVXGA70jOCAodwiDKrWaFmY3UjFHIOTqj4_qnVr-Vs&e="><font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">Shutterstock</span></font></a></span><font size="4"><span style="font-size:14.5pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">On July 26, 1990, George H.W. Bush signed the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) into law,
<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.eeoc.gov_eeoc_history_35th_videos_ada-5Fsigning-5Ftext.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=IUcVjG4zh0NRrBcvi7hAqrYXYCOQEnes7e70HeLTHcc&e=">
<font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">proclaiming</span></font></a>, “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down!” Although I was only 8 years old, I still remember its passage and the increased accessibility that followed.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">The ADA has both literally and figuratively opened countless doors for people like me, by requiring entities that are open to the public—such
as restaurants, movie theaters, hospitals, hotels, and museums—be fully accessible to people with disabilities. The ADA also requires employers, as well as public and private entities, to provide reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities and prohibits
discrimination based on disability.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Of course, passage of the ADA did not make ramps and elevators magically appear; nor did it immediately halt discrimination against people with
disabilities. Progress takes time, which, as a wheelchair user, I have witnessed firsthand. Indeed, for several years after the law’s passage, my parents or I would always have to call places in advance to make sure that they were wheelchair accessible. For
years, the answer was “no.” But times have changed, and now I no longer feel I need to take these extra steps before leaving my home. Nearly 27 years after the passage of the ADA, I now expect that all businesses will be accessible. And that is liberating.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">While we surely have much further to go, the ADA has unequivocally led to much greater inclusion and accessibility and far less discrimination.
Now, however, Congress is currently considering imposing significant limitations to the ADA through the passage of the
<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.congress.gov_bill_115th-2Dcongress_house-2Dbill_620&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=ebTzZVr6hruJo68b1uT3WWwNxl5tMV1GF3FmuoNTVLk&e=">
<font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017</span></font></a> (HR 620), sponsored by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<h3 style="line-height:18.0pt"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Appreciate our work?<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
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<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Currently, if a person with a disability encounters an accessibility barrier at a business, they have two options: They can file a complaint with
the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which will investigate and decide if a violation has occurred. DOJ may enter into mediation with the person and the business, which is a low-cost approach to resolve ADA violations fairly quickly. DOJ may also sue the
business on the person’s behalf. Alternatively, people with disabilities may file a lawsuit in court, bypassing DOJ altogether. The cornerstone of current enforcement options is that the violation can often be resolved swiftly.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">If the ADA Education and Reform Act is passed, however, a person with a disability would be required to give a written notice to a business owner
who has barriers to access. The business owner would then have 60 days to even acknowledge that there is a problem—and then another 120 days to make substantial progress toward correcting the violation. In other words, people with disabilities would be forced
to wait 180 days to enforce their civil rights.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">The ADA Education and Reform Act is premised on trying to curb “drive-by” ADA lawsuits: that is, frivolous lawsuits brought by attorneys alleging
ADA violations. Surely, serial litigators, attorneys who simply bring lawsuits to line their pockets, must be stopped. However, these bills are not the solution.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">To be fair, I vehemently oppose frivolous ADA lawsuits, where people seek to use the ADA for their own monetary gain. I cherish this law and hate
hearing that some misuse it. However, it’s important to note that they are not as prevalent as some believe.
<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.adatitleiii.com_tag_ada-2Deducation-2Dand-2Dreform-2Dact_&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=Bhoho6DCCx4HZkWB6YRHX_kheKhzV_ZGXb7wYG_P2bs&e=">
<font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">An analysis of ADA lawsuits in 2016</span></font></a> identified just 12 individuals and one organization that have filed more than 100 lawsuits each. But frivolous lawsuits are not an ADA issue; they are a
state and court problem. Indeed, <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.law.cornell.edu_rules_frcp_rule-5F11&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=lnbcRmmt14kPMB2fn4dm_gRxNcss5usn9Q0nbWMMPWo&e=">
<font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">ethics rules</span></font></a> bar attorneys from bringing frivolous lawsuits. Rather than go after people with disabilities, attention should be focused on stopping these few bad attorneys.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Notably, passage of the ADA and ADA Amendments Act involved the disability community and bipartisan lawmakers working together with the business
community. These “notification bills,” however, do not. Rather, they are the result of
<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__poe.house.gov_2017_1_poe-2Dleads-2Dbipartisan-2Dlegislation-2Dto-2Dcurb-2Dabusive-2Dada-2Dlawsuits-2Dand-2Dimprove-2Dthe-2Dada&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=QJxK5PXfagseqz2Ot_3m6S5e31wZlq4fy8CM5rn68Yg&e=">
<font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">business owners and their lobbyists.</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">The disability community is not interested in more lawsuits; we simply want accessibility. There is no such thing as the “ADA police.” Enforcement
depends on people with disabilities who know their rights to challenge violations. Filing lawsuits is timely and expensive. Finding an attorney that is knowledgeable about the ADA is very challenging. I say this because I believe it is fairly safe to assume
that there are far more ADA violations occurring than we will ever hear of. As a disabled woman, I encounter violations daily.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Nevertheless, there’s a prevailing belief that ADA regulations are overly technical and most alleged violations are “minor.” The regulations concerning
accessible parking spots are frequently used to demonstrate how ADA regulations are too specific. What opponents don’t understand is that the width of parking spaces matter for people with disabilities who drive, such as myself. I drive a wheelchair<b><span style="font-weight:bold">–</span></b>accessible
van. If someone parks too close, I am literally stuck because no one besides me can drive my van. This has happened to me more times than I count, leaving me stranded outside for hours, until the person returns to their car.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Throughout the years, based on a belief that the ADA is being abused and has become a money-maker, Congress has introduced a number of “notification
bills.” These bills are problematic and have been strongly opposed by the disability community.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">It is also important to dispel the myth that ADA lawsuits can be profitable for plaintiffs; that is plain wrong. When the ADA was being drafted,
as a compromise between the business community and the disability community, the disability community gave up the option to obtain damages for a business’s failure to comply with the law by allowing only injunctive relief—meaning the business owner has to
change their behavior—and attorneys’ fees.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Settlements or court orders that involve money damages for accessibility violations are based on state laws in a handful of states, not the ADA.
Therefore, adding a notice requirement before people with disabilities can enforce their rights will do nothing to prevent businesses from being subjected to money damages. Moreover, if the accessibility violations in question are truly minor, as the proponents
of these bills claim, it would not be difficult for businesses to fix the problem and resolve the issue quickly, with minimal attorneys’ fees. Hence, the issue is not an ADA one.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">In addition, it’s important to recognize that the ADA includes several provisions that protect businesses from unreasonable requirements. For
example, the ADA does not require any action that would cause an “undue burden” or that is “not readily achievable,” which is defined as “easily accomplished and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Adding a notification requirement won’t make serial lawsuits go away. Instead, it simply sends the message to business owners that they don’t
have to worry about complying with the ADA until they receive a letter notifying them that they are discriminating against people with disabilities. In other words, instead of complying, they can just “wait and see” if they are caught.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">The imposition of a months-long “waiting period,” during which a business may continue to violate the law and deny access to people with disabilities
once it has received a notice that it is violating the ADA, is simply not reasonable.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">In short, the premise of bills like the ADA Education and Reform Act is that businesses should not be responsible for knowing their obligations
to comply with a law that has been in effect for nearly three decades, but people with disabilities should instead be responsible not only for knowing the accessibility requirements of that law, but also for determining when a business is not in compliance
and for knowing the specific requirements of the notice that they must provide.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Establishing and running a business involves compliance with numerous laws, including tax laws, property laws, health and safety laws, environmental
laws, civil rights laws, and many others. Compliance with these legal obligations is part of the cost of doing business.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">Business owners, and society as a whole, have had nearly 27 years to become aware of the ADA. Indeed, I would guess that every business owner
knows at least one person with a disability and is at least vaguely aware that the ADA exists. Moreover, there are plenty of resources that provide information on ADA requirements to business owners. Indeed, the DOJ offers free technical assistance as well
as several <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.ada.gov_&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=7_Gk_F01GnyIOwUXk5NGDHHzPUDiLHXhxbwq0xGAaf4&e=">
<font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">publicly available publications</span></font></a>. In addition, there are
<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__adata.org_&d=DwMFaQ&c=cBOA5YEoZuz9KdLvh38YxdrPtfJt83ckXekfBgq5xB0&r=CK8oOj7-JYZnTDmB5orNTVZXar6NrsnGtGHfQ5m79Do&m=zA5asuEvWh9dlTO2X3UgE5AWib7nRV8fEXacuUtioCU&s=q_ssaVZSrejkQ2H-IvFKXum7b6qQxjgeRTPtNoAXeIE&e=">
<font color="#416ed2"><span style="color:#416ED2">ADA technical assistance centers</span></font></a> across the country that offer information, guidance, and training on how to implement the ADA. There is simply no excuse for noncompliance at this point.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style="line-height:18.0pt;max-width: 100%"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:14.5pt">The bill is currently in the U.S. House Judiciary Committee; it has 18 co-sponsors. Never in my life as a disabled woman have I been so terrified
of losing my civil rights as I am now. With the stroke of a pen, much that the disability community has fought hard for could be undone. What civil rights law will be on the chopping block next?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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