[stylist] disability law advice

Wed Nov 24 23:40:51 UTC 2010

One thing a driver might do is simply ask, "Are you all right?"  This is not 
insulting and you can choose to say, "I'm fine." or "Can you help me find a 
seat?"  This way the driver is putting the ball in your court and a lot of 
embarrassment is avoided.  Judith
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Anita Adkins" <aadkins7 at verizon.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 6:16 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] disability law advice


> Sounds as if you and I agree.  I am glad I asked the question because you 
> told me what I had mentally thought to do in the first place.  As someone 
> who is interested in the field of blindness and in teaching about 
> blindness, I do want to see what the bus company believes and why they 
> believe it. Maybe, the bus company has a policy this driver had been 
> instructed to folow, and he simply believed it to be law.  Either way, I 
> need to find out what their policy says and educate them about blindness 
> and why asking a sighted person to move for a blind person is 
> unacceptable.  Also, I need to be persistent and to insist I be heard 
> about what it means to be blind.  I agree that if there is such a law, it 
> needs done away with.  Not being that knowledgeable about laws and how to 
> learn if they exist, I wanted to bring it up to the list because if such a 
> law did exist, someone on here would know it.  One thing that crosses my 
> mind is that blind people who have not received training in alternative 
> techniques may not be skillful enough to move or control balance as a 
> result of the bus movement when walking back, and so their policy might be 
> useful for this person.  But, in my mind, if a blind rider is not capable 
> of successfully and independently riding the bus in a safe way, he or she 
> should receive training on how to do so and he or she should not ride the 
> bus unassisted if he or she is not confident enough to do so.  My point in 
> reference to requiring a sighted person to move for a blind person is that 
> blind people are thought of as helpless with such a procedure, and 
> therefore, the procedure needs to be changed.  Drivers need to be trained. 
> Also, it seems to me that if we ask someone to move just so we can sit 
> there, we are saying to them that we are helpless, and this is why I would 
> rather say thank you, but to move to a different seat further back.  I 
> have no problem with sitting in the front seat as I generally prefer it; I 
> do have a problem with someone thinking I should sit there because I am 
> incapable.  Thanks for your response, and thanks in advance for all other 
> responses.  Anita
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
> To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 5:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [stylist] disability law advice
>
>
>> Hi Anita,
>> I've been traveling with a guide dog for 40 years, having lived in the 
>> Philadelphia area for most of that time. I used public transportation a 
>> lot, and your experience and question bring up many thoughts.
>>
>> First, I've never heard of such a law and will be outraged into action, 
>> if I find it actually exists. The best I can come up with in trying to 
>> make sense of it is that there might be something about asking someone to 
>> move if a person has a disability which would make navigating further 
>> back in the bus particularly difficult. If there is, he could have placed 
>> his own assumptions upon it and come up with his current beliefs that 
>> this is necessary for all blind people.
>>
>> When I was using the commuter railroads, I often encountered conductors 
>> who wanted me to sit in the first seat in a given car. I refused. My dog 
>> was trained to find me an empty seat and I was not about to allow someone 
>> to tell me where to sit. Additionally, the first seat had less floor 
>> space for the dog (heat vent, if I recall).
>>
>> On the other hand, I had a friend who used a cane and who later became a 
>> lawyer. I found out one day that she had allowed someone to escort her 
>> off a bus several blocks before she had intended to get off. She said it 
>> happened a lot, but she just couldn't get her point across without being 
>> rude.
>>
>> Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to be on the abraisive side. I 
>> understand the importance of courtesy, but it's a two-way street. I often 
>> had problems with people grabbing my arm to help me across the street. I 
>> stood my ground and had an evasive maneuver to get them off me. I also 
>> insisted on waiting for the next light so my dog could truly do his job. 
>> Grabbing a person who can't see you and hasn't had the benefit of hearing 
>> your voice and the courtesy of being asked if they want help seems like 
>> the height of rudeness and stupidity. How am I supposed to know in that 
>> instant if the person is seeking me harm. If someone was, I wouldn't have 
>> but a split second to extract myself from the situation.
>>
>> I think we all have to make up our own minds about how to handle these 
>> situations. For your current question, though, I would contact the bus 
>> company and get the contact info for the highest up person there and 
>> write about what happened to you, suggesting that drivers may need a bit 
>> of a refresher course on dealing with people with disabilities. Again, if 
>> there is a law or something, we need to speak out about it. Black people 
>> were forced to the back of the bus, and blind people to the front. I 
>> don't see the difference. In both cases we are asked to accept less 
>> freedom and inclusion than the general society.
>> Best,
>> Donna Hill
>>
>>
>> Read Donna's articles on
>> Suite 101:
>> www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill
>> Ezine Articles:
>> http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=D._W._Hill
>> American Chronicle:
>> www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885
>>
>> Connect with Donna on
>> Twitter:
>> www.twitter.com/dewhill
>> LinkedIn:
>> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
>> FaceBook:
>> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.
>>
>> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
>> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>> Apple I-Tunes
>> phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374
>>
>> Check out the "Sound in Sight" CD project
>> Donna is Head of Media Relations for the nonprofit
>> Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind:
>> www.padnfb.org
>>
>>
>> On 11/24/2010 4:01 PM, Anita Adkins wrote:
>>> Hello everyone,
>>>
>>> I am hoping it is okay for me to ask this on this particular list.  It 
>>> is a writing list, and I prefer to write down my more serious thoughts 
>>> at times.  I didn't know which list would be appropriate for it, and so 
>>> please forgive me if this is not the appropriate way to ask about this.
>>>
>>> Today, I took the bus to and from another town in my area.  On the way 
>>> home, I caught the Grene line.  Using my cane, I identified an 
>>> individual in seat 1 behind the driver.  My other favorite choice is the 
>>> first seat on the left, but this was also taken.  After this, I just 
>>> remain on this side and check each seat until an empty one presents 
>>> itself.  In this case, it was the very next seat, and so I sat down and 
>>> buckled up.  As I was doing this, the bus driver proceeded to tell the 
>>> lady who was sitting behind him that it was the law that she move and 
>>> allow a blind person to have that seat.  Stubborn me immediately spoke 
>>> up and said that was discriminating against the blind.  It is also 
>>> probably discriminating against this lady who had every right to sit 
>>> where she was sitting. Having a sighted person move so a blind person 
>>> could sit in the front seat is also offensive to the blind because it 
>>> suggests they are helpless, which is not true.  I tried to tell the 
>>> driver how this w
>>>   as discrimination, but he kept speaking about how it was the law and 
>>> how it would be so dangerous if a blind person was moving back on the 
>>> bus, and he had to slam on his brakes.  I let him have the last word 
>>> because having the last word isn't always my goal.  Now, my sollution to 
>>> this situation is to first identify is such a law does exist.  I think 
>>> he said it was a federal law, but he may have said public law.  I 
>>> googled a touch, but one of my weaknesses is dealing with laws and all 
>>> that, and so I could not find anything.  The rest of my sollution is for 
>>> us blind to purposefully choose to sit farther back on the bus if the 
>>> seats in front are taken.  By farther back, I mean in the first 
>>> available seat we happen to come to.  Also, I believe that training for 
>>> bus drivers about blindness and somehow building their confidence in the 
>>> blind is in order. I am not angry with this particular driver because I 
>>> realize he holds negative views of blindness as a result of the lesson 
>>> taug
>>>   ht to him by society.  He was not purposefully discriminating against 
>>> me, and he certainly wasn't intending to offend me and other blind 
>>> people.  However, I feel he and other bus drivers need enlightened to 
>>> our capabilities.  My question for you is:
>>> What should be done about this?
>>> One answer is nothing.
>>> Another answer is just to move back and take up a different seat, 
>>> refusing to sit in front even if the person does move.  In addition, one 
>>> would simply say thank you to the person.
>>> Another sollution would be to train bus drivers about blindness.
>>> Another answer might to do what I just said, but to include blindness 
>>> training shades to develop confidence.
>>> IIn my opinion, the real answer, whether it be dealing with school 
>>> teachers who will be likely to work with blind children, or public 
>>> employees who will deal with blind customers, is to train them so that 
>>> they develop confidence in the blind.  However, I am afraid this real 
>>> sollution is impossible due to finances and for other reasons.  I think 
>>> we are changing what it means to be blind over time, and I am hoepful 
>>> that this attitude of blind people being helpless will decline and 
>>> disappear in the future.
>>> Finally, the final sollution might be to make sure there is not a 
>>> federal or public law stating that sighted passengers must move for a 
>>> blind passenger.  And, if there is, then this law needs to be 
>>> eliminated.  How do we do this?  I am extremely inexperienced in this 
>>> area.  Please share your thoughts and/or expertise on any of this. 
>>> Maybe, I am overreacting to this situation, and I need to know that as 
>>> well.  Also, there may be other sollutions that I have not thought of, 
>>> which is why it is wonderful to have others to listen to my concerns. 
>>> Thanks.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Anita
>>> Remember, Jesus Loves You.
>>> Anita Adkins
>>> 81 E. Mechanic ST
>>> APT 207
>>> Frostburg, MD 21532
>>> p: 301-689-5212
>>> c: 301-876-8669
>>> aadkins7 at verizon.net
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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