[stylist] disability law advice

Thu Nov 25 00:32:17 UTC 2010

Anita,
I think there's a little line where I may disagree here. The important 
thing to me is not to limit those who aren't skilled or to force them to 
get training they don't want, but that the bus company policy should be 
clear that it is the wishes of the person as an individual not a policy 
that is imposed unilaterally.
Let us know how it works out. I'm sure that it is just this kind of 
interaction and your response to it that makes the difference in 
grassroots advancements.

Donna

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 6:16 PM, Anita Adkins wrote:
> 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
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Writers Division web site:
>>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org<http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/> 
>>>
>>>
>>> stylist mailing list
>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>> for stylist:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epix.net 
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>>> Database version: 6.16370
>>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
>> Database version: 6.16370
>> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Writers Division web site:
>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org 
>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>
>> stylist mailing list
>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> stylist:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/aadkins7%40verizon.net 
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org 
> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epix.net 
>
>
>
>
>
> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
> Database version: 6.16370
> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>

E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
Database version: 6.16370
http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/