[blindlaw] Is there any respite from discrimination??

[Prevost, Ann Marie]

I am afraid it is a constant but we are all with you!
I have a 13 year old visually impaired daughter. Half the time people are great the other half it is a fight - and it is absolutely exhausting.
We live in NYC and theater is a big issue. Several years ago theaters finally began designating visually impaired seating. Immediately unscrupulous people started sweeping up the tickets and there are few if any available to people who are actually visually impaired. The theaters believe they are doing a great thing and believe that they cannot ask the purchaser (which is correct) or do anything at all to monitor this (which is incorrect). In fact there are several things the ADA allows them to do. As of yesterday I realized that no one is going to "educate" the theaters. Yet someone needs to do something about this and I suppose that someone is going to be me. I do have some thoughts on what to do but if anyone has any experience in this and would like to share, I would certainly appreciate it. Just one more battle :).


ANN MARIE PREVOST
Staff Attorney

SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP
+1 212 839 5408
aprevost at sidley.com

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nicole Askins via BlindLaw
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2018 1:17 PM
To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Nicole Askins <njaskins at gmail.com>
Subject: [blindlaw] Is there any respite from discrimination??

Caution, this note is more of a cathartic vent then it is informative.
Yet, it's also gratitude to those of you who work diligently to support
individuals who are blind and want to live independently with in the world
while maintaining gainful employment.
I worked super hard after discovering I was diagnosed with retinitis
Pigmentosa, to ensure that I graduated on time. I was a chemistry major but
switched my major to something that wouldn't cause me to continue fighting
for accommodations in the way that seemed unreasonable to the school. So, I
majored in experimental psychology. Graduated, Even after spending most of
my time accommodating my professors and school instead of the other way
around. I decide to go to law school. Then I find myself accommodating the
law school admissions test. I win the settlement associated with the
consent decree with the law school admissions Council. Great, I get into
law school. I just happened to agree to attend the wrong one. Charlotte
School of Law closes. Fine, I'm stuck in Charlotte North Carolina. Not a
bad place to be stuck. I consistently fight against stereotypes and biases
and limitations that are perceived about my low vision. When is it enough.
Today, after finally obtaining employment. I am told that due to the
sensitive nature of the material being handled, a screen reader, magnifier
or any other assistive technology will not be permitted. Now, I know the
law. Surely those recruiters do not. But that's not why I'm exhausted. It
just seems to me that we live in a society that should know about
reasonable accommodations. Is that too much to ask? Is it unreasonable that
people don't understand that different types of people do things in
different ways but accomplish the same task? Why is it that I feel that I
am not only advocating for myself but educating the entire employer
population about reasonable accommodations deleted? Is there some sort of
pamphlet or booklet on a DEA law that I could hand out so they can scan
over it prior to going into business? Being facetious of course but
realistically, shouldn't employers understand the do's and don'ts of hiring
practices?
Thank you to those of you within this list who serve to Advocate on behalf
of those of us who are blind or who have low vision. There is still so much
work to be done. I am attempting to do some of the simplest of tasks just
to make ends meet although I have 3 University degrees. Why? Because I am
living under dispersions cast upon me that are more often, too burdensome
to lift alone. I'm sure many people have done it before. But, it's just
exhausting. My question, is there any rusted from discrimination? Is there
anywhere where I will be judged and compensated based on the quality of my
work and not the content of others perceptions? Thanks for listening to my
tangent.
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