[nagdu] Article from Tallahassee Democrat RE protest

[Sherri]

I found this in the Harness Up blog after doing a Google search for the 
article.
First, I will paste the link as there is more than one posting on this 
subject. The article appears below.

Harness Up! | The world wide blog of the National ...


Advocates rally for access for those with disabilities
Posted on
October 11, 2014
by
harnessup

Advocates rally for access for those with disabilities
 Karl Etters, Tallahassee Democrat 10:56 a.m. EDT October 11, 2014
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Marion Gwizdala and his 6-year-old German shepherd Sergeant walk in front of 
the Museum of Florida History in protest of the treatment of a blind woman
there last week.(Photo: Sean Rossman/Democrat)
complementary information end

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About a dozen blind citizens rallied in front of the Museum of Florida 
History calling the contracted guards there "bullies" after a woman reported 
she
and her guide dog were mistreated last week when they tried to visit the 
museum.

The woman, Tiffany Baylor, was not at Friday's rally, but National 
Association of Guide Dog Users President Marion Gwizdala and his 6-year-old 
German shepherd
Sergeant were, calling on state officials to allow them to offer more 
training to state or contracted security and scolding the treatment of a 
person with
disabilities.

"For a blind person to go into a public building and be harassed by security 
officers is unconscionable," Gwizdala said. "We are here to demand these 
security
officers be reprimanded and if the state is not going to enforce the laws 
that three blocks away from here they passed then we've got a serious 
problem."

Baylor said museum guards asked her to provide documentation of her 
disability and need for the guide dog. By law, specific questions about a 
person's
disabilities are prohibited, but asking what service a guide animal provides 
is allowed.

Officials with the Department of Management Services, the state's building 
manager, released a brief video of Baylor at the museum capturing a small 
portion
of the encounter. The agency has also called on the company to review 
protocols and provide training.

"The Department of Management Services strives to make all guests feel 
comfortable in its buildings with respect to accessibility and safety," 
wrote DMS
Spokesman in an email Thursday. "We will continue to make every effort to 
ensure all guests can access our managed buildings appropriately to conduct 
business
or enjoy Florida's history. The company is apologizing and we feel that is 
the right thing to do."

The museum is housed in the bottom floor of the R.A. Gray Building that is 
home to the Department of State in Tallahassee.

Secretary of State Ken Detzner called Baylor to apologize for the incident 
in his building and offered a personal tour through the museum.

In a letter to Baylor, U.S. Security Associates' Southern Division Vice 
President Deborah Kalert said the company regretted the actions the guards 
took
and that officers must uphold the constitutional rights of all people.

"That their actions were perceived as being anything less than that is not 
what we or our officers expect," Kalert wrote. "As a testament to our strive
for perfection, we have implemented additional training for our officers and 
are committed to providing you and all visitors with the highest level of
service."

Merry Schoch, vice president of the Florida Association of Guide Dog Users, 
said her concern was that the incident would be dismissed or quickly 
forgotten
by state officials.

"We have access denials all over the state of Florida and what is concerning 
to me is that they're not taken seriously," she said. "My hope is that the
state of Florida takes this seriously and they will be role models for 
businesses, restaurants, hotels and cab drivers throughout the state of 
Florida.
What's very sad is we live in the 21st century and why did this happen in 
the first place?"

David Oliver, an Orlando lawyer for Morgan & Morgan who primarily handles 
Americans with Disability Act cases, said access restrictions are common, 
not
just in public places and disabled individuals are not require to carry 
paperwork.

He said even if a person's level of visual impairment may not be wholly 
apparent "that just stretches the bounds of outrageousness for anyone to 
question
that," Oliver said.

He added that there is potential for people to abuse the guide-animal claim, 
but "ADA guidelines are intended to avoid the public embarrassment of a 
disabled
person for having to explain their disability," Oliver said. "A guide dog, 
that's a pretty simple answer and the questioning needs to stop there."

Sherri

Character is the side of yourself you choose to show the world.
Integrity is what you do, what you say and how you act when you think no one 
is paying attention.
Sherri Brun
NFBF Newsline Chair
flmom2006 at gmail.com