Letters: September 2015


Those Who Went Before: Thanks

Our fight is continuous …

[“ADA: A People’s History,” July 2015]. Even though my voice is not always heard, my presence can’t be ignored. Thank you to those who have gone before us to make way for the future. Happy 25th anniversary to the fight!
Barthenia Rochester, Peer Support Specialist,
Independent Resources, Inc.

ADA Not for Disabled
I’ve been using a wheelchair for nearly 34 years, and when the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect on July 26, 1992, I was very excited! [“25 Years of ADA,” July 2015]. Unfortunately for the disabled community, the ADA merely recognizes one’s disabilities … nothing more than that. For the nondisabled community, the ADA is great! Just think of all those blue placards hanging from rear-view mirrors in your local Wal-Mart parking lot! For those of us who need the ADA, it does next to nothing. For those people exploiting its benefits solely for conveniences like closer parking spaces, the ADA is great!
Joe Reto
Brick, New Jersey

On the Hamster Wheel
Your column on the ADA [Bully Pulpit: “Winning Hearts and Minds,” July 2015] prompted me to write. In 1992 I was a [nondisabled] plant manager of a small facility in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn. Fast forward to 2005. I was in a plane crash in Grand Junction, Colo., and sustained a T12 incomplete injury, which left me in a wheelchair. I worked hard, went back to work in March 2007. Fortunately my old boss at a company I had worked for previously had no problems with me being in a wheelchair. He said he knew I could do the job of a process engineer. But by 2013 he retired, and the company was bought out, so I started looking for another job. I came across some jobs listed on Rush & Company’s website. I applied and the recruiter responded in an email that none of her clients would hire someone in “my condition.” She refused to send my resumes to any of them.

After two years of consulting, I sent in my resume again [to the same recruiting company] and followed up with several emails and phone calls. No reply by email or phone.

The job descriptions posted on Rush & Company’s website do not list any physical requirements. I am now in the process of filing a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The owner of Rush & Company called and followed up with a couple of emails pointing out that they had to follow “strict” guidelines from their clients. I take “strict” as code for “no one with a disability.” To date they have not contacted me on the positions I applied for on their website.

After going through the DOJ, DOL and several other agencies, I don’t feel confident the bureaucracy is going to do anything. That brings me back to the ADA. If you want to file a lawsuit over being denied a seat at a football stadium, the feds and lawyers will line up to help you. As for those of us in the trenches trying to get a job, they put us on a hamster wheel, hoping we will go away.
Jim Harris
Bybee, Tennessee

Work to be Done
I totally agree that the work isn’t done [“Stay Strong, ADA! There’s More Work To Do,” July 2015]. Something that is still commonly dismissed in northern states is that public sidewalks must be cleared of snow and ice for accessibility. The DOJ Civil Rights Division has repeatedly stated that the debris removal for accessibility in the ADA includes ice and snow. Yet the most progressive places that claim ADA compliance refuse to take on this responsibility because of costs — when burden of costs is not legal grounds for exemption from the ADA.
Jane Klingsten
University of Michigan

Amberley Snyder: In Awe
This story [“American Cowgirl,” July 2015] gives new meaning to the saying, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” I am in awe.
Amy Rast
Lyndon State College

Access Improved
I’ve been traveling routinely since 2007. Finding real accessibility is rare [“USA: Cross-Country Road Trip,” July 2015], but I’ve found ways around most everything and post my findings on TripAdvisor under the name Cajun71. I have been to Niagara Falls in Canada and the U.S. side. The Canadian side is much more accessible, and getting gasoline was a treat — they still have attendants at some of the stations. I was paralyzed in 1980, and life has improved as far as access since those early days.
Dawn Marie Klug
Saint Leo University

New Models Better
When I have discussed RV travel with those individuals with impaired mobility [Motorvation: “Recreational Vehicles — At Home on the Road,” July 2015], the one thing I always hear is that the bathrooms are too small or configured so the commode is right up against a wall with the sink almost in one’s lap. The newer models that have a bathroom and sink in one are better because they give more room and the person can sit to bathe.
Jean Baker
Via newmobility.com


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