Let Me In, Baby!

 

Yes, this title is funny, however the ruling in this case will literally open up doors to disabled people that were not there before.

All my life, I've had to go through alternate entrances and through dingy, dark places or learn how to navigate the maze to find the handicap entrances.  I worry, however, that this decision will place a burden on small businesses and the larger issues of where to sit once you're inside of a restaurant or whether there's a handicap accessible bathroom may be overlooked.  This decision is only one small victory in making any place truly accessible.

For example, I find when I go out to eat that there are designated handicap areas, although not explicitly said, if I go to a restaurant, they tend to seat me in the same seat 9 out of 10 times. This is for the convenience of the wait staff and accessibility around my wheel chair.  However, I would love to be able to sit somewhere else for a different view of the action.  Most places can, and will, seat you some place else if you ask, so it is worthwhile to ask.

New Accessible Icon

The Accessible Icon Project aims to replace the original ADA logo of a person in a wheelchair with a new, more active image. In their own words, the project aims to provide, "supplies and services to transform the old International Symbol of Access into an active, engaged image. We think visual representation matters. People with disabilities have a long history of being spoken for, of being rendered passive in decisions about their lives. The old icon, while a milestone in ADA history, displays that passivity: its arms and legs are drawn like mechanical parts, its posture is unnaturally erect, and its entire look is one that make the chair, not the person, important and visible. As people with disabilities of all kinds—not just chair users—create greater rights and opportunities for social, political, and cultural participation, we think cities should evolve their images of accessibility too."

Check out the new logo!
 

Here is the transition:

Anniversary of ADA

A recent ceremony at City Hall Plaza marked the 22^nd anniversary of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Advocates cite marked improvements but note that improvements are still needed in particular areas including housing and schools. The city is in the process of adding or improving 5,000 curb cuts and currently has over 30,000 curb cuts. A curb cut is an access point from the street to the sidewalk and is very important for those with disabilities. On a personal note, I can remember when my father came home and said that the world would change for me and told me about handicapped plates and how we wouldn’t have to park so far away from things anymore and that by time I was an adult, I would be able to get around everywhere. Although our access is not perfect, sometimes we should take a step back and admire where we’ve been on the 22^nd anniversary of the ADA.

Let the Music Play

Imagine sitting in a football game, not being able to tell what penalty had just occurred or understand an emergency announcement over the loudspeaker.  This is exactly what hearing-impaired Redskins season ticket holders endured before a recent court decision. In a March 2011 Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals per curiam opinion entitled Feldman v. Pro Football Players and  WFI Stadium the court held that providing auxiliary aids to the hearing-impaired fans as proposed by the Redskins was not enough to provide them equal access to the game.  The court ruled that deaf individuals have the right to engage in the fan experience just as much as individuals who are not hearing impaired.  Simply put, because WFI Stadium is a place of public accommodation, i.e. a public place providing a good and or service, they are required to follow rules set forth under the ADA allowing everyone equal access to their goods and services, in this case, full enjoyment of the football game. The Court of Appeals stated in their opinion that they agree with the District Court’s decision that the music played over the public address system during Redskins home games is part of the football game experience that Pro Football Players and WFI Stadium provide as a good or service, and that the ADA requires full and equal access to the music lyrics. 

In affirming the lower court's ruling, the Appeals Court acknowledged that the Redskins had worked with the plaintiff season-ticket holders since 2007 to come up with a fair compromise.  These compromises included providing handheld devices to be distributed to each fan who requested such a device.  In analyzing whether the devices were an appropriate accommodation the court was persuaded by the fact that the hearing-impaired individual would have to look down at the device in order to read the words on the screen and then look back up and thus miss the action of the game.  The Redskins had originally proposed this idea because they felt that captioning on the main screen as proposed by the plaintiffs would take away from the video board.  The court held that providing such captioning was not an undue burden for the defendants. Judge Beaty dissented in part arguing that the ruling is too broad and could affect other sports facilities negatively.