Comments on: How to Ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act

By: Cynthia Krenshaw

Cynthia Krenshaw — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:06:23 +0000

LOL LOL LOL I see you haven’t changed, partner. :) Nice piece, very well written! Got me fired up. As a former/current employee of Wally world (Wal-mart, for the uninitiated) I’ve seen alot, and I mean ALOT of what you’re talking about. If it’s OK, I’d like to print a copy of this, and give it to my manager. We just had a safety meeting about alot of this. This will give him a better idea of why we need to improve the way we store that stuff. As for the closets, mentioned by another poster, at least at wally world, they have all their supplies at various stations, and I’ve NEVER seen a broom closet. I guess they figure it’d be better to put it on the floor and kill someone. I’m also going to confront him about that, too. Peace and love, and all that fun stuff. Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and whatever else folks are celebrating this year. It’s a shame, wally world has turned me into a pci. (Politically Correct Idiot)

By: letRVoiceBHeard

letRVoiceBHeard — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:25:44 +0000

And my doctor wonders why I have high blood pressure. Grins. Must say though it was a nice change to make a comment agreeing with people here instead of hitting the wall with some stupid comments especially when it comes to service animals. This is actually my first time I ever saw your article. Glad to have found it though.

Yes, I too have a service dog which means I am a person living with a disability. grins. Of course some people think I am the trainer but not a person with a disability. I am actually both! And it shocks them! Guess they cannot figure out how a person living with a disability could actually do things.

C.S.McClendon wrote:
I’ve even had people grab their kids and yank them away when they saw the wheelchair, as if they were afraid that whatever put me in the chair might be catching.>

Now I gotten a different type of approach. I have had people tell their kids oh go ahead up and pet my dog for I wouldn’t mind. They must think I am totally blind or deaf. A stereotyping attitude (blind, deaf and dumb). But it really shocks them when I tell off the parent and only explain to the child that they have to ask me first and why.

There was one time though when a person grabbed not my arm but my dogs equipment and yanked us across the highway in which I wasn’t crossing in the first place and my dog was trying her best to pull back. Thankfully we didn’t get hurt especially my dog but it was quite scary.

By: C.S.McClendon

C.S.McClendon — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:32:21 +0000

Ehlanna: Your quite right. There are many disabled people in the world that seem to view their disability as a license to do whatever they like. Unfortunately, all they truly manage to do is to make things more difficult for the rest of us, permanently disabled and TAB’s alike. In the case of the parking issues however, my usual response is the same whether it is involving someone parked in a reserved space without a sticker on their car or license plate, or someone with a sticker who has decided to park inappropriately, such as on the sidewalk, as I have seen a few times. I open my cell, dial the local sheriff’s office, and read out the location, and license number of the automobile in violation. A disability is just that, a disability, a difficulty. It is not however an excuse to go about daring the world to stop you from doing just what you please.

Brenda: We all have a voice. It just tends to be more difficult for some of us to be heard than others. We just have to work a little harder at getting the world’s attention that’s all. However, seeing as I seem to have gained that attention through this little article of mine, I think I’ll keep it a while longer and see if I can do some good with it for a change. You will most certainly see more articles from me in the future, likely on all manner of things, from my point of view. invite you, and anyone else with an interest to come and read them. I believe you will find the link above.:)

Samantha: You are quite right of course, and that was after all, my intent, to get people talking. Thank you so much for being a part of the conversation, please, keep it up.

Miyuka: Your referring to a certain Denis Leary song I do believe. happen to love that song. It was actually part of the inspiration for this article in fact, caught a bit of it whilst I was contemplating what to write and began to ask myself, “why can’t I write something like this?” and so I did. I like to think that Denis would find a lot of enjoyment in this article were he to ever stumble onto it. I’m glad to see so many people out there besides myself manage to see the humor in sarcasm. Thank you for being a part of that.

Diane:I’m glad you enjoyed it, there will certainly be more to come. Just keep an eye out for my page on http://geeks.pirillo.com/profile/csmcclendon in the near future. Your quite right, its the focus on ourselves that tends to lead to the types of ignorance I tried to point out here. When I was growing up, a very special lady taught me that that sort of view of the world was called tunnel vision, where people are incapable of seeing any more than is right in front of them. She also taught me that when they refuse to see, you simply have to put what they choose to ignore front and center, until they have no choice but to react. That is what I’ve tried to do here, and its what I will keep trying to do in the future. Thank you so much for being a part of the conversation we’ve started here. please, I hope you will continue.

By: GrannyDiane

GrannyDiane — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:03:16 +0000

Very much enjoyed your article. If more people would just stop and think about others instead of only themselves, we might not have such problems. But most people are very self-centered and that makes them “blind” to other people’s predicaments and problems.

By: Miyuka

Miyuka — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:44:58 +0000

I thought it was funny, reminded me of that one song… “I’m an asshole.” there’s a part where he says something about handicapped people. Honestly at first I was like wow this is kind mean…should I be laughing at it? I’m sure if I was disabled I’d probably be angry at reading this before getting to the end, but I’m not, so I wasn’t. Wonder if that makes me an asshole…

By: Samantha

Samantha — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:32:19 +0000

Its awesome to see the amount of discussion this has generated… surprisingly enough this may just be the simple answer that gets people talking… and as we all know talking is the first step to action…

By: Brenda

Brenda — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:54:56 +0000

I would love to see more articles from you, Shawn. You seem to be a very intelligent person who needs their voice to be heard. You could be an advocate for those of us who do not have a say so because of our disabilities.

By: Ehlanna

Ehlanna — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:00:12 +0000

I will type this slowly and loudly so you can understand …
Very pertinent points, and one that I have often felt the urge to complain over – a bevy of vehicles taking up the disabled bays at the local super-market, their disabled stickers prominent by their absence. I think I may start a campaign of informing the manager of such suspect vehicles.
However, the flip-side of the coin is those genuinely disabled who seem to consider that their disabled sticker is a permit to park anywhere, regardless of how inconvenient to anyone else!

By: C.S.McClendon

C.S.McClendon — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:47:47 +0000

To John: I’m not a lawyer, let me get that out of the way first and foremost, but from experience it would sound to me as though you might have grounds for a law suit there. My recommendation would be to seek out the services of your local Legal aid offices, if nothing else they should be able to tell you if there is grounds for a case or not. I know that my own local legal aid offices have been able to help me with similar issues in the past.

To Bob:I’m glad your employers saw the benefit to being considerate to -all- their customers rather than just the TABs (Temporarily Able Bodied) and if you have doubts about the temporary part, ask John:) In Truth, most places I’ve been to are very considerate, and in my travels I try to make a point of thanking those who are as much as I try to chastise those who aren’t. I’m not perfect of course, but I try.

Brenda:I’d like to take a brief moment to thank both you and your husband for your support, and hope you keep reading. This isn’t the first time I’ve submitted to one of Chris’s contests, and after seeing the amount of positive response this article has generated, I am seriously considering starting a running blog on http://geeks.pirillo.com/profile/csmcclendon . If that is something you would be interested in seeing, please, feel free to let me know.

To Sabriyah: Thank you for taking the time to contribute to our little running conversation here. It’s ashame that such ignorance as you speak of exists on so wide a scale, and thats all it is really, ignorance and lack of consideration. To ignore a posted parking restriction, and the excuse I hear most often is “I didn’t see it.” It makes me want to respond with, “if you’re that blind, maybe you shouldn’t drive?” Thanks again for taking the time.

To Skylar:Thank you for paying attention all the way through, and you are of course correct. I should not have made such a blanket generalization. My main problem with the mobile sales racks is when they are places so close together that people on -foot- have a difficult time getting around them, much less someone in a wheel chair getting around or between them. thank you again for reading and pointing out my mistake. Like I said before, I’m not perfect.

Thanks again to you all, please.. lets keep the conversation going, after all, that’s what we’re all here for, right?

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:00:58 +0000

Well written, informative and amusing. What more could one ask for in a article?

By: Skylar

Skylar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:52:26 +0000

Ah…let’s see here. I am not a widely-versed individual. And in as much as I can see with or without assistance, even if without I find it difficult to tell people of similar height and build apart unless they speak. So, I would fall into the category of all the people out there who might, usually, by simple lack of knowledge do things without knowing do things that annoy people with various debilitating aspects. Although some are fairly well common sense, and general good manners, such as parking in or blocking in a vehicle parked in a handicapped space. That is something there can be no excuse for aside from an abhorrent level of stupidity and ignorance without any attempt to rectify the lack. But, how, without ever having known anyone who was blind, would somebody attract the attention of one who cannot see to inform them perhaps that they have dropped something? It would be beyond a level of rude to just step up and say something like “Hey, squinty” or “I’m talking to you, blind guy.” As for the part about seeing eye dogs and the PETA sheets printed out and the like….I am already one to dislike most things that PETA enthusiasts say or do. There is nothing wrong with having a seeing eye dog, any more than there is simply having a dog at all. Just because the dog has a harness to help the visually impaired is no reason to get up in arms about it, as I doubt the canine companion would be nearly as cooperative if it was being hurt or discomfited by it. Now, on to the part of the portable sales racks, one of the great american principles of our commercial-based focus, is to make as big a profit as we can manage with the little space we have. Now, unless you had meant that they placed said portable sales racks in walkways, or actually made a maze or an obstruction to being able to move around with no space to avoid them, I feel it is unfair to denigrate them for upholding one of the american ideals. Though I can agree with how rude and inconsiderate the part about placing things about in the doorways to restrooms. I have no need of mobility-aids or the like, but I have still on occasion caused quite a racket by bumping them and causing a whole stack of brooms or mops to fall to the floor. There isn’t any need to do things like that, since after all, is this not why we have amazing devices called….gasp…closets? Just as in general life moments, where the average person can make stupid and uninformed mistakes, so too can our stores and restaurants. Though for any of the larger chains or people that have multiple minds working together to run an establishment the most notable errors in good sense should be avoided, human error not withstanding.
I agree with a large number of your points here, though as I have pointed out there are a couple that I do not. There are some things that one cannot know, and certain stupid mistakes that everyone is bound to make in their life. Though there are also plenty of rude people in the world that would do things on purpose, becoming angry with everyone might be going a bit extreme, but still part of human nature that no one can change. All in all, it gives me things to consider and I find the different perspective a nice expanding of horizons.

By: Sabriyah

Sabriyah — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:44:17 +0000

Brilliantly written! Its amazing the things people do sometimes… the taking of parking spaces happens often where i live… it’s like being a sign there makes no difference… Reaches a point when one wonders who the real blind are…

By: Brenda

Brenda — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:21:05 +0000

A Very nice article, very well written. Being a Disabled person myself, and having my husband be disabled as well, we know exactly where the author is coming from. I hope more people listen to what he is trying to say.

By: C.S.McClendon

C.S.McClendon — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:17:04 +0000

To:letRvoiceBHeard

To be honest, as bad as it may sound, I’m glad I got your blood boiling. That means you were paying attention. At the same time though, I’m glad you were able to read through to the actual intent of the article.

Yes, my son is autistic, and we have often had people glare at us or worse for ‘allowing’ his behavior. We have had doctors tell us it was nothing, and even a few that reported us to family services. Its part of the reason I write articles like this, force people to pay attention. Thank you for adding to the conversation.

To Wryn: Am glad you approve, and yes, its interesting to watch the looks you get when you dare to go out in public. I’ve even had people grab their kids and yank them away when they saw the wheelchair, as if they were afraid that whatever put me in the chair might be catching.

To all of you (and yes Chris that means you too): Thank you for your support, and please, lets keep the conversation going, these are the types of conversations that make a difference… Thank you all…

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:12:41 +0000

Interesting method of bringing awareness. I’ve worked retail, and at least where I worked, we were always fairly respectable of the regulations and whatnot to make everones experience better.. after all.. we wanted people to spend money :)