We would like to acknowledge the following contributors to this month’s STAE issue.
The Sterling Creations accessibility team, Jeff N Marquis and Kerry J Harrison who are our resident business consultants, Scott Savoy our managing editor, Christian Robicheau our assistant editor, and Donna J Jodhan our president.
We are especially delighted to have both Jeff N Marquis and Kerry J Harrison as part of our magazine staff and as our resident business experts because of their in depth knowledge and expertise as special needs business consultants.Both Jeff and Kerry have written many articles and they released their last hot selling book called “Untapped Wealth Discovered.”This book was released in mid August 2005 and it has already begun to fulfill promises of being dynamite, explosive, and seismic and we are very sure that many of you will find it extremely valuable, useful and informative.Both the U.S and British governments have already given their blessing to this book and several business experts have also jumped on the band wagon.Marquis and Harrison are off to a flying start.
We believe in this book because it is unique in that it can help you to get back on your feet if you suddenly find yourself without a job, if you are looking for ways to put money away for your kids’ education, or if you need extra income to help you live more comfortably.The beauty about this book is that it is based solely on realities and logic and not on those fool hardy get rich quick schemes and false and empty promises.
Here are just a few quotes from some U.S government officials and experts to peak your interest.
“Block buster material.This book has the potential to change the way we reduce our costs, increase our revenues, expand our customer base, and stay ahead of our competition.”
“If you are looking for safe ways to protect the future of you and your kids then you should pick up a copy of Untapped Wealth Discovered.”
“Marquis and Harrison have affectively provided their readers with logical and common sense ways to generate and create business ideas that will work because they are based on markets that exist.Moreover these markets are going to be around for a very long time to come.”
“This book is meant to help the little guy.It’s a book for almost everyone.The woman, the entrepreneur, the small business owner, and even the retiree and the college student.”
“If you want to avoid those get rich quick schemes and keep your money safe then Untapped Wealth Discovered is an absolute must read for you.”
Here is what some readers have to say about "Untapped Wealth Discovered."
From Kelly Strasberg vice president of a mid sized computer company in San Francisco:
"As a woman I am really impressed to see that these authors truly understand our plight in the business world. They acknowledge that there is indeed a glass ceiling for women and they show us how to deal with it in a positive way."
From Mark Gregory a foreman who unexpectedly lost his job at a GM plant in Michigan in 2005:
"It's so hard to know what to do when you suddenly find yourself without a job but this book has helped me to deal with things and turn my life around in a very quick time. I'm back on
my feet and making very good money.Enough to be the bread winner once more."
From Rick Stone a small business owner in Washington DC:
"This is the first book that I've come across where the authors don't even mention a single thing about getting rich quickly.Instead, they talk about ways to take advantage of niche markets, lucrative opportunities, and rising demand."
From Melissa Goldatt a stay at home mom in Baltimore Maryland:
"I like this book because it presents fresh new approaches to creating your own employment.It also helps you to evaluate yourself and that's important to mebecause I am seriously thinking of getting into some kind of business to earn some extra income to help out around the house and I don't want to do something new without first examining all of my options."
From Chris Farrell a retired banker in New York:
"I wasn't sure what I would be reading when I bought a copy of this book but I'm sure glad that I did.If anyone is seriously looking to develop a business then this is the book for you.Marquis and Harrison have truly captured the essence of some very important trends and they talk about using these trends to build safe and sound businesses.Something that most of my colleagues should be thinking of before they retire."
From Laura Peterson a professor in business studies in London England:
"I'm glad to see that someone is finally paying attention to women in the business world.After reading this book I am convinced that women can have more than a better chance of being successful in their own businesses."
From Pierre LaPage a recent graduate in Montreal Canada:
"I was just browsing Amazon when I came across "Untapped Wealth Discovered" and the cover looked interesting enough so I bought it because it did not cost too much.It's cool!It has some very interesting techniques.It does not BS you into false hope and the authors don't try to fool you with big terms and cute phrases.No smoke screens here."
The second edition of “Untapped Wealth Discovered” was released on April 28 and the excitement is already building at break neck speed as these two authors have already been booked solid for the next year in promotional appearances across North America, Britain, and Europe.
The second edition comes as a result of tremendous demand from both readers and clients as well as from the American, British, and Canadian governments.The first edition sold over 50,000 copies in just six months and the experts are openly predicting that the second edition will probably sell well over a quarter million copies within the first year.
Mr. Marquis is a motivational speaker and a highly paid consultant to both the U.S and British governments.He has over 20 years of special needs business consulting and is absolutely delighted to be co-authoring “Untapped Wealth Discovered” with Ms Harrison.His time is filled with speaking engagements, consulting, and traveling around the world to help set up new ventures.
Ms Harrison also has over 20 years in the special needs business-consulting field and her expertise is constantly in demand and among other things she works as a consultant to the U.S government, she is a motivational speaker, and she finds time to work on other projects for large corporate clients, small businesses, and even entrepreneurs.
These two are indeed an unbeatable combination and if you’d like them to help you keep up to date with up to the minute news then you should visit www.untappedwealth.com and check out the business desk.There you will find daily postings by Jeff, Kerry, and their fellow consultants and you can view all of this at no charge.
If you are looking for easy ways to keep abreast with news flashes, news from off the wires, and important developments and trends in the business world then the business desk is definitely for you.
Hello there!This month we’d like to answer one of the more common questions that we are constantly being asked by large companies.How important is it for companies to make their websites accessible to special needs consumers?Our answer is very simple.In America it is mandatory under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for all companies to make their websites accessible.If you don’t then you run the risk of being sued by any of the large organizations in America that represent the interests of any of the special needs consumers groups and in addition if you do business with our government and if you do not adhere to the rules set out in the ADA then the American government will penalize you.If you are naïve enough to fight this in court then chances are that 99.99% of the time you are going to lose big time and you will run the risk of not only having to pay big bucks but you will also be embarrassed in the media.What most companies don’t seem to realize is that accessible websites have the potential to bring them immense benefits.Benefits such as reducing their costs for customer support, internal costs for employee training, maintenance costs for their websites, increasing their revenues because more people will be able to access their websites, and expansion of their customer databases.
Our advice to you is to please do not do as the Target Corp did.Unfortunately, Target did not take the matter seriously enough and has now ended up having to face off against the National Federation of the Blind in court.Please see the article below.
Court rules Target must make website accessible to the blind
KARE11 TV, Minnesota, September 07, 2006
A federal district court judge ruled Wednesday that a retailer may be sued
if its website is inaccessible to the blind. The ruling was issued in a case
brought by the National Federation of the Blind against Target Corp.
The suit charges that Target's website ( http://www.target.com ) is
inaccessible to the blind, and therefore violates the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the
California Disabled Persons Act. Target asked the court to dismiss the
action by arguing that no law requires Target to make its website
accessible. The Court denied Target's motion to dismiss and held that the
federal and state civil rights laws do apply to a website such as
target.com.
The suit, NFB v. Target, was filed as a class action on behalf of all blind
Americans who are being denied access to target.com. The named plaintiffs
are the NFB, the NFB of California, and a blind college student, Bruce "BJ"
Sexton.
The plaintiffs are represented by Disability Rights Advocates, a
Berkeley-based non-profit law firm that specializes in high-impact cases on
behalf of people with disabilities;
The court held: "the 'ordinary meaning' of the ADA's prohibition against
discrimination in the enjoyment of goods, services, facilities or
privileges, is that whatever goods or services the place provides, it cannot
discriminate on the basis of disability in providing enjoyment of those
goods and services." The court thus rejected Target's argument that only its
physical store locations were covered by the civil rights laws, ruling
instead that all services provided by Target, including its Web site, must
be accessible to persons with disabilities.
"This ruling is a great victory for blind people throughout the country,"
said NFB President Dr. Marc Maurer. "We are pleased that the court
recognized that the blind are entitled to equal access to retail websites."
Dr. Maurer explained that blind persons access websites by using keyboards
in conjunction with screen-reading software, which vocalizes visual
information on a computer screen.
Target's website contains significant access barriers that prevent blind
customers from browsing among and purchasing products online, as well as
from finding important corporate information such as employment
opportunities, investor news, and company policies.
The plaintiffs charge that target.com fails to meet the minimum standard of
web accessibility. It lacks compliant alt-text, an invisible code embedded
beneath graphic images that allows screen readers to detect and vocalize a
description of the image to a blind computer user. It also contains
inaccessible image maps and other graphical features, preventing blind users
from navigating and making use of all of the functions of the website. And
because the website requires the use of a mouse to complete a transaction,
blind Target customers are unable to make purchases on target.com
independently.
Explaining the ramification of the ruling, Mazen M. Basrawi, Equal Justice
Works Fellow at Disability Rights Advocates, noted that: "the court
clarified that the law requires that any place of public accommodation is
required to ensure that it does not discriminate when it uses the internet
as a means to enhance the services it offers at a physical location."
"I hope that I can soon shop online at Target.com just like anyone else,"
said UC Berkeley student BJ Sexton, who is a named plaintiff in the lawsuit.
"I believe that millions of blind people like me can use the Internet just
as easily as do the sighted, if websites are accessible."
Hello there!We’d like to start off by wishing our Canadian friends a very happy Thanksgiving.This month we’d like to present you with an article that was sent to us by Tim Markham in London England.We decided to publish this article because we would like our readers to have a broader view of the Internet and to see how information and communication technology can go a long way in helping to deal with social, economic, and educational problems in a positive way.We can only hope that our decision makers here in North America would find a way to follow suit.We are very mindful of the fact that both Europe and Britain are taking positive steps to make full use of the Internet in many creative ways and that they are including the welfare of such groups as seniors and special needs persons.These steps can only bring positive benefits to the British and European economies a fact that seems to be lost on many companies here in North America.
We hope that you find this article interesting and we’d like to thank Tim Markham for his submission.
Internet for all: EU ministers commit to an inclusive and barrier-free
information society
June 12, 2006
A pan-European drive to use information and communication technologies to
help people to overcome economic, social, educational, territorial or
disability-related disadvantages was endorsed by ministers of 34 European
countries in Riga (Latvia) today. "e-Inclusion" targets include halving the
gap in internet usage by groups at risk of exclusion, boosting broadband
coverage in Europe to at least 90%, and making all public web sites
accessible by 2010.
Welcoming the ministers' undertaking, Information Society and Media Viviane
Reding said: "Many Europeans still get too little benefit from information
and communication technologies, and millions are at risk of being left
behind. Enabling all Europeans to participate on equal terms in the
information society is not only a social necessity - it is a huge economic
opportunity for industry. By implementing their Riga undertakings, European
countries will take a big step towards making e-inclusion a reality."
The Riga Ministerial Declaration, signed today by ministers from EU Member
States, accession and candidate countries, and EFTA/EEA countries, sets out
the following specific targets:
halve the gap in internet usage by 2010 for groups at risk of exclusion,
such as older people, people with disabilities, and unemployed persons,
increase broadband coverage (i.e. the availability of broadband
infrastructure) in Europe to at least 90% by 2010. In 2005, broadband was
available to about 60% of businesses and households in the remote and rural
areas of the EU15 and to more than 90% in the urban areas; see IP/06/340),
ensure that all public websites are accessible by 2010,
by 2008, put in place actions in the field of digital literacy and skills to
reduce gaps for groups at risk of exclusion by half in 2010,
by 2007, make recommendations on accessibility standards and common
approaches, which could become mandatory in public procurement by 2010, and
assess the necessity for legislative measures in the field of
e-Accessibility, and take account of accessibility requirements in the
review of the electronic communications regulatory framework beginning in
June 2006.
Ministers also invited the Commission to address, as a matter of urgency,
and before the end of 2006, the issues of active ageing and independent
living in the information society.
The means to achieve these targets include measures to promote the take-up
of user-recommended best practices, industry-led provision of accessible
technology, innovative EU research, national e-inclusion plans, and
voluntary agreements between stakeholders.
As information and communication technologies (ICT) become more pervasive in
society and the economy, so their potential impact on everyday life grows.
Lack of affordability, access, accessibility, skills and motivation are all
barriers for the estimated 30 to 40 percent of Europeans not benefiting from
the information society. Despite broadband subscriptions in Europe growing
by 60% in 2005 and overtaking the US for the first time, broadband
penetration (or "take-up" - measured as the number of subscribers per 100
population) is still only at 13% of the EU population (or about 25% of
households), with
significant differences in access between rural and urban areas (see (
IP/06/340).
This is why Commissioner Reding intends to intensify the application of EU
telecom rules in the next years to enhance competition in the internal
market and to achieve a broadband penetration of at least 50% of households
by 2010.
In the EU, only 10% of persons over 65 use the Internet. Only around 3% of
public web sites fully comply with minimum web accessibility standards - a
real problem for the 15% of the EU population with disabilities. In real
terms, this means that a huge percentage of the population in the EU cannot
fully participate in and contribute to social and economic life. This
undermines potentials for Europe's labour, goods and services markets.
ICT-enabled job participation
can help bring excluded groups into the job market and thus make a
contribution towards Europe's 70% labour market participation target.
Ministers in Riga therefore backed strongly the European Commission"s
intention to prepare for the European e-inclusion initiative announced for
2008 in the "i2010" strategy, the digital economy component of the EU's
renewed "Lisbon" agenda for jobs and growth.
Commissioner Reding also stressed the need for public authorities at all
levels, industry and users "to work together for a coherent and systematic
approach towards an inclusive, barrier-free Information Society". The
European Commission will mobilise all means to this end, including research
initiatives under the EU's seventh Research Framework programme (FP7),
innovation actions in the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP),
the strict application of today's EU telecom rules to ensure effective
competition and better, faster and richer services for citizens, as well as
Greetings to you all.This month I’d like to focus on an article written by someone who is disabled.I sometimes feel that it is necessary for us all to take a few moments and put ourselves in the shoes of a disabled person and view things through their eyes.Hopefully this article will help those of you who are unsure as to how to deal with disability.I chose this article because of the author’s frankness and honesty.
How Disability Looks
by Lee Pelley
Becoming disabled in any way is usually the result of personal disaster.It
may come from the slow development of problems that existed from birth; it
may come about through disease, or because of an accident.One way or
another, however, the disaster that resulted in disability is, invariably,
highly personal.
Apparently, most of us were disabled by one exact event, one exact disease,
or one exact birth defect.So when someone asks the disabled person, "What
is wrong with you?" the response is simple and direct.The answer is brief
and to the point.It is an easy answer.
Some of us, however, don't find that question so easy to answer.In my
case, I am a collection of disabilities, largely from birth defects that
have developed over my lifetime.
The bottom line is that I look just fine.Everything I have witnessed in
the disability community in my area (which has an exceptionally high rate of
disability) indicates the vast majority of us look this way:just fine.A
light sampling of disabilities with no obvious external features would be
Parkinson's Disease, heart problems, spine injuries--all are present in my community.
>From what I see, about three-fourths of disabled people look fine, just as
I do.
Everything--just everything about modern medicine is designed to make us
disabled people look as average as doctors can achieve. Dentures, an
artificial eye or limb, even wigs for those passing through chemotherapy or
brain surgery are all designed to make us look as much like others as we
can, to blend with the crowd.
When a disabled person lives in a community of regular people, one's
disability is accepted casually, often gallantly, and always politely.
But in a community with high numbers of disabled people, one is indeed
bashed regularly. And it is the other disabled people who bash those with
invisible disabilities the most.There's a strong element in such areas of
I am MORE DISABLED THAN THOU.
As I've spent many decades working closely with other animals, I know it is
common for them to hide injuries whenever they possibly can.The goose with
a broken wing will always present her good side for your inspection.The
lame horse will keep the injured leg on the ground even when it pains him to
do so, hoping you will not notice his vulnerability. All wild animals hide
injuries as a matter of course.It saves them all from discovery of their
weakness, which might result in an attack they will be unable to escape.
Understandably, I feel this is a natural phenomenon that doctors copy
whenever they can.
I have a state placard that declares my disability.I went without one for
16 years and flat suffered to avoid assinine confrontations.Yet as I age,
I'm finding this far too difficult to stick with.I've finally accepted my
disabilities and adopted the disabled placard, to my doctor's gratification
but to the disgust of my fellow disabled. I find myself totally unwilling to
discuss this loudly in public parking lots when I have parked in a disabled
zone and am attacked by someone who insists that they deserve the space
available more than I do.
The number of disabled people is growing rapidly everywhere, largely because
modern medicine has advanced dramatically.Hence, people who would have
been snuffed out yesterday, now survive.And a lot of these survivors
(including me) look fine. I am convinced that I belong to the majority of
the disabled.
May those of us who look well, but are not, ask reasonably for the benefit
of the doubt?Your tolerance?
Will we get it?
Lee Pelley is the manager/teacher at SYLVAN LEEF Inc.She has Spina bifida,
ataxia, heart problems...many disabilities, all of which do not show.If
you like, contact her at
sylvanleef@earthlink.net.
To avoid deletion, she suggests you use Sylvan Leef in the "subject" bar.
Hello there!This month I’d like to present you with a very lengthy article that I chose because of its content and the fact that it hit really closely to home.I myself am visually impaired and although I don’t use a guide dog I am a cane user.Many of the examples in this article are very common to me as almost daily I have friends and clients who tell me similar stories and I myself have experienced so many similar situations.Santa Fe is not alone when it comes to cities that are still very inaccessible.There is much for us to learn from this article and many possible and potential business opportunities for our readers to take advantage of.
I hope that this article opens your eyes to a greater understanding of disability and what it means.
Sounds as if the ADA hasn't gone as far as many of us think.
Americans with disabilities act: The disabled divide
By BARBARA ZANG
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, July 16, 2006
Those with visual and physical impairments find Santa Fe has far to go in
making the community accessible to all
Listen to Santa Feans with disabilities, and you'll learn The City isn't
particularly kind to people who are different. "It's not easy being
different,'' said one city resident who uses a walker."
On July 26, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 16 years old. Since
1990, we have certainly made progress in opening public institutions,
employment, education and other systems to people with disabilities.
But we haven't yet fulfilled the ADA's promise of making community life
accessible to all.
To assess accessibility for visitors and residents, The New Mexican
conducted a random survey of 25 hotels in the 2006 Official Santa Fe
Visitors Guide and talked with Santa Feans with visual and physical
impairments. Here are our reports.
Being different in The City Different
As Sharon McConnell sees it, the Americans with Disabilities Act is more
powerful than the Civil Rights Act.
"It includes everyone," she said.
She's right: The ADA covers anyone who has any disability. Disability does
not always occur at birth, as do race, ethnicity and gender. Disability
might come from accident, disease or aging. The U.S. census in 2000 counted
10, 831 Santa Feans ages 5 and older with disabilities. Santa Fe County had
21,161 people ages 5 and older with disabilities.
McConnell, 43, a sculptor who began losing her vision when she was 26, has
lived in Santa Fe for 10 years. Her sight is now nearly gone. She navigates
the city with Bella, her black Labrador retriever service dog.
"People like me who want to access their communities don't want to fear
being turned away," she said. Service animals are not pets. Under the ADA,
they're allowed in public places such as hotels and restaurants.
Over the years, she and Bella have had their share of disappointments in
Santa Fe. About four years ago, they went to the post office in DeVargas
Center to mail a package. McConnell needed help addressing the package. When
she got to the front of the line, the clerk told her dogs weren't allowed,
and she was holding up the line because her package wasn't addressed.
McConnell moved out of the line, humiliated. People offered to help her, but
the damage was done. She couldn't finish her postal chore that day.
The post office remedied the situation by educating its staff, she said.
Santa Fe restaurants also have turned the two away. On the spot, McConnell
tries to educate the staff rather than cause a fuss.
"I feel I'm going to be the best I can be in the moment," McConnell said.
That means not causing trouble. "I don't want people to see me and think,
`Oh! She's a troublemaker!' " She said she feels she's an ambassador for
Guide Dogs for the Blind and tries to approach people with respect and
kindness. She said she seeks the same from them.
"Why should I have to call ahead to alert people to the fact that I have a
Seeing Eye dog -- especially when I'm spending money in there?" she asked.
But call ahead she does. She has a list of favorite Santa Fe restaurants,
places she feels welcome. The Zia Diner, for example, usually has a menu in
Braille. It is currently being updated. In other restaurants, wait staff
willingly read her the menu.
"Just being included, not excluded, makes you feel good," she said.
People with physical disabilities encounter other problems with restaurants
-- among them steep entrance ramps, steps, inaccessible restrooms and low
lighting.
When Jean Seals and nine friends wanted to eat out at a Santa Fe restaurant,
one called to make a reservation and asked whether the restaurant was
accessible for people with disabilities. She was told it was.
"But there was a steep ramp to get up into the place," Seals said. She uses
a walker and had to zigzag up the ramp to keep from slipping back. Once
inside, she discovered their reserved seating was down two small steps. Her
knees are bad, and steps aggravate them.
"And after I'm seated, they want to take my walker away," she said. She uses
tank oxygen and carries it in a basket on her walker. ``If I put my oxygen
tank on the floor, waiters step over it. Sometimes the tube becomes
unattached, then the tank whistles.''
That isn't the sort of attention Seals, who is in her late 70s, wants when
she eats out.
She has a master's degree in music education and taught music, worked in a
library and was a technician in an Arizona power company before she retired.
She was an avid hiker, too. Four years ago, her doctor told her she needed
to use oxygen.
She has a standing order for 12 tanks of oxygen a week. "If I stay home a
lot, I need seven or eight," she said. "A lot of people just stay home. They
don't want the inconvenience of the tank."
But Seals likes getting out. "You have to be willing to get out and go
places," she said. "Just to see what's happening."
Paula Summers sees from one eye only, and she sees only in black and white.
"I have no depth perception when walking," she said. She's lived in Santa Fe
since 1988. Her vision problems began in 2000.
"When the tables are close together, I can't see to get through the space,"
she said. And when a restaurant's lights are turned down, the darkness is
extremely difficult to navigate.
She sometimes uses a cane because she's had back and leg pain for 15 years.
Steps are doubly difficult because she can't easily see them.
She crosses restaurants off her list as they become more problematic. "You
have to walk upstairs for dinner," she said of the Ore House on the Plaza.
"I don't go there."
For Gabriel Taylor, 27, bars and restaurants seem to pack the tables and the
people in, which makes navigating the space in his scooter a problem. "You
can get in," he said, "but you can't move around."
A freelance writer, Taylor was born and raised in Santa Fe. He was able to
walk until 2001, when surgery on his back "went wrong," as he put it. "I've
had to learn quickly in dealing with the limitations," he said.
One of the things that annoys him about eating out is the treatment he
sometimes gets from restaurant staff.
He'll be in a restaurant with friends, and as they make their way to a
table, the hostess will ask one of them whether Taylor needs a chair. "We
may be shorter or in a wheelchair or using a cane, but that doesn't make us
incapable of answering for ourselves," he said. "A cane doesn't mean my mind
is messed up."
Restrooms
Accessible restrooms, especially in restaurants, are rare.
"Sometimes you need to go through the kitchen to get to them," Seals said.
The "accessible" stall sometimes doesn't have the required grab bars at the
rear and side of the toilet. Holding onto the toilet-paper dispenser doesn't
offer much stability, she said.
If the toilets are too low, "you need a derrick to get up," she said. Stalls
that aren't accessible have no room for her walker. She leaves it outside
the stall and watches to see that her oxygen tubing doesn't get kinked in
the door.
"If you have someone to help you, it's peace of mind," she said about those
situations.
Taylor calls getting in and out of restrooms "tricky," although his scooter
is more narrow and compact than a full-size wheelchair. Some places have
such narrow doors, he says, that he's not sure how people manage if they
can't get out of their wheelchairs.
Shopping
Shopping malls and places such as Target and Borders get high marks for
restroom accessibility from Seals. Shopping, however, presents another set
of navigation problems.
"The clothing racks are too close together," Seals said. "Clothes catch on
my walker." The biggest problem is lack of space to get around as easily as
a person without disabilities. "We do take up more space," she said.
Taylor says shopping in smaller places, the "shops you want to go into,"
poses problems. "I'll cut a corner and notice that I've knocked something
over with my scooter," he said. The merchandise is too close together for
people with physical disabilities.
"I take stuff home and try it on -- or shop the catalogs," said Jill
Douglass, 49, who has used a wheelchair her entire life. She drives a van
with a lift and says in the interests of time, she goes to the same places,
"those places that I know will be really easy for me."
Douglass is assistant vice president for academic affairs and student
retention at Santa Fe Community College. That job, plus two young children,
keeps her busy.
She says if she needs to get her son a swimsuit, she'll tell a clerk that
she needs a size 14 swimsuit from the boy's department. "I have a tendency
in my old age to just ask for help," she says. "I've maximized my energy
that way."
Asking for help is something Paula Summers has learned to do, too. "I very
seldom shop," she said. "I know what I want, and if I don't know where it
is, I ask."
Summers recently asked a pharmacy clerk to read a label. She hoped the
product didn't contain an ingredient she was allergic to. It didn't. "People
are kind and will help you," she said.
Most grocery stores have powered carts, so grocery shopping is almost no
problem, Jean Seals said. She can reach many items, but said "they prefer
you ask a clerk for high-up things."
Sharon McConnell said Trader Joe's shops for her and delivers her groceries.
Albertson's and Whole Foods will shop for her, but they don't deliver. She
uses a city-funded Capital Cab service to get around. "It's a unique service
available in the city," she said.
Paratransit services
That service is about to change, however. The city of Santa Fe, hoping to
cut its costs for paratransit services, has purchased nine vans and has
promised people a more dependable service than what they say they've had
with Capital Cab. The city will begin offering transportation services this
week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Capital Cab will provide
service the rest of the time.
Paula Summers, who went to one of the meetings on the new paratransit
system, said the disabled community had several concerns about the city's
plans.
"They don't seem to hear from the disabled community," she said. People are
worried that the one-way fares, currently $2 for those with disabilities and
$5 for seniors, will go up. Summers said they also wonder whether the
drivers will be helpful. Will they be courteous? Compassionate?
"One elderly woman was frightened that she wouldn't get the help she
needed," Summers said. "If you're here alone and don't have anyone, it makes
it difficult."
Jean Seals wonders whether the drivers will have adequate training. She
moved to Santa Fe three years ago. "The first time I rode the city lift
vans, the driver didn't know he had to tie down my walker," she said. "It
went rolling around."
She worries about timely pickup and delivery. She has to. One time she was
at her church, St. Bede's Episcopal Church, and waited for Capital Cab to
come take her home after services. The cab was almost an hour late.
"I looked at the gauge on my oxygen and called the cab again," Seals said.
"I said, `Unless you get here right away, I'll be lying on the ground.'" The
tank's gauge was in the red zone, her oxygen supply dangerously low.
Seals now totes a spare tank that weighs 7 pounds. Her regular tank weighs
10. She moves the extra weight around in her walker. It's insurance.
She's done the math and worries about what transportation will be like in
the larger city vans. "If you pick up eight people and deliver eight people,
it'll take time," Seals said. "It could be interesting."
On-time transit services can be a life-and-death matter for Seals. For
others, late services mean missed medical and other appointments.
Accessible parking
Jill Douglass drives a van with a lift. If a disabled-parking spot is on a
slope, her van's lift won't go all the way down. "I don't go there," she
said.
Finding cars in van-accessible parking spots vexes her.
"I do find that there are a lot of cars parking in the van-accessible
spots," Douglass said. "You see people with a placard jump out of a car and
sprint into the grocery store. You can't judge by how people look, but you
can based on behavior."
On the days that people are feeling well, they should park farther away and
leave the disabled spots for people who need them, she said.
Taylor shares her annoyance. He drives a vehicle with hand controls and a
lift. "I'll see three disabled-parking spaces and only two of the three cars
parked have placards," he said. "There's no enforcement."
The divide
Twice a week, Taylor goes to pool-therapy sessions where he's met other
disabled Santa Feans. It's a microcosm of disabilities, he said. Some people
are bitter because they deal with the narrow doorways, the inaccessible
bathrooms and those who park without a placard.
In general, people with disabilities are isolated from the greater
community.
"People in Santa Fe just don't realize there are problems," Taylor said.
This isolation creates a divide that impedes a more-accessible city. More
dialogue, more communication between those with disabilities and those
without would help.
He said people can say they've made parking -- or a restaurant -- accessible
but whether it is truly accessible doesn't seem to matter. Some "accessible
parking" is on gravel or dirt or on an incline, all of which impede
wheelchair travel. Just because it's marked accessible, doesn't mean it is.
And as Jean Seals and her friends found out, just because a restaurant says
it is accessible doesn't mean you can easily get to your table.
"You want to say that in a perfect world, the curb cuts would be right in
front of you, but they're not," Taylor said. "I want to be able to live my
life and not be limited by those things and not be embittered by those
things."
Contact Barbara Zang at 995-3807 or bzang@sfnewmexican.com
How to file an ADA Title III complaint
People who have a complaint about accessibility or discrimination under the
Americans with Disabilities Act must look to the federal government rather
than the local or state governments for resolution of the complaint.
The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department handles
discrimination complaints under the ADA's Title III, which deals with public
accommodations. These include, but are not limited to, places that provide
lodging; serve food and drink; or offer entertainment, exhibitions,
recreation, exercise, education or social services.
If you feel a business or organization has discriminated against you or
another person, file a complaint. Include the following information in your
letter:
►Your full name, address and telephone number; ► The name of the
party discriminated against; ► The name of the business, organization
or institution that you believe has discriminated; ► A description of
the act or acts of discrimination, the date or dates of the discriminatory
acts, and the name or names of the individuals who you believe
discriminated; and ► Other information you believe necessary to
support your complaint. If you have documents that support your complaint,
send copies with your letter. Keep original documents.
► Sign and send the letter to: U.S. Department of Justice, 950
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights - NYAVE,
Washington, DC 20530 The complaint process is available on the Web in
English at www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/t3compfm.htm and in Spanish at www.ada.gov/
t3compfm_spanish.htm.
WHAT'S A DISABILITY?
The U.S. Census Bureau, which collects data on disabilities from four
different household surveys, notes measuring a complex, multidimensional
concept in survey format is difficult.
The bureau notes definitions of disability have changed during the past 30
years as public perception of disability has changed. The goals of programs
supporting people with disabilities also have changed.
In the 1970s, the word disability referred to an underlying physical or
mental condition. A person with leg paralysis would have been considered
disabled based solely on his physical condition.
The emphasis during this time was on providing support to people with
disabilities primarily through benefits programs.
Today, a disability is seen as a complex interaction between a person and
his environment. A person with leg paralysis might be considered disabled
because of his physical impairment as well as the barriers in the
environment that prevent his full social participation.
The emphasis has shifted to supporting independence and promoting
involvement in all aspects of society.
Source: The U.S. Census Bureau
RESOURCES
For further information on accessibility:
Read the law at the Americans with Disabilities Act home page: www.ada.gov/.
Check out this U.S. government online resource for people with disabilities:
www.disabilityinfo.gov.
See what the National Organization on Disability offers: www.nod.org.
Read about the New Freedom Initiative President George W. Bush announced in
Review the disability data from the U.S. Census: censtats.csnsus.gov/pub/ .
Select "Profiles/shtml" then select the state and community and click "go."
Page 2 has disability statistics by age.
Find out what New Mexico offers via the Governor's Commission on Disability
and check out the "Quality of Life Grant Program," which offers funding to
nonprofit organizations to improve the quality of life for New Mexicans with
disabilities. Deadline for applications is Aug. 4: www.gcd.state.nm.us/.
Plan to attend the 2006 Southwest Conference on Disability Oct. 4-6 in
Albuquerque. The theme is "Living Successfully in the Community: Building
Partnerships to Increase Participation." For further information and
registration materials, contact Barbara Hussey, University of New Mexico
Center for Development and Disability, at 272-9594.
CAPTION: Sharon McConnell, a Santa Fe sculptor, and her guide dog, Bella,
walk through the crowd near the Plaza on her way to a downtown gallery.
McConnell, who is blind, said she usually goes to places she knows will
accept her and Bella.
CAPTION: Gabriel Taylor, 27, uses a lift to lower his scooter from the back
of his car in downtown Santa Fe. Taylor said he can get around town fairly
easily but doesn't like when people park in accessible spots without having
a disabled-parking placard.
CAPTION: Gabriel Taylor cuts through the Plaza Mercado on his scooter
recently in downtown Santa Fe. Taylor, who was born and raised in Santa Fe,
said people don't realize there are problems with accessibility.
CAPTION: Sharon McConnell, a Santa Fe sculptor, and her guide dog, Bella,
walk through the crowd near the Plaza on her way to a downtown gallery.
McConnell, who is blind, said she usually goes to places she knows will
accept her and Bella.
http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/46496.html
News and views
The new trend towards minute clinics
October 2006
By Christian Robicheau
Hello there!This month I’d like to bring you some news items from the health industry.
First, for the new trend that seems to be sweeping across America in the form of minute clinics as they are being called.According to CNN news, these new types of clinics are being placed in stores and are being manned by specially trained staff that is qualified enough and competent enough to deal with minor types of ailments.Ailments such as sprains, strains, bruises, vaccinations, rashes, the common cold and flu, strep throats, and similar types of ailments.In total, about 24 types of ailments.
If these clinics take off it would mean that we would be witnessing a new and welcomed addition to our health system.What we would be seeing here is an enormous burden being taken away from our emergency wards and doctors offices and our health services would be greatly improved and would become much faster and more efficient.In addition, these minute clinics would need to be staffed by specially trained staff and this would surely open up employment opportunities for present and future health professionals.These minute clinics would also help to attract new customers to those stores that agree to house them.
Just think of it in this way:Emergency wards and doctors offices would be much less crowded, doctors and other medical professionals at hospitals and clinics would be able to spend more time with more serious cases, the waiting time at hospitals and clinics would be much more bearable, and persons with minor complaints would not have to wait as long anymore to be seen by a health care professional.In short, it’s a win-win situation for everyone; from doctors and nurses to patients themselves.
My second news item has to do with Wal Mart and their present trial of providing a wide range of generic prescription drugs at a cost of $4 per item to both their customers and employees.For quite some time now Wal Mart has been criticized for the type of benefits package that it offers to its employees but this trial may indeed put an end to this criticism.
Wal Mart started this trial in Tampa Florida and it has been proving to be extremely successful.So now the corporation is going to expand it to all of Florida and later on it intends to go nationwide.
Helpful tips
October 2006
By Sterling Creations
Hi there!This is a new feature and each month we’ll be giving you a few helpful tips as collected by our research team.We hope you find them helpful and if you have any of your own please do not hesitate to send them to us at info@sterlingcreations.ca.
About the flu shot?
It is highly recommended that you take your flu shot every year.Especially for seniors, youngsters, and those suffering from any type of breathing problem.However, it is noteworthy to keep in mind that the flu shot can only protect you from certain strains of the flu.It is unable and impossible for the flu shot to protect you from every single strain of the flu.
What is the value of those three digits at the back of your credit card?
Those three digits are what merchants use in order to verify that you are indeed the holder of the card in question.So, if you recite it to a seller on the phone they will ask for those three digits in order to ensure that the card holder info is indeed correct.These three digits are on the card itself and cannot be copied by anyone else unless you physically give them your card.Many phone companies have the same three digits on your bill.It’s usually found on either the top left hand or top right hand corners of your phone bill.
Passports needed to travel where?
As of January 2007 Americans will need passports to travel to:Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, and the Caribbean.Up till now Americans have not had to use passports but tighter laws are coming.
Are all cough medications safe to take?
Before taking any cough medication, check the label and carefully read the fine print.Most of the labels have warnings that say whether or not you should take the cough medicine if you are afflicted with such ailments as: High blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid problems, plus more.Many cough medications often cause the heart beat to increase when taken so please be careful.
Should you pay attention to expiry dates on medicine bottles?
Yes you should.Because once the medication has expired it is no longer effective and can cause harm.Once a bottle of medication has expired you should get rid of it.Expiry dates can be found on almost every type of medication and on the cans and boxes of many foods in your friendly supermarket.Pay close attention to these dates.Always look for an expiry date on anything purchased from your supermarket, corner grocery, and pharmacy.
Accessibility news
Disability in Japan
October 2006
By Sterling Creations
Hi there!We’ve decided to add a new feature to our magazine starting this month whereby each month we’ll bring you news on accessibility from different parts of the world.This month’s article focuses on Japan and we hope you find it insightful.
DISABILITY IN JAPAN
Is 'disability' still a dirty word in Japan?
By TOMOKO OTAKE
The Japan Times: Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006
Mainstream society is slowly, but slowly, opening up to the physically
ormentally impaired, as officialdom appears happy with a 'steady' approach
The numbers are staggering: Roughly one in 20 people in Japan has some
disability or another.
News photo
A "robot suit" in use at the University of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture
north of Tokyo in June 2005. It was developed there to help the aged and
disabled to walk, using metal legs and a computer that detects electrical signals in the muscles, then activates motors linked to the legs to support the wearer's movements. AP PHOTO
Government statistics show that, out of a population of around 127 million,
some 3.5 million are physically disabled, 2.5 million are mentally ill and
500,000 are mentally disabled. That's a total of around 6.5 million
individuals.
But where are they? Granted, we see more station elevators,
wheelchair-accessible toilets and buses with passenger lifts nowadays. Such
facilities are visible, but many people hardly ever encounter those who use
them -- let alone anyone with non-physical disabilities. In fact, apart from
people with disabled family members or friends, most Japanese quite likely
live their whole lives without ever interacting with their disabled fellow
citizens.
In addition, workplace depression is also a growing but often invisible
social problem gripping the country. There are, too, tens of thousands of
people who might look fit and well but suffer from health problems, ranging
from chronic lethargy to digestive ailments.
Yet, although any of us might become disabled at some point in our lives,
many people barely spare a thought for such friends and neighbors. Despite
improvements in such areas as "barrier-free" infrastructure over the last
few decades, many people with disabilities are systematically rendered
invisible by and from society, says Koji Onoue, secretary general of DPI-Japan, a confederation of groups of disabled people, and the Japan chapter of 120-plus-member Disabled People's International based in Winnipeg, Canada.
"Japan is extremely behind [other countries] in the inclusion of the
disabled in jobs and education," he says.
Onoue, who was born with cerebral palsy and has been wheelchair-bound for 22
years, points to Japan's public school systems which, early in their lives,
shunt people with disabilities into "special schools" that accommodate only
the disabled.
Onoue notes that to this day the education ministry remains firm in its
stance that education systems for disabled and non-disabled people should be
separated. In actual practice, though, it is up to local boards of education
-- not the disabled people or their guardians -- to decide whether they
attend special schools or regular schools along with non-disabled pupils, he
said. Which means that in the end, neither disabled people nor their
guardians have any say.
More than half of graduates of special schools currently go into what
officials call "welfare-like employment," channeling them into thousands of
state-accredited or privately run rehabilitation centers nationwide. These
centers offer no labor rights protection and on average pay a meager wage of
less than 30,000 yen per month, making it impossible for the disabled to
live independently.
Many experts in the field think that such a poor state of affairs -- one
that prevents the disabled being employed by regular businesses in Japan --
is due to a lack of awareness and knowhow on the part of employers as to how
to utilize their talents.
Thirty years ago the Japanese government passed the Law for Employment
Promotion, etc.of Persons with Disabilities (sic) making it mandatory for
companies to ensure a certain percentage of disabled people in their
workforce. Such a quota system is common in many advanced countries, besides
the United States or Britain, which instead ban job-related discrimination
against the disabled. In Japan the law stipulates that 1.8 percent of the
positions at all private-sector companies employing 56 or more people should be filled with people with disabilities. For national and municipal governments, as well as government-affiliated organizations, the quota is 2.1 percent.
Not once in the last 30 years have the quotas been achieved in Japan.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, as of June 2005, only
42.1 percent of private-sector companies complied, along with 44.8 percent
of state-affiliated organizations and 77.5 percent of national and municipal
governments.
Fuminobu Okabe, associate professor of law at Soka University in Tokyo, the
author/translator of several books in this field, says Japan's performance
is "embarrassing" by global standards, because its quotas are lower in the
first place than those of most other OECD countries, which range from 2 to 7
percent.
"In a 2004 OECD report on disability-related policies, many countries
submitted data," he said. "Japan didn't provide any data at all. That speaks
volumes about the lack of policies the government can present to the world."
Onoue also says the law is toothless and full of loopholes, pointing out
that it sets no fines or criminal penalties for companies failing to comply.
They can be let off the hook merely by paying 50,000 yen a month per "quota
person" not employed.
Meanwhile, the "welfare-like employment," which provides jobs such as
printing and baking, and which was originally meant to be a temporary
arrangement for disabled people to prepare for regular employment, are in
reality the only destination for many, Onoue says.
Labor ministry officials insist that in recent years they have increased
pressure on companies to comply by setting various numerical targets and
repeatedly ordering them to improve their performance -- then disclosing the
names of companies that would still not come in line.
At present, though, the ministry has set the paltry goal of "aiming to raise
the percentage of companies meeting the 1.8 percent quota [from the current
42.1 percent] to 50 percent by 2008."
Asked why the bureaucrats are not acting more aggressively, one senior
official at the ministry said they prefer a "steady" approach.
"The 50,000 yen fee companies must pay for not hiring a disabled employee is
not a fine," said Eri Nakajo, deputy director of disabled workers'
affairsdivision at the labor ministry. "We don't think raising the fee
would necessarily lead to higher employment rates, either."
Whatever the ministry appears to "think," combative approaches have worked
so far, such as the DPI's campaign for disclosure of the names of companies
failing to meet the quota. In September 2003, the Tokyo Labor Bureau made
public the names of 9,040 companies failing to comply with the law. That
followed a Cabinet Office order to grant disclosure, which overruled
rejections from both the bureau itself and the labor ministry.
This was a turning point for labor authorities, who now enforce the
employment law more rigorously, says Hitoshi Shindo, president of General
Partners Co., a Tokyo-based employment agency specializing in placing
disabled people with companies. In the last three years, he has introduced
500 people to 750 companies in the financial, manufacturing and other
sectors.
"We are seeing a tremendous change in the attitude of companies, compared
with the situation 10 or 15 years ago," Shindo said. "Companies are changing
also because of pressures [from analysts and stakeholders] to improve their
CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] standing.
"But many companies are struggling to figure out in what manner they can let
these people work."
The answer may be to just "go for it."
Major retailer Uniqlo Co. decided in 2001 that it would hire at least one
disabled employee per store. Today, 7.4 percent of the company's jobs, which
number more than 600, are filled by people with disabilities, who are
primarily performing clerical and back-office duties.
"The key is to decide, at the top management level, to hire them -- period,"
said Uniqlo spokesman Terunobu Aono. "Companies should not let prejudice
make them think that hiring people with disabilities will hurt efficiency.
Special support to accommodate their needs? We regard our [disabled]
employees in the same way we regard tall or short employees. If they are too
short, we would just give them a stepladder."
Perhaps, after all, the tide is slowly turning for those with disabilities
wishing to work. The Services and Supports for Persons with Disabilities Act
has been implemented since April, allowing disabled people to receive
custom-made job planning and support for each individual. But in order for
companies and the public to become more disability-friendly, inclusion of
the disabled in society from their early lives is a must, argues Onoue, 46,
who says he wholeheartedly cherishes the friendship he built with non-disabled people when he attended junior and senior high schools.
Back then, discrimination against the disabled was much more explicit, he
explains, and it was extremely rare for handicapped people to be accepted at
regular schools. However, he was finally admitted to a school in Osaka after
applying three times -- but in return had to promise school officials in
writing that he would cause no problem for teachers and classmates, and
would never ask for handrails.
In school, Onoue says he was always late for music and art classes, which
were held far away from his home room. Then after a while a classmate who'd
noticed that offered to carry him on his back. Onoue declined -- with that written
pledge in mind.
But then the friend said, "Come on! Don't treat me like a stranger. We're
friends, right?"
"I felt so happy after hearing his comment; it meant so much to me," Onoue
says with a sparkle in his eyes. "I really felt right then that people can't
be so bad after all."
Sadly, though, the vacant elevators at stations and seldom-used
special-needs toilets seem to show that all too often exchanges like that,
which make us human, are being missed.
Letters to the editor
October 2006
From the desk of the editor
Hi there!This month we’ve got just a few letters to publish so here goes.
From Sharon Goodale of Wisconsin:
I’ve read Untapped Wealth Discovered and it’s a really interesting book.Artfully written, has lots of very interesting points of view, and for the price it’s worth the reading.However, I have one question for the authors.When will you be putting this book into either e format or in audio format?Afterall, you talk about the special needs market.Don’t you think that the special needs market would want to read it in an accessible format?
From Brent Scott of Ontario Canada:
I’d like to see more business issues discussed in this magazine.I respect the fact that there’s lots of news on special needs persons but hopefully you can find more time to talk about business issues.
Thanks, Brent.
From Claire Young of Liverpool England:
I think that we Brits are doing a real fine job when it comes to making our cities accessible to everybody.I wonder if the folks in America and Canada are doing the same?
From Jean Cadeau in Paris France:
I’m Jean and I want much to visit America.I’m blind and need to find a tour guide to help me.Does anyone know where I can contact?
From Mario Luzon of Miami:
Hey!Wouldn’t it be great if we can set up some type of program to help special needs persons to become entrepreneurs?
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Notes
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All submissions are reviewed and you will be notified if yours is chosen.If your submission is chosen we will print it upon receipt of payment.
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