Does anybody care about the handicapped and elderly?
By John Amato Wednesday Aug 27, 2008 5:00pmI know putting together a convention of this magnitude is no small task.
There have been many glitches and complaints, which is par for the course and I know the DNC have tried to do the best they could with parking and credentials and whatnot. But I have asked the DNC for weeks and weeks how they could help me get around during the convention because I have a handicap placard in California due to a real problem walking distances from my nerve damage. I got no response.
I didn't see this link on their website. I wish it was more prominently placed. Obviously, there is a tremendous amount of security and many checkpoints, but there is no assistance available for those that are elderly or not in the best of health, who would not be able to walk miles and stand in the blistering heat waiting to proceed to the Pepsi Center. It's hot and the high altitudes have many people flustered. How many of them knew that Denver would be so hard to maneuver in? I certainly didn't.
When I finally got to the first check point, I asked if there were any carts to take the elderly and handicapped to the next stop. I was told that they were only there to get water for the Secret Service. Hey, they did an amazing job and needed the help too, but what about all the elderly people that came here, dressed to the nines and high heels, because this is an important event to them and they had to travel miles and stand for hour long check points to even see the Pepsi Center? I saw some almost passing out.
I made many calls, not asking for special treatment, but for decent treatment of a handicapped person. When I called ten times on Tuesday, I got voice mails and then was told I would be called back. Nothing happened. I left an angry message yesterday telling them I'd write about it and now suddenly I find out that there is help available. Really? Well, it's too late now. I'm already devastated. I'm pretty good at putting on a happy face when I'm being interviewed and never want to make it much of an issue to my readers, but I just couldn't handle the pain of trying to go out any more.
I have to take some of the blame too. I had people helping me and they came up short too in finding out all that could have been done. I'm writing this to voice a complaint so that the next time an organization puts on a huge event, they seriously take into consideration what all handicapped and elderly folks have to go through to even show up to support or cover that event. I promise to do a better job in finding out how to help those in need of assistance for future events. And I don't think this is only a DNC problem. They are being very kind now and said they misunderstood my situation. I believe them, but I think it's a systemic problem that needs more attention. Telling someone that you are handicapped is not always understood and I get that that's why my calls were misinterpreted. I hope to help those in need in the future because this is a serious issue for many people.
The Convention still has been a blast and I think it's been a valuable experience.
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That was also the biggest complaint about the Texas Democratic Convention. Huge building with much walking on three levels and no handicap provisions.
Don't take no shit John! You need to tell it like it is and let people know they are screwing the pooch. Handicapped rights are civil rights.
They need to make sure the security checkpoints are briefed with the information you dug out only by threatening to expose the problem.
Sorry John, they should at least have had those golf carts that are used at airports.
No when you hit 50 it's all rapid downhill till your obsolete and not worth anyones time.
i have heard this about denver in the summer. and for we coastal types, gotta be prepared!
thanks for the report.....
Wow. I wouldn't have expected this kind of treatment from the Democrats. I'm glad you wrote this. I'm sorry you had to go through this and I hope they fix this and explain to you how things went so terribly wrong so you can share what they said and we can all learn something.
John, I work for a state human relations commission, an agency whose job it is to take complaints of (among other things) denial of access to the disabled, and every state has them. If the DNC failed to prominently display information on how to get help with accessibility, it's not your fault. It should not take a private detective to locate a stinking wheelchair or cart or other help for those who can't walk far, when the entire convention is bursting at the seams with crap they have spent millions on. This is just the kind of thing that Dems have prided themselves on caring about, and that makes them different from Republicans.
Well, nothing gets the attention of a callous company like the serving of a well-crafted complaint. Go here and file. Yoiu'll be doing a lot of people a good turn.
i'm there with ya john, but i also have something to tell you, as a person who is also handicapped with nerve damage (ms). as a disabled individual you cannot ever count on services being available at events like a convention unless you arrange and confirm them yourself. sadly i've been on the brunt of the learning curve of that far too many times until the lesson finally sunk in.
good luck to you in the future.
Oh the irony. The exclusion by default.
ThANK YOU JOHN
for bringing up this point
many face it everyday
IDEA is still not funded as promised
many buildings and public places still lack adequate accommodations
many with disabilities still face discrimination in public, schools and the work force.
interesting report. john brings up a good point; that lots of folks suffer from ailments not noticed on the surface (back problems, arthritis, asthma/breathing problems). it's difficult to accommadate every single person with every single ailment at an event this size, but those of us who don't have anything bogging us down yet should pay attention at these type of gatherings and try to help if we see someone having a tough go of it. and help cats like john by calling in ahead of time and asking if services will be available and where, even if we personally don't need them. that way maybe we can point them out to someone who does need them.
I don't think that this is just an accessibility issue but cultural one. My baby brother (early 20's) is missing part of his hip, knee, and has nerve pain in his right leg. He can still walk but he can't walk very long or far without a great deal of pain and it's shocking how he is treated, not by able-bodied people who don't understand but by the handicapped and elderly who refuse to.
Rarely has there been a day with him when he uses his handicapped parking or seating where a handicapped or elderly individual has not come up and verbally berated him for using "their" facilities. Sometimes they calm down after we explain his condition but most times it's scoffed at, "he looks fine to me." and have even flagged over security at times.
Me, I'm very much in favor of accessibility (honestly) because of my personal relationship to people with such needs but it's not hard at all for me to see how easily forgotten the handicap and elderly when it seems that recognition of accessibility demands blatant obviousness. I don't mean to vent. It just feels like so much of this is due to a failing at every level of our society that won't go away anytime soon.
In 1987 my family was going to Disney World. But five days before hand my son broke his leg. The day we were to leave by car I was carrying him to the sofa for the day and rolled my right foot and suffered a stress fracture. It's funny because we could heal, to you it may not be because you cannot. But the point is that we never missed a beat in Disney World. If I limped into a line with my wheel chair bound son cast-members quickly brought us to the handy-capped entrance and got us on all of the rides. So it can be done. But is the Democratic Party somehow to blame? Mostly no. The DNC rented the facility and they should have been prepared as with any event. But the Party could have demanded standards that would have helped not only this week but in the future. you are right, it could have been better at Democratic insistence. Believe me I have felt your pain, and I empathize.
My siter is disabled and we go through this everywhere. Going to any concert or event, even those advertised as handicapped friendly, is a complete nightmare, becasue elevators are hidden in a corner far away, handicapped parking is all together instead of scattered near every entrance, miles of walking, etc. We live in Vegas and she can't even go to a concert. You always have to call ahead, and I have to go without her, walk it, and find out if she can do it, before I can take her anywhere.
Non-handicapped people have no concept of what an ordeal it is to be forced to stand in line for minutes or hours when you can't stand without agonizing pain. Not at all. When you explain it they are surprised and shocked. And that's the people responsible for your comfort and safety! They know they're supposed to help you, but don't understand anything about what it's like at all. They have one or two wheelchairs for thousands of people, and nobody to push them. No electric carts anyplace but Walmart and the supermarket. If you go alone you can't push yourself for miles.
I'd love to see this country make some effort to educate people. Probably the only way to handle this is by legislation forcing people to accomadate. Otherwise you run into ignorant people like the jerks at my HOA, screaming at me that my sister thought she was "special" and "better than everybody else" and didn't deserve to get "preferential treatment." I had to face an entire room of screaming jerks. How do you think that would be if I was the handicapped one myself, having to listen to that?
I'm disabled so I care a lot about the disabled.
But the elderly can go pound sand.
I have a friend with a prosthetic leg who is routinely scolded by people when he parks in handicapped parking. Because his leg doesn't show if he is wearing long pants, his handicap is invisible. He always tells these folks that he will gladly remove his leg so they can determine if it's genuine. I don't know why "invisible" handicaps are so hard to imagine.
I remember seeing someone on 60 Minutes -- a famous violinist-- saying that handicapped accessibility should mean through the front door, and not down to the sub-basement, past the loading dock and some roundabout route. Luckily I've only been temporarily disabled and I recall blessing the folks who fought for handicapped toilets, ramps, etc. Good luck, John, and sorry for your hassles.
They should know better!
http://senseitim.blogspot.com/2008/08/no-john-nobody-cares.html
Don't sound like a shining moment for the DNC now does it....
Sorry for your hassles J.A. JD
It's a legal issue, John. See COLORADO REVISED STATUTES, TITLE 24, ARTICLE 34, PART 6, 24-34-601. Sec.(2):
"It is a discriminatory practice and unlawful for a person, directly or indirectly, to refuse, withhold from, or deny to an individual or a group, because of disability... the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation..."
And from the ADA, TITLE 42, CHAPTER 126, SUBCHAPTER III, Sec. 12182. (a) Prohibition of discrimination by public accommodations:
"No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation."
If it was my investigation, based on what you've told us, I'd be recommending probable cause.
At 19 comments in 6 hours, i'd say the answer is not too many.
I hate our attitude toward the suck, the homeless, & the helpless, considering this is a country so keen to put 'In God We Trust' on our currency,... why is it always those who are so 'pro-God' the first to want to cut any sort of funding for social services?
At least they eventually sorted it out. I guess you have to explain your exact situation before help arrives. Have fun at the convention, John Amato.
Robbo @ 17:
you must be joking.
I am horrified that you are having such a difficult time getting around due to your disability!!! John, you have to let your resourceful readers know this stuff before you are in dire straits. Many of us would be more than willing to do the calls, navigate the web & sites and get the info for you while you handle more important matters that affect millions. If I had known this, I would have been able to help you as I have a handicapped child and whenever I have to deal with airports or large venues I research ahead of time.....Let me know in the future if you need some help. FYI Jet Blue is my preferred airline because of their best treatment of handicaps large and small. (It's small if it someone elses, large if it is yours)
As Hutchins was rehearsing the national anthem, the MSNBC cameras panned the stage and there was SHAWN JOHNSON our national champ with her peace sign earrings in a dark skirt and a white blouse. She was ONSTAGE. No one has mentioned this so far, so can you see what is up? It was during the stupid Gregory show during the anthem rehearsal between 3:05 and 3:15 PST on MSNBC.
PS, If you can find out what role Shawn is playing, let us know....
Thanks for the excellent coverage we aren't gettin from corp media.
Thanks for all you do.
I'm glad you're getting some assistance, but am I understanding correctly that you simply missed the link on the Obama site and somehow, THEY need to apologize for that?
I appreciate all of you blogging for C&L, but, this sounds a little like McCAin going all POWPOWPOW on us.
I gotta ask, John, how you can be at this for a while and still maintain the belief that the ruling class cares about you?
You have my empathy John. I understand as others have commented about being invisible, and having "invisible" disabilities (mine being nerve damage from diabetes, restoration from a car wreck and mild heart disease) that earn scorn from those who are either not handicapped and the visibly handicapped who think you are taking their spot. I even had a punk rocker dwarf smash out a headlight on my car because of my lack of visible "gimpiness".
Good point, John. I think it's one thing if they're just stretched too thin, they're helping people but don't have enough carts, but it sounds like this took them by surprise.
I liked them all, but Ann “Liberal Boobies Enrage Me” Althouse was my favorite of the set.
Speaking out about this will change things for the better, at least. This Convention is for all Americans and it's amazing that the organizers let such a thing happen.
btw, JohnnyThief, not all of us are near a computer during the day. I myself was sitting in a dentist chair for several hours. I've got some C&L catch-up to do!
Noted, Sir
point taken
we gotta work on this
we can do better ...
wow, that's becoming a theme or something ...
Robbo @ 17:
in the spirit of Alan King ??? (I hope)
WHAT ???
it's a fookin joke, people ...
I'm here till next tuesday, don't forget to tip your waiter
I have been thinking aobut this while allthe crowds are described and the lines miles long and so on. I'm not officially disabled (can't afford the tests and exams to be diagnosed, even) but I have trouble with my feet. I used to walk miles every day, but now some days I can't walk at all.
It's caused me to miss out on lots of events, so I can empathize with others who have even more difficulty in getting around comfortably and safely.
Does anybody care about the handicapped and elderly? Yes.
Does make you think. Our state fair is going on and they have had rental scooters available at every major entrance for probably about six years. Convention _should_ have known better and dropped the ball.
Dear Mr Amato,
I've dedicated my life to fighting for people with physical, psychiatric and developmental disabilities. I am so happy that you brought this to the attention of our readers. Keep up the fight! Progressive people like you can help so much...
Dear John,
Thanks for being vigilant about disability accessibility in public places. i completely agree with you post, but have one quibble. You are not "handicapped" -- you are a "person with a disability."
A disability is a condition caused by an accident, trauma, genetics or disease which may limit a person’s mobility, hearing, vision, speech or mental function. Some people have more than one disability.
A handicap is physical or attitudinal constraint that is imposed upon a person, regardless of whether that person has a disability. A set a stairs would be a handicap for a person with a disability who uses a wheelchair.
As a person with polio, I am not a "disabled person" -- I am a person with a disability. I am a person first, and a person who has a disability second. I cringe anytime someone calls me handicapped -- in the disability community, it's the equivalent of calling a black person he n word.
For more information about person-first language:
http://www.asha.org/about/publications/journal-abstracts/submissions/per...
Just a thought, but if you have this kind of difficulty walking then why not use a wheelchair? That would apparently solve the problem.
John,
I don't even try going to places like the convention any more. I have been excluded. About 35 years ago the doctors figured my leg was possibly too badly crushed to salvage. They told me to prepare for coming out of surgery with only one leg. So I'm grateful when it hurts like hell. It's still there. I try not to show my different abilities. Can't stand for long, can't walk distances on hard floors, but you don't want to put money on an arm wrestling match with me. Sometimes I bring my cane and that helps people to be conscience of my issues, but it also pigeon-holes me as 'disabled'. I am NOT disabled. I haven't had health care until about a month ago, so I don't have a handicapped sticker for the car yet. But I do have two legs.
I wonder how many of us there are?
I don't get out much myself anymore...
John Not only this, but the totally uncalled for political brutality that went on, by Denver police was unbelievable.
Some code pink chick got roughed up and arrested, but yet, Alex Jones and his asshat Bull horn were not even touched.
Somethings not right in America.
Obviously people with disabilities need to be respected in the public square and all.
But c'mon, John. No offense, but if you have a hard time walking a great distance, then maybe, perhaps, you shouldn't plan on attending a multiple day event which requires a lot of walking. Duh.
I'm in reasonably decent shape (thankfully), but like everyone else in the world, I pick and choose what activities I do in dependence upon the current condition of my sore back, or hurting knee. Maybe you should too??
This isn't an issue about not being able to get a wheelchair into a courtroom, or onto a sidewalk. You CHOSE to go to Denver knowing there would be mega walking. Your body hurts a lot when you walk too much.
Methinks you wanted a little special treatment, John, for your admirable C&L work. Sorry, that's how I see it.
Considering ours is supposed to be the party where no one falls through the cracks, and that the ADA wouldn't even exist if it weren't for the Dems, this is extremely disturbing.
If you haven't already, you should contact the ADA and tell them that not once, but twice, the DNC has failed to provide for the handicapped.
I can *barely* forgive it happening once - not twice.
Thanks for making us all aware of this for the next time.
Regardless of the event, the DNC presidential convention, I would think due to current laws and the ability of any facility being able to open its doors, that it must meet certain handicapped provisions and I would assume that football stadium does. Having said that, I also think if a person KNOWS they will need assistance and/or has a medical handicap, wouldn't you think they would also do some research BEFORE arriving at the venue to be assured they won't have a problem navigating around?
Hello! They are all just a bunch of rich people and their lobbyist. They dont care about you unless you arrived in your private jet and waved your check book. People who think the DEmocratic leadership cares about the little guy are sadly mistaken. We have to hold them accountable, too. They are not in it for us, we have to make them pay attention to our issues. Dont give them carte blanc like the Bush administration got whenthey swept in. Make them work. ALL politicians have personal agendas and favors to pay. Even Obama and Biden, especially Biden. Make them back up their empty rhetoric with results.
Ummmm, John, maybe you or your people should have checked out the situation thoroughly BEFORE the convention, and not during or after it.
no
Public places and public events are required by Federal Law to be handicaped accessible.
I don't have TV where I live right now, so your article made me wonder. Was there simultaneous signing for the hard of hearing, and or simultaneous transcription. How about audio description, something I was privileged to do as a volunteer in Austin, Tx, for the seeing impaired?
Ramps, wheel chairs or motorized carts, like airports?
Not to mention handicaped accessible bathrooms, help getting through dense crowds and access to food vendors. And of course places designated and easily available for guide and aid dogs to eat, drink and relieve themselves.
If not why not? Its the law.
Most of the handicaped persons who would qualify for credentials to attend such an event, are likely to be very knowledgable and capable of getting around and taking care of themselves.
Bu all of us need a little consideration and help now and then.
And its the law.
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