[Cagdu] FW: [nagdu] Article from Tallahassee Democrat RE protest

[Tina Thomas]

Subject: [nagdu] Article from Tallahassee Democrat RE protest

I found this in the Harness Up blog after doing a Google search for the
article.
First, I will paste the link as there is more than one posting on this
subject. The article appears below.

Harness Up! | The world wide blog of the National ...


Advocates rally for access for those with disabilities Posted on October 11,
2014 by harnessup

Advocates rally for access for those with disabilities  Karl Etters,
Tallahassee Democrat 10:56 a.m. EDT October 11, 2014 complementary
information IMG_7808.JPG

Marion Gwizdala and his 6-year-old German shepherd Sergeant walk in front of
the Museum of Florida History in protest of the treatment of a blind woman
there last week.(Photo: Sean Rossman/Democrat) complementary information end

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About a dozen blind citizens rallied in front of the Museum of Florida
History calling the contracted guards there "bullies" after a woman reported
she and her guide dog were mistreated last week when they tried to visit the
museum.

The woman, Tiffany Baylor, was not at Friday's rally, but National
Association of Guide Dog Users President Marion Gwizdala and his 6-year-old
German shepherd Sergeant were, calling on state officials to allow them to
offer more training to state or contracted security and scolding the
treatment of a person with disabilities.

"For a blind person to go into a public building and be harassed by security
officers is unconscionable," Gwizdala said. "We are here to demand these
security officers be reprimanded and if the state is not going to enforce
the laws that three blocks away from here they passed then we've got a
serious problem."

Baylor said museum guards asked her to provide documentation of her
disability and need for the guide dog. By law, specific questions about a
person's disabilities are prohibited, but asking what service a guide animal
provides is allowed.

Officials with the Department of Management Services, the state's building
manager, released a brief video of Baylor at the museum capturing a small
portion of the encounter. The agency has also called on the company to
review protocols and provide training.

"The Department of Management Services strives to make all guests feel
comfortable in its buildings with respect to accessibility and safety," 
wrote DMS
Spokesman in an email Thursday. "We will continue to make every effort to
ensure all guests can access our managed buildings appropriately to conduct
business or enjoy Florida's history. The company is apologizing and we feel
that is the right thing to do."

The museum is housed in the bottom floor of the R.A. Gray Building that is
home to the Department of State in Tallahassee.

Secretary of State Ken Detzner called Baylor to apologize for the incident
in his building and offered a personal tour through the museum.

In a letter to Baylor, U.S. Security Associates' Southern Division Vice
President Deborah Kalert said the company regretted the actions the guards
took and that officers must uphold the constitutional rights of all people.

"That their actions were perceived as being anything less than that is not
what we or our officers expect," Kalert wrote. "As a testament to our strive
for perfection, we have implemented additional training for our officers and
are committed to providing you and all visitors with the highest level of
service."

Merry Schoch, vice president of the Florida Association of Guide Dog Users,
said her concern was that the incident would be dismissed or quickly
forgotten by state officials.

"We have access denials all over the state of Florida and what is concerning
to me is that they're not taken seriously," she said. "My hope is that the
state of Florida takes this seriously and they will be role models for
businesses, restaurants, hotels and cab drivers throughout the state of
Florida.
What's very sad is we live in the 21st century and why did this happen in
the first place?"

David Oliver, an Orlando lawyer for Morgan & Morgan who primarily handles
Americans with Disability Act cases, said access restrictions are common,
not just in public places and disabled individuals are not require to carry
paperwork.

He said even if a person's level of visual impairment may not be wholly
apparent "that just stretches the bounds of outrageousness for anyone to
question that," Oliver said.

He added that there is potential for people to abuse the guide-animal claim,
but "ADA guidelines are intended to avoid the public embarrassment of a
disabled person for having to explain their disability," Oliver said. "A
guide dog, that's a pretty simple answer and the questioning needs to stop
there."

Sherri

Character is the side of yourself you choose to show the world.
Integrity is what you do, what you say and how you act when you think no one
is paying attention.
Sherri Brun
NFBF Newsline Chair
flmom2006 at gmail.com
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