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Disability Law
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Disability Law - October 5, 2000 7:15:00 PM
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JSSSH
Posts: 45
Joined: September 10, 2000
From: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Status: offline
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This is not about PT directly, but since PTs have a lot of opportunities to work with people , I would like to know how rehab professionals think about the Disability Law.
The provincal government in Ontario, Canada recently broke the promise made 5(?) years ago to enforce a tougher disability law that requires buildings to be accessible. The disability groups have been asking the govt to approve a law that is similar to the one in the States.
I read an article in a local newspaper that says the disability law in the States is causing more harm than benefit. The writer said that people took advantage of the law and sue historial buildings that aren't accessible. He also said that people in the States think the disability law is a mistake too.
So, what do you think about the disability law, as a citizen and as a PT? Do you think people with disability are less "environmentally challenged"?
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Re: Disability Law - October 6, 2000 3:45:00 AM
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Andrew M. Ball, MS, PT
Posts: 500
Joined: October 8, 1999
From: Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Status: offline
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Stand back, I'm going to seize.
I completed a fellowship at University Affiliated Program for children and adults with Developmental Disabilities, and I've worked professionally in several states, from Libral New York to Conservative North Carolina.
Although law was discussed ad nausea, your specific question was not a discussion in Core Course, in which just about every current legal and ethical issue imaginable was examined and dissected. Furthermore, I have NEVER HEARD, of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), being talked about in a negative manner by the general populace.
I have heard of egregious violators of the law being upset at having to shell out millions of dollars after being sued. Believe you me when I tell you that it is VERY hard to prosecute anyone under these laws, and that only the most extreme of cases are even brought to trial. These corporations are not the "innocent victims of an unfair and arcane law" that your article may have suggested. That journalist is either a mouthpiece of a Canadian large corporation, or is simply a poor reporter who didn't triple check his or her facts (my roomate is a reporter, things rub off).
To say that the American public is displeased with these laws is an egregious deformation and mis-dissemination of the facts. If anything, most Americans agree that these laws are not terribly well enforced.
Respectfully,
Andrew M. Ball, MS, MBA, PT
[This message has been edited by Andrew M. Ball, MS, PT (edited October 06, 2000).]
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Re: Disability Law - October 6, 2000 11:15:00 AM
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Dana D
Posts: 142
Joined: September 18, 1999
Status: offline
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I agree that these laws are not well enforced at all! When I was in college we had to take wheelchairs around campus and try to navigate our way.... What a challenge! You'd be late to class without a doubt!! We found elevators in the library, that in order to get the key to use them from the bottom floor, you had to ask the person at the desk on the next floor up for the key??? I think the laws need to be more enforced, without a doubt!!
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Re: Disability Law - October 6, 2000 1:19:00 PM
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JSSSH
Posts: 45
Joined: September 10, 2000
From: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Status: offline
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Please don't think that I am not on the same side as you two. I am. I just don't want my opinion affects anyone's response when I started the topic.
When I first read that article, I didn't have much reaction. But as I think more about that, I start to feel upset. I feel those people who are against the Disability Act have won over the little advancement the disability groups gained over the past few years.
Check out the article yourself:
The article is in Toronto Star on Sept 25, 2000, titled "Will new Act go too far for the disabled?" by Jason Brooks. The paper described him as a law student in Toronto.
[URL=http://www.thestar.com]http://www.thestar.com[/URL]
BTW, that newspaper seems to be in support of the Act though. They ran a 3-part series on barriers faced by people with disabilities last month.
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