The American Disabilities Act, and a Fall That Opened My Eyes

Hey, I've started writing a blog that chronicles my life with spina bifida. Check it out at:http://juliekatherineantos.wordpress.com/

There’s an uplifting film from HBO for those of us who had Polio or others with a “DIFFERENT ability” and not “disability.’ View the HBO film, WARM SPRINGS in which Kenneth Branagh portrays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This URL takes you to it FREE. You can download it or watch it online. http://www.nyalines.com/watch-movie-online-/watch-Warm-Springs-movie-free-online/ It boosts your morale! President Roosevelt contracted the Poliovirus at age 39. It devastated him; however, a friend talked him into going to “swim” therapy in Warm Springs Georgia for its mineral springs. These minerals literally keep you buoyant and able to stand free if you cannot. I know. I had surgery at THE GEORGIA WARM SPRINGS FOUNDATION, one of many legacies’. His love for Warm Springs, Georgia found him at the “Little White House” there than in Washington. Now it’s open to anyone that needs this therapy. The waters are wonderful. The “not yet president,” found that (paraphrased) “mind over matter” was what counts and the “only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself.” Regardless, what party you affiliate yourself, President Roosevelt was a great man in himself. WARM SPRINGS, the film teaches us all “we have brains and should have pride of worth.” We do NOT have “disabilities” but “DIFFERENT abilities!” It’s hard to think this when the bills come. I know. I’m on Social Security Disability BUT the day will come for us all…a GRAND one!

As a disabled person myself, I can fully relate to "Adam" in his desire to keep it to himself. People treat you differently, even if they don't mean to. Even your final questions in this article are indicative of your changed mindset where he is concerned. Asking if you should be involved in his daily routine in dealing with this disability of his by involving yourself in his doctor's appointments, medication schedule, etc., makes me want to ask if you would be thinking this is appropriate if his condition were high blood pressure or or an elevated cholesterol count. Would you make it your business to "remind" him to take his blood pressure medications, or would you assume he's responsible enough to handle it on his own? I would assume the latter would be the most likely scenario, so why would you expect any less with this condition? Quit viewing him as an invalid who can't function without your support, and wait for him to ask you for your assistance when it's needed. The hardest part about being disabled is the conspicuousness about it. If people would just quit pretending that a disability is a defining aspect of a person, things would be a lot better. I don't see someone defining another because their eyes are a certain color or they have a square jaw instead of a pointy jaw, so why define someone because they need a wheelchair or a seeing eye dog to get around? It's just ONE aspect of who and what we are. Quit pretending that it is ALL we are.

If anything it's hurt the possibility disabled of being hired. Like ladydistinctive said about alterations. Not only that but coworkers are likely to be less understanding because they figure that the government has their back with benefits and the company gets handouts for hiring them. Used to be employers would feel a bit bad for them and hire them at a reduced wage(which sucked) for a job they thought they could do, after they proved themselves they made as much or more as coworkers depending on the job they did. Now with all the alleged protections, there's too much liability, risk and mandatory accommodations. This is in addition to coworkers believing they have a special deal and are not held to the standards of everyone else. I knew a great mechanic that was missing an arm from just below the elbow, he worked for the same local garage for 20 odd years because they knew he was a good mechanic. That garage closed when the owner died but no place else would hire him for a long time (ended up being a vacancy at another small locally owned garage that knew him and his work personally).

This is taylorrjb. I have been disabled for a very long time. I have delt with the americans with disibilities act also. the employer that I was with when my injury that disabled me permantly happened used the part of the act.that says without an acommandation against me. It also says with an acommandation. But they ignore that part and the federal government does nothing to the employers who do this. This company even got away with not even paying any of my bills. this is what this act is really about.

People who have a disability, come to think that the Americans with disability act is a God send. But is not. The part that says with or without a commandation,is the biggiest loophole for the employers ever. They use the part that says without a commandation. they donot reconize the other part that says with an acommadation. I am a very disabled person. when I was working and got injured. The company I was working for completely ignored the act. they went as far as to say that I never worked for them before. if it was not for my log book that we had to keep,there would not have been any way for me to prove that I had worked for them. Even so they still got away with not having to pay anything. to this day I am in a wheelchair most of the time. this is what the americans with disability act is really about,not helping the injured worker.

And the fear that Adam knew will increase once our medical records are online and open to the federal goverment; potential employers and even doctors wanting to make sure that they match their diagnois to one previously given.

No longer will we have the option that Adam had to keep our "disability" private. No longer will it be a matter between our doctors, their staff and us. It will big government gleaming information (supposedly cleansed of ID's but still tied to a source).

And not only will we have no privacy to choose to expose or keep our "disabilities" private but we will lose control of how we are treated medically since the government will be setting protocols for exams, treatments, etc for each condition based on an average and costs not based on the needs of the individual patient as decided by them and their doctor.

Congratulations to Adam for finding a way to grow to a remarkable man capable of handling his own life and for wanting to live a life with out being marked as disabled before someone got to know him.

And I am glad that he finally can get the medication to make his life easier.

I have, for a very long time, worked in the field of disablity. I fully understand what Adam has done in order to not be perceived as different. Our society as a whole finds it very difficult to accept differences and deal with diversity. It is a sad commentary when one realizes that all of us are affected in one way or another by disability yet find it nearly impossible to accept that being disabled is okay. I would be so happy if we could just take the small step of using people first language as a universal approach to accept difference. The paraplegic would then be the person with paraplegia, the autistic would become the child with autism and on it would go so that foremost we consider the person first and the disability or difference second.

There are many ailments that are not obvious to the public. Unless they are having a seisure, an epileptic looks just like anyone else. I have amblyopia, better known as lazy eye. It effects my depth perception, but that can be compensated for. I drove commercial trucks since the early 60's, without any problems. Now my age is being used as a "disability" to deny my right to continue in that work, even though I am in good condition, and take no regular medications. The problem is you can't legislate attitude.

Having had disabled persons working for me, I can truthfully say that the extent to which the disability act can be enforced is really a hardship for small businesses. After fulfilling nearly every request, i.e. widening doors, changing bathrooms, adding ramps, special chairs, additional desks suited to the disability, changing hours worked, and having to allow for extra time off - all eventually under the threat of being "turned in" to the Fed. Govt., was more than we could afford. Each of the disabled employees, after a very short time on the job, quit and went on disability, one totally unfairly blaming the company for exacerbating the problem which was present for years by their own admission to us prior to trying to sue us,caused us to quit hiring any persons with disablilities.
The amount of money the government forces businesses to spend for one person with no demands at all upon that person for committment is a hardship we could not afford. I really fear that the stringent laws will cause others to do the same, thus defeating the purpose for the Disability act.