Governor Cuomo Gives Hanukkah Present to the Disabled

For the last 12 months the city of NY has institutionally ignored the rights of the disabled. With the right hand they take  it, with the left hand our money goes to serve the able bodied and ignores our needs time and time again. Until now the only light at the end of any tunnel for disabled commuters was probably the 7 train and with their luck it was probably at an inaccessible station. When they went above ground, they had an ignorant, uncaring union of yellow cab owners who would routinely be seen talking on their cells while the elderly, the infirmed or their partners were forced to load and unload heavy wheelchairs or mobility aids in and out of cabs, not even bothering to pay lip service to their own Bill of Rights which promises this to be done by the driver.

Complaints fell on deaf ears, even if those deaf ears understood English at all. We waived the ADA laws in Mayor Bloomberg’s eyes and he replied by standing pompously in front of Gracey Mansion t telling all that would listen that the disabled had no rights to hail a cab on a NYC street in a wheelchair. He claimed our chairs were dangerous and we were bad for cab business, they sit too far back from the driver and therefore he doesn’t earn enough tips. Advocates pulled him up on his insensitive comments and his response was to not even answer himself, but send a secretary or rep to read a prepared statement that it was not the responsibility of his administration to care for the disabled.  

Well to use an old Southern expression Governor Cuomo gave him a come to Jesus meeting. When our Governor was simply asked to sign what would be a routine daily occurrence, a bill putting into law the right of Livery cabs to be hailed in Manhattan. While he could do nothing about the yellow cabs, he put his foot down here and said he would veto any bill unless it met the ADA requirement that 20% of any and all improvement of any public service or transport provider must comply by adding 20% of any new service for the disabled/wheelchair accessible. Expecting the cry of “it’s too expensive” he was ready with $15K grants for drivers to cover the retrofitting of cabs with wheelchair access. Are you paying attention Bloomberg? I’m told we have translators in this city for over 200 languages available in this city. I’m sure that more than provides for the immigrant owners that own more than 70 percent of NYC cabs.

So let’s make this clear, we are American’s, we are New Yorkers, we are disabled and we are not going to take it anymore. Thank you Governor Cuomo for being the one voice of reason in the middle of discriminatory matters. At least somebody is respecting our existence but to the yellow cab industry and Mayor Bloomberg you better believe you are getting our resistance and in spades.

American Apparel to Pay $60,000 for Violating the Americans with Disabilities Act

 

American Apparel to Pay $60,000 for Violating the Americans with Disabilities Act

EEOC charged manufacturer with firing worker while on disability leave.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

 Clothing manufacturer and retailer American Apparel will pay $60,000 and take other actions to settle charges it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In a federal lawsuit, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said the company violated federal law when it fired a garment worker while that worker was on leave due to a disability, thereby failing to accommodate him based on that disability.

As part of a three-year consent degree, American Apparel agreed to pay the fired garment worker $40,000.

 According to the EEOC, the manufacturer also has adopted a comprehensive ADA policy, agreed to provide training to managers and supervisors about the ADA, will inform employees of their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and will designate an ADA coordinator to oversee implementation of the court decree.

 Also, $20,000 of the $60,000 settlement will be used by American Apparel to co-sponsor two seminars on rights of workers and responsibilities of employers under the ADA.

Knicks bump courtside disabled seat prices 900 percent. Classy.

This is another  example of big brother getting bigger while using the Amercians with Disabilities act as toilet paper. Since when is it okay to charge $300  on monday and $2,850 on tuesday for the same seat, Unless I have patrick ewing to my right and michael jordan to my left explaining the game while Gaga sings the anthem just for me what changed? Madison Square gardens be on notice, You come under the council ruling Of one Cristine Quinn the speaker for the New York City Council,and as  of my phone conversation with her office yesterday, I would love to tell you what they thought of this blatant price gouging but I would be thrown off the net for foul language . You have your sky boxes, you have your corporate sponsors, all we have are  wheelchairs and limited incomes, get it right ansd leave the pricing alone.    reposted from a story byKurt Helin Dec 20, 2011, 1:42 PM EST Getty ImagesChristmas Day the Knicks will take the floor at the renovated Madison Square Garden — and fans are going to pay a premium to see them thanks to finally having a decent team on the court and the upgraded facilities. But this is ridiculous. From the New York Post (via IamaGM.com). (Quadriplegic former Brooklyn high school basketball player) Alanzo George learned from a pal who had been treating him to floor tickets that courtside spots set aside for people in wheelchairs at Madison Square Garden soared from around $300 last year to $2,850 this year…. Garden spokesman Barry Watkins said the $300 spots were eliminated as part of the arena’s ongoing $850 million renovation. He said the new floor spots for the disabled are closer to the action than the old ones. The average ticket price at Knicks games jumped 50 percent, but that increased price comes with the chance to catch an errant pass from point guard Toney Douglas.  Hey, it’s supply and demand and we are cutthroat capitalist society. I get that. But this does seem pretty harsh

Two Fireman Escape With Their Lives From Burning Building, But With 45% of Their Bodies With Third Degree Burns

Don’t we have enough disabled? Don’t we have enough homelessness? Enough hatred and racism! To the disgusting excuses that set fire to the houses, where two of New York’s finest had to jump for their lives from high up window, HOW DARE YOU. The difference between you and the hero’s that now have third degree burns because of you is, tomorrow even knowing who you are they would come  and save you, because they believe that judgement is for someone else they took an oath. An oath to protect people from the likes of you and yes even you.

These hero’s kissed their wives and families  goodbye that morning and  went to work, and you got high or drunk loaded up your car with fire making tools they loaded theirs with lifesaving equipment and went to work, they went  with the intent of always running in when animals like you  run screaming like cowards and hide somewhere watching the bright flames. Were you watching when the hero was burning? you got to go home, he’s in a burns unit, I’ve  been there I have second and third degree burns to the lower 50% of my body they are in their own private hell ,where are you? My beloved sister sandy married a Vietnam veteran who because of his amazing morals and ethics didn’t think he had done enough surviving three tours in nam, he enlisted when he got back in the fire brigade and served for 40 more years. I can remember the pain and the tears every time a news reader said a fireman was injured on her face, until the phone rang and it was her man time stood still. Well to all our hero’s in the NYPD and FDNY the decent people of this world thankyou, and please know to these families you’re in our prayers and to the family of the slain police officer who was buried yesterday your disability has just begun a piece of your heart was buried yesterday, ten thousand officers from around the world saluted your fathers heroism. Please know while we might not always agree with police antics, people like your dad made a difference and we hold you in whatever prayers we make.

To the monsters who burn things for jollies and shoot hard working officers leaving families in their own hell, yours is waiting for you. To hero’s like Dirk Visser retired Australian navy Vietnam veteran , retired south Australian fire brigade   and all those like you thanks for never thinking you had given enough.