Sunday, August 24, 2008

What Happen to "ACCEPTING" reasonable accommodation?

I will probably get alot of deaf and hearing people mad about this comment. In this recent article deaf couple seeking more than $50,000, plus punitive damages. Even though the Deputy Sheriff offered "reasonable accomendation" to communicate and was rejected by the couple. In the article, "Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher contends that Bahl was offered use of a text-telephone device for the hearing-impaired but he declined it."

Reasonable accommodation basically means basic ways to communicate for BOTH parties (hearing and deaf), NOT just deaf. There is NO "preference" of communicating but rather an effort to communicate with reasonable accommodation.

Here is another example of abusing the federal Americans With Disabilities Act that ALL people with ALL disabilities uses with fairness and without taking advantage of the laws for the sake of getting rich.

3 comments:

Dianrez said...

Generally, that would be true, but in many areas, the TTY is obsolete and no longer used by most deaf people.

If I had been arrested and was offered a TTY, the only contacts I could reach would be hearing people via relay service today.

It would depend on the time of day and which day, because at night and on weekends, most lawyers, bondsmen, workplaces, doctors and ministers would be closed.

Ever try to use TTY relay to reach a videophone relay to reach a deaf person? It can't be done.

I see no abuse or attempts to get rich here. Just another critical gap in the service network we all experience.

mervynjames224 said...

I am in the middle of discussion about this in the UK, Regarding reasonable accommodations, and should we be forced to use TTY systems ?

IN the UK minicoms and such are pretty dated systems, but many adjustments made in the past were for that system, then we had mobile phones/computers/faxes etc and via preference we used what suited us.

NOW we get tissues because we don't want to use minicoms or such and the reasonable adjustment ha become Unreasonable because deaf are adapting to new technologies every bit as quick as hearing are,we led the field in some respects in embracing new technologies.

They are now saying they cant keep up changing this 'access' to keep pace,what do you think about that ?

OCDAC said...

Bahl is none other than driftwood looking for attention. Bahl is being unreasonable when it comes to accepting reasonable accommodations.

Take it or leave it, but dont fight it.