The Disabled Rights Action Committee (DRAC) has filed suit against Wells Fargo on behalf of Robert Mateus. Mateus went to his local Well Fargo branch after hours to make a deposit and was unable to do because he is in a wheelchair due to the night deposit box sitting more than 54 inches above the ground. The night depository at that location and a few others do not comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, as well as other night depositories at many Wells Fargo branches.

When the DRAC contacted Wells Fargo branch manager Billy Espinoda back in Septemeber, his answer was for patrons with disabilities to do their banking during normal business hours with a teller or use the accesible ATMs at its Salt Lake City branches. DRAC’s attorney Stewart Gollan says that is not much of answer to the issue at hand and still ignores the fact that the branch does not comply with ADA standards.

Challenges such as these are not new to people with disabilities. DRAC chair Barbara Toomer uses a wheelchair and is constantly confronted with scenarios such as this one. Toomer says compliance with ADA regulations is a civil rights issue, and by ignoring them businesses are segregating the disabled community.

Wells Fargo responds back by stating the branches in question were built before ADA became law, and therefore they are exempt from “new construction” provisions. Gollan argues back that Wells Fargo has more than enough capital to make these accommodations for people with disabilities as opposed to smaller businesses. DRAC is not seeking any monetary award, but just for Wells Fargo to comply with ADA regulations and making the necessary changes.

Earlier this week, the Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the federal government’s new goal to ensure all students have equal access and opportunity to education. In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday”, a violent confrontation between civil rights demonstrators and state troopers, Duncan stood on historic Selma Bridge and said, “We are going to reinvigorate civil rights enforcement.”

As it stands right now, there are numerous education inequalities between black and white students, those with disabilities and those without disabilities, and those from low income families versus those from wealthy families. Often the latter in each scenario are given better resources and opportunities in terms of education. Below are some staggering statistics among students in Alabama: (numbers quoted and provided by Arne Duncan).

- At the end of high school, white students are about six times more likely to be college-ready in biology than black students, and more than four times as likely to be prepared for college algebra.

- Black students without disabilities are more than three times as likely to be expelled as white students and those with disabilities more than twice as likely to be expelled or suspended — numbers which Duncan says testify to racial gaps that are “hard to explain away by reference to the usual suspects.”

- Students from low-income families who graduate from high school scoring in the top testing quartile are no more likely to attend college than the lowest-scoring students from wealthy families.

The new system aims to be more vigilant in providing the equal access to education across the board. The current system is flawed and needs improving to ensure everyone’s civil rights are being met.

Virginia recently opened the doors to its first Wheelchair Tennis Training Center at Augusta Health.  For the center’s grand opening, it held an exhibition match for the community to come and watch. Many attended, including Ms. Wheelchair Virginia who was thrilled to see people thriving pass their disability. The match included wheelchair tennis champion Jillana “Mel” Curry. In 2003, Curry’s leg was amputated above the knee due to a clot and two blocked arteries in her leg.  She quickly returned to her love for tennis after reading an article on a wheelchair tennis player in her local newspaper. She has enjoyed still being able to play tennis,as well as teach others in wheelchairs to play the sport.

Wheelchair tennis is not limited to just those in wheelchairs. Wheelchair players can play against able-bodied players, with the wheelchair player being allowed two bounces before returning the ball and able-bodied player the standard one bounce. That is exactly what the aim of opening the Wheelchair Tennis Training Center, to offer tennis to the entire community, including wheelchair persons. This program was initiated by Augusta Health, USTA Virginia, Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center and the Mid-Atlantic Wheelchair Athletic Association.

Some additional things the park features include Braille signage, a 3-D park model, 18 ADA-compliant restrooms, two first aid stations, vending machines, and seven acres of free parking. For safety reasons, guests are required to make a reservation to the park before visiting to limit the amount of guest per day to the park. The park is now open for a limited number of guests and its grand opening will take place on April 10, 2010.

This amusement park for special needs can be found at Morgan’s Wonderland website:

http://www.morganswonderland.com

The Paralympics are not as televised as the Olympics that ran last month, but don’t worry… we have the scoop.
The Paralympic Games opening ceremony will be at 6pm at B.C. place in Vancouver. March 21st will be at the Whistler Medals Plaza.
The paralympics contain the biathlon, cross country skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, and alpine skiing.

Tickets are already sold out for the paralympics in the US, but you may be able to buy them at Vancouver box offices once the games start. Or, call 925-798-8100 to ask questions and for details. The tickets are anywhere from $15 to $175 (Canadian currency).
As with other Olympic events, there are many amazing events for visitors including the Cultural Olympiad (until March 21 - art, theater, and music). There’s a free ice rink, performances, and even a zip line to go over the festivities!
The Vancouver Art Gallery will offer free admission, and the Olympic cauldron is still lit next to the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Some of the pavillions from the Olympics are still open, including Canada’s Northern House and Centre Place Manitoba.

For more information, see http://www.vancouver2010.com and http://www.tourismvancouver.com

You will hear the buzz in offices, schools, cafeterias and on the street……your street, your town….across the United States and around the world.  Spread the Word to End the Word was created by youth, both with and without disabilities, who took part in the Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Their goal was a call to action, a pledge to stop use of the word “retard”, encourage a positive attitude change, and a commitment to making the world a more accepting place where everyone is respected and valued.  Actor John McGinley was moved to join these youth. “Most people don’t think of this word as the language of hate, but that’s exactly what it feels like to millions of people with intellectual disabilities, their families and friends,” said McGinley. “I choose to believe that most of us are fundamentally good and that we’re just not aware that the word is offensive, and that it hurts.”

Today, March 3 was set aside for the second annual day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the Word.  People are encouraged to rally and pledge their support.

What you can do:

*Join the Project UNIFY movement in schools around the U.S.

*Donate money to keep Special Olympics programs going.

*Get in the game by joining Special Olympics Unified Sports®, where people with and without intellectual disabilities train and compete together on the same team.

*Know someone with an intellectual disability? Refer them to a Special Olympics program nearby.

*Be a leader and get your university involved with SO College

*Contribute five minutes to take the pledge to stop using “retard” as an insult.

To learn more go to: Special Olympics: Spread the Word to End the Word

The Olympic tent has been folded, the athletes have left town.  Vancouver is now getting ready for the Winter Paralympics.  5 events instead of 15 and 1,350 disabled athletes are taking the place of the 2,600 that just left, the Winter Paralympics is a more intimate affair. 

They have come a long way in the past five decades and are now a fully vested partner in the Olympic movement.  Sponsorship is a key element in the expanding presence of the Paralympics.  Samsung signed on last week as a worldwide partner and official sponsor.  “The Paralympic Games is part of the Olympic movement,” says Samsung vice-president Gyehyun Kwon, the company’s head of worldwide sports marketing.  “It’s inseparable.”   Samsung is joining sponsors Visa, tech company Atos Origin, and Otto Bock, a German healthcare company.  The door is now opened to approach other sponsors.  Carla Qualtrough, the head of the Canadian Paralympics says:  “You can get a lot more bang for your buck when you sponsor the Paralympic side.  There’s not as many rules, there’s not as many conditions (as with Olympic sponsorship).”  

The Vancouver Paralympics are experiencing a lot of firsts:  The first time the word Paralympic has been in the organizing committee’s name, the first time the Olympic and Paralympic flags have flown side by side at city hall, and the first Paralympic countdown clock.  “The more people become aware of Paralympic sports- whether it be sponsors or the public or some child with a disability sitting on his couch at home, or their parents - the more you’ll understand it, the more you’ll want to become involved in it.” says Qualtrough.

Will you be following the Paralympics?

Source: Paralympic Games see sponsorship, expanded TV coverage as keys to growth

Can’t see the stage from nosebleed heaven?  Imagine not being able to see the stage at all!  “No one wants to feel left out of a performance”  said Lisa Carling, the director of the Theater Development Fund’s accessibility program, which offers assistance to theatergoers with physical disabilities.  “if you miss a punchline or a dramatic statement, everyone else is included but you are not.”
Many stayed away from the theater because they were blind or had poor eyesight, they needed wheelchair access, they were hard of hearing, or perhaps they couldn’t climb stairs.
Through TDF there are now programs for the blind or those with low vision.  Audio description is available.  A live describer tells them what is happening onstage during times when you can’t hear anything.  They describe the costumes, sets and the theater.
For the deaf or hearing disabled they have open captioning.  It involves a portable LED screen set up orchestra right or left.  They also offer sign language interpretation.  Special requests are handled on a case by case basis.  It may be as simple as seating someone close to the stage so they can read lips, or providing a script to follow.  TDF is about building audiences, and including a group that has been left out in the past.  They make it easier for those with disabilities to order tickets, attend shows, provide orchestra seating at a discount.�
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Making Broadway Accessible for the Disabled - ArtsBeat Blog - NYTimes.com

The British department store, Debenhams, has cast wheelchair user Shannon Murray in its recent fashion campaign for famous designer Ben de Lisi’s brand called Principles.
The campaign also includes three other models that the company considers more realistic: Tess who is 5 feet 4 inches and considered petite, Tokumbo Daniel, who is a size 10, and Kate Fullman, who is a size 16.

Shannon has been modeling for over fourteen years, but she felt the Debenhams shoot was different because it was “another small step towards inclusion and representation.”

This was the first High Street campaign to feature a woman in a wheelchair, and disability advocates were mostly positive about the images. A spokesperson from the Direct Action Network, Clair Lewis, said: ‘As long as the campaign is more than just a brief moment of tokenism then I think it should be welcomed,’ she said.
‘Britain is a varied placed filled with women of different sizes and ethnic backgrounds. The models and high street windows should reflect that variety but all too often they don’t.’

When asked his thoughts about the campaign, fashion designer Ben de Lisi added: “I think Shannon looks amazing.”

We think she does too! What do you think?

More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1253699/Wheelchair-user-set-disabled-model-star-major-High-Street-campaign-Debenhams.html?ITO=1490