By Staff
If you don't have a problem getting in and out of a building, or off and on a bus, you may not give the American Disability Act a second thought.
It was only 15 years ago that the act was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, to establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability.
I didn't think much myself about the problems those who have lost their mobility encounter until I had a "stringer" named Joe Ringer.
Joe was a wonderful photographer who would sometimes shoot a picture for me to use in the Penny Saver paper. Joe also had no use of the lower half of his body due to an accident he had as a teenager.
I don't remember him ever complaining. He lived with his mother in River Park and was her chauffer when she needed to go to the store.
He was as independent as he could be, operating his own photography business. His room was set up with a cable system on the ceiling to help him get in and out of bed and into the bathroom to shower, without needing help from his mother.
His vehicle was equipped with hand controls and he was able to reach out, after getting in the driver's seat, and put his wheelchair in the back seat.
I remember asking him to lunch one day and that was when I realized he had to think out his life much more than I did.
The place I suggested to go wasn't accessible for him in his wheelchair, he said. He named some restaurants which were much easier for him to get into.
Though Joe has since died, if he went to lunch now I wonder how much easier it would be for him to maneuver the heavy doors, crowded aisles and other obstacles still found in many establishments.
Other places have made great strides to accommodate those in wheelchairs, or on scooters.
Strides have been made, but there is still work to do.
Not all disabilities are as visible as Joe's were. Sometimes, like in the case of my own Roger, eye problems make simply reading a menu almost impossible.
The government has made available reading devices and materials available to the public with such problems. Our libraries can probably hook people up with the Library of Congress on how to obtain these materials.
This week the Fisher Art Gallery in downtown Niles is sponsoring an art show with works from the Northern Indiana Institute for Artists with Disabilities. That is a wonderful way to recognize the similarities, instead of focusing on the differences of people.
Encourage businesses and others to help make the American Disability Act really work.
We should all be treated equally.