DISABLED ISSUES ARISE AND MORE STORIES NEEDED
by Leo E. Laurence; Member, San Diego "Pro" chapter; Member, National Committee on Diversity
We usually think about racial discrimination when the word "diversity" is used; but, in the S-P-J, that word -as used by our National Committee on Diversity - also includes Gays and the disabled. The DISABLED! Really?
We usually think about those with physical limitations, those using wheelchairs or prosthetics, when the word "disabled" is used. But, the mentally disabled are also included.
Depresssion, for example, is widespread and can hit anyone - from an intern reporter to a senior editor. It can drain our energy, cause us to seriously procrastinate, lose interest in everything and - if not treated - can lead to suicide. Yes, it's serious!
Depression can be just a debilitating as a physical disability. Indeed, those with physical limitations often experience serious depression, as in post-traumatic syndrome with which our middle-eastern war veterans are all too familiar.
Fortunately, for those who are physically disabled, the federal government is finally considering taking some major action to update the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
This needs considerable coverage by the media nationwide.
A new proposal will soon be published in the Federal Register that would substantially update and rewrite the ADA, that landmark civil rights law that was passed with strong biparticisn support in 1990.
More than 51 millioin Americans have some kind of disability, according to the Census Bureau, and that number is probably low because many people suffering from depression often keep it a secret.
The 215,000-word proposal has been under development for over four years. It includes these specific proposals for new construction, among many others:
** Courts would have to provide a lift or ramp to ensure that witnesses in wheelchairs could get into the witness stnad, which are often elevated.
** Auditoriums would have to provide a similar ramp or lift so wheelchair users can participate fully in graduation exercises and similar programs on stage.
** Light switches in hotels could not be more than 48-inches high, rather than the current 54-inch masimum.
** A new swimming pool with a perimeter of more than 300-feet would have to provide at least two accessable means of entry, such as a gentle slope or a chair lift.
** At least 25 percent of the railings on fishing piers would have to be no more than 34-inches high to accomodate the disabiled.
While the setimated cost of these changes in about $23 billion, it is believed the value of the public benefit will be about $654 billion.
In the economic analysis of the proposed rules, the need for an accessible environment is greater now because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are creating a new generation of young men and women with disabilities.
The Justice Departmnet estimates that by 2010, just two years from now, 2 percent of the adult population will use wheelchairs and 4 percent will use crutches, canes or walkers.
This puts a new and urgent obligation on our news media to cover this story thoroughly, particularly at the local level.
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Add your comment, or call Leo Laurence at (619) 757-4909 or write leopowerhere@msn.com