Solidarity versus Solitude

Posted by Katja on 30 August 2010 | Permalink
Filed under exercise/sports | 5 comments so far

Yesterday I rode in the Venus de Miles. It’s a women’s bike ride in its third year here in Boulder County. Riders can chose from 3 distances: 33 miles, 51 miles or 67 miles (a metric century). Since the longest ride I’d ever done when I signed up was 27 miles, and since I didn’t want to be out there all day, I registered for the 33 mile option. This ride is billed as a celebration of sisterhood, and all that good jazz (and it is).

At the recommendation of some other handcyclists, I started with the longer ride participants – the 67 mile riders started between 7:00 – 7:30, the 51 mile riders between 8:00 – 8:30, and the 33 mile riders not until 9:00. The rationale is that because as a handcyclist I am slower than just about all bicyclists, it’s a good idea to get a head start.

Because of this, for about half the course there were many other riders around me, and for the second half I was pretty much by myself, as the other 33 mile riders weren’t there yet. I was surprised to discover that I was much happier, mentally, on the second half, even though I think of myself as a very socially-oriented extrovert.

In the first half, I was just being passed constantly. Passed by very encouraging, friendly women, but passed nonetheless.

In the second half, with no one around to compare myself to, I didn’t feel as bad.

More on Frivolous Lawsuits

Posted by Katja on 26 August 2010 | Permalink
Filed under accessibility | No comments yet

Bad Cripple’s take on the Frivolous Lawsuit issue: An Image Problem: The ADA and Business

Advocacy or Appeasement?

Posted by Katja on 25 August 2010 | Permalink
Filed under accessibility | No comments yet

Let’s say there were federal laws about, I don’t know, food safety. And let’s say that instead of having restaurant inspectors, the federal government decided that the best way to enforce the laws about food safety would be to allow individual restaurant customers to sue restaurants. Who would be surprised if, twenty years later, a few enterprising individuals managed to make a living suing restaurants? Who would be surprised if many restaurants didn’t comply with the food safety laws, since the odds of being sued would be kind of low?

Now suppose there were organizations whose stated purpose was to help the victims of food poisoning. Instead of working with individual restaurant customers to force restaurants into compliance with food safety laws, these organizations beg those customers to stop suing, because it might alienate the restaurant owners.

The federal laws are actually about access, and surprise! there are some individuals who make a living suing businesses into compliance. So of course that winds up being the story, instead of the massive lack of compliance with a twenty year old law. In Florida, “advocacy groups” are quoted as saying that “we’re not convinced [lawsuits are] making the community more inclusive regarding the ADA.”

In that case, “advocacy groups” should get on the Department of Justice’s case, and lobby for actual enforcement of the ADA.

Haddayr tells it like it is:

Who cares if you “turn business owners against the ADA?” I don’t want them to feel warm and fuzzy. I want them to OBEY THE LAW. Businesses will not do right by people unless they fear lawsuits. They have no motivation other than money.

I especially love how Brenda Ruehl, executive director of Self Reliance Inc., uses the word “drive-by,” too. Because suing a business owner for breaking the law is EXACTLY like driving past someone and shooting them dead!

‘Drive-by’ ADA Lawsuits?!??

‘Drive-By’ ADA Lawsuits Have Business Owners On Edge, disabilityscoop

ADA suits challenge Ybor businesses, Tampa Bay Online