New Mobility’s September issue contains some superb articles about the current state of the ADA, disability activism, backlash, and access as a civil rights issue.
Nathasha at Audacity tries to find middle ground on the MDA telethon.
Also in NM, I saw an ad for disabilitiesbooks.com, which may be worth browsing through.
Disabilitiesbooks.com doesn’t have it, but I want this one.
Jeff posted a link to this article, which would seem to be the poster child for how not to ensure your civil rights. I wonder, though, if it’s not the reporting rather than the case that’s appalling. If a business is not in compliance, is it valid to use any legal tool you can find to force it to comply? I’m still having trouble with business owners claiming they never knew they were not accessible, thirteen years after the law was passed.
Here’s some appalling reporting – notice how power chairs for severely disabled people are compared to luxury cars, when the real problem is that the state is paying full price rather than negotiating discounts. (The LA Times site requires registration; the article is reprinted at wheelchair.weblogger.com.)
I think you’re right part of the problem was the reporting. It would be nice to know what transpired before hand. I definitely believe lawsuits have their place, but only after approaching the business and getting nowhere.