Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force:
Serves persons with disabilities and all abilities and seeks to ensure their Rights and Needs are realized and respected in a caring and barrier-free neighborhood safe for all

This page is brought to you by Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, the HPKCC Disabilities Task Force and the other Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force partners and by the HPKCC website, hydepark.org.
Join the Conference and its committees

To the Task Force's Business Informational Packet. Print copies available from the Chamber of Commerce or from George Rumsey of HPKCC.

Helpline. Community Resources. Government Services. Seniors and Other Tax Programs. Safe Traffic, Walks. Neighborhood Quality of Life. Affordability home and sub pages. Issues of accessibility are discussed passim in the pages on Promontory Point- from PP home and PP Latest.

Where to file a complaint of discrimination or non accommodation based on disability, such as violation of the ADA or Illinois Guide Dog Access or White Cane Law. See on Heating Cost Assistance in Helpline-Housing.

Meetings and hearings, contacts, quick bits

 

Some ADA remediation costs may be covered in the TIF District in the Small Business Improvement Fund program. See SBIF page.

The Disabilities Task Force next meeting- ? Projects continue underway.

Official Contacts for the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force

Mail (Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce):5211 South Harper, Suite D, Chicago, Illinois 60615.

Phone: 773 363-4368

Email: hpdisabilities@aol.com

Web Information: www.hydepark.org/neighborhood/disabled.htm

Members

Fifth Ward, Alderman Leslie A. Hairston
Fourth Ward, Alderman Toni Preckwinkle
Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce
Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference
Hyde Park Older Women's League
South East chicago Commission
University of Chicago Police Department
Chicago Police Department 21st District

HP Disabilities Task Force liaison to Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities: Karen Robinson.

 

Watch here for announcement of the next meeting of the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force. Or contact Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference at hpkcc@aol.com, 773 288-8343 or George Rumsey rumsey@aol.com 773 955-4455, Chamber of Commerce at hpchamber@juno.com, 773 288-0124, 5th Ward Service Office, 773 324-5555.

If you would like to be involved or your organization would like to join or receive access to the listgroup, contact George Rumsey at rumsey@aol.com.

 

In November 2006 there was a City Council joint committee hearing (the second) on achieving infrastructure that meets needs of all including persons with disabilities--including sidewalks, curb cuts, count-down crosswalk signals, traffic light timing, and specific intersections. Note the issued new city Complete Street policy on accommodation, which follows upon a major lawsuit settlement on city ADA infrastructure accommodation. Ask the 4th or 5th Ward Office to put you on a list to be notified about hearings-773 324-5555.

Sidewalks mostly fixed and upgraded for ADA: 57th Cornell to Ellis, 56th South Shore Dr. to Stony Island.

Free Special Education Rights Seminars are offered by Family Resource Center on Disabilities. Saturdays 10-1, First Mondays 10-1 (except holidays etc.) Information on special education rights for public and private schools; step-by-step instruction on preparing for evaluation, IEP meetings/annual reviews, access to student records, mediation, due process hearings; basic training on negotiating with school districts for appropriate services; free materials. Pre registration required at 312 939-3513. At 20 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 300, 60604. There is also a course for parent leaders and trainers. Next Sept. 13 and 20, 9:30-3:30.

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From the April 2007 Conference Reporter. Picture: Members of the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force meet on April15 to plan new activities for promoting disabilities awareness and compliance in Hyde Park, with a second round of business visits for June. The group was pleased to learn about the new audible traffic lights planned for 55th and Lake Park.

 

Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force Letter, Hyde Park Herald and the community, April 18, 2007. See Defender article following.

Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force
5211 South Harper, Suite D,
Chicago, Illinois 6037
773 363-4368, email hpdisabilities@aol.com. Web info at www.hydepark.org

April 16, 2007

Brian Wellner, Editor
Hyde park Herald

Dear Herald:

Since last November, the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force has been visiting neighborhood businesses to educate them about their responsibilities regarding people with disabilities. In most instances, our members were warmly received by managers and staff with positive attitudes.

however a small number of local businesses were indifferent or actively insulting towards the issue, and those businesses should be warned to prepared for a second set of interaction with our group.

Discrimination takes many forms. Refusing to serve a person in a wheelchair or with a service animal is an obvious form. But so is hassling a handicapped person, or laughing and making fun of a person's handicap. So is having a store or business that is not reasonably accommodating and safe for a person to enter.

Penalties for failure to comply with the law can be as much as $55,000 for a first notice and up to $100,000 for each subsequent notice (www.ada.gov). The Disabilities Task Force is encouraging those who are discriminated against not just to complain, but to complain through their lawyers. Discrimination in any form should not be tolerated.

Sincerely,

George W. Rumsey, President, HPKCC
Lenora Austin, Executive Director, HP Chamber of Commerce
Sue Purrington, [5th] Ward
Karen Robinson, advisor, Mayor's Council on Persons with Disabilities

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Defender article, April 25, 2007 on our task force and problems encountered even by our members

Disabled residents test Hyde Park businesses
by Tiffany Teasley
Apr 24, 2007

When Vicki Suchovsky, a disabled Hyde Park resident, went to pick up some groceries and a gallon of milk last week, she faced a rather sour situation.

Suchovsky, 55, suffers from generalized arthritis, had both knees replaced and uses a motorized scooter, but when she was unable to empty her groceries from her basket at Village Foods grocery store, 1521 E. Hyde Park Blvd., the cashier was noticeably hostile.

“She was rude and disrespectful,” Suchovsky said. “I have never been treated that way before.”

This is one of two incidents within the past two weeks where Hyde Park businesses have responded negatively to disabled residents, according to the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force. The group emerged after a 2006 incident when Karen Robinson, a blind woman, was denied service at a Hyde Park Dunkin' Donuts because of her service dog, which she uses to navigate the community.

Since December 2006 the task force has visited nearly 200 area businesses to assess amenability to disabled customers and to distribute information on adequately accommodating their needs.

Suchovsky sees the need for such information in Hyde Park. She lives with her daughter, but sometimes has to complete daily activities on her own. While she has lived in the neighborhood for only two years, she said that disability awareness among area residents is horrible.

“It’s just a basic lack of respect from the community; I’ve never seen the likes of it,” Suchovsky said.

Village Foods store manager Eric McCrary said staff training includes disability awareness education, and employees regularly help blind and disabled customers in the store, but he was not familiar with the April 15 incident.

The task force's three-month-long assessment has led it to probe seven area businesses, including Village Foods, that they deem indifferent and insulting regarding their customer service policies and awareness of the needs of the disabled.

“The goal is to test them,” said task force member and Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference President George Rumsey. “They had better be very nice to anyone with any handicap who goes in there.”

Complaints could be filed for further action under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The task force was formed by Ald. Leslie Hairston's 5th Ward office, the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce and the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, and has since partnered with several other local organizations.

“A couple of incidents made us feel a need to get more involved to see what we can do about alleviating these issues,” said Lenora Austin of the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce. “As any changes are proposed for the area, the information is given to the task force and their input is taken into consideration.”

Austin said the main concerns of disabled residents are access to doorways and aisles, customer service and service dog rights.

Discrimination based on disability is banned under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and can result in a $55,000 fine for the first violation and $110,000 for all subsequent violations.

While the task force has yet to compile actual evidence of noncompliance with the law in the seven businesses, they emphasize that bad customer service and negative attitude towards the disabled are instances of discrimination.

The task force is planning a second meeting with the seven businesses in question, based on the results of the first assessment. The disabilities task force meets again on June 10 at 2 p.m. at the Hyde Park Bank, 1525 E. 53rd St.
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Disabilities Task Force reports from the HPKCC Conference Reporter 2007 Issue 4, December

Disabilities Task force Educates Local Businesses

Don't be surprised if you notice an increase in the number of wheelchairs and service animals on the sidewalks of Hyde Park. It may just mean that you're seeing the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force in action.

The Task Force was formed as a result of Hyde Park residents being refused service at local restaurants. At the instigation of the 5th Ward Service Office, the 5th Ward, the 4th Ward, the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, and HPKCC jointly sponsored an educational community forum on "People with Disabilities: Our Rights and Responsibilities."

Invited speakers were Alderman Leslie Hairston, 5th Ward; Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, 4th Ward; Karen Robinson, DARE; Retired Circuit Judge Nicholas T. Pomaro, Director, Legal Clinic, Chicago Lighthouse; Bill Jurek, Guiding Eyes for the Blind; Karen McCulloh, Executive Director, disabilityworks, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; Earl Jordan, Illinois One Stop Center; Mike Sentino, DARE; Lenora Austin, Executive Director, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce; and George W. Rumsey, HPKCC.

Following the community forum, the sponsors agreed to form a Disabilities Task Force to address concerns and needs in this community. Since its start, the Task Force has been joined by the Hyde Park Older women's league (OWL), the South East Chicago Commission, the University of Chicago Police department, and the City of Chicago Police (21st District).

The mission of the Task Force is to educate the residents and businesses of Hyde Park-Kenwood as to the needs, rights, and concerns of our disabled and senior populations. It further seeks to promote and encourage responsible neighborly behavior in regard to these issues.

Members of the Task Force testified at City Council hearings in October about needed changes at dangerous intersections in Hyde Park (such as 55th and Lake Park). Member have also engaged the Chicago Public Schools about failure to provide adequate disability access at some neighborhood schools.

The Task Force decided to make sure local businesses were fully informed about their responsibilities to disabled customers (such as penalties of $55,000 for failure to comply with ADA. The Task Force assembled a dozen pairs of disabled/nondisabled volunteers to visit businesses in Hyde Park, starting with 53d Street. (Team members representing the Conference are Vicki Suchovsky, Julie Monberg, Judy Dupont, Jane Comiskey, and Lesley Bloch.)

The teams ask to speak with a manager, explain who they are, present a 4-page handout on ADA and disabilities (with emphasis on businesses, service animals, Illinois White Cane Law, and tips for appropriate etiquette for handicapped customers). Finally, each team records a brief evaluation of the business and its attitude for potential future follow up.

When this survey is completed, the Task Force has other plans, such as to document (digitally) major sidewalks problems that present an impediment to mobility. Another goal is to conduct a bicycle "good behavior" campaign, educating the neighborhood's bicycle riders about Illinois law and right-of-way issues with pedestrians.

To join the Disabilities Task Force, contact George Rumsey at rumsey@aol.com, Lenora Austin at hpchamber@juno.com, or Sue Purrington at purrs@aol.com.


OWL Holds Forum on Disabilities Issues

On November 4, Judy Roothan and Hyde Park OWL hosted a forum on disabilities with the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force. Invited panelists were Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th); Lenora Austin, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director; George Rumsey, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference; and Earl Jordan, Illinois Jobs One stop.

George Rumsey described the causative spark for and the background of the Task Force and reported on the initial forum. Rumsey said that founder Karen Robinson has been recently asked to remove her service dog from two additional establishments. He concluded that it is necessary to educate the business owners, as well as their employees.

The business education program was discussed and refined, including packets, signs, and plans for decals that can be displayed. The message the signs are to give is "we comply with the..." Alderman Hairston left no doubt she intends to put pressure on businesses that do not comply. The Chamber and the Conference have a already mailed a letter to businesses; then, starting November 15, teams of 2 (disabled and regularly-abled) will each contact a number of owners with a packet of educational materials. There will also have to be a way to get the word out to customers to expect to see service dogs in stores, restaurants, et al.

During discussion of future Task Force "fronts" (sidewalks-intersections-cuts, then bicycle-pedestrian interface), it became evident people with many concerns would like to piggyback on the needs of persons with disabilities on behalf of the elderly and hard of sight or hearing. Indeed everyone suffers from bad walks and mistimed intersections. "Making Hyde Park a caring and safe, user-friendly community for everyone" could be the model. People also said the Task Force needs to look into and promote Universal Design.

Alderman Hairston announced that audible countdown signals will be installed at 55th and Lake Park now. Redesign of the intersection will be studied. The Task Force will next look at other intersections and interfaces, especially on Lake Park and its adjacent Metra viaduct areas, then at other walks. The Department of Transportation visited Lake Park/55th with the Mayor's Office on People with Disabilities. They are both very helpful. The alderman did say infrastructure funds are very limited--maybe neighborhood institutions can chip in. A traffic study is underway for 56th and Lake Park--a signal light is under consideration. She noted that the city has to re-do all the public curb cuts not done correctly. She was asked how we can get drivers to honor the law and common sense on stops, red lights, turning (including further restrictions on turn-on-red), and speeding. She asked us to write Metra about replacement of bad South Chicago branch crosswalks in South Shore.

Concern was expressed about erratic snow and ice removal. The city and other government and institution plows frequently leave big banks, especially at crosswalks. Persons called for snow removal funded by the TIF or a parking improvement district. Specifically mentioned were the University's alumni center (56th and Woodlawn) and Walgreen's/Lake Park-55th at Lake Park (also in parks).

Persons said we have to plan to help the disabled incase of disasters large or small. Others said a quick target for results would be to ask the banks and other businesses that use lines to provide places for people to sit.

Rumsey suggested alliances with similar groups in neighboring communities, and said this Task Force is being looked at as a pilot by the city, some other neighborhoods, and disabilities organizations such as Chicago Lighthouse. Rumsey said we have to focus first on physical disabilities issues, those on which we can win tangible results.

Members said the task force might prepare materials on what makes for good or poor compliance and then commend businesses that are really helpful and creative, or that make changes for the disabled (including anyone with physical limitations).


From the President's Desk...[disabilities wake-up]

I like it when the Conference helps accomplish something useful to the community. In this issue you'll see results from our forum on the future of the Co-op, and the wide-ranging opinions on what is best for its future. You'll read articles about plans for 53rd street, both retail and parking (albeit Harper Court remains an unresolved issue).

But what I'm personally very proud of is the activities of the newly formed Disabilities Task Force. I find it incredible that, in 2006, it is still necessary to tell a business owner that a person with a service dog or in a wheelchair deserves the same service and treatment that anyone else receives.

And yet, I have heard that three local restaurants have refused service to a blind neighbor because she had a guide dog. How can that be?

If you, like me, own a business, you really need to educate yourself about the law. Failure to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act can result in an initial penalty of $55,000; additional infractions cost $110,000 each, plus damages. And federal law, such as ADA, specifically states that it overrides local laws (such as Cook County health codes that might prevent animals in a restaurant).

The U.S. Department of Justice maintains a very informative website on disabilities at www.ada.gov. Their toll-free number is 800-514-0301. The Illinois Attorney General also has local guidelines online, at http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/rights/. If you are confused or unclear on how to respond appropriately to people with disabilities, do yourself and the rest of us a favor and educate yourself.

Here are some basic rules: (1) You cannot require an ID card for the animal or ask about the person's disability. (2) You cannot charge an extra fee. (3) You cannot ask the person to remove the animal unless it poses a direct threat to the safety of others. (4) Allergies and fear of animals is not a valid reason for denying access. (5) Businesses that sell or prepare food must allow service animals in public areas. (6) Violators of ADA can be required to pay money damages and penalties. Know the law... and be a good neighbor.


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Latest, gains

Voice activated traffic lights are now in action at 55th and Lake Park, not far from disabities housing. It says "Walk sign, 55th Street" or Lake Park from the moment the walk sign goes on until it switches to w the amber countdown. Each direction has a different lenght based on teste. It's one of three in the city. Ald. Haiston said she seeks an audible countdown as well.

The project groups are already in motion: educating businesses on the guide dog law and identifying barrier sidewalks and intersections. On the former, see announcements above.

The Task Force met April 15 2007. The Task Force reviewed business response to the teams and started preparing "second visits." Ways to addresses repeat poor experiences by persons with disabilities, at certain businesses, was considered. A letter to the Herald (see below) was approved. Audible countdown signal to be installed at 55th St. and possibly other intersections were discussed. The Task Force will have outreach tables and likely a sign or banner at various festivals and public events. Some future amenities to be sought include portable ramps and universal design. Queries were raised about degree of commitment to access at various institutions and how to approach them. Next meeting June 10.

The Disabilities Task Force is composed or affiliated so far of

4th Ward Office and Alderman Preckwinkle, point person ?? Holmes
5th Ward Office and Alderman Hairston, point person Sue Purrington
DARE Assisted Housing
Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce
Hyde Park Cooperative Society (Co-op)
Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference
Mayors Council on Persons with Disabilities
Older Women's League (OWL)
Illinois Employment One Stop on Cottage Grove,
South East Chicago Commission
University of Chicago Police
Chicago Police Department 21st District Community Policing

Evolving mission and motto: A community that is caring and safe for all

In February 2007, the committee was evaluating, preparing report and considering next steps from the business visitation. Photographing and documenting "most obstructive sidewalks," and planning the next meeting are starting.

Order of First Priorities:

Business education: Chamber sends letter to businesses about white cane and other required accommodations and to expect a team to visit. Teams will have a disabled person to explain the problems, and if possible help identify accommodations that either are required or might be considered. Discussion will be held with each business; a packet will be left and signs will be left for store windows (and the Chamber will follow up on display) and possibly decals for door. The project went live in late November 2006. We expect a report to the community early in the year to be put up in this website.

55th-Lake Park intersection

Project to identify walks, cuts, intersections needing attention, starting with the key business streets.

(Spring?) An approach to bicycle-pedestrian (and auto-pedestrian) etiquette, interface/interactions.

The City of Chicago issued a Complete Street interdepartmental policy directive October 10 which follows up on a settlement. Text.

Alderman Hairston is going after CPS over long failure to provide access ramps at Bret Harte School, 1556 E. 56th. There is no wheelchair access or lift. Disabled parents have to meet with teachers et al in the schoolyard. Hairston told the Disabilities Forum Sept. 6 and the Herald, "This is an important issue that affects everyone." "Hosting a meeting in the playground is absurd... [CPS] called my office after 4 p.m. on the Friday before Labor Day holiday and left a message that getting access was not going to happen." CPS spokesman Mike Vaughan told the Herald, "With our limited budget and over 600 schools in the district--many of which date back to the early 1900s--we are working as fast as we can to bring all those schools into ADA compliance." But CPS this year is cutting $23 million from Special Education."

At its October Local School Council meeting, the principal announced that Bret Harte will be installing a lift at the north wing entry (near where conferences with parents are most likely, there are fewer sets of steps and stairs, and which is easier to retrofit). There are steep (including literally) structural difficulties with further accommodation, principal Shenethe Parks noted. The school truly wants to serve its students, parents, users and publics. Mike Vaughn of CPS said they are working on it, but can only do so much with a limited budget.

The Herald said on the issue September 20:

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) in particular is taking Chicago Public Schools to task over the lack of wheelchair access at Bret Harte. After two years of talking about it, Hairston expected COS to have had the problem fixed by the start of school. That didn't happen, and wheelchair-bound parents have to continue meeting with their children's teachers on the playground outside the school. How degrading!

The excuse given to the parents by CPS, as stated in last week's Herald is that a "limited budget" is keeping Harte from being compliant with the 16-year-old Americans with Disabilities act. In 16 years, CPS couldn't make Harte ADA compliant? Access to the school for parents, students, faculty and staff should be a priority. Hairston raised the issue at the Sept. 13 city council meeting in the form of a resolution. In the meantime, CPS is saying it can do nothing to assist the Harte community.

Alderman Hairston introduced a resolution at the September 13 City Council meeting calling for the city to conform to the law and get up to speed providing accessibility for people with disabilities. She called for countdown traffic lights and fixing uneven sidewalks that tip wheelchairs. The ordinance was filed with the Transportation Committee, which usually buries things. See in announcements, above, re: a probable November joint committee hearing.
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Co-op drafts disability resolution (and hops on board the task force). Herald, October 11, 2006. By Kathy Chaney

The Hyde Park Co-op is showing that it is on board with the mission of the Disabilities Task Force, a community-wide initiative, by showcasing their own disability resolution in their monthly newspaper.

James Withrow, a Co-op board member, said his initial plan was to put a sign in the window letting everyone know that service dogs were welcome at both Co-op locations. After discussing it with other board members, Withrow said, "The entire board felt that it would be better to put something in the Evergreen," the Co-op newspaper.

"The Co-op has consistently allowed service dogs to enter and the Customer Service desk provides additional assistance. The Co-op further promises to work with the task force on disabilities to educate business owners and shoppers about this important issue," said a statement Withrow submitted to the Evergreen.

Withrow will also represent the Co-op at task force meetings. The Task Force was formed in response to the Hyde Park Community Disabilities Forum on Sept. 6. It will be made up of representatives from the 4th and 5th Ward aldermanic offices, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce and local volunteers.

"I think it's a good idea," said Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) of the Co-op's efforts. [The 4th Ward has joined the Disabilities Task Force.]

The next step for the Co-op and other businesses, is to invite a delegation including people with various abilities and disabilities to survey and make suggestions to improve access to and within the business facility. Next set of steps is to accelerate action on walks and intersections, then bike-pedestrian interface.Top

Complete Street: The regional planning agency's Soles and Spokes division sent out notice of the following City of Chicago notification of policy on total accommodation on the public way:

The City of Chicago released a landmark Complete Streets Policy Oct. 10, mandating for the first time that all transportation users must be accommodated in all transportation projects. According to a multi-agency document issued by the city, the policy is expected to be implemented in a variety of ways advocated by Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and its Healthy Streets Campaign. The policy calls for pedestrian improvements like bulb-out curb extensions for crosswalks, countdown crossing signals, median refuges, and re-timing signals to minimize pedestrian delay and conflicts. To read more, visit
www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=1024_0_16_0_C.

Note that while the Task Force plans to address problems of bikes on sidewalks, rushing turns or through at intersections and without safety and warning gear, bike groups seem more interested in their interactions with cars and seek more bike trails along streets. See in Bike and City Bike Plan page.

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Steps backward dept. PACE raising fees for para transit

Reduced fare for para transit services now goes from $175 to $2.25 and cab from $1.75 to $5 . The agency, which provides all the disabled service in the Region, is allowed to increase charges up to 2 times the basic fare. There were strong protests at October hearings . In addition, the calling system is acknowledged by PACE to be screwed up - 3 different numbers. Ald. Hairston calls this horrible.

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For the third time, Karen Robinson was in spring 2007 nearly denied access with her service dog to the McDonald's on Lake Park.

Report on the September 6 2006 disabilities forum

In response to denial of service at restaurants and police lack of knowledge of the law, Alderman Hairston (5th), Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, and Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce held a forum for the public and businesses September 6. A report will appear here, as well as an expanded resource link section.

A task force is in formation on all aspects of the needs of persons with disabilities and other access impediments in the neighborhood. Call Sue Purrington at the 5th Ward Office, 773 324-5555 or Lenora Austin at the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, 773 288-0124. Please note that this task force will have full participation from Ald. Toni Preckwinkle's (4th) Ward Service Office.

At its October Board meeting, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference approved joining the Task Force and considering it a committee of the Conference, even though its membership will be much larger.

Report on Public Forum:

“People with Disabilities: OUR Rights and Responsibilities”

September 6, 2006, Hyde Park Neighborhood Club

Sponsored by 5th Ward Service Office, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference

Participants

    • Alderman Leslie A. Hairston (5th)
    • Karen Robinson, D.A.R.E. Disabled Adult Residential Enterprises
    • Retired Circuit Court Judge Nicholas T. Pomaro, Director, Legal Clinic, Chicago Lighthouse
    • Bill Jurek, Guiding Eyes for the Blind
    • Karen McCulloh, Executive Director, disabilityworks, Chicago Chamber of Commerce
    • Earl Johnson, Navigator, One Stop Center at Cottage Grove and 47th
    • Lenora Austin, Exec. Dir., Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce

Report prepared by Gary M. Ossewaarde, HPKCC

The panel was introduced by George Rumsey, President of Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference. Thanks was given to the whole organizing team, especially Sue Purrington of the 5th Ward Service Office. He said the initial planning discussions were eye-opening.

Rumsey said the focus was to be on practical issues of dealing with disability in this neighborhood, including navigation and helpful, respectful treatment. The purpose of the forum and ongoing action was to educate and get results, from schools sidewalks to businesses. Overcoming access and living issues are everyone's responsibility, Rumsey said.

Alderman Leslie A. Hairston (5th) and Alderman Toni Preckwinkle (4th) gave welcoming remarks, gave examples of how difficult it is for even aldermen to get results, especially from public agencies, and asked for an ongoing collaborative process. Alderman Hairston cited a local school without a ramp (necessitating outdoor assemblies) for which CPS has run out of any legitimate excuse.

Karen Robinson spoke for and lives in the Disabled Adult Residential Enterprises at 55th and Cornell. She told some of her experiences having her service dog's presence accepted in some local businesses and widespread ignorance of the law, which provides that the service dog, on leash and under control, has a right to be present with its owner wherever the general public can go. She said the dog is essential to her independence as well as navigation.

Nicholas Pomaro, Retired Circuit Court judge and the Director of the recently established Legal Clinic at Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, related his experiences as a blind person, since the age of 6, and owner of a service dog. The Legal Clinic at 1850 W. Roosevelt is affiliated with the University of Chicago Law School and has helped several hundred so far, through mediation or legal action.

Pomaro stressed the human and economic benefit of providing the disabled opportunity to succeed and opportunity to work. When the Americans for Disabilities Act was passed 16 years ago, only 30 in 100 disabled persons had jobs. There has been little improvement since, Pomaro said. Sometimes this comes from blatant discrimination such as saying the position is filled as soon as one learns an applicant has a disability. Particular problems include cabs that refuse to pick up the disabled, especially those with service dogs. Sometimes it is hard to get help to be able to function in the job or to get the point across that disability cannot be used to bar one from a job one can perform. He said the key is understanding.

Bill Jurek described the Guiding Eyes for the Blind (guidingeyes.org) and the extensive 22 month training service dogs get and the extensive training staff and the dogs' human partners get. One educational task this group does is sessions with cab drivers. He noted responsibilities of the service dog's owner.

Karen McCulloh is Executive Director of a new consortium, disabilityworks, under the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Mayors Office for People with Disabilities and Office of Workforce Development. At Mayor Daley's initiative, McCulloh said, a task force worked from 2000 to 2005 to identify physical, attitudinal and other barriers to employing the disabled and providing them economic employment opportunity. Businesses have to be educated (including on the White Cane Law) , but often prodded with legal or protest action. She noted that the disabled comprise 14.1 percent of the population- 1 in 7--the second-largest subgroup, and more if you count elderly for whom disability is a component of their inability to get around and be employed. She said it is 16 years since the Act and it is time to see action. The federal government is starting to take a strong position with employers, schools, and others. The economy is losing productive activity from 25 million. But the disabled have 175 billion in income and so leverage with businesses.

She reiterated that not only education is needed but many physical changes. The Mayor is committed to these from the city's side, but it will take much money and time. Her program not only works on these but to get the disabled ready for employment and connected with employers. The website is disabilityworks.org.

Earl Jordan is a Navigator at the Mid South One Stop Career Center (OSCC) at 715 E. 47th St. (one of three) of the city's Office of Workforce Development. It helps with a lot, from from orientation and counseling to resource room to job postings, unemployment insurance and more. Mr. Jordan can be contacted at 773 538-5627.

Mike Sentino is with DARE Housing and looks for ways to make Hyde Park more navigable and accessible. He called attention to many specific problems with sidewalks, intersections, signal lights, and streets in Hyde Park, especially east Hyde Park and Lake Park Avenue.

Lenora Austin, Executive Director, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, discussed issues of service and of mobility--including the bicycle problem in Hyde Park. She will address the incoming U. of C. class during orientation. She said we have to view the world differently, through the needs of the disabled. For the disabled, it's hard to take your kid to school, shop, go to the laundry. She asked for a community task force, to, inter alia, survey and call for action on our sidewalks. She said that access inside businesses is the law- entitlement- and she was committed to the business education process and dissemination of information. She asked people to sign up for a task force.

The floor was opened. Issues raised included:

  • Most housing going up does not allow disabled persons to get in even to visit. People were advised to contact Access Living, which has teams and sometimes helps one take legal action, 312 243-7000 Attention Ken Walden, or the Mayors Office for People with Disabilities, which has to pass on all new housing- ask for Chris at 312 744-7209.
  • Sidewalks were addressed again. Alderman Hairston cited low funding (either half paid by owners or comes from aldermanic menu) and rules--they won't fix sidewalks that have been replaced in the past 7 years or are not broken. Heaved or uneven walks that impede so many are just coming on the radar; she will file for hearings at the next City Council meeting. She asked that a task force on disabled issues be formed and that one of its tasks be a thorough sidewalk survey. Ms. McCulloh said that as result of a lawsuit against the city over sidewalks, a settlement is under discussion that will lead to action fixing and upgrading walks and intersection ramps. This is under jurisdiction of the City Council Transportation Committee.
  • People asked for audible/visual countdown signals at key intersections such as 55th and Lake Park. Some neighborhoods have gotten these. A strategy suggested was to do the research, call city hall hearings on the specific, localized problems and have residents go down and back the calls for action.
  • Persons with specific problems with services, medical and other benefits, school access, etc. were advised to contact the Family Resource Center on Disabilities, 20 E. Jackson, 800 952-4192.

    Next steps

  • Form the task force, signup starting now
  • Task force tasks to include sidewalk and signal needs, starting with 55th St. and the 55th-Lake Park intersection, then 55th and on as well as to address such issues as bike-ped interactions including bikes on walks.
  • After research hold a forum, inviting the disabilities commissioner
  • Alderman Hairston to call for City Council hearings on issues and specifics
  • Chamber of Commerce and Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference to issue and post (including on their websites) reports and lists of resource links. Chamber to provide some form of educational material to businesses particularly on service dog access.

Addendum: Specific sidewalk and intersections directed to be inspected and recommended include 55th from Hyde Park Blvd. through Lake Park and around University Residences and Bank Financial and Lake Park from 55th area north past 51st. Specifics include sidewalks, street ramps, signage, signals (including count-downs), and bike and other pedestrian interactions.

Note, the Task Force is aware that is must address problems of people with mental, dependency, and behavioral problems as well and also that the concerns of disabled persons often overlaps with those of elderly and the young (including in schools). It also recognizes the need to improve awareness of how businesses can better address the needs of all their patrons in thresholds, doors, double-door vestibules, access to serving lines or tables and washrooms, the tables or aisles/maneuvering space and high stacking/shelving/counters. (K-Mart recently paid an expensive settlement on the latter category.)

________________________
From Hyde Park Herald September 13, 2006. By Kathy Chaney

Disabilities group to tackle Lake Park/55th St. traffic: Treatment of Hyde Park woman with seeing-eye dog sparked Sept. 6 forum

After being slighted from a few area businesses based on her use of a service animal, Karen Robinson turned the negative into a positive. Her experiences inspired the first Hyde Park Community Disabilities Forum on Sept. 6 at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club.

Sponsored by Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th), the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (HPKCC) and the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, residents with disabilities shared their experiences and helped initiate a community-wide Disabilities Task Force.

Made up of representatives from the 4th and 5th Ward aldermanic offices, HPKCC, and the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce and local volunteers, the task force plans to "tackle the traffic intersection at 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue, bicycle etiquette (bike riders on the sidewalks), and sidewalk conditions frequented by wheelchair users," said George Rumsey, president of HPKCC. Ald. Hairston said that helping bring the forum to fruition was "an eye-opening experience for all of us."

Nicholas Pomaro, a retired circuit judge and current director of the Legal Clinic at the Chicago Lighthouse, said he lost his sight completely at 6 years old. His experiences led him to help start t he legal clinic 13 months ago. "We have a working relationship with the University of Chicago Law School and we've helped between 200 and 300 people," Pomaro sid.

Pomaro said he knows there are prejudicial barriers against the handicapped and he understands that because people do not know what it is like to walk in his shoes. "I don't want to be handed anything. I want an opportunity to succeed. I think society owes me that," he said.

Wheelchair bound Mike Sentino, a Hyde Park resident for 20 years, said that his main concern was the uneven sidewalks and the timing of the traffic lights at 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue. "The timing is too quick and you would get run over by a car," Sentino said.

He said the sidewalks are so uneven that he almost tips over in his wheelchair, forcing him to sometimes travel in the street. Hairston addressed his concerns and said she would bring it up at the next city council meeting Sept. 13.

Lenora Austin, executive director of the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, said that Hyde Park is "a place where people take care of each other," She added, "The main goal is to go away with a different mind set as a result of the forum."

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Herald says on Sept. 20 '06 that there is a disability crisis in Hyde Park.

The Herald applauds those who for the last few weeks have been working to make Hyde Park friendlier to people with disabilities. Those efforts have targeted some of our neighborhood businesses, the tricky intersection at Lake Park Avenue and 55th Street and Bret Harte Elementary School.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th) in particular is taking Chicago Public Schools to task over the lack of wheelchair access at Bret Harte. After two years of talking about it, Hairston expected COS to have had the problem fixed by the start of school. That didn't happen, and wheelchair-bound parents have to continue meeting with their children's teachers on the playground outside the school. How degrading!

The excuse given to the parents by CPS, as stated in last week's Herald is that a "limited budget" is keeping Harte from being compliant with the 16-year-old Americans with Disabilities act. In 16 years, CPS couldn't make Harte ADA compliant? Access to the school for parents, students, faculty and staff should be a priority. Hairston raised the issue at the Sept. 13 city council meeting in the form of a resolution. In the meantime, CPS is saying it can do nothing to assist the Harte community.

A week earlier, the alderman co-sponsored a forum with the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference and the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce that launched the Disabilities Task Force. In addition to Bret Harte, the task force aims to address uneven sidewalks and Lake Park/55th intersection, which arguably doesn't allow enough time for handicapped pedestrians to cross.

An important aim is to require all Hyde Park businesses to open their doors to people with disabilities. The issue arose earlier in the summer when Karen Robinson, who uses a seeing-eye dog, was denied service at Dunkin Donuts, 1411 E. 53rd st. No one deserves to be treated this way, and the Chamber of Commerce is the right agency to monitor the treatment of those who shop in our neighborhood.

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Letters keep coming in on 56th walks

Herald Nov. 8 2006. Karen Cashen

I'm writing to protest the unsafe and unsightly sidewalk on 56th Street between Lake Shore Drive and Stony Island Avenue. The situation is a lawsuit waiting to happen and should be fixed immediately. I know. I live across the street and use this sidewalk constantly. I can't say how many times I've slipped, had to step around dirt and water, or been force to walk along the curb.

While the very eastern end of the sidewalk was redone recently as part of the lake shore rehab, the rest remains cracked and parts are in pieces due to age and tree roots. Water has eroded the park and onto the sidewalk resulting in dirt and debris. The cracks and upheavals fill with water and ice making it nearly impossible to navigate in bad weather.

The sidewalk is a main neighborhood thoroughfare for runners and walkers accessing the lake, families going to the Museum of Science and Industry, and parents and kids going to and from Bret Harte Elementary School and the two Jackson Park playgrounds. It's especially hazardous for Montgomery Place seniors, some of whom are in wheelchairs.

Chicago is "the city that works." So c'mon Chicago, let's get the 56th Street sidewalk in working order! Complaints to our alderman have been ignored, so now it's time for citizens to protest to find a way to have this local eyesore and hazard resurfaced.

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Resident says 55th Lake Park light just too short

Herald, October 18, 2006. Letter by Allen Lang

Although I am an athletic septuagenarian with two state-of-the-art artificial knees, I can only with effort make the crossing at Lake Park Avenue and 55th Street under the aegis of the "walk" light. That corner is the most pedestrian-unfriendly in the city. Its nine-second pause for walkers is absurdly brief.

How stressful it must be for a mother with a 2-year-old in her stroller trying to make it over in the allotted instant, or for a shopper pushing a cart. Might our aldermen cause the traffic lights to be set to allow those of us on foot to get safely across the street?

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November 4, 2006 Older Women's League (OWL) holds a forum on disabilities issues with the Hyde Park Disabilities Task Force.

Hostess: Judy Roothan.

Panelists: Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th); Lenora Austin, Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce Executive Director; George Rumsey Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference; Earl? Jordan, Illinois Jobs One Stop.

George Rumsey described the causative spark for and the background of the Task Force and of the initial forum. Rumsey said that founder Karen Robinson has been recently asked to remove her service dog from two more establishments. Conclusion: it will not be enough to talk to business owners, but also to their employees.

The business education program was discussed and refined, including packets, signs, decals to be left. The message the signs are to give is "we comply with the....." Alderman Hairston left no doubt she intends to put pressure on businesses that don't comply. The Chamber is sending a letter to businesses, then starting about November 13 teams of 2 (disabled and regularly abled) will each contact a small number of owners with a packet, signs, and maybe decals. There will also have to be a way to get the word out to customers to expect to see service dogs in stores, restaurants et al- maybe the signs and decals can help.

During discussion of next Task Force "fronts" (walks-intersections-cuts-streets), then bicycle-pedestrian interface, it became evident people with many concerns would like to piggyback on the needs of persons with disabilities on behalf of the elderly, hard of sight or hearing, indeed everyone suffers from bad walks, mistimed intersections et al. "Making Hyde Park a caring and safe, user-friendly community for everyone" could be the model. People also said the Task Force needs to look into and promote Universal Design.

Alderman Hairston announced that audible countdown signals will be installed at 55th and Lake Park now. Redesign of the intersection will be studied. The Task Force will next look at other intersections and interfaces, especially on Lake Park and its adjacent Metra viaduct areas, then at other walks. The Department of Transportation visited Lake Park/55th with the Mayor's Office on People with Disabilities. They are both very helpful. The alderman did say infrastructure funds are very limited--maybe the institutions can chip in. A traffic study is underway of 56th and Lake Park--a signal light is under consideration. She noted that the city has to re-do all the public walk curb cuts not done recently. She was asked how we can get drivers back to honoring the law and common sense on stops, red lights, turning (including further restrictions on turn-on-red), and speeding. She asked us to write Metra about replacement of bad South Chicago branch crosswalks in South Shore.

Concern was expressed about erratic snow and ice removal. The city and other government and institution plows frequently leave big banks, especially at crosswalks. Persons called for snow removal funded by the TIF or a parking improvement district. Specifically mentioned were the University's alumni center (56th and Woodlawn) and by Walgreen's/Lake Park-55th northward on Lake Park. Also the parks.

Persons said we have to plan to help the disabled in case of disasters large or small. Others said a quick target for results would be to ask the banks, some other businesses that use lines, to provide places for people to sit.

Rumsey suggested alliances with similar groups in neighboring communities, and said this Task Force is being looked at as a pilot by the city, some other neighborhoods, and disabilities organizations such as Chicago Lighthouse. Rumsey said we have to focus now on disabilities issues, those on which we can win tangible results.

Members said the task force might prepare materials on what make for business or structure good or poor compliance and then commend businesses that are really helpful, creative, and make changes for the disabled (and anyone with physical drawbacks or age).

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Myth: There is nothing one person can do to help eliminate the barriers confronting people with disabilities.
Fact: Everyone can contribute to change.


You can help remove barriers or keep ways safe and clear by:

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Backgrounders, what's the law and ADA guides:

Refusal to serve 5th Ward resident and service dog in a business sparks education, remediation campaign in community

On July 8, 2006, Hyde Parker Karen Robinson was asked by management to remove her service (seeing eye) dog from the Dunkin' Donuts on 53rd Street; police backed Dunkin' Donuts with a sweeping assertion of proprietors' rights contrary to the 1969 Illinois White Cane Law. Since the incident, it turned out that such denials of service are frequent. Ms. Robinson's complaint to government agencies, television, and our local aldermen. Several groups have been working with local aldermen and Chicago Police, looking into what can be done, and concluding that a sweeping educational effort will have the most immediate effect. Targeted especially are business owners and police. For the latter, a short training video on the White Cane Law was hurried into production and will be shown to all Chicago police officers. For the community, a wide-ranging forum has been called for September 6 (see above).

Woman with seeing eye [service] dog fights rejection

Hyde Park Herald, August 16, 2006, by Kathy Chaney

Frustrated with being asked to leave local area businesses since moving to Hyde Park 13 months ago, Karen Robinson, who is visually handicapped, said enough is enough and fought back.

Robinson, who uses a seeing-eye dog, said since moving to Hyde Park she had problems entering a few businesses in Hyde Park Shopping Center. And what was supposed to be a regular walk with her dog and a stop at the 53rd Street Dunkin['] Donuts shop turned out to be the opposite, adm the final straw for Robinson.

Robinson, her guide dog Hampton and a friend walked to Dunkin' Donuts, 1311 E. 53rd st., around [?] p.m. on July 8. "We were sitting there for about a minute when the manager came up and told me, 'You have to take the dog outside,' I proceeded to tell him that I'm visually impaired and I use the aid of a guide dog. This dog has every right to be in any place that is accessible to the public," Robinson told the Herald.

Robinson said the manager insisted the dog go outside and if she did not comply with the request, the police would be called. Expecting the police to enforce her rights, she urged him to call the police. Once the police arrived, they sided with store management and said the store has the right to refuse service to anyone they pleased. She then asked for the police to fill out a report so she could have something official to aid her complaint with the city's Department of Human Rights.

She was unable to obtain a report from the officers because she was told that the incident as not a criminal offense, only a civil offense. Refusing access to an individual and its service animal carries a Class A misdemeanor charge for the violator, something she said the police should have known.

Discouraged at the outcome, Robinson left the donut shop. She then decided to file a complaint with the city's Department of Human Rights anyway. She also contacted Channel 5's investigative unit.

In response to inquiries from the station's reporters, the Chicago Police Department held a public press conference on Aug. 7 unveiling a new five-minute training video on the "White Cane Law." The Illinois law, effective since 1969, ensures that people who are visually handicapped, hearing impaired or who suffer from epilepsy or other seizure disorders or are otherwise physically disabled have the right to be accompanied by their service animal in areas and on transportation open to the general public, including restaurants, hotels, busses, airplanes and trains.

Police said the training production had been planned months ago. "We encouraged the training video production. There is a lot of training a police officer is required to retain," said Monique Bond, police spokeswoman. Officials also said the officers who responded to the call at the donut shop were misinformed about the law and were not disciplined.

"This video was developed as a way to better educate our officers about the White Cane Law, but it also provides and opportunity to raise public awareness so that other individuals, including restaurants, business owners and taxi drivers, can also be informed," said Charles Williams, police deputy superintendent.

Management at the Dunkin' Donuts declined to comment on the incident. Dunkin' Donuts corporate office sent Robinson a letter of apology a few weeks after the incident and included four coupons for free coffee. [In an earlier article, the corporate office also pointed out that the stores are franchisee owned.]

Employees at the Pizza Hut restaurant across the street form the donut shop said they have customers with guide dogs come in occasionally. "We don't have a problem with them coming in. Sometimes a few customers are alarmed, but once they see what kind of dog it is, they are ok with it," said an employee, who prefers her name withheld.

"I need this dog just as much as he needs me. He's also here for safety issues. Without him I felt like a sitting duck Don't condemn me because I'm different and I use a dog," Robinson said of Hampton, who has been with her since 204. The first time she was denied access was in 2004 at a clothing boutique on East 95th Street.

Robinson now caries the Assistance Dogs International Guide to Assistance Dog Laws book each time she leaves home.

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Public comments

Joan Alofs says, Accept people with disabilities

Herald, August 30, 2006

I was shocked and outraged to read in the Aug. 16 issue of the Herald that a local resident, Karen Robinson, has been denied access to businesses in our community because she uses a service dog. It was even more unsettling to learn that Chicago police officers, whose job it is "to serve and protect" supported this action because of "misinformation" regarding the White Cane Law.

I am writing at this time for two reasons. First and foremost, I would like Ms. Robinson to know that she is respected, not condemned by many in this community. Indeed, some of us wonder and worry about how well we would be able to handle life should something happen to our eyesight. In addition, I would like Ms. Robinson to know that if there is anything that I personally can do to make her feel more accepted and welcome in the community I would be only happy to do it.

Second, I would like to take this opportunity to supply a little information about the training dog guides receive before they are placed in service in the hope that this might help people feel more comfortable when they encounter these animals in places that our culture does not traditionally allow animals.

Service dogs are frequently big (German shepherds, golden retrievers and labs) and therefore can be somewhat intimidating. However, whether donated or specifically bred for a career of service, these dogs have been chosen because of their intelligence and calm, gentle natures. Most spend their first year with a "puppy raiser" whose job it is to socialize and give the puppy its first exposure to grocery stores, restaurants and things such as walking past a large exhaust fan in a parking garage or on grates in the sidewalk. Once the dog is a year old, it is returned to the school or training establishment for four months of rigorous training and evaluation by a professional instructor

A dog will automatically be eliminated from the program if it shows any sign of aggression. It can also be "career changed" for physical reasons or even for such things as being too distractable. If, however, the dog completes the training, it is matched with an individual and spends another month with the instructor who teaches the dog and the person to work as a team. Approximately $30,000 has been invested in each dog by the time training is completed and the dog leaves the school with its new master.

I encourage everyone to attend the forum on people with disabilities on Sept. 6 at the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club. In the meantime, I hope this little bit of information will help people feel more accepting of persons moving about our community with service dogs.

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Colleges feel heat to help disabled; U of C settles

Chicago Tribune, August 30, by J.S. Cohen

U. of C. deal is part of crackdown by U.S.

By Jodi S. Cohen
Tribune higher education reporter
Published August 31, 2006

The first time the fire alarm went off in his University of Chicago dorm, Jonathan Ko, a quadriplegic, was in bed, without a plan of escape. Had it been a real fire, there would have been no obvious way for anyone to know he was stuck.

Days later, a red sign went up in his window to alert firefighters to his location.

Years after Ko's experience and 16 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act led to sweeping changes in accommodations for people with special needs, the U. of C. and many other institutions are still grappling with how to adapt--a slow evolution tolerated, until recently, by the government.

But roughly two years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation at the U. of C. and about 10 other universities.

Last month, to avoid litigation, U. of C. officials signed an agreement with the Justice Department that requires extensive campus improvements during the next four years.

Government officials hope the U. of C. settlement and another signed this month with Colorado College are only the beginning of a series of agreements that will require universities to improve access and accommodations for students with disabilities.

The cost of retrofitting buildings, as well as revamping everything from parking to emergency plans, has caught the attention of academia.

"The Justice Department is sending a very strong shot across the bow of American higher education, from community colleges to major research universities, that they are serious about the enforcement of ADA," said Sheldon Steinbach, general counsel for the Washington, D.C.-based American Council on Education. He said it could be "extraordinarily expensive" to comply with what the Justice Department wants.

Under the U. of C. agreement, changes will include making 3 percent of housing units accessible for people with disabilities, identifying accessible routes on the university's Web site and reviewing evacuation procedures and transportation.

The agreement states that even some of the university's new construction is faulty, noting problems with doors, restrooms, signage and classroom seating.

The settlement does not include academic accommodations such as technology that can make online course material available in an audio format for students who are blind.

Though they agreed to make the changes, university officials deny violating the law, according to the agreement.


A slow, expensive process

Ingrid Gould, a U. of C. assistant vice provost, said some of the stipulated improvements--including campus wide emergency plans--have been under way for years. Other recent changes include new entrance ramps, updating lifts for heavier and wider wheelchairs and re paving some cracked and uneven pathways.

But it can be a slow and expensive process, and the Justice Department settlement "helped sharpen our focus," Gould said.

"All of the things they point out are areas where we have been working," Gould said. She said administrators haven't put a dollar amount on the changes, which will likely be incorporated into the capital budget.

Typically the government has waited until it received complaints to pursue ADA violations at universities. Justice Department spokeswoman Cynthia Magnuson said the U. of C. review, however, wasn't prompted by any specific complaint.

Instead, Justice Department attorneys now proactively check campuses for problems, and the U. of C. settlement is the first resulting from this approach, Magnuson said. The government focused on universities in part because many are old--and complex, due to the number of buildings.

"It is difficult to get out and look at every school, but we are doing everything we can," she said. "We hope the publicity we get from these kinds of cases will make other schools look at their problems."

Gould said there are usually only one or two U. of C. students each year with physical disabilities. There will be five this fall.
The low numbers aren't surprising to Ken Walden, an attorney at Access Living in Chicago.

"If you're a person with a disability and visit campus and realize it is horribly inaccessible, you might strike it off the list," Walden said. "A common refrain [at many institutions] is that nobody with a disability has ever been here. Of course not, because they can't get in."

That's not the case at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which enrolls several hundred students a year with physical disabilities, including between 60 and 80 who use wheelchairs.

The campus has been a leader in educating students with special needs since World War II and boasts of having the first wheelchair-accessible dorm, bus system and sports program for students with disabilities.

Each student with a disability is assigned a staff member. There's a dorm dedicated to students with severe physical disabilities. Maps on the university's Web site show automatic door openers, accessible parking, elevators and restrooms.

"If you build it, they will come," said Brad Hedrick, director of the U. of I. division of disability resources and education services. "For persons with disabilities, the relative access that the campuses offer is something that they consider."

U. of I. leads the way

In most cases, public universities have been ahead of their private counterparts, with U. of I. and the University of California at Berkeley leading the way, said Richard Allegra of the Association on Higher Education and Disability. He said the U. of C. settlement resonates beyond Hyde Park.

"A lot of people will be watching this particular case ... to see how to implement changes on their own campuses and see where they stand," Allegra said.

Katrina Gossett, who uses an electric wheelchair, will start law school at U. of C. this year. She said she's been satisfied with the university's efforts to accommodate her, including the renovation of an apartment and the addition of door openers at all her classrooms.

"Right now the apartments aren't accessible, but they are working on it," said Gossett, who has spinal muscular atrophy. "They are adding door openers, lowering the light switches, widening the bathroom."

She also has been advised of an emergency plan, which includes an evacuation chair by stairs near her apartment.

"They have gone above and beyond what I expected," said Gossett, who hopes to practice disability law.

Ko, now in law school at the U. of I., said that while the U. of C. was at times difficult to navigate, university officials were quick to meet his needs. They knocked down a wall in a dorm to accommodate his wheelchair, hired a student to write out his exam answers and added a more modern lift to the Reynolds Club, home to several student organizations.

"They do take care of you really well and make the accommodations that you need," Ko said. "It is simply that they haven't had to deal with it, and so they don't really think of it too much until after the fact."

Still, while he emphasizes his positive experience at the Hyde Park campus, Ko said he's glad the university is taking a careful look at accessibility.

"So much of that campus is not that wheelchair-friendly," he said. "If I were a prospective student and I were to go there to visit, that would freak me out."

----------

jscohen@tribune.com


U of C begins to improve on-campus accessibility. Maroon, October 20, 2006. By Kat Glass

The University has started a long-term process of revamping the campus to be accessible for people with disabilities, following a mid-July settlement with the Department of Justice. The Justice Department initiated a lengthy review of campus facilities in early 2004 to ensure the University complies with regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The out-of-court settlement includes a wide range of areas that need updates, including emergency evacuation plans, toilets in dormitories, the late-night transportation service, assisted-listening devices in classrooms, and signs on campus buildings.

Because the University is still in the preliminary stage of updating the campus, officials do not have an estimate on how much its compliance efforts will cost. "It's an answer that will become clear as we determine the work that we need to be doing," said Assistant Provost and Assistant Vice President Ingrid Gould, who was on of the University representatives working with the Justice Department on the settlement.

About a year ago, the University hired LCM Architects, a consulting firm that specializes in the ADA. The firm has been surveying the campus, tracking the weight of front doors, the depth of bathroom sinks, the height of paper towel dispensers, and making many other specified measurements. "It's really, really super careful--every little technical detail," Gould said.

The settlement required the University to update its late-night van service by October 1. Gould said the University met the deadline and currently has separate buses that can serve people with disabilities. Gould said there are separate, accessible vans for people with disabilities to call. These student scan also wait inside for the van to arrive...

The University has also erected signs on campus buildings to alert people with disabilities about accessible bathrooms and entrances, in accordance with the settlement. Some of the bigger changes on campus will be building renovations, but this process is still in the preliminary stage. The settlement simply states that the University must "correct violations for accessibility by February 1, 2010."

"We will have some renovations to some number--as yet undetermined--of buildings," Gould said. Gould said the University first started updating the campus to comply with the ADA in 1992, but that the process is a long-term one. "A campus this size--it takes years, and this is true if you're Stanford, it's true if you're Dartmouth," she said. "Different schools have different challenges. We at least have a flat campus, but we have the challenge of winter."

Gould said remaining true to the campus's Gothic character presents another challenge. "We don't want to do it in a slapdash way," she said. "To renovate a campus of this elegance, we want the accessible entrances to be equally appropriate."

The settlement covers the new residence hall, which as already broken ground south of the Midway, but Gould said it would to slow down the process, because the design already complies with the ADA. "New buildings are supposed to be accessible," Gould said.

 

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Business Facts: Reaching Out to Customers with Disabilities (and why it pays to be disability-friendly and known as such)

The following was developed by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce disabilityworks. Dissabilityworks is the Chicagoland Chamber component of the Mayor's Task Force on People with Disabilities

If you have questions or would like more information about reaching out to customers with disabilities, please contact us: Jennifer Schindl, Managing Director, Chicagoland Business Leadership Networks 312 494-6713, disabilityworks, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, 200 E. Randolph, Suite 2200, Chicago, ILlinois 60601, www.disabilityworks.org.

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The Illinois White Cane Law/Guide Dog Access Act

Summary: Under this law, persons who are blind or visually impaired, or hearing impaired, or have other physical disabilities are entitled to full and equal use of all hotels, lodging places, places of public accommodation, amusement or resort and other places to which the general public is invited. This includes the right to a support dog or guide dog without extra cost.

Human Rights. (775A ILCSA 30/) White Cane Law

(775 ILCS 30/1) (from Ch. 23, par. 3361)
Sec. 1. This Act may be cited as the White Cane Law. (Source P.A. 86-1475.)

(775 ILCS 30/2) (from Ch. 23, par. 3362)
Sec. 2. It is the policy of the State to encourage and enable the blind, the visually handicapped an th otherwise physically disabled to participate fully in the social and economic life of the State and to engage in remunerative employment. (Source: P.A.76-663.)

(775 ILCS 30/30) (from Ch. 23, par. 3363)
Sec. 3. The blind, the visually handicapped, the hearing impaired, persons who are subject to epilepsy or other seizure disorders, and the otherwise physically disabled have the same right as the able-bodies to the full and free use of the streets, highways, sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, public facilities and other public places.

The blind, the visually handicapped, the hearing impaired, persons who are subject to epilepsy or other seizure disorders, and the otherwise physically disabled are entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities an privileges of all common carriers, airplanes, motor vehicles, railroad trains, motor buses, street cars, boats or any other public conveyances or modes of transportation, hotels, lodging places, places of public accommodation, amusement or resort and other places to which the general public is invited, subject only to the conditions and limitations established by law and applicable alike to all persons.

Every totally or partially blind, hearing impaired, person who is subject to epilepsy or other seizure disorders, or otherwise physically disabled person or a trainer of support dogs, guide dogs, seizure-alert dogs, seizure-response dogs, or hearing dogs shall have the right to be accompanied by a support dog or guide dog especially trained for th e purpose, or a dog that is being trained to be a support dog, guide dog, seizure-alert dog, seizure-response dog, or hearing dog, in any of the places listed in the Section without being required to pay an extra charge for the guide, support, seizure-alert, seizure-response, or hearing dog; provided that he shall be liable for any damage done to the premises or facilities by such dog. (Source: P/A 92-187, eff. 1-1-02; 93-532, eff. 1-1-04.)

(773 ILCS 30/4) (from Ch. 23, par. 3364)
Sec. 4. Any person or persons, firm or corporation, or the agent of any person or persons, firm or corporation who denies or interferes with admittance to or enjoyment of the public facilities enumerated in Section 3 of this Act or otherwise interferes with the rights of a totally or partially blind or otherwise disable person under Section 3 of this Act shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. (Source: P.A. 77-2830.)

(775 ILCS 30/5) (from Ch. 23, par. 3365)
Sec. 5. It is the policy of this State that the blind, the visually handicapped and the otherwise physically disabled shall be employed in the State Service, the service of the political subdivisions of the State, in the public schools and all the other employment supported in whole or in part by funds on the same terms and conditions as the able-bodied, unless it is shown that he particular disability prevents the performance of the work involved. (Source: P.A. 76-663.)

(775 ILCS 30/6) (from Ch. 23, par. 3366)
Sec. 6. Each year, the Governor is authorized and requested to designate and take suitable public notice of White Cane Safety Day and to issue a proclamation in which:
(a) he comments upon the significance of the white cane;
(b) he calls upon the citizens of the State to observer the provisions of the White Cane Law and to take precautions necessary to the safety of the disabled;
(c) he reminds the citizens of the State of the policies with respect to the disabled herein declared and urges the citizens to cooperate in giving effect to them;
(d) he emphasizes the need of the citizens to be aware of the presence of disabled persons in the community and to keep safe and functional for the disabled the streets, highways, sidewalks, public buildings, public facilities, other public places, places of public accommodation, amusement and resort, and other places to which the public is invited, and to offer assistance to disabled persons upon appropriate occasions. (Source: P.A. 76-663.)

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Service Animals: U.S. Dept. of Justice on ADA requirements

Americans with Disabilities Brief from the
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section. 2002

Service Animals

Service animals are animals that are individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities - such as guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other special tasks. Service animals are working animals, not pets.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. This federal law applies to ALL businesses open to the public, including restaurants, hotels, taxis and shuttles, grocery and department stores, hospitals and medical offices, theaters, health clubs, parks, and zoos.

If you have additional questions concerning the ADA and service animals, please call the Department's ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0302 or TTY 800 514-0383 or visit the ADA Business Connection at