[real-eyes] Fw: The truth about cabs and dogs
- From: <bigdaddylou63@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:57:09 -0500
>> Medill Reports, Illinois USA
>> Thursday, August 23, 2007
>>
>> The truth about cabs and dogs
>>
>> By Kelli Conkey and Brittany Kaplan
>>
>> Caption: Bill Jurek takes the harness off his black lab guide dog Abner.
> Jurek is a broadcast consultant for the Chicago Lighthouse's CRIS Radio
> and
> has worked with NBC for more than 30 years. Kelli Conkey & Brittany
> Kaplan/Medill
>>
>> Caption: Retired Cook County Judge Nicholas Pomaro directs the Kane Legal
> Clinic at the Chicago Lighthouse.
>>
>> Broadcaster Bill Jurek remembers the night he was working late at a radio
> station and needed a ride home.
>>
>> He and a friend stood outside on Michigan Avenue to hail a cab. But when
> the driver pulled up and learned about a third passenger, a guide dog, he
> refused.
>>
>> "I was leaning in the car to talk to him and he started driving away,"
> Jurek recalled.
>>
>> It was the first time Jurek had been denied a ride since getting his dog,
> even though service is guaranteed by federal and state laws.
>>
>> "Normally, I give the benefit of the doubt to people," the 57-year-old
> Long Grove resident said. "But what I did was I filed a . consumer
> services
> report" with the city.
>>
>> Nothing came of it, he said. At least not right away.
>>
>> Six months later, Jurek got involved in an undercover program produced by
> NBC through his job as a newsman and announcer for the network.
>>
>> Acting as decoys, Jurek and another woman who worked with the Guild for
> the Blind stood outside with their guide dogs in tow to hail cabs. If a
> driver refused them a ride or passed them, one of the producers of the
> project would hail the same cab farther down the street.
>>
>> "[The producer] noticed that they had not taken the person with the guide
> dog," he said. "These cab drivers kept saying 'No, no, it's my car, I
> don't
> have to do anything I don't want to.'"
>>
>> The NBC report did catch the interest of consumer services, Jurek said.
> "Action was taken on my behalf and my case actually came up for a
> hearing."
> He won.
>>
>> That was about 10 years ago, not long after Jurek lost his sight in 1995
> from a retina problem complicated by glaucoma.
>>
>> The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, a
> nonprofit social service agency, estimates that there are about 15,000
> visually impaired or blind people in the city of Chicago. Of those, the
> agency estimates that several hundred use guide dogs.
>>
>> Since that time, Jurek said, the city has made strides to correct the
> problem. "I've seen an improvement where drivers are more inclined to take
> a
> guide dog."
>>
>> "To the best of my knowledge, obviously it's still a concern, but there
> are training programs in place and cab drivers know the consequence for
> refusing service," said Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for Chicago's
> Department
> of Consumer Services.
>>
>> But according to Jurek, the suburbs are still cause for concern. That's
> because each municipality controls its own taxi cab licensing. There is no
> single licensing body like the city's Department of Consumer Services
> Public
> Vehicle Division.
>>
>> Retired Cook County Judge Nicholas Pomaro, now director of the
> Lighthouse's Kane Legal Clinic, noted a recent allegation pending in
> federal
> district court that claims a suburban cab company denied a couple access
> to
> transportation.
>>
>> "What we're looking for, not for monetary gain, we're just looking to see
> that people have the right to live like anyone else," Pomaro said.
>>
>> Cab improvements in the city
>>
>> The training for city drivers that McCaffrey referred to is a two-week
> class at the Public Chauffeur Training Institute at Harold Washington
> College in the Loop. The 20-year-old class is required of potential
> drivers
> before they take their licensing exam.
>>
>> Jurek, formerly a full-time presenter for the class who also works for
>> the
> Lighthouse's CRIS Radio, said more emphasis was placed on the service dog
> aspect after the NBC sting.
>>
>> During the first week of training, a member of the Guild for the Blind
> visits to lecture on accommodating blind or visually impaired patrons as
> well as their guide dogs, according to Anna Blum, dean of public agency
> and
> special programs at Harold Washington College.
>>
>> Students also learn about the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and
> the Illinois White Cane Law. These laws give those with visual or hearing
> impairments, or other physical disabilities, who are accompanied by a
> service dog, the right to use public transportation and enter
> establishments
> just as anyone else would.
>>
>> Under Chicago's municipal code, a cab driver can be fined $500 and have
> his license suspended for 29 days if he denies a ride to a person
> accompanied by a service dog. If, after a notice and hearing, the driver
> repeats the offense, his license is revoked. This, according to the
> Illinois
> Attorney General's Web site, is a violation of the Guide Dog Access Act
> and
> a misdemeanor.
>>
>> The Web site also notes that violation of the White Cane Law-though a
> misdemeanor-can land a person in jail for up to a year with a $1,000 fine.
>>
>> McCaffrey said he doesn't know the exact number of drivers prosecuted for
> ride refusal, or specifically, refusal due to service dogs in the city. "I
> would say our success rate in prosecuting is good." If the complaint is
> valid, and the person is willing to testify, he said, "we prosecute as
> many
> of them as we can."
>>
>> Why no dogs?
>> Many students are hearing about these laws for the first time, according
> to Kathy Austin, coordinator for the adult rehabilitation department at
> the
> Guild for the Blind and a full-time class presenter.
>>
>> "Sometimes there'll be 20 students in the classroom from 19 different
> countries," Austin said. "They're not familiar with our laws."
>>
>> Some drivers reason that religious beliefs interfere with allowing a dog
> in the car.
>>
>> "I had one guy on a Sunday morning tell me 'No, you can't bring the dog
>> in
> my cab because I pray in the backseat,'" Jurek said.
>>
>> Some followers of Islam may consider dogs to be an outdoor animal that is
> impure.
>>
>> "It's considered unclean only in the sense that when you're going to pray
> or something, it mustn't lick you," said Zafar Malik, who is of the Muslim
> faith and works as the associate dean for development and university
> relations at East-West University in Chicago.
>>
>> If the dog were to lick him or his clothes, Malik said he would wash that
> part before prayer.
>>
>> "Provided you are visually impaired or you need the dog for protection or
> for any other reason," he said, "then it's perfectly fine" for it to be in
> the cab.
>>
>> Pomaro said a fear of the unknown might also cause a driver to deny a
> ride.
>> "If [drivers are] not related to or have particular dealings with a
>> person
> who is blind or visually impaired, there's a lack of understanding and
> they're fearful," he said. "Some people are just fearful of dogs."
>>
>> Cab drivers who can't accommodate a service animal should consider a
> career change said Roxanne Calibraro, director for alternative dispute
> resolution services for the Better Business Bureau of Chicago.
>>
>> "If that is the problem for them, perhaps they are in the wrong industry
> because they are serving the public," she said. She also uses a guide dog
> to
> navigate the streets.
>>
>> No two suburbs are exactly alike
>> According to Calibraro, the Better Business Bureau of Chicago hasn't
> handled complaints regarding the issue because it's not within the
> bureau's
> jurisdiction. "We would send [the complaints] to the city," she said.
>>
>> Suburbs handle cab regulations and driver instruction differently. Jurek
> said he would like to see a countywide training program established.
>>
>> In the city of Evanston, for example, an incident regarding a guide dog
> and a taxi several years ago prompted additional instruction. "Since then,
> what we did was carve out a section of training for drivers to explain the
> law as it stands [and] where these dogs are allowed," said Steve
> O'Sullivan,
> the city's license and measures inspector.
>>
>> Some cab companies that operate in the suburbs institute their own
> training programs. The Village of Oak Park doesn't offer one, but does
> license two companies-Blue Cab and Red Cab-according to Sandra Sokol, the
> village clerk.
>>
>> Blue Cab trains its own drivers, Sokol said. She said she doesn't know
> whether Red Cab, a newer company, has instituted any sort of instruction.
>>
>> Sokol said Oak Park hasn't heard such complaints. If they were to receive
> one, she added, "certainly we would try to resolve whatever happened
> first."
>>
>> But cab companies typically handle complaints well, Jurek said. "The
> companies in the suburbs are aware," he noted. "If you bring a complaint
> to
> them, they usually advise drivers."
>>
>> When it comes to complaints
>> McCaffrey doesn't know the exact date, but said it's been a long-standing
> requirement to install Braille placards in the back of city cabs that give
> instructions for filing complaints. It is unknown whether this is the case
> for cab companies operating in the suburbs.
>>
>> Austin said Braille instructions in cabs don't always help. "Not all
>> blind
> or visually impaired people know Braille, especially people who have lost
> their sight later in life," she said. "So the Braille's going to be fairly
> useless."
>>
>> According to Pomaro, not everyone knows the best way to file a complaint,
> either.
>>
>> "They're certainly welcome to come [to the Chicago Lighthouse] and I'll
>> do
> everything I can to remedy the situation," he said. "They can contact the
> city of Chicago at 311 and that's very good, too."
>>
>> Cabs as a necessity
>> For a blind or visually impaired person, a cab is sometimes an essential
> or a preferred form of transportation.
>>
>> "It makes them feel safer to take the cab so, to be treated unfairly by
> the cab driver, that kind of defeats the purpose of the safety factor of
> the
> taxi," Jurek said.
>>
>> Taxis are part of his everyday routine, and he uses a company in the
> suburbs that he has trusted for years.
>>
>> "I live far enough away that I couldn't walk to the train station," he
> added. "So I have to take the cab to get to the train station in order to
> get into the city."
>>
>> Now, the Illinois General Assembly's failure to reach consensus on the
> budget has jeopardized many CTA, Pace and Metra routes.
>>
>> Without more funding, the CTA's route 127 Madison/Roosevelt circulator
> that Jurek takes to get to the Lighthouse faces possible elimination.
> Fortunately, for him, the Pink Line is within walking distance.
>>
>> Austin said the cuts might mean an even bigger demand for cabs.
>>
>> "It might force [the blind and visually impaired] to take that mode of
> transportation," she said. "That could be a significant expense because
> cabs
> certainly are more expensive than busses and trains."
>>
>> But the problem is larger than dogs and cabs. Discrimination isn't
>> limited
> to the blind or visually impaired and others requiring service dogs to get
> around.
>>
>> As with any issue, Pomaro noted that educating the public is necessary to
> stop the problem before it starts.
>>
>> "That takes time and effort," he said. "It isn't done overnight."
>>
>> Kathy Austin's virtual cab ride
>>
>> Kathy Austin, of the Guild for the Blind, is a full-time presenter for
> Chicago's required taxi course at the Public Chauffeur Training Institute
> at
> Harold Washington College in the Loop. In a short lecture, she tells
> potential drivers what they need to know when giving a blind or visually
> impaired person a ride.
>> Here's what she recommends:
>> 1. Hailing a cab. Austin said some might prefer that another person hail
> the cab for them. "Some people will be afraid that a regular car would
> pick
> them up and they would be getting in the backseat of a stranger's car."
> It's
> helpful if drivers identify themselves.
>> 2. Someone's always watching. A blind or visually impaired person might
> not be able to tell if you've passed them, but that doesn't mean someone
> else won't notice. "There's a lot of good Samaritans out there that will
> say, 'I just saw that cab drive by, and do you want his number and his cab
> company so you can make a complaint?'" Austin said.
>> 3. No playing with a dog on duty. Don't pet, feed or talk to a dog when
> it's in harness. "If [the driver] distracts the dog in any way, then the
> dog
> isn't going to be paying attention to me," Austin said.
>> 4. Say it out loud. Tell blind or visually impaired patrons the meter.
> When they pay, identify the bills as you return them. If a rider is
> short-changed, he will find out during his next purchase. "If we happen to
> have recorded that cab driver's number down, we could certainly call and
> make a complaint," she said.
>> 5. Stake a landmark. When you've arrived at a destination, make sure you
> stop the cab at a specific spot, such as a lamppost or fire hydrant. "This
> helps us with our orientation," Austin said.
>> 6. Lend a hand. If you can, it's nice to help the person reach his final
> destination within walking distance. With the sighted-guide technique,
> Austin said, offer your elbow and the blind or visually impaired person
> will
> take it and walk slightly behind.
>> 7. Speak descriptively. Use specific directions and map out distances in
> feet or yards. Austin also noted using the clock method of orientation. If
> something's at a 2 o'clock angle, tell them.
>> 8. Guide dog, not guard dog. Austin said that many wonder if a guide dog
> is trained to attack. Rest assured that this is not the case. "They're
> bred
> for their personality, their friendliness," she said. Still, Austin
> reminded: "He's an animal; you never know what he's going to do."
>>
>> Laws and Resources
>> For more information about the Americans with Disabilities Act and the
> Illinois' Guide Dog Access Act and White Cane Law, visit the Illinois
> Attorney General's Web site at www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.
>> For more information about the blind or visually impaired, visit:
>> The Chicago Lighthouse at www.thechicagolighthouse.org
>> The Guild for the Blind at www.guildfortheblind.org
>>
>>
>> http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=59961
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