[tabi] Re: Fwd: Re: OCT 10 Guide Dog Protest
- From: "Robert Miller" <robertmiller2201@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2014 19:17:58 -0400
Sounds like it didn't take long to build the blue wall.
She said he said
Robert
-----Original Message-----
From : mccaulo@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thru sday, October 9, 2014 5:57 PM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Re: Fwd: Re: OCT 10 Guide Dog Protest
The Democrat has the video from the incident on its website. It is less
than compelling. Please understand when I say this that I am not saying
nothing happened. It is just that most of what Ms. Baylor says that
happened does not appear to be on the video. The article also says that
DMS has called on the security company to review protocols and provide
training.
-----Original Message-----
From: Evelyn Worley <eworley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tabi <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thu, Oct 9, 2014 1:31 pm
Subject: [tabi] Re: Fwd: Re: OCT 10 Guide Dog Protest
Thank you all for keeping us informed and up-do-date about the
developments regarding this issue. I'm working on spreading the word
about it to those not yet participating in TABI.
Evelyn Worley, COMS, CVRT
Assistant Director
DINING IN THE DARK is Sunday, October 26th! Interested?
Please check it out at: http://www.firesight.org/LBBDID.htm
Lighthouse of the Big Bend “Guiding People Through Vision Loss”
3071 Highland Oaks Terrace, Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 942-3658 - info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -
http://www.lighthousebigbend.org
-----Original Message-----
From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of mccaulo@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2014 12:00 PM
To: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Fwd: Re: OCT 10 Guide Dog Protest
Here is the article from the Tallahassee Democrat website:
Protest at museum in aftermath of blind woman's treatment.
A protest is scheduled for Friday afternoon to highlight an incident
where a legally blind woman said she and her guide dog were harassed by
contracted security guards at the Museum of Florida History.
Tiffany Baylor said when she visited an exhibit at the museum Oct. 1
security guards, U.S. Security Associates employees contracted with
Department of Management Services, told her she could not have her
guide dog in the museum.
She told the Democrat the guards harangued her 2-year-old black lab
Lando as she viewed the exhibit and began demanding to see paperwork
proving she was blind and required the dog for mobility.
"You know you're disabled, but you want to go through the community
like everybody else," Baylor said. "When someone centers on that, but
then harasses you openly in front of everybody, it's kind of
humiliating."
The museum is housed in the bottom level of the Florida Department of
State building on Bronough Street.
Baylor said Secretary of State Ken Detzner called her Thursday morning
and apologized. She said Detzner told her he would advocate for
disciplinary action and training for the security guards and offered to
walk her through the museum next week.
Interfering with admittance to a public space by a person with a
disability or their guide animal is a second-degree misdemeanor with a
maximum sentence of 60 days.
By state law, disabled individuals are not required to show proof of
their disability.
In a statement submitted to state officials about the incident, Baylor
wrote, "the security guard continued and replied that he wanted to see
proof that it was in fact a guide dog and not just a pet. I pulled the
dog away from him a second time, and stated that there was a harness on
the dog which clearly states 'Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc.' He stated
that the harness was not enough proof and that I needed to show him a
card or papers as proof."
Baylor is legally blind and has tunnel vision in her left eye from
birth defects related to rubella and glaucoma.
The Democrat has requested surveillance video and comment from DMS and
Department of State officials while the incident is still under
investigation.
Disability advocate J.R. Harding said there are no public portions of
state buildings that are exempt from the Americans with Disabilities
Act.
"Essentially all public building are open and service animals cannot be
denied," Harding said, adding that officials can ask what service a
guide animal provides, but not about an individual's disability.
In her statement Baylor said she moved away from the security guard,
who again approached her asking for proof that the dog was a service
animal, telling her he would "let her stay in here this time, but you
cannot come back in here without papers for the dog."
Friday's protest is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. outside of the museum at
500 S. Bronough St. and will include members of the National Federation
of the Blind and their service dogs.
Baylor said its not the policies of the R.A. Gray Building are not in
question, it's those of the security company.
"The guards are the ones out of line," she said.
Check back with Tallahassee.com for updates on this story.
-----Original Message-----
From: mccaulo <mccaulo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tabi <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thu, Oct 9, 2014 8:51 am
Subject: [tabi] Re: OCT 10 Guide Dog Protest
I have attached section 413.08, Florida Statutes for your reading
pleasure. See section (3) in general and section (3)(e) in particular,
as well as section (4). I hope this helps contribute to any discussions
held on Friday.
413.08. Rights of an individual with a disability; use of a service
animal; discrimination in public employment or housing accommodations;
penalties
(1) As used in this section and s. 413.081, the term:
(a) “Housing accommodation” means any real property or portion thereof
which is used or occupied, or intended, arranged, or designed to be
used or occupied, as the home, residence, or sleeping place of one or
more persons, but does not include any single-family residence, the
occupants of which rent, lease, or furnish for compensation not more
than one room therein.
(b) “Individual with a disability” means a person who is deaf, hard of
hearing, blind, visually impaired, or otherwise physically disabled. As
used in this paragraph, the term:
1. “Hard of hearing” means an individual who has suffered a permanent
hearing impairment that is severe enough to necessitate the use of
amplification devices to discriminate speech sounds in verbal
communication.
2. “Physically disabled” means any person who has a physical impairment
that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
(c) “Public accommodation” means a common carrier, airplane, motor
vehicle, railroad train, motor bus, streetcar, boat, or other public
conveyance or mode of transportation; hotel; lodging place; place 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.
(d) “Service animal” means an animal that is trained to perform tasks
for an individual with a disability. The tasks may include, but are not
limited to, guiding a person who is visually impaired or blind,
alerting a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, pulling a wheelchair,
assisting with mobility or balance, alerting and protecting a person
who is having a seizure, retrieving objects, or performing other
special tasks. A service animal is not a pet.
(2) An individual with a disability is entitled to full and equal
accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges in all public
accommodations. This section does not require any person, firm,
business, or corporation, or any agent thereof, to modify or provide
any vehicle, premises, facility, or service to a higher degree of
accommodation than is required for a person not so disabled.
(3) An individual with a disability has the right to be accompanied by
a service animal in all areas of a public accommodation that the public
or customers are normally permitted to occupy.
(a) Documentation that the service animal is trained is not a
precondition for providing service to an individual accompanied by a
service animal. A public accommodation may ask if an animal is a
service animal or what tasks the animal has been trained to perform in
order to determine the difference between a service animal and a pet.
(b) A public accommodation may not impose a deposit or surcharge on an
individual with a disability as a precondition to permitting a service
animal to accompany the individual with a disability, even if a deposit
is routinely required for pets.
(c) An individual with a disability is liable for damage caused by a
service animal if it is the regular policy and practice of the public
accommodation to charge nondisabled persons for damages caused by their
pets.
(d) The care or supervision of a service animal is the responsibility
of the individual owner. A public accommodation is not required to
provide care or food or a special location for the service animal or
assistance with removing animal excrement.
(e) A public accommodation may exclude or remove any animal from the
premises, including a service animal, if the animal's behavior poses a
direct threat to the health and safety of others. Allergies and fear of
animals are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to
an individual with a service animal. If a service animal is excluded or
removed for being a direct threat to others, the public accommodation
must provide the individual with a disability the option of continuing
access to the public accommodation without having the service animal on
the premises.
(4) Any person, firm, or corporation, or the agent of any person, firm,
or corporation, who denies or interferes with admittance to, or
enjoyment of, a public accommodation or otherwise interferes with the
rights of an individual with a disability or the trainer of a service
animal while engaged in the training of such an animal pursuant to
subsection (8), commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable
as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(5) It is the policy of this state that an individual with a disability
be employed in the service of the state or political subdivisions of
the state, in the public schools, and in all other employment supported
in whole or in part by public funds, and an employer may not refuse
employment to such a person on the basis of the disability alone,
unless it is shown that the particular disability prevents the
satisfactory performance of the work involved.
(6) An individual with a disability is entitled to rent, lease, or
purchase, as other members of the general public, any housing
accommodations offered for rent, lease, or other compensation in this
state, subject to the conditions and limitations established by law and
applicable alike to all persons.
(a) This section does not require any person renting, leasing, or
otherwise providing real property for compensation to modify her or his
property in any way or provide a higher degree of care for an
individual with a disability than for a person who is not disabled.
(b) An individual with a disability who has a service animal or who
obtains a service animal is entitled to full and equal access to all
housing accommodations provided for in this section, and such a person
may not be required to pay extra compensation for the service animal.
However, such a person is liable for any damage done to the premises or
to another person on the premises by such an animal. A housing
accommodation may request proof of compliance with vaccination
requirements.
(7) An employer covered under subsection (5) who discriminates against
an individual with a disability in employment, unless it is shown that
the particular disability prevents the satisfactory performance of the
work involved, or any person, firm, or corporation, or the agent of any
person, firm, or corporation, providing housing accommodations as
provided in subsection (6) who discriminates against an individual with
a disability, commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as
provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(8) Any trainer of a service animal, while engaged in the training of
such an animal, has the same rights and privileges with respect to
access to public facilities and the same liability for damage as is
provided for those persons described in subsection (3) accompanied by
service animals.
-----Original Message-----
From: Tinetta Cooper <tanetjec@xxxxxxxxx>
To: tabi <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wed, Oct 8, 2014 8:35 pm
Subject: [tabi] Re: OCT 10 Guide Dog Protest
I’m sure many of us know Tiffany by the last name Wilson. Now she is
going by Tiffany Baylor. I will be at the demonstration on Friday and
hope many of you will join us! From: tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:tabi-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sila Miller
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 8:11 PM
To: Johnnie Slaton
Cc: tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tabi] Re: OCT 10 Guide Dog Protest
Hello everyone,
Further information is below. Also, my sincere apologies to Tiffany for
mistaking her last name.
Sila
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marion Gwizdala, President National
Association of Guide dog Users National Federation of
the Blind 813-626-2789 President@xxxxxxxxx NATIONAL
FEDERATION OF THE BLIND PROTESTS DISCRIMINATION BY STATE SECURITY
CONTRACTORTallahassee, Fla. (October 7, 2014): On Friday, October 10,
from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., members of the National Federation of the Blind
will gather outside the Museum of Florida History, located at 500 S.
Bronough Street in Tallahassee, to protest an attempt to forcibly
remove a blind woman who uses a guide dog from the museum. The incident
occurred when Tiffany Baylor, a blind woman who uses a guide dog,
visited the museum on the first day of Meet the Blind Month, a
nationally recognized campaign of the National Federation of the Blind.
Governor Rick Scott has also proclaimed October as Disability Awareness
Month. Ms. Baylor was visiting the museum to view a special tactile
quilt that was on display at the
museum. One security officer grabbed the dog’s harness, asserting he
needed more proof than her credible assurance, in spite of the fact
that the harness was clearly marked with the words “Guide Dogs for the
Blind”. When Ms. Baylor attempted to educate the officers about the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Florida law regarding service
animals, the officers asserted that those laws did not apply in state
buildings.“We are here to demand that criminal charges be brought
against the offending officers as set forth in Florida law,” said
Marion Gwizdala, president of the National Association of Guide Dog
Users (NAGDU), the National Federation of the Blind’s special interest
group for guide dog users. “We also demand that they be appropriately
disciplined by their employer, that clear written policies be created,
and that all state staff and contract personnel receive training on
these policies and the laws concerning service dogs.” Title II of the
Amer
icans with Disabilities Act states, “No qualified individual with a
disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from
participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs,
or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by
any such entity” and allows disabled individuals to be accompanied by a
service dog in any place the general public is allowed. Florida statute
makes it a second degree misdemeanor to interfere with the rights of a
disabled individual or to obstruct, intimidate, or otherwise jeopardize
the safety of a service animal or its user. The implementing
regulations of the ADA and the pertinent sections of Florida statute
are available upon request.# # # About the National Federation of the
Blind The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not
the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise
the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create
obstacles betwee
n blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back. About the National Association of
Guide Dog UsersThe National Association of Guide dog Users is the
nation’s leading organization for blind people who use guide dogs.
NAGDU is a strong and proud division of the National Federation of the
Blind. NAGDU conducts public awareness campaigns on issues of guide dog
use, provides advocacy support for guide dog handlers who face
discrimination, supports sound policy and effective legislation to
protect the rights of guide dog users, offers educational programs to
school and civic organizations, and functions as an integral part of
the National Federation of the Blind. For more information about the
National Association of Guide Dog Users and to support our work, you
can visit our website at HTTP://WWW.NAGDU.ORG or send an email message
to Info@xxxxxxxxx.
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Check out the TABI resource web page at
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and please make suggestions for new material. If you find something
out-of-date, and you'd like it to be updated, please let the list owner
know. Without comments as to what is helpful, and what should be
included on the TABI resources page, it's unlikely that any volunteer
work will occur.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org
web interface, or by sending an email to the address
tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
Check out the TABI resource web page at
http://home.comcast.net/~acorange/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material. If you find something
out-of-date, and you'd like it to be updated, please let the list owner
know. Without comments as to what is helpful, and what should be
included on the TABI resources page, it's unlikely that any volunteer
work will occur.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org
web interface, or by sending an email to the address
tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
Check out the TABI resource web page at
http://home.comcast.net/~acorange/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material. If you find something
out-of-date, and you'd like it to be updated, please let the list owner
know. Without comments as to what is helpful, and what should be included
on the TABI resources page, it's unlikely that any volunteer work will
occur.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web
interface, or by sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject.
Check out the TABI resource web page at http://home.comcast.net/~acorange/TABI
and please make suggestions for new material. If you find something
out-of-date, and you'd like it to be updated, please let the list owner know.
Without comments as to what is helpful, and what should be included on the TABI
resources page, it's unlikely that any volunteer work will occur.
if you'd like to unsubscribe you can do so through the freelists.org web interface, or by
sending an email to the address tabi-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
"unsubscribe" in the subject.
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