Comments on: Update: disabled-access impresario Ted Omholt

By: Bill Poser

Bill Poser — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:18:49 +0000

What I find odd is that the burden of complying with standards for access for the disabled is that the burden is placed on individuals. If it is society’s policy to provide for the disabled in this way, why isn’t there a program (a) to require disabled access in all new construction and (b) to pay for the necessary renovations in older construction?

By: markm

markm — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 12:10:30 +0000

John, you appear to actually think this is about helping the disabled. No, when it’s not about big bucks for lawyers, it’s about creating jobs for “advocates for the disabled”. If you want to help your wheelchair bound neighbor, you might help build a ramp on his house or lift his wheelchair over a curb. It takes an “advocate” to insist on putting handicapped ramps on all the houses in town…

By: John

John — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 07:44:17 +0000

I think this whole push for disabled rights is being done backwards. People are spending vast amounts of money to change the environment for a small amount of people. As in the comment above, that money is wasted, since no truly disabled person will ever use the access.

Wouldn’t it be cheaper and better for everyone to use a fraction of the money (that has been spent on changing the environment to be more accessible) to fund research into fixing the disabled people instead? The money should be more than enough to provide people with artificial limbs, retinas, hearing aids, and fuel research on repairing spinal damage or creating an exoskeleton to support them. If they choose to remain disabled, that’s there choice and no should have to accommodate them.

By: Amy Alkon

Amy Alkon — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 22:00:11 +0000

Friends of mine have a business, in the middle of nowhere, which happens to have all the handicapped access ramps, etc.

For all the expense they went to with the ramps and special restroom (in a tiny family business in the middle of nowhere) the ONLY disabled person who’s ever shown up at their business was a guy who was looking to sue them for not providing proper access. Was it this guy? Well, are there a lot of guys who do this?