in many cases, living completely
independent lives. An inability
to communicate verbally is not
an inability to communicate.
Corporate America must
understand that people with
disabilities should and must be
treated like anyone else—with
respect and dignity.
Muir: [There is a] perception that
everyone who has a disability is on
public assistance, is not working
and is therefore poor. There are
people with disabilities who are
poor, but there is also a large number of people with disabilities who
are successful in their professions
... many companies focus on visible
disabilities, rather than understanding that an overwhelming
majority of people with disabilities
have a non-apparent disability.
Gary Gross: One of the biggest
problems affecting persons with
epilepsy is employment discrimination. For instance, many employers
may presume unjustifiably that
seizures pose a safety risk and
otherwise make someone unqualified for the job. They may summarily deny job opportunities on
SUSAN CONNORS
that basis without considering the
individual’s actual ability to safely
and effectively perform the job. Or,
employers may disqualify workers
based on their inability to perform
certain job functions—such as
driving—which potentially could
be excused or reassigned to others
as a reasonable accommodation.
Bloch: [A misconception is] that
they are a market that can be
ignored. Approximately 32 million
Americans are deaf or hard of hearing. That is a lot of spending power.
QWhat are some major pet
peeves your organization
or you personally have experienced as customers?
Muir: My major concern is when
someone who is in customer
service does not take me or anyone
else with a disability seriously, as a
paying customer and consumer of
goods. A respectful tone and a true
desire to be of assistance are always very welcome. All customers
should be treated equally, regardless of a disability.
Connors: Being “dissed” because of
the disability. Individuals with disabilities, including individuals with
brain injury, buy lots of products
and services. And we vote!
Bennett: In many instances, indi-
viduals with disabilities face the
“invisibility” factor. For example,
people engaging a person with
a disability speak to a caregiver
rather than to the person with
a disability.
Luna: The lack of understanding
by the small-business community,
in particular, when it comes to
the area of the Americans with
RENE DAVID LUNA
Disabilities Act (ADA)’s “readily
achievable barrier removal.” New
businesses falsely believe they
don’t have to make new sites
accessible because the buildings
that house the businesses were
built prior to the ADA. The
ADA has no grandfather clause;
businesses must become accessible
if it is not too costly and is feasible.
Bloch: From time to time, a service
provider refuses to ensure effective communication, as is required
under the ADA. The NAD has filed
complaints against medical-service
providers for refusing to provide
interpreters. Also, some businesses
refuse to accept telephone-relay
calls, which effectively means they
refuse to take calls from a deaf person. This is also a violation of the
ADA. Businesses need to educate
themselves about the civil rights of
persons with disabilities as well as
effective and responsible practices.
Arnold: In the United States, a
privacy or decency wall normally
exists between strangers and even
between acquaintances in formal
situations. Unless you are famous,
most people are free to walk down
