Drug abuse (including alcohol) is not covered under the ADA regs, so that's
not even an issue.  However a few obese persons have tried to get under the
ADA umbrella but have not been successful.

Yeah, I read that about SouthWest Airlines, charging for two seats if a
passenger, er, "overflows" into the next one.  I think it's ridulous how tiny
the seats are, and how narrow the aisles are on a plane.  When I flew to
Philadelphia and back last month, the stewardesses had trouble wheeling the
narrow airline chair down the aisle because it kept getting caught on seats,
belts, etc.  It was rather funny, actually.

I've read that car manufacturers as well as furniture manufacturers are having
to redesign seating to accomodate the heavier American butt. Seems to me the
airlines need to keep pace.

Kat

On Thu, 27 Jun 2002 11:53:19 EDT "BG Greer, PhD" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Kat and  Kyle,

    Self induced disability, if you can lump all those differing conditions
into such a category, is a big gray area IMHO of the ADA. If you read the
law's definition of disability, it is pretty inclusive.  They are some
conditions, such as obesity, which have a physical basis as well as an
idiopathic one. As far as smoking and alcohol and drug addiction, I am very
conservative. I have known case where individuals have intentional smoked pot
in order to get busted and sent to treatment in order to get college tuition
paid by vocational rehabilitation. I realize the voc. rehab, regs are not the
ADA, but this illustrates the potential for misuse of the ADA. If you are
speaking of the new Southwest Airlines regs, the fault lies with the
airline(all of them) for making the seat so damn narrow in the first place.
They try to pack you in to make more bucks! When Joyce and me rode Amtrak to
New Orleans, I was amazed at the spacious comfort of the seating. Airlines
could do that, but it would cost more and they would have to utilize double
the current number of planes.

    As you can see, I did not go to TX. Too long a drive for me. And, too
much $, we are going in the hole sitting here on a fixed income trying to
sell this house in the middle of a bear market.

Bobby