Christina Jo,

I'm not sure where you are, but if the school is really in violation of
either Section 504 of the Rehab Act or the ADA, I'd suggest contacting
the regional Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education.
The fact that the doors don't have automatic openers may not be a
violation of the law, unless they are narrow, or the pull on them is too
heavy.  From the name of the campus, my guess is that you're in
Illinois; if so the contact info for the Chicago office of the
Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is:

Chicago Office
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
111 N. Canal Street, Suite 1053
Chicago, IL 60606-7204

Telephone: 312-886-8434
FAX: 312-353-4888; TDD: 312-353-2540
Email:  [log in to unmask] 

The OCR National Headquarters is located at: 

U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Customer Service Team
Mary E. Switzer Building
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20202 

Telephone: 1-800-421-3481
FAX: 202-205-9862; TDD: 877-521-2172
Email:  [log in to unmask] 

This is a link to the info on how to file an OCR complaint, including a
link so you can do it online.

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/howto.html

Do the people in the school's disability services office know your mom?
If not, hire her under her maiden name, or some sort of pseudonym.  It
sounds really strange that they won't "bend" a school policy in this
case. 


Kendall Corbett
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Wagner [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 4:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: School, doors, cars, and a soapbox! (long)

Christina Jo,

Wow, you have been through a lot and you certainly are justified to be
upset
and frustrated right now.  I wouldn't give up on getting the university
to
do what is the law.  I would put something in wrting about what happened
and
how the school has been negligent in meeting your needs.  Request, and
perhaps even demand that they get you the temporary services you need
while
you are hurt and then push for them to make the accomodations to doors
etc.

When I was an undergrad at Millersville University in PA, I requested
that a
water aerobics class be started for students.  When I asked for this
verbally I was ignored.  When I wrote a letter to the school nicely
asking
for this type of program to be added, I was ignored.  When I wrote that
all
students deserve the right to be able to take fitness classes and there
were
no aerobic activities on campus that I could participate in due to me CP
and
under ADA they should accommodate me, they immediately started one.
(And
coincidentally, I doubt ADA really had anything to do with a fitness
class,
but just mentioning it seemed to help. And, right after I graduated, the
classes ended...funny huh?)

Anyway, be persistent.  Don't let depression get you.  Get fired up and
mad
about these injustices and put that fire into getting the university to
hear
you, even if it means going to the disability office every day and
camping
out there until someone will hear you.

Linda
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 5:00 PM
Subject: School, doors, cars, and a soapbox! (long)


> I don't know if you remember my rant awhile back about the doors at my
> college, well I got hurt going to my Japenese class, at the Forest
Park
Campus. They
> don't have automatic doors on the building my class is in. I was
trying to
> get through a regular door, in my wheelchair, and my left foot caught
on
the
> door frame. My chair went forward and my leg twisted behind me. I tore
the
> ligaments in my knee and have severe bone bruising. At first they were
looking at
> casting the leg for 3 weeks and then possible surgery. The whole thing
is
a
> nightmare. What makes it worse is it all would have been totally
preventible if
> the college followed the accessibility laws.
>
> I've basically been sleeping and on pain killers....they make you
really
> loopy. My doctor wanted to try bracing my knee for 6 weeks before
making
any
> furthur decisions regarding surgery. Unfortunately we haven't been
able to
find the
> proper brace and my knee has gotten worse and worse. We finally got a
> referral to a bracing specialist and are trying to work something out.
asked him to
> cast my knee because I knew finding a proper knee brace would be a
nightmare.
> Today we finally got a brace and it slides down off my knee after
wearing
it
> for 5 minutes. It's completely ridiculous. It's been 4 weeks since I
injured it
> and we haven't been able to keep it in the proper position to allow it
to
> heal. The knee is getting weaker and I can barely stand. This is a
real
problem
> because my house isn't at all accessible and no one can lift me to
keep me
off
> the knee.
>
> I had a meeting with the Access office 2 weeks ago to discuss how I
could
> complete this semester. I was taking 16 credit hours. To say they were
less then
> helpful is an understatement. I told them that I was concerned about
being
> able to be on campus without the ability to get in and out of my
chair,
seeing as
> in all but one class I am forced to walk in and get my seat etc.. They
> responded that they could move my classrooms, but they could not help
me
find
> someone to get me to and from my classes, help with lunch, or even
make
sure that I
> was safe in the bathroom. They suggested that I ask my home health
attendent
> to come to class with me.... but by law my home attendent is only
allowed
to
> work with me in the home. I asked if my mom could attend some classes
with
me..
> or even just make sure I got to classes safely and was told that it is
> againist school policy to allow parents in classes. I then asked if I
could transfer
> my english, theatre, and computer classes to online courses and was
told
I'd
> have to re-enroll and pay again in order to do that. I'm on
scholarship
and
> have no money to do that.
>
> By the time I finished exhausting all my options and emailing all over
campus
> to no avail I had already missed weeks of school. We figured the best
thing
> for me to do was medically withdraw and hopefully pick up classes
again in
the
> summer.
>
> This whole thing has made me sick and I am really into a depression.
Not
> being in school leaves me home alone all day with no ability to get
out.
We've
> already consulted with a lawyer and plan to take legal action, but all
of
this
> fighting gets so old. It took me forever to finish high school because
my
IEP
> accomadations were never met completely. People always assume that
because
I
> have an above average IQ my physical needs are irrelevent.
>
> To make matters worse our van died yesterday. It is 13 yrs old. We
can't
> afford to put anymore money into it. Our credit is maxed from paying
for
HBOT
> sessions, and masssage sessions, accupuncture, all those alternative
therapies
> that reall work but are never covered by insurance. It's such a sick
cycle.
> Somehow making only $658.00 a month on social security and being in
school
full
> time I'm supposed to come up with the money for all my therapies plus
another
> $500 a month to pay off a car loan on a $30,000 wheelchair van that I
can't get
> to school or therapy without. As if that's not bad enough, my mom lost
her
job
> because she couldn't garuntee she'd be able to get to work this week
without a
> van!
>
> It's one thing after another and what really sucks is it's all related
to
my
> cerebral palsy. You know I always try to remember that I am Christina
Jo
not
> my cerebral Palsy, but when all this stuff is holding you back just
because of
> your disability, not because you were stupid and blew all your money
at a
> casino, or took a trip to hawaii, or got kicked out of school for
drinking
etc.
> When all of this is happening because your body betrays you and you
have
zero
> control. What are you supposed to do with that? It's just all so
disgusting.
>
> I know cars break, but we wouldn't need a 10 times overpriced
wheelchair
van
> if I didn't have CP. We could get away with a nice small car. Our
credit
> certainly wouldn't be maxed all over the place. I could get a job
without
worrying
> that I'd lose my medicaid. Hell I'd have the energy to go to school
and
work.
> I mean lets face it. Most of us are in horrible financial shape
because of
> medical bills, equipment, therapies... it's not like we're taking a
group
trip to
> the bahamas every month! It just gets to me. I'm the reason we worry
about
> the cut off date on the electricity, if we have enough money for food,
why
my
> mom sometimes works 3 jobs.....it's just wrong.
>
> The worst part is...I'm out there trying to succeed despite it all and
I
> can't even trust people to follow the laws, do their jobs, jobs they
have
because
> I'm disabled. Let's face it Regional caseworks, UCP, alll special
needs
> related services. All those jobs, for "normal" people are created to
help
the
> disabled... and yet the disability unemployment rate is up over %85
the
college drop
> out rate for the disabled is over %90 and most adults with
disabilities
and
> parents of disabled children are given little to no real help or even
told
> about programs they may qualify for. It's beauracratic red tape.. and
I'm
stuck in
> it because of a dsability a body that's beyond my control. This wasn't
some
> mistake I made.. or even a choice.. and well it is just really really
getting
> to me. Sometimes I think we're like the civil rights movement in the
60's..
> it's a whole other fight for life for the disabled now.
>
> I'm sorry this turned out really long. If you read this far thanks. I
know
it
> isn't the most enlightening thing, but sometimes reality hits hard.
>
>
> CHRISTINA JO (22 yrs old Spastic Diaplegia C.P.)
>
> Capable Corners : www.capablecorners.com
> The Hope Ring : www.geocities.com/~cpheart/webring.htm
>
> "People see me, I'm a challenge to your balance."
>
> " Happily ever after fails and we've been posioned by these fairy
tales"
>
>