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    #1

    ADA Rules?

    Does anyone here know if the ADA covers standing in line for 45 minutes at the Post Office? One time I was in line and a postal employee waved me to the front as I had my cane. He is no longer working there now. Another time around Christmas when I was not able to stand and wait I just walked up to the front myself with cane but I heard people making nasty remarks about me doing this.

    I had to stand for the 45 minutes on Saturday with cane (I rarely go on Saturday but it was urgent mail that had to go priority and be weighed). I did get to sit in a chair for the last 20 minutes. Here's the kicker. The man who was in front of me told me his father couldn't stand for more than 15 minutes. Now this man was as old as me and he just assumed it was age related. I debated with myself whether to tell him I have two neuromuscular diseases and an injury to my spinal column but decided it was none of his damn business.

    Any suggestions? I have thought of getting a T-shirt with an appropriate message on the back just to wear when the need arises. I might just call the ADA hot-line to see if the post office is a place I can be allowed to go to the front of the line. I think it might be since that one time nice postal employee let me come up to the window. Anyone have any good sites for T shirts?

    Gabriella
    Progressive/Relapsing MS, Myasthenia Gravis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
    Advocate for ADA, Artist's Community for Change, ADAPT, Universal Living in Place, HopeKeepers, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

    "Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone. Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own"........Adam Lindsay Gordon
    Tags: None
    #2
    On your A.D.A. question . . .

    I would suggest you try to e-mail the postal service . . . below is the url for doing so . . .

    Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

    Comment

      #3
      Postal Service

      Thanks, I did send the information and when I hear back I will post it here.

      Gabriella
      Progressive/Relapsing MS, Myasthenia Gravis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
      Advocate for ADA, Artist's Community for Change, ADAPT, Universal Living in Place, HopeKeepers, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

      "Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone. Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own"........Adam Lindsay Gordon

      Comment

        #4
        I will be interested in seeing the response from the USPS. Having worked in the physical plant most of my life and being charged with ADA compliance I can tell you that as with most federal government regulations, it is darn near impossible to cover everything and without someone pointing out non compliant items.

        Comment

          #5
          Response to your recent inquiry

          Content Removed
          Last edited by Gabriella7; 10-10-2011, 01:32 PM.
          Progressive/Relapsing MS, Myasthenia Gravis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
          Advocate for ADA, Artist's Community for Change, ADAPT, Universal Living in Place, HopeKeepers, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

          "Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone. Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own"........Adam Lindsay Gordon

          Comment

            #6
            This is not an ADA issue. It is a matter of courtesy. And the letter you got indicated that they would offer you the courtesy if they'd been made aware of your inability to stand for a length of time (and believe me I do understand that. When I was able to walk, standing for any length of time was a real deal breaker).

            I'd probably go back in to the post office on a day when it is NOT so busy and chat -- politely -- with the clerks. Tell them how much you appreciated the clerk who, when he saw you, let you come to the front of the line. Tell them how difficult it is for you to stand.

            And yes, get familiar with the on line postal service - -really VERY convenient, can be done from your home. You can buy stamps, send packages with postage paid, do everything, from your computer and printer and with a credit or debit card.

            The ADA is about "equal access", not "privileged access".

            BluntCat.
            ...I am not a doctor nor medical professional, and don't pretend to be one, here... :o

            Comment

              #7
              Originally posted by Cat Dancer View Post
              This is not an ADA issue. It is a matter of courtesy. The ADA is about "equal access", not "privileged access".

              BluntCat.
              Love your new signature..:o:
              Love, Sally


              "The best way out is always through". Robert Frost






              Comment

                #8
                Yes, It is about courtesy. That is the reason the ADA provides for parking closer to the building. Does courtesy end at the entrance to the building? I don't believe it should.
                Last edited by Gabriella7; 10-10-2011, 01:31 PM.
                Progressive/Relapsing MS, Myasthenia Gravis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
                Advocate for ADA, Artist's Community for Change, ADAPT, Universal Living in Place, HopeKeepers, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

                "Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone. Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own"........Adam Lindsay Gordon

                Comment

                  #9
                  Have you thought about getting or borrowing a rollator or even a wheelchair for trips to the post office on Saturday when the lines are apt to be long? That way you could at least rest while waiting.

                  And you can do most postal transactions online as Cat Dancer said. You can arrange for carrier pickup of your packages. I haven't been inside a post office in some years now.

                  There's a fee for Pickup On Demand but it does exist:

                  Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

                  Regular pickups of priority and other packages that don't need to be expedited are free with the USPS.

                  As for why the postal clerks can't show more compassion, it looks to me as if they're often too busy to look closely at the people in their line and single out those who might welcome expedited service. Also, there are people who don't need a cane but who use one so they can get special treatment in lines. How is a postal clerk to know that you're not one of those?

                  Feelings are strong on this issue, and the postal clerks know that. If they give one person priority in a line, the chances are that someone else in that line is going to grumble, and soon everyone will be claiming a special need. It's a can of worms many postal clerks probably don't want to open.

                  It's a sticky problem. Maybe it helps to live in a very small town where the postal clerks know you and understand your need for the cane.
                  Last edited by agate; 10-08-2011, 12:47 PM.
                  SPMS diagnosed 1980. Avonex 2001-2004. Copaxone 2006-2009. Glatopa (glatiramer acetate = Copaxone) 12/20 - 3/19/24.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Unfortunately, you cannot legislate kindness and compassion. Sure, we can complain all day that others need to think about how they would like to be treated if they were disabled. You can't make it a law though. You can't pass laws making people think about how their actions will affect others. I've been almost knocked down myself by more than one person who just had to brush past me.

                    You shouldn't have to change what you're doing but you can't force others to change their behavior. You only have the power to change your own. Sucks, but that's how it is.


                    Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. -- Miguel Ruiz

                    Comment

                      #11
                      The ADA is not about "courtesy". The ADA is about *access*. Parking next to the building has to do with access. Getting in to the building has to do with access. Once inside, everyone has to stand in line. It is courteous for them to notice you're having a problem and offer a chair -- even if it is uncomfortable. But it is not a matter of access. I suspect there were others in that line who also would like to have had a chair, either because of disability, age...or yes, laziness. You were offered one.
                      BluntCat
                      ...I am not a doctor nor medical professional, and don't pretend to be one, here... :o

                      Comment

                        #12
                        I have a wheelchair, a rollator, and a power chair at home and on better days and a short walk I just use the cane as the rollator and wheelchair are hard for me to get out of the car. Yes, I'm certain there were other people in line that did not need to stand and wait for 45 minutes.
                        Last edited by Gabriella7; 10-10-2011, 01:15 PM.
                        Progressive/Relapsing MS, Myasthenia Gravis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
                        Advocate for ADA, Artist's Community for Change, ADAPT, Universal Living in Place, HopeKeepers, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

                        "Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone. Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own"........Adam Lindsay Gordon

                        Comment

                          #13
                          I'd say that getting to the front desk.... IS about access, too..
                          Love, Sally


                          "The best way out is always through". Robert Frost






                          Comment

                            #14
                            I believe a little honey goes down much better than vinegar.......

                            Here's what I got out of this discussion..... only that the ADA gets one "access" to the building and after you are inside it is just everybody for themselves. I'll follow up with my own research next time I have a problem. This was not a post to elicite "pity" nor was it necessary to give a "tart" reply. Thanks to all who gave helpful suggestions. No need to reply to this post.......I have picked up my marbles and left the playground. I will not be bullyragged.

                            Gabriella
                            Last edited by Gabriella7; 10-11-2011, 02:37 PM.
                            Progressive/Relapsing MS, Myasthenia Gravis, Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Diabetes, Hypertension, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
                            Advocate for ADA, Artist's Community for Change, ADAPT, Universal Living in Place, HopeKeepers, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

                            "Life is mostly froth and bubble, two things stand like stone. Kindness in another's trouble, Courage in your own"........Adam Lindsay Gordon

                            Comment

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