October 7, 1993

Department Of Justice
The Honorable Janet Reno
U.S. Attorney General
10th & Constitution Avenue NW, ROOM 5111
Washington, D.C. 20530

Dear Ms. Attorney General,

Please find enclosed a copy of a letter I recently sent to the Mayor
of St. Louis. I have a respiratory disability in the fact that I have
Asthma and that I have severe reactions to small amounts of cigarette
smoke. I have been having a great deal of difficulty trying to get
accommodation for my disability.

Why is it that the Americans With Disability Act of 1990 technical
manual has absolutely no Federal Agencies and/or Federally Funded ADA
Technical Assistance programs that deal specifically with respiratory
disabilities? And why is it that Accessibility Guidelines and Uniform
Accessibility Standards do not address air quality and/or accessibility
guidelines for respiratory disabilities? Isn't that discrimination?

If it has to do with your mouth, your ears, your eyes, your brain or
your limbs you have and can find specific Federal assistance for that
disability. Also receiving specific Federal assistance are those with
Aids and Alcohol and Substance Abuse. I am not downgrading those dis-
abilities, but it is discrimination against those of us who have a
Chronic Lung Disease not to be included.  We have essentially been
left to fight for our own rights to gain access.

Those individuals who are considered to have a respiratory disability
include those with asthma, emphysema, hay fever, sinusitis, allergies,
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and many other conditions
which are triggered or exacerbated by exposure to tobacco smoke to the
extent that at least one major activity (e.g., breathing and working)
are adversely affected.

When I called the Office For The Disabled for the City of St. Louis I 
asked what that office was supposed to do for disabled people.  I was 
told that they were there to advocate for the disabled.  Then I ex-
plained that I did not have access to most of St. Louis because of my 
respiratory disability and that I wanted them to help me.  I was told 
that they were already in compliance with the ADA and that there was 
nothing that they could do for me.
                                                            XX     (b)(6)
If you would like to get a real education as to what it is like for those 
of us with a respiratory disability try calling the St. Louis Housing and
Urban Development Office and ask about housing people.

01-02833

with a respiratory disability who are sensitive to Environmental Tobacco
Smoke (ETS). If you have any other disability they can accommodate you.

Those of us who have this disability need someone who has this same
disability to advocate and help draft access guidelines that will be
added to those already in place. When there is tobacco smoke in the
lobby of a building or being recirculated from a smoking area that
building is not accessible to me. For someone like myself, any amount
of tobacco smoke in a lobby is like asking someone in a wheel chair
to climb a flight of stairs to get to the elevator.

On August 18, 1993 I attended a media training session sponsored by
the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study (ASSIST) a joint project
of the Missouri Department of Health and the American Cancer Society.
That meeting was held at the St. Louis Chapter of the American Heart
Association building. Before attending that meeting I called and
asked if it was a smoke free building. I was told that no one was
allowed to smoke in the building or on the premises. I was there for
three and a half hours. Soon after I left I could taste cigarette
smoke coming out of my lungs. Within about, an hour my lungs began to
hurt and became very tired. I was ill for the next three days- This
is the kind of situation that I continue to encounter. People do not
understand that smoke free should mean just that, no smoke being re-
circulated throughout the building. There are no Uniform Accessibility
Standards that pertain to Chronic lung Disease and smoke-sensitive
individuals.

If there is anything at all that you cart do it would be greatly
appreciated by all of us with this disability. I have written letter
after letter after letter trying to get access for my disability. if
guidelines has been written for this disability then it wouldn't be
such a tremendous fight to gain access. Please help us.

Truly Yours,

XX
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St. Louis, MO   XX
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cc: John F. Banshaf III, Esq.

01-02834