From: John.Dragona@f583.n520.z1.fidonet.org (John Dragona)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: HELP NEEDED IN NEW JERSEY
Date: 11 Apr 92 13:03:24 GMT
Reply-To: John.Dragona@f583.n520.z1.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 1:520/583

Index Number: 21000

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

This is to bring to your attention a matter of discrimination
against blind employees of the New Jersey Commission for the Blind
and Visually Impaired, an agency that receives millions of federal
and state dollars each year.

CBVI employs blind home instructors who teach clients in their
home.  The state of New Jersey assigns to them a vehicle and a
driver five days each week. Starting June 2, 1992, however, the
home instructors will have to use public transportation--which is
not available to two of the agency's six offices--on their office
day EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE PROMISED FIVE-DAY-A-WEEK TRANSPORTATION
WHEN HIRED AND WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACCEPT THE JOB
OTHERWISE.  In other offices, where public transportation is
available, it is very involved and/or   hazardous.  The drivers, on
the other hand, may take the car home every day and use that
vehicle for FREE transportation to and from their office.  This, in
itself, is discriminatory.

In addition, CBVI provides sighted field workers with state cars
which can be taken to and from their home five days each week, or
they may use a private car and be reimbursed for mileage.
Additionally, the sighted drivers were granted permission to drive
other sighted workers to and from the office in state cars.
Therefore, these sighted employees, too, are being allowed FREE
transportation.

It is only the blind field workers, hence, who are being
discriminated against; for, were they sighted, they would be
provided with a state vehicle or be allowed to use a private car
and be reimbursed for their mileage.  The person responsible for
this discriminatory policy is Jamie Hilton, CBVI's Executive
Director ((201) 648-2324).  She, however, is provided with a state
car and a driver to take her to and from her home five days each
week, while her blind field staff are expected to utilize public
transportation even though it is not always available.  For those
who have no public transportation, despite the fact that it will
have been provided for over forty years (until June 2, 1992), they
will be in jeopardy of losing their job.

Jamie Hilton has been informed that this new policy is in clear
violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.  However, her
personnel manager was reported to have stated: "We don't care about
federal regulations; we're going to do things the way it's done in
the state."  Since this agency is disregarding a federal law that
prohibits the discrimination of people on the basis of handicapping
condition and since the agency receives millions of federal dollars
each year for rehabilitation services, I would appreciate your
assistance in this matter.  I would also appreciate your discussing
with me any arguments you may receive from the administrators at
CBVI so that you may get a complete picture.  If you wish, we can
send you correspondences regarding the efforts we have made to
resolve this problem before contacting you.

If you wish to further discuss this matter with me, I can be
reached at (201) 662-0956.

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." -L.L.

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