Alvin

In the American experiment, next to slavery, the next greatest shame of this nation is it's treatment of disabled veterans and handicapped citizens. Most of the “normal” do not think anything bad will ever happen to them. Let me remind you, you may just be hours or minutes away from a disability that will change your life completely.

One of out every 5 Americans is disabled...19% of the population. The 1960s were punctuated by civil rights laws involving a much smaller percentage of the population (the population of African Americans is about 13%). In 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed into law, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Today is the 20th Anniversary of the ADA law, legislation “supposed” to assist the disabled in leading a more normal and productive life. The ADA law has been a total and complete failure, I speak as a totally blind, 100% disabled, service-connected, medical officer army veteran.

I cannot begin to tell you of the letters I have written to the ADA about discrimination towards the disabled. It is a total waste of time to contact the US Justice Dept. or ADA about anything. I once asked the county manager, New Hanover County, North Carolina, if he had ever read the ADA law. He said, “I have never read it, and do not intend on reading it.” This is the general attitude I have found at the attorney generals office in Raleigh and in talking with members of the state legislature, they simply do not care.

The very same attitude exists towards blind veterans. The veterans administration (VA) is the most inept agency in federal government, and, I might add, does nothing whatsoever for blind veterans. There is a blind veterans group (BVA), but this group is only interested in getting a membership fee from you. I speak as a totally blind veteran, not once...I repeat, not once, has VA, BVA, or any commission or agency pretending to be interested in blind people (NCCB, AMFB, etc.) done anything for this blind veteran. Your government does not care anything about a veteran once he is disabled...you are on your own. I have been to the veteran's hospital, I made a suggestion to the chief of staff of the veteran's hospital. I said to him, “why not have volunteers to assist blind veterans here in the hospital as they maneuver through the maze of hallways to clinics, labs, and places must they go while here for treatment. He called me later, very angry about my suggestion, the very thing they do right across the street at Duke Eye Center, but he said, “we are just waiting for you to die.” This is how much your service is appreciated by your country.

The 20% who are disabled are mostly poor people, they do not make political contributions, they do not have a lobbyist, many of them do not have transportation to vote. I get many telephone calls from disabled people because they hear me on radio talk shows. They are completely intimidated by the socioeconomic engineers of government, their families, their friends. Many get a small check of some sort on which they must depend. They are so afraid they might make someone angry...some social worker or government entity and lose their only way of survival.

Disability is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity. Under Title III, no individual may be discriminated against on the basis of disability with regards to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation. One of the definitions of "discrimination" under Title III of the ADA is a "failure to remove" architectural barriers in existing facilities. All new construction after the effective date of the ADA must be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines. The law further states that when a disabled person goes into any type of business, they are to be assisted. If blind, assisted with descriptions, prices, etc.. Never once, in the past 50 years as a totally blind person, has any store owner or manager offered to assist me. It has been many year since I have been in a store, because I can afford to have someone shop for me. Most businesses feel that if they have a handicap parking space, a bathroom that is handicap accessible, they have done their part.

Living the life of the disabled is the nearest thing to death that any live person can experience. If you want to experience carelessness, callousness, fake disability and see what it is like, one young man, a graduate of Dupaul university, who worked for me, decided to see if he could handle things as well as I do. At age 80, I have been totally blind for 50 years. He put tape over his eyes and attempted to maneuver his house, his home activities as a blind person. Within one hour he was so frustrated he had to remove the tape. He said, “I just don't know how you do it.”
Just think, this one blind writer, born in absolute poverty working his way through 8 years of university schooling, commissioned as an army medical officer, traveled the world (8 round the world trips, passport stamped in 157 countries). Started out at “zero” financially, but was a millionaire at age 40. Many disabled people have done even better, it is truly amazing what one person, plus God, can do. The disabled, like everyone else, only have one chance at life.

We think the life of the disabled is bad now, think of what it was like 100, or even 50 years ago. One of my great grandfathers had twelve children, one daughter, Aunt Lizzie, gave birth to three sons although she raised another son of a deceased sister who died in childbirth. Her husband had returned from WW1 having been gassed in France. He never recovered, died young, her oldest son, Alvin, was born retarded. Some “special” children die young, Alvin lived to age of 50. Aunt Lizzie had been left a track of land and a small house, some way, she survived with the children, they were the poorest people I had ever known. Another son, Joel, was in combat in World War 2, he came back, a neurological catastrophe. There had never been any type of government help because of her husband, or her children. Joel did get a small pension from his wound, and again, some way, they survived until they all died. Think of Alvin, without the mental ability to ever attend school, nothing in the home to give him any inspiration, just an animal surviving with barely enough food, and I don't suppose he ever saw a city street.

I once stood on the hill beside the Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached his sermon on the Mount, giving us the beatitudes. He had taught us to love one another, even the disabled: blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy, blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:7-8)