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Q: Where can a guide dog go? A: Anywhere he wants to. |
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Written by Branden Hart
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Tuesday, 15 January 2008 |
Attention everyone (especially those of you at Ruthie's restaurant in my home town of San Antonio) blind people and their guide dogs are allowed equal access to public establishments. You would think this would be common sense by now, especially since the Americans with Disabilities Act (which assures those using service animals that right) was signed into law over 17 years ago.
But when a restaurant manager at Ruthie's saw Amir Refoura, his girlfriend, and his guide dog approach, he “...was like, 'I'm not too sure the dog can come inside.' “ If any restaurant managers are reading this and thinking, “Well, I would have done the same thing,” please, for the sake of everyone (and yourselves) go read the official guidelines here.
The restaurant eventually seated the trio, but by this point, Refoura was so infuriated that he was allegedly spewing expletives all over other customers' enchilada plates. The police were called, a scene ensued, and now, because of a business owner's ignorance of equal access laws, legal action is being threatened.
While Refoura's alleged reaction to this ignorant misunderstanding may have been completely inappropriate, the incident highlights the importance of equal access for those with disabilities. It is a very important time for not just business owners, but all of us, to be cognizant of the most basic aspects of the ADA. The ADA is especially important as we must deal with the unique casualties incurred by our soldiers in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The bottom line is that one of the most important priorities we should have as citizens of this nation is familiarity with basic civil rights. While I understand that someone unfamiliar with basic aspects of the ADA may be hesitant to allow an animal into an establishment that serves food, I feel it is the responsibility of those managers to understand beforehand that, in such a case, they are obliged by law to provide the same service they would provide to patrons who do not employ service animals. At the least, owners with questions about being compliant with the ADA should keep a computer on the premises that has access to the Internet – it took me less than thirty seconds to find the Department of Justice link below.
[MySanAntonio.com, U.S. Department of Justice]
Branden Hart, a TheSequitur.com assistant managing editor, works as an editor in San Antonio. |
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