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TO FOCUS ON ABILITIES, A PROGRAM ABOUT[Focus on Abilities (#196): "Marsha Pobedinsky and Jane Foreman - Disability Law Advocates"]
ISSUES AFFECTING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.I'LL BE YOUR HOST FOR TODAY'S PROGRAM.
I'M DIRECTOR OF THE INDEPENDENT LIVING RESEARCH UTILIZATION PROGRAM AT TIER MEMORIAL HERMANN, AND I'M PROFESSOR OF HEALTH INFORMATICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON.
UH, WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE WITH US TODAY.
I'M GONNA ASK A QUESTION, ONE THAT WILL ANSWER BEFORE THE END OF TODAY'S PROGRAM, AND THAT IS, HOW MUCH PRESSURE MUST YOU BE ABLE TO PUSH ON A DOOR IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES? NOW, THAT'S AN, YOU KNOW, AN INVOLVED QUESTION, BUT WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU WITH THE ANSWER, I PROMISE BEFORE THE END OF THE SHOW.
PLEASE STAY TUNED TO FOCUS ON ABILITIES.
THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS SPONSORED BY ILRU SOUTHWEST, A DA CENTER PROMOTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
I'M LEX FRIEDEN, YOU'RE WATCHING FOCUS ON ABILITIES, AND WE HAVE TWO GREAT GUESTS.
UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME VERY INTERESTING SUBJECTS AND, UH, UH, FIRST LET ME INTRODUCE OUR GUEST, MIA POPINSKI AND, UH, JANE FOREMAN STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW SCHOOL.
AND, UH, MASHA, WE'LL START WITH YOU.
HOW DID YOU GET TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW SCHOOL? AND I DON'T MEAN, DID YOU RIDE A BICYCLE? DID YOU TAKE THE BUS? WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO HOUSTON, TEXAS? I'M FROM HOUSTON ORIGINALLY.
WHY'D YOU DECIDE TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL AT U OF H? WELL, I THINK IT'S GREAT.
IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN ABOUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY, IN THE TEXAS COMMUNITY, AND I WANTED TO REALLY POSITION MYSELF TO SUCCEED IN MY LEGAL CAREER IN TEXAS SPECIFICALLY.
SO YOU GREW UP WANTING TO BE A LAWYER? I THINK FOR A LONG TIME I WANTED TO BE A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST, BUT THEN WHEN I LEARNED HOW THE LAW CAN BE USED AS A ADVOCACY TOOL, I TRANSITIONED MY FOCUS INTO, UH, LAW INSTEAD.
SO YOU, DO YOU IMAGINE, I MEAN, HAVE YOU ALWAYS FELT LIKE AN OMBUDSMAN? IF YOU SEE PEOPLE IN A, IN A, IN A COMPROMISING SITUATION, HAVE YOU ALWAYS FELT COMPELLED TO HELP BAIL THEM OUT? I HAVE FELT COMPELLED.
I, I REALLY ENJOY ADVOCACY AND I THINK THAT PRETTY MUCH I GREW UP WITH THE BENEFITS OF THE A DA, SO MY BASELINE EXPECTATION IS INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY.
AND SO I THINK THAT THAT HAS REALLY INFORMED WHY I'M SO INTERESTED IN ADVOCACY BECAUSE I THINK THAT GENERALLY PEOPLE HAVE TO REACT SOMEHOW WHENEVER THEIR EXPECTATIONS AREN'T BEING MET.
SO WHEN YOU SPEAK ABOUT ADVOCACY, ARE YOU TALKING IN GENERAL TERMS OR ARE YOU SPECIFICALLY INTERESTED IN A DA DISABILITY ADVOCACY? I'M VERY INTERESTED IN DISABILITY ADVOCACY, BUT I'M PERSONALLY VERY INTERESTED IN THE PRIVATE SIDE OF ADVOCACY AND REPRESENTATION.
I THINK THAT A LOT OF THE TIMES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DISABILITY LAW, WE FOCUS ON THE ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAW SIDE OF IT OR ON THE PUBLIC BENEFITS SIDE OF IT.
BUT I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE MORE PRIVATE SIDE OF DISABILITY LAW COUNSELING INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO ACTUALLY ACHIEVE, UM, THE FINANCIAL SECURITY AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BENEFITS THAT WILL ENABLE PEOPLE TO LIVE AS INDEPENDENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO THAT GETS WELL BEYOND A DA NO, THAT'S, THAT'S MORE LIKE ESTATE PLANNING.
SO, AND YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT AS WELL? YES, I AM.
JANE, YOU, UH, YOU CAME TO UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN HOUSTON? WELL, I'M FROM HOUSTON ORIGINALLY, JUST LIKE MASHA, BUT I THINK UNLIKE MASHA, I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GO TO LAW SCHOOL AND I WAS ACTUALLY VERY RESISTANT TO THE IDEA.
UM, I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY THAT IS, BUT I WAS ALWAYS TOLD I A KID, WHOA, YOU KNOW, JANE, MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO BE A LAWYER.
AND MY IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT.
UM, SO I SOMEHOW ENDED UP THERE, I THINK
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BECAUSE I SAW REAL LIFE LAWYERS WHO WERE DOING THINGS THAT I FELT WERE VERY IMPORTANT.I STARTED WORKING FOR A FRIEND OF MINE WHO DOES SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY REPRESENTATION AT THE HEARING LEVEL.
AND THAT I FOUND WAS VERY MOTIVATING AND I WAS LIKE, OKAY, HERE'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING IN LAW THAT I COULD SEE MYSELF DOING.
AND I DO THAT DURING THE DAY AND AT NIGHT I GO TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW CENTER.
SO THE WORK THAT YOU STARTED DOING, UM, WHAT LED YOU TO THAT YOU JUST SAW, UH, AN OPENING IN THE JOB MARKET AND YOU WENT TO THAT JOB? WELL, SO WHEN I WAS A KID, MY DAD WAS ON SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY AND STILL IS.
SO I'VE ALWAYS BEEN CONNECTED TO THAT WHOLE EXPERIENCE.
UM, BUT I, I HAVE A, I KNEW SOMEONE SOCIALLY WHO WAS LOOKING FOR HELP, YOU KNOW, SOME YOUNG OFFICE HELPERS AND, UM, I DECIDED TO GO FOR IT.
AND, AND NOW WHERE ARE YOU IN LAW SCHOOL? I AM A TWO L BUT I'M PART-TIME, SO I'M NOT EXPECTED TO GRADUATE IN THREE YEARS, PROBABLY MORE LIKE FOUR YEARS.
AND YOU'RE, WILL YOU HAVE A SPECIALTY? I HOPE TO JUST CONTINUE DOING SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY WORK WILL, HOPEFULLY THAT IS TRUE, BUT THAT'S, AT THIS POINT, THAT'S WHAT MY GOAL IS.
I MEAN, IN ORDER TO DO THAT THOUGH, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A GENERAL GROUNDING IN LAW.
SO I MEAN, YOU THEORETICALLY SHOULD BE ABLE TO AT SOME POINT, BRANCH OUT INTO OTHER AREAS OF LAW.
WHAT, WHAT ENABLES YOU TO DO THAT? I MEAN, IF YOU WANTED TO, WOULD YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO LAW SCHOOL TO BECOME A DIFFERENT KIND OF LAWYER OR WOULD YOU HAVE TO PASS DIFFERENT CERTIFICATION EXAMS OR HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? YEAH, SO THERE'S NO SPECIFIC CERTIFICATION EXAM IF YOU'RE A LAWYER THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE TO DO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY PRACTICE.
AND I'M CURRENTLY CERTIFIED BY THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION TO BE ABLE TO REPRESENT PEOPLE AT HEARINGS WITHOUT BEING A LAWYER.
AND SO GOING TO LAW SCHOOL IS MORE ABOUT HAVING THE LEGAL BASIS, HAVING THE GENERAL KNOWLEDGE SO THAT I CAN DO MORE TO HELP PEOPLE.
UH, BUT GENERALLY I WOULD SAY YOU DON'T NEED EXTRA CERTIFICATIONS TO BE ABLE TO DO ADDITIONAL TYPES OF THINGS IN LAW THAT SOME OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE.
GOING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW CENTER GIVES YOU A GENERAL GROUNDING IN GENERAL LEGAL PRINCIPLES LETS YOU TAKE THE BAR EXAM, AND FROM THERE YOU CAN SORT OF DO WHAT YOU WISH.
MARSHA, YOU SAID THAT YOU, UM, HAD EXPERIENCE WITH, UH, DISABILITY YOURSELF.
UH, I MEAN, DID, DID, DID WE, YOU HAD FAMILY MEMBERS WITH A DISABILITY, YOU EXPERIENCED DISABILITY, YOU HAD FRIENDS WITH DISABILITY.
HOW DID YOU BEGIN TO BE AWARE OF THE A DAI FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THE A DAI THINK WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND I HAD TORN THE SAME LIGAMENT A BUNCH OF TIMES AND WAS USING CRUTCHES TO NAVIGATE THE SCHOOL AND WANTED TO USE THE ELEVATOR TO GET TO THE SECOND FLOOR OF MY BUILDING.
AND THEY TOLD ME I COULDN'T BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE AN A DA PLACARD.
SO I BECAME AWARE OF BUREAUCRACY AND RED TAPE, WHICH REALLY CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR PEOPLE.
SO YOU WOULD'VE HAD TO PROVE THAT YOU HAD SOME KIND OF A DISABILITY? YES.
BUT I MEAN, I, I HEAR THESE THINGS ALL THE TIME.
EVENTUALLY I FOUND THE RIGHT PERSON TO TALK TO WHO JUST LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, OH, THAT'S RIDICULOUS.
SO LUCKILY I THINK THAT THE MORE PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE A DA, UM, THE MORE UNLIKELY IT IS THAT THESE SITUATIONS HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO I REMEMBER IN THE FINAL PASSAGE OF THE A DA, THE SENATE DEBATE, ONE SENATOR FROM NORTH CAROLINA SAID IN THE DEBATE, SO IF I HAVE A FINGERNAIL THAT IS TORN, THEN I'D BE ELIGIBLE FOR ALL KINDS OF BENEFITS AND SERVICES AND I'D BE, UH, A DA ELIGIBLE.
AND, UH, UH, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT I WANT TO TAKE A BREAK AND LEAVE THAT HANGING FOR THE AUDIENCE.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION AND MORE ON FOCUS ON ABILITIES.
[00:10:39]
WE COULD START BY TELLING YOU HOW SLEEK IT IS, HOW IT'S AT THE EDGE OF INNOVATION IN ITS INDUSTRY, THAT IT MAKES CONNECTIONS FASTER AND MORE CONVENIENT.WE COULD PROMOTE THE FACT THAT EVEN TRAFFIC SIGNALS GIVE IT THE GREEN LIGHT AND THAT IT MOVES SO QUICKLY, WE HAD TO GIVE IT ITS OWN LANE.
OR YOU COULD JUST RIDE, DISCOVER WHERE THIS RAIL LIKE RIDE IS GOING NEXT, VISIT RIDE METRO.ORG/METRO.
NEXT, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY FOR FOCUS ON ABILITIES.
I'M LEX FRIEDEN AND WE'RE HERE WITH MASHA AND JANE FROM THE U OF H LAW SCHOOL.
UM, SO GUYS, THE, UH, THE, THE, UH, SENATOR FROM NORTH CAROLINA SAID, IF I HAVE A HANGNAIL, THEN THAT MEANS I HAVE A DISABILITY.
AND SENATOR HARKIN, WHO WAS LEADING THE DEBATE, UH, RESPONDED BY SAYING, IT'S POSSIBLE.
AND THE SENATOR FROM NORTH CAROLINA SAID, WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S POSSIBLE? IT EITHER IS OR IT ISN'T.
AND SENATOR HARKIN RESPONDED BY SAYING, IT DEPENDS ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
IN FACT, HE SAID, YOU MAY BE REGARDED AS HAVING A DISABILITY EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PHYSICAL ISSUES.
AND, UH, SO THE DEBATE CONTINUED FROM THEM, BUT THAT LEADS THEM TO THE NEXT QUESTION, I SUPPOSE.
UH, CAN A PERSON WHO DOESN'T HAVE A DISABILITY BE PROTECTED UNDER THE A DA? MARSHA, YOU KNOW THE ANSWER.
WELL, YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT YOU CAN BE REGARDED AS HAVING A DISABILITY.
SO THAT EXAMPLE THAT WAS USED AGAIN ON THE SENATE FLOOR IS IF SOMEBODY WERE IN THE WORKPLACE AND A, UH, UH, COLLEAGUE OR MORE, WERE TALKING ABOUT THEM AT THE, THE BREAK ROOM AND SOMEBODY MADE THE COMMENT THAT SO AND SO MUST BE UNBALANCED, THEY MUST HAVE A MENTAL DISABILITY, UH, AND, UH, THAT THAT COULD ACTUALLY QUALIFY SO AND SO FOR HAVING A DISABILITY, BECAUSE THEY WERE REGARDED AS HAVING A DISABILITY.
AND IF THEY WERE TREATED DIFFERENTLY ON, ON ACCOUNT OF THAT PERCEPTION, THEN THEY HAD BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST.
SOMEBODY HAD BEEN DISCRIMINATING, UM, AND IT HAPPENS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
UH, JANE, YOU IN YOUR, UH, WORK ON SOCIAL SECURITY LAW PROBABLY RUN INTO A LOT OF EVEN JUDGES WHO MAY QUESTION WHETHER A PERSON HAS A DISABILITY AND IS SO QUALIFIED.
WHAT'S THE SOLUTION TO THAT IN YOUR DOMAIN? SIMPLY MORE MEDICAL EXAMS. MORE TESTS, MORE LETTERS.
WHAT YEAH, IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT SOCIAL SECURITY REQUIRES, GENERALLY.
WHAT YOU WOULD WANNA HAVE IS MORE MEDICAL PROOF SHOWING THAT IT'S NOT JUST THAT I SAY I HAVE THIS PROBLEM, IT'S THAT MY DOCTORS SAY, I HAVE THIS PROBLEM.
THE OBJECTIVE TEST SAYS THAT I HAVE THIS PROBLEM.
UH, BUT PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE COULD BE BETTER WAYS TO RUN OUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY SYSTEM THAT WOULDN'T REQUIRE EVERYONE TO HAVE ALL OF THESE OBJECTIVE TESTS AND COULD HAVE A GREATER TRUST PLACED IN JUST LOOKING AT THE PERSON'S LIFE SITUATION AND DETERMINING IF THEY ARE OR WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CONTINUE DOING THE WORK THEY HAD DONE BEFORE.
BUT LOOKING AT A PERSON'S LIFE SITUATION WOULD REQUIRE A LOT OF OBSERVATION AND FURTHER DOCUMENTATION.
RIGHT? IT COULD POTENTIALLY, YES.
BUT THE SITUATION NOW IS THAT ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE REGARDED AS EXPERTS IN THE OBSTACLES, THE PERSON EXPERIENCES.
AND ARE THOSE EXPERTS ACTUALLY THE PEOPLE WHO WITNESS THE OBSTACLES, THE PERSON EXPERIENCES ALL THE TIME? OR ARE THEY SOMEONE WHO THAT PERSON SAW FOR 30 MINUTES AND MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY SEE THE FULL EXTENT OF THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES? WELL, LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE AND, AND, UH, OUR VIEWERS AN EXAMPLE THAT
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THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING.THE, UH, I, I WAS ONCE AN OBSERVER, UH, AT A, UH, PSYCHIATRIST'S OFFICE WHO WAS, UH, TASKED BY THE, UH, IN THIS CASE THE VA, TO DETERMINE WHETHER A VETERAN HAD A, UH, MENTAL IMPAIRMENT OR NOT.
AND THE, UH, THE ASSERTION WAS BY THE, UH, BY THE PATIENT THAT THEY HAD MEMORY LOSS.
AND SO THE PSYCHIATRIST SAID TO THE PERSON, WHAT IS THE DATE TODAY? PERSON ANSWERED THE QUESTION.
PSYCHIATRIST SAID, WHAT IS THE WEATHER TODAY? PERSON ANSWERED THE QUESTION.
THE PSYCHIATRIST SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T SEEM TO HAVE A MEMORY PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT THE DATE WAS AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE WEATHER IS.
AND THE PERSON SAID, I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A MEMORY PROBLEM.
AND I SAT THERE AND I SAID, EXCUSE ME, BUT THE NEWSPAPER'S OPEN ON YOUR DESK.
THE DATE'S RIGHT ON TOP OF THE NEWSPAPER.
THE CURTAINS ARE OPEN ON THE WINDOWS, YOU CAN SEE THE WEATHER.
AND YET THAT, THAT JUDGE ON BEHALF OF, IN THIS CASE, THE VA, WAS GOING TO ASSERT THAT THE PERSON HAD NO ISSUES BECAUSE THEY HAD GIVEN THAT PRACTICAL EXAM.
AND I THINK WE RUN INTO THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES WHERE PEOPLE ARE ASKED TO MAKE JUDGEMENTS THAT AREN'T TRAINED TO BE ABLE TO MAKE JUDGMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE WITH CERTAIN TYPES OF DISABILITIES, CERTAIN CASES, I MEAN, DO YOU SEE THAT OFTEN? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND I WOULD SAY THE SOCIAL SECURITY JUDGES ARE EXPERTS IN SOCIAL SECURITY LAW, BUT THEY MIGHT NOT BE EXPERTS IN YOUR UNIQUE MEDICAL PROBLEM, HOW IT AFFECTS YOU, SPECIFICALLY EXPERTS AT READING DOCTOR'S NOTES, UNDERSTANDING WHAT A DOCTOR MEANS WHEN THEY SAY A CERTAIN THING.
AND ALL OF THAT IS REALLY WHAT, WHAT I THINK IS A BIG BARRIER IN THE WAY OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION REALLY UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE'S UNIQUE MEDICAL SITUATION.
DID YOU LEARN MOST OF WHAT YOU KNOW THROUGH YOUR PRACTICE? DID YOU LEARN IT THROUGH YOUR STUDIES? UH, OR DID YOU LEARN IT IN YOUR BASIC EDUCATION? I WOULD SAY SOME COMBINATION OF THE THREE WITH AN ADDED SIDE OF BEING A PERSON THAT NAVIGATES THE WORLD, GOING TO THE DOCTORS, SEEING WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY ABOUT ME, SEEING WHAT THE DOCTORS SAY ABOUT MY FAMILY MEMBERS, AND SEEING A GAP BETWEEN WHAT MIGHT BE WRITTEN ON THE PIECE OF PAPER AND WHAT WAS SAID DURING THE MEDICAL VISIT.
I WOULD ADD ONE THING, AND THAT IS THAT I BELIEVE THAT WELL EDUCATED PATIENTS, EMPOWERED PATIENTS, EMPOWERED PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE OR SHOULD TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DOCTORS AND WITH THE JUDGES AND, AND NOT SIMPLY TO BE PASSIVE IN THE SITUATION.
NOW, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE FOR EVERYBODY, RIGHT.
BUT FOR THOSE WHO CAN, THEY SHOULD BE SELF OMBUDSMAN.
UM, MARSHA, YOU, YOU, UH, SPEAKING OF OMBUDSMAN AND RECOGNIZED AN ISSUE AT, UH, U OF H WITH SOME NEW FACILITIES, CORRECT? UM, YOU TOOK SOME INITIATIVE.
SO SOME CLASSMATES OF MINE, INCLUDING JANE, UM, IS INVOLVED IN THE DISABILITY LAW SOCIETY.
WE DID AN ACTIVITY, UM, ACTUALLY THROUGH OUR DISABILITIES IN THE LAW CLASS WHERE WE MEASURED SOME OF THE DOORS, AND, UM, ALSO TOOK ALL SORTS OF MEASUREMENTS.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE BUILDING IS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE A DA.
AND SO THAT IN ADDITION, WITH OTHER CONCERNS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY, WE'VE BEGUN TO COMMUNICATE TO THE SCHOOL.
AND WHILE WE HAVE SOMETIMES TRIED TO, WE'VE JUST GENERALLY TRIED TO COMMUNICATE THESE THINGS IN THE MOST RESPECTFUL WAY.
UM, THERE ARE SO MANY TOOLS IN AN ADVOCATE'S TOOLBOX, AND WE ARE REALLY TRYING TO USE ALL OF THEM TO, UM, MAKE THE CHANGES THAT ARE EXPECTED.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK, UH, WITH FOCUS ON ABILITIES.
PLEASE STAY TUNED, COME BACK, WE'LL GIVE YOU SOME GOOD INFORMATION.
MOMENTS SHARED WITH LOVED ONES ARE PRECIOUS JOY ENCHANTMENT CONNECTION.
IT'S WHY WE TRAVEL AT HOUSTON AIRPORTS.
WE KNOW THE MAGIC OF FLIGHT BEGINS THE MOMENT YOU SECURE YOUR PARKING SPOT AND EMBARK ON YOUR JOURNEY.
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HARD TO BRING YOU THE MOST CONVENIENT PARKING SOLUTIONS THAT ARE THE BEST FIT FOR YOUR TRIP.IF YOU'RE TRAVELING FOR BUSINESS OR LEISURE, WHETHER YOUR VOYAGE STARTS FROM BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL OR WILLIAM P.
HOBBY AIRPORT, OUR PARKING TEAM AT VALLEY PARKING ECO PARK ECO PART TWO OR TERMINAL PARKING, IS HERE TO GIVE YOU A FIRST CLASS EXPERIENCE WITH A BIG TEXAS SMILE.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU TO ENSURE THIS MOMENT AND EVERY MOMENT IN BETWEEN WILL BE FILLED WITH GREAT MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST A LIFETIME.
SO TRAVEL SMARTER, PARK SMARTER, AND GET MORE OF THE MOMENTS THAT MATTER.
APPRECIATE YOU ALL WATCHING TODAY.
WE'RE HERE WITH, UH, MASHA AND JANE, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DA LAW, UH, PARTICULARLY AS NOW IT RELATES TO, UH, SCHOOLS AND, AND IN FACT, THE SCHOOL AT, UH, HOUSTON CALLED THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW SCHOOL.
UM, MARSHA, THE, THE LAW SCHOOL BUILDING IS NEW, RIGHT? IT'S BRAND NEW.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE'S A MEDICAL SCHOOL BUILDING.
THERE IS, SO YOU GUYS, STUDENTS, UH, YOU HAVE A SOCIETY, RIGHT? THAT IS CORRECT.
CALLED WHAT? THE DISABILITY LAW SOCIETY.
AND THAT INCLUDES MEMBERS WHO JUST VOLUNTEER TO DO ADVOCACY WORK ON CAMPUS.
IT'S A TWO, IT HAS TWO PURPOSES.
ONE IS TO FOSTER AN INTEREST IN DISABILITY LAW, IN DISABILITY ADVOCACY IN THE A DA.
AND THE OTHER SIDE IS THAT IT'S ALSO AN AFFINITY GROUP.
IT'S ALSO MEANT TO CREATE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE DISABILITIES.
ONLY STUDENTS IN THE LAW SCHOOL, WELL, ACTUALLY, UM, THIS YEAR, U OF H REQUIRES ALL STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS TO BE OPEN TO ANYONE.
IT, IT OCCURS TO ME THAT THERE MAY BE ON CAMPUS A LOT OF KIDS WITH, UH, INTEREST IN DISABILITY, PERSONAL OR OTHERWISE, WHO WOULD BE GOOD, UH, MEMBERS OF YOUR GROUP.
AND WE ENCOURAGE THEM TO JOIN.
SO WHAT KINDS OF THINGS ARE YOU DOING? YOU MENTIONED CHECKING THE WIDTH OF THE DOORWAYS AND THE PRESSURE REQUIRED TO OPEN THE DOORWAYS.
AND, UH, WE ASKED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM, UH, THE, THE SECRET QUESTION THAT WAS, UH, HOW MANY POUNDS OF PRESSURE, UH, ARE REQUIRED TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE A DA SO THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CAN PUSH THEIR WAY THROUGH THE DOOR, RIGHT? CORRECT.
AND HOW DO YOU MEASURE THAT? SO THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN A REALLY INTERESTING THING.
SO WE USED PHISHING SCALES TO MEASURE HOW MUCH FORCE IT REQUIRES TO OPEN THE DOOR.
UM, BUT THERE'S ALSO OTHER TYPES OF EQUIPMENT THAT CAN BE USED TO MEASURE THE, TO MEASURE THESE DOORS.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN ABLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THIS EQUIPMENT AND TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, UM, THIS EQUIPMENT HASN'T BEEN USED TO MEASURE THE, UH, THE WEIGHT OF THESE DOORS.
SO DOES ANYBODY QUESTION THE VALIDITY OF THE APPROACH THAT YOU TOOK BEFORE? ABSOLUTELY.
THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S REMARKABLE.
BUT, SO YOU'VE GOT A NEW BUILDING NOW.
THE, THE NEW BUILDING BY LAW HAD TO MEET ALL THE STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE 88.
THERE WERE NO EXCUSES, NO EXCEPTIONS.
IT'S NOT A MODIFIED BUILDING, IT'S NOT AN OLD BUILDING THAT THEY HAD ISSUES WITH.
IT'S A BRAND NEW BUILDING THAT, UM, THE SCHOOL PAID ARCHITECTS TO PLAN AND ENGINEERS TO PLAN AND CONSTRUCTION PEOPLE TO BUILD.
AND THEY ALL CHECKED ONE ANOTHER AND THEY WERE ALL REQUIRED TO GET CERTIFICATION FROM, AT LEAST THINK ABOUT IT, TWO PUBLIC AGENCIES, INCLUDING ONE AT THE STATE LEVEL THAT CHECKS FOR ACCESSIBILITY.
AND THE DOORS ARE STILL TOO HARD TO PUSH.
AND WHAT'S INTERESTING IS ACTUALLY WE HAVE COMMUNICATED THIS SINCE APRIL, BUT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BRINGING THIS UP FROM EVEN BEFORE WHEN THE, FROM EVEN BEFORE THE BUILDING ACTUALLY BEING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT A BIG CHALLENGE HERE IS THAT FOR A BUILDING, THERE ARE JUST SO MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED.
AND WHILE CHANGE IS UNDERSTANDABLY
[00:25:01]
SLOW, I BELIEVE THAT SINCE IT IS A NEW BUILDING, THERE REALLY IS NO EXCUSE, IT SHOULD BE A PRIORITY TO FIX THIS IMMEDIATELY.SO MA MARSHA IS ONLY THE WEIGHT OF THE DOORS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PUSH NO.
OR ARE THERE OTHER EXAMPLES? SO ANOTHER EXAMPLE THAT WE'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING ABOUT A LOT IS THAT THERE AREN'T ANY BUTTONS TO LIKE POWER DOOR BUTTONS TO NAVIGATE THE, THE BUILDING.
NOW, I THINK THAT ESPECIALLY FOR LIKE THE MAIN AUDITORIUMS AND FOR THESE, THESE ROOMS THAT ARE REALLY ALSO USED BY JUST ALL, ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE FROM THE PUBLIC, UM, THAT IT'S REALLY UNACCEPTABLE THAT THIS ISN'T INCLUDED.
UM, AND ACTUALLY THAT'S HOW I BECAME INSPIRED TO SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON THIS.
I HAD A CLASSMATE WHO HAD TO WAIT EVERY SINGLE DAY, UM, FOR US TO GET INTO CLASS.
AND I WAS OPENING THE DOOR EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR MY CLASSMATE, AND I DIDN'T ACTUALLY KNOW HIM.
AND THEN I SAID, ISN'T IT WEIRD THAT THIS BUILDING DOESN'T HAVE BUTTONS? AND WE BOTH AGREED, IT'S WEIRD.
NOT JUST BUTTONS, BUT THE AUTOMATIC DOORS THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THE BUTTONS, RIGHT? YEAH, EXACTLY.
AND UM, JANE, WHEN JANE JOINED DISABILITY LAW SOCIETY, WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING YOU SAID? WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT THESE DOORS? I CAN'T OPEN THEM.
SO, UM, WELL THOSE ARE CLEARLY ISSUES AND I, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ARGUE THAT AS YOU DID, UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED, A LOT OF DIFFERENT INTERESTS INVOLVED.
CLEARLY THERE'S A VIOLATION THAT YOU FOUND OUT, UM, PRESUMABLY THAT WILL BE FIXED, UH, AND YOU WILL GET THE EVIDENCE NECESSARY TO DO SO.
UH, ARE YOU GUYS DOING ANY KIND OF PUBLIC THINGS THAT PEOPLE MIGHT WANNA BE ENGAGED IN? WELL, WE WOULD LIKE TO DRAFT A LETTER THAT ARTICULATES ALL OF OUR CONCERNS, UM, ALL OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED, AND WE ENCOURAGE MEMBERS OF ANY, ANYBODY WHO'S INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING WHAT WE'RE DOING, TO, UM, REACH OUT TO ME.
MY EMAIL IS M-P-O-B-E-D-I-N AT COUGAR NET DOT UH, DOT EDU.
AND I WILL, UM, KEEP YOU IN TOUCH ABOUT OUR ACTIVITIES AS A STUDENT ORGANIZATION AND WE'LL LET YOU KNOW IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN HELP.
SO YOU MAY HAVE SOME PUBLIC SEMINARS IN THE FUTURE, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND WE'LL, WE'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED.
WELL, IT, IT'S, IT'S BEEN INTERESTING TO, UH, CHAT WITH BOTH OF YOU TODAY.
UM, I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT WE HAVE A GREAT LAW SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON.
IT'S GOOD THAT WE HAVE A NEW BUILDING AND IT'S GREAT THAT IT WILL, IN DUE TIME BE ACCESSIBLE, UH, ACCORDING TO THE A DA I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY GOOD ACCOMMODATIONS IN THERE ALREADY, AND, UH, WE CAN BUILD ON WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE.
UM, JANE, THANK YOU A LOT FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY.
AND, UH, ANY LAST THOUGHTS OR ADVICE FOR PEOPLE? I WOULD SAY THAT IF YOU FEEL LIKE THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR LIFE ARE EXCEPTIONALLY HARD, IT'S PROBABLY HARD FOR SOMEONE ELSE TOO.
AND IF THERE'S THIS THING THAT WE'VE ALL IDENTIFIED THAT MANY OF US CAN'T OPEN THE DOOR, MAYBE THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT WHO ALSO CAN'T OPEN THAT DOOR, OR SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP YOU AND SOMEONE WHO CAN SEE THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM THAT YOU'RE FACING ALSO.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO, WHEN YOU SEE A PROBLEM THAT'S AFFECTING YOUR ABILITY TO ACCESS SOMETHING, START TALKING TO PEOPLE AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIND SOMEONE ELSE WHO CARES ABOUT THAT WITH YOU AND WANTS TO HELP.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.
UH, MARSHA, THANK YOU FOR BEING ON THE SHOW TODAY AND BEST OF LUCK WITH THE, UH, SOCIETY AND, AND WE'LL BE THERE FOR THE GRAND DOOR.
THANK ALL OF YOU FOR WATCHING.
UH, IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING PROGRAM.
I WANT TO THANK MY CHAP POPINSKI AND JANE FOREMAN FOR BEING OUR GUESTS.
AND, UH, AND I WANT TO THANK HTV FOR HOSTING THE SHOW.
UH, WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON THE NEXT FOCUS ON ABILITIES.