MY LETTER TO THE AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT

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Blog readers, I wrote a strong-worded [but still short] letter to the Americans with Disabilities Act people. I am not mean. Just sick and tired of smashing my wheelchair  into inaccessible doors struggling trying to hold them open, damaging my wheelchair parts, ripping my shoe straps, breaking my cupholders. These things cost money man. Check out the letter below in "read more". I hope they don't just ignore me...

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 To Whom it May Concern,

Please take this message kindly and seriously. It is not intended to judge or negatively criticize, but to raise some awareness of how the Civil Rights Law THAT SHOULD BE protected under the ADA is being violated. My name is Lije Purellku. I am a 30 year old college graduate and a handicapped individual. Among my many struggles: completing school with a mobility impairment, and struggling to find employment; I am dismayed at the violation of peoples’ most basic daily needs–that is the simple access to buildings/services. I am writing solely as an advocate for some of the most basic rights for individuals with disabilities. Among many unfair inequalities which remain yet to be resolved, it is imperative [and should not even be an issue] that all individuals have access to the same buildings. It is absolutely ridiculous that ALL places...including venues, restaurants, stores, movie theaters, schools, hallways, door entrances, bathrooms, and all other services are not handicap accessible. If a place, ANY PLACE, is accessible to fully mobile people, it should be accessible to immobile individuals as well. It is actually deplorable that the ADA [a department specifically designed to protect against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as enforced by the Civil Rights Act] does not make every attempt [with strict mandates] to make this an equal environment for all. I actually think it is ridiculous that I, a 30-year old handicapped woman needs to inform the ADA, a professional establishment that discrimination is illegal. Let me define some aspects of "discrimination" for you:when reasonable accommodations are not available to individuals with disabilities or when accessibility to any place is unavailable SOLELY due to your mobility impairment. I am not complaining specifically about one place because it happens to me a few times a week where I damage a certain part of my wheelchair trying to get through a non-accessible doorway, or I cannot navigate in a small space where fully-abled people can fit and walk. For example, at the AMC Loews Multiplex in Levittown, the doors render me trapped, either outside, hoping for someone to come and hold the door open to let me in, or in the bathroom hoping for someone to come and hold the door open to let me out.  Furthermore, I am endangering myself by trying to move my wheelchair in/out while trying to simultaneously hold the door open with my other weak arm or leg. I have already suffered damages to several of my wheelchair parts [consequently struggling with unfair insurance coverage for replacement parts], but if I break or harm a body part due to failure of ADA regulations, I will be sure to once again contact you regarding any law suit/financial hospital/therapy consequential necessities. It is not enough that businesses slap a sticker on their window stating "ADA approved" and then put a couple of NON-WORKING automatic handicap button door openers or a flimsy cardboard/wooden makeshift ramp in front of their building. The ADA needs to STRICTLY MANDATE, not just require, that ALL buildings/services, outdoor/indoor services/rooms/bathrooms/doorways be accessible to all people. I am a handicapped individual who [fortunately] can think and write about these inequalities--who can move certain body parts to try and hold doors open for myself [a task which would be difficult for anyone in a wheelchair to do, let alone someone with arm/leg weaknesses]; however, there are individuals in wheelchairs who can't do those things, what are they supposed to do? I am writing to advocate for myself and these people. If any of the administration would like to meet with me and discuss this, please do not hesitate to contact me. EMAIL= lijepurellku@hotmail.com--PHONE= (516) 978-7001. I am writing with sincere and strong hopes that you will address these issues. These requests are not unusual and are only inclined to put myself and others with mobility impairments on the same playing field. Thank you.

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