Letters

On July 26, 1990, a monumental law was signed by former President George H.W. Bush mandating full accessibility and civil rights for people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will have its 15th anniversary this year, which should be a day of celebration of civil rights and protections for people with disabilities.

Unfortunately. the ADA has experienced many challenges since its passage 15 years ago, as its strength as a federal law shifted from the Supreme Court to states who choose to challenge it, resulting in many cases being ignored and accommodations not being made.

Though consumers with disabilities are a growing force in generating income, many stores and businesses are still inaccessible after the original deadline implemented by the ADA was passed exactly 10 years ago. Many are unable to enter stores to purchase items they need or want because entries are inaccessible, items are placed too high on shelves, or aisles are crowded on the floors, impeding access. Access to medical appointments is difficult because examination tables are too high when transferring to and from wheelchairs or scooters. Public restrooms may not have widened stalls and/or grab bars. Restaurants still may only have steps to and from areas such as banquet rooms instead of ramps or are located on a ground level. And theaters, concert halls, and stadiums may still be inaccessible because people with disabilities are unable to sit comfortably in the aisles, too close to the screen or the stage, or hear what is being said in a movie, play, musical performance or sporting event.

Despite tax incentives available to businesses that make efforts to comply with the ADA, many choose not to make these accommodations because they are afraid they would cause a financial hardship or other reason. I feel that when anyone dares to ask businesses to make accommodations and comply with the ADA, they are answered with either their establishments are accessible or “Thank you for bringing these issues to our attention” without further action taken, are given a hard time, or are completely ignored.

Another action weakening the ADA is the Notification Act introduced in 2000 by Congressman Mark Foley (R-Florida) after actor/director Clint Eastwood was sued for $577.000 by a woman who found that the inn he owns had no accessible restrooms and entries. The act mandates businesses must be notified 90 days in advance so they can have time to make retrofittings and accommodations instead of immediate action needed to install them according to the ADA.

Businesses should work harder to enforce the ADA and ensure that accommodations in stores, restaurants and other establishments are installed immediately. Chambers of commerce also need to be continually educated on accessibility in businesses they sponsor and the problems of the Notification Act, which I feel does not have anything to do with the ADA because it only hinders retrofitting and accommodations to be made.

Instead of celebrating a federal law ensuring accessibility and equal rights, citizens with disabilities, family members and representatives from organizations will tolerate stifling heat, converge at the State House in Trenton, and march to Mill Hill Park demanding that public officials vigorously enforce and strengthen the ADA. An “ADA: Forgotten at 15” march and rally in Trenton is being held on July 26 to strongly urge our acting governor, legislators, and other public officials to support the ADA as a federal law accommodating people with disabilities without questions or challenges.

People with disabilities are not a “novelty” to be praised at first, then set aside until ignored. We want complete equality and inclusion and be respected as taxpaying, contributing citizens. Hopefully, our voices will reach beyond Trenton to President George W. Bush and the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. — and even Mr. Eastwood in Hollywood — so they will listen to us. and the ADA will be fully enforced and every place will be accessible before its 20th anniversary, and then we will really celebrate.

Anita Clavering, Old Bridge, is co-facilitator for the Monday Morning Advocacy Network of Middlesex County.

Parent in Millstone praises Elks for their efforts for children

My son and daughter participated this past spring in the Elks Free Throw Contest. I applaud the efforts of the New Jersey State Elks Association for creating and running such a well-organized, positive basketball experience for the youth of New Jersey

Numerous Elks members volunteer their time to run multiple free-throw contests, secure gyms, serve breakfast and lunch, and act as referees and judges.

Congratulations go to Gary Dengelegi, state director, and Michael Arcuri, the South Central District director, for their leadership. A special thanks goes to Tom Matuse, a Millstone Elks Lodge member who participated in the local, district and state contests in which my daughter competed. Mr. Matuse followed the progress of my daughter through several contests, cheering for the Millstone girl as if she were his own child. Thanks to Mr. Matuse and the other Elks members for being wonderful role models for my children, New Jersey youth and parents.

Steven Turowski

Millstone

Thanks to all who supported Alliance’s fishing derby

On behalf of the Millstone Township Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, a sincere thank you goes out to all who helped make the fishing derby a great success. This is the fourth year that Black Bear Lake Camp has opened their facilities for this event, and special thanks to Mark Magid, Scott Gersten and their staff for hosting this family event.

Kudos also to our judges Amie MacMath, Ashley Toms, Bill Nurko, Nancy Grbelja, John Pfefferkorn and Jim Bell. Special recognition also needs to be given to our Alliance volunteers — Frank LaMagna and daughters Kristen and Allie, Susan Cerulo and Catherine Plutino — who worked hard before, during and after the derby.

We are especially grateful to the following local businesses who donated breakfast items or gift certificates which were used as prizes for the children who attend the event: Millstone Family Pharmacy, A&S Salumeria, Nails Plaza, Hole in One Golf Center, Millstone Dunkin’ Donuts, Platinum Pools and Spa, Vinny’s Lakeside Gourmet and the Clarksburg Deli. Thanks, too, to Barb of Barb’s Bait Barn for supplying the worms.

Stop by and thank them for being “Partners in Prevention” with the Millstone Alliance.

Please let us know what other types of fun, positive family events you would like to see in Millstone. Come out to our monthly meetings and get involved in making Millstone a healthy, safe and drug-free community. For more information on how you can get involved, call the Alliance at (732) 446-4249, ext. 40.

Helen Varvi

chairwoman

Millstone Township Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

Roosevelt resident says ‘cooler heads must prevail’

As a youngster growing up in the Jersey Homesteads, now Roosevelt, I remember that when it came to trouble, there were basically three types of kids: the “fighters,” who took on all bullies, the “sissies,” who were afraid to fight (which was OK because the fighters would stand up for them), and, worst of all, the “instigators,” who liked to cause disturbance. In Yiddish we called them kokhlefls (cooking spoons) whose primary role was to stir up strife, often by telling tales and half-truths. Examples of excellent kokhlefling include writing e-mails besmirching an honorable yeshiva, or printing opinion pieces in the Examiner stirring up fear of unproven “potential devastating financial dangers” to the community.

Does anybody at the Examiner have knowledge regarding the issue of the separation of church and state? It’s really up to the synagogue, a private religious institution, to decide to whom it will rent space. It has tried to make accommodations to allay the fears of the town. Every argument has been answered. The only reason left to disallow a day school for Orthodox boys is simply prejudice and discrimination.

All of the “isms,” including racism, sexism, disableism, and anti-Semitism are similar. They are based on prejudice (a thought), discrimination (an act), and narrow-minded stereotypes (deriving people’s behavior based on the group we assign to them) — like all Irish people drink, all Italians have underworld connections, gay persons are sexual predators, disabled people are either evil like Captain Hook or Long John Silver, funny like Mr. Magoo, or pitiable like Tiny Tim and Jerry’s Kids. For the Jews it’s always been that they are money hungry and want to take over, (akin to the basis of the “Elders of the Protocols of Zion”).

Roosevelt has always welcomed persons of all races, religions and sexual preferences. It’s Orwellian that some of those same citizens now believe that some groups should be less welcome to our town than others.

I love this town and have lived my entire life here. I went to school here, taught here, raised my children here, served on the Council and fire company, and for the last 13 years have publicly extolled its history and beauty throughout New Jersey. The instigators feeding the Examiner have done their thing. Now it’s time for the fighters to stand up. This is the only town in the United States with one house of worship that’s a synagogue and should be the last place debating whether or not Jews, of any type, should be allowed to move in. There are a large number of people who are outraged on both sides. But now, it’s time for cooler heads to prevail. Exacerbating by the Examiner only throws gas on the fire of volatile emotions. You really need to “examine” your editorials to be sure that what you are advocating is not based on prejudice and discrimination. There are still lots of people in this town who love it far too much to see its history and reputation go from Yiddish Utopia to Bastion of Bigotry.

Dr. Arthur Shapiro

Roosevelt

Reader: Women unnerved by hunters at hearings

This is a story that has to be told. On June 21, a small group of women attended the public hearing of the 2005-06 Game Code held by the Division of Fish & Wildlife at the State Museum in Trenton.

We were requested to place our pocketbooks on a table for security inspection by two conservation officers of the Division of Fish & Wildlife.

For security people to approach only women certainly seemed to us like profiling because the fact is that most women carry pocketbooks and men don’t.

One of the women has attended many Game Code hearings in the past and told the officers that they should also search the male hunters in line behind us. From past experience at Game Code hearings, she had witnessed male hunters who exposed their knives when they disagreed with anti-hunting statements.

The conservation officers did, and two knives were found in the possession of male hunters. One asked the officer to hold it because it was too far back to his car.

New Jersey’s Code of Criminal Justice states that any person who knowingly has in his possession any other weapon under circumstances not manifestly appropriate for such lawful use as it may have is guilty of a crime of the fourth degree.

At this same meeting, another woman speaker, walking up the aisle after finishing speaking, was grabbed by the arm by a male hunter who said he shot the bear she spoke about. At the 2004 Game Code hearing, two women were threatened to be slapped when they asked two hunters who were harassing them to stop.

We all felt threatened by these events and have requested an official investigation by the Attorney General’s Office.

Who is more of a danger — hunters with knives at public meetings who grab a woman’s arm and threaten to slap a woman, or the bears they are making a danger so that they can hunt and kill them?

Carol Rivielle

West Orange