Contact Center Solutions Industry News

TMCNet: Disabilities rights group listens to concerns

[August 26, 2010]

Disabilities rights group listens to concerns

Aug 26, 2010 (The Wilson Daily Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Recently Ike Pakula was stuck in a thunderstorm while driving to central North Carolina from his Wilson home.

Pakula, who is hearing impaired, had no idea the storm was coming even though he'd watched television to see what the weather would be like.

"Captions on television don't tell us when there is a storm coming," Pakula said through an interpreter. "I had to pull over and wait the storm out on the side of the road. If I had known that the storm was coming, I wouldn't have gotten into a car." Pakula said if he'd needed to call 911 he still would have been in trouble because there is no accommodations for people who can't hear.

"I am a tax-paying citizen -- an American, just like everyone else," Pakula said. "But because I am deaf, I am left out of so many things that could mean my safety." To hear concerns from citizens with disabilities, like Pakula, is why representatives from Disability Rights North Carolina came to the Wilson County Public Library Wednesday afternoon. Twenty listening sessions have been scheduled across the state. After the sessions, DRNC staff will make plans for efforts they want to focus on next year.

"We wanted to know what problems people with disabilities are facing, and what they think we could do about them," said John Riddlemeyer, litigations director for Disability Rights North Carolina. "It is important that we come to towns and hear first-hand what is needed. We also want everyone to know what it is that we do." Riddlemeyer said some of their work covers being advocates for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities, psychiatric disabilities or emotional impairment, physical, learning, or sensory disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries in state hospitals or developmental centers.

He said they also do referrals for services they can't cover.

"We need more interpreters for people who are deaf," Riddlemeyer said.

Johnny M. James said he had to change doctors because his doctor would not get an interpreter so they could communicate.

"I had to write to him and he wrote back," James said through an interpreter. "It is hard to communicate that way. But he didn't want to pay for a person who does sign because he was afraid he wouldn't be paid for it." Riddlemeyer said his office is working on getting Medicaid to reimburse doctors and the court system so that people who are hearing impaired won't be without help so often.

Riddlemeyer said they get lots of calls from parents of children with disabilities.

"You wouldn't believe the calls we get from parents whose children have mental disabilities and the school system calls the police on them," Riddlemeyer said.

State Representative Jean Farmer-Butterfield of Wilson was present.

"I wanted to hear first hand what the concerns were for people in my district," Farmer-Butterfield said.

janet@wilsontimes.com -- 265-7847 To see more of The Wilson Daily Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.wilsondaily.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Wilson Daily Times, N.C.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).

[ Back To Contact Center Solutions Homepage's Homepage ]


Related Contact Center Solutions Articles
[ View all Contact Center Solutions Articles ]

Socialize with us

FREE Contact Center Solutions eNewsletter

Click here to receive your targeted Contact Center Solutions Community eNewsletter.[Subscribe Now]

Industry News

Featured Resources

Contact Center Solutions Glossary of Terms

Press Releases

About the Contact Center Solutions Community

    Welcome to the Contact Center Solutions Community The Contact Center Solutions Global Online Community, Sponsored by Interactive Intelligence, is designed to serve as the industry's premier resource for information and research on Contact Center Solutions technology and deployment strategies.