Society Advocacy Breaks Mobility Barriers."I'M NOT handicapped by MS. I'm handicapped by the built environment," is how Dianne Pilgrim put it. Ms. Pilgrim, director emeritus and senior advisor In some countries, a Senior Advisor is an appointed position by the Head of State to advise on the highest levels of national and government policy. Sometimes a junior position to this is called a National Policy Advisor. for special projects, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution, research and education center, at Washington, D.C.; founded 1846 under terms of the will of James Smithson of London, who in 1829 bequeathed his fortune to the United States to create an establishment for the "increase and diffusion of , and a member of the Society's National Board, has been living in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and using a wheelchair for many years. "We live in an environment that tries to ignore our existence," she said, and people who are mobile by virtue of their scooters List of scooter models per manufacturer Aprilia
"Access problems are local problems," said Susan Fliegel, who directs the Society's state and local government relations programs. "Every year, hundreds of problems with physical barriers are reported to the Society's 140 offices--and our chapters win lots of battles!" Last year, for example, the National Capital Chapter in Washington, D.C., took on the area's access vans. The vehicles were reported to be chronically late, often filthy and, even worse, the drivers lacked training in getting their passengers in and out of them safely. Since that time, thanks to pressure from chapter advocates, the contractor running the service was replaced, many new vans were purchased, the drivers were appropriately trained, and a consumer complaint line was instituted. New York's Long Island Chapter targeted swimming pools, and through its efforts, the town of North Hempstead obtained ramps to make public pools more accessible. This past summer, all 7 Nassau County Nassau County is the name of two counties in the United States of America:
"Life isn't meant to be inconvenient or humiliating hu·mil·i·ate tr.v. hu·mil·i·at·ed, hu·mil·i·at·ing, hu·mil·i·ates To lower the pride, dignity, or self-respect of. See Synonyms at degrade. just because you use a mobility device to get around," Susan Fliegel stated. "Fighting barriers is part of `fighting MS.'" If you encounter access problems call: 1-800-FIGHT MS (1-800-344-4867) and select option #1." Susan Sloan is Managing Editor of InsideMS. |
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