Derby City Area Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.
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OFFICERS
PRESIDENT David Allgood - (502) 589-6620
VICE PRESIDENT Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206
TREASURER Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865
LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE Dr. Bill Kraft – (502) 582-5865
FUNDRAISING CHAIR Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368
PAST PRESIDENT Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206
BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE- Mike Perry Kelly Young
NSCIA DERBY CITY CHAPTER NEWSLETTER
Editor- Barbara Davis
Contributor- David Allgood
THEATERS MUST IMPROVE SEATING
On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review a lower court ruling affecting theaters with stadium-style seating, thus ensuring that theaters must offer more than just front row seats to wheelchair users. “It’s been a long time coming,” said plaintiff wheelchair user Tina Argetsinger in The Oregonian. “I’m very happy. It’s great to get angry, do something and have something come out of it.”
The suit was filed in 2000 when Regal Cinemas’ stadium-style theaters forced wheelchair users into the front row, which has inferior sight lines. A federal judge originally ruled for Regal, saying that the ADA doesn’t specify that wheelchair users should have access to comparable sight lines, only an unobstructed view, but the appeals court found the ADA does require theater owners to offer wheelchair users sight lines comparable to those offered to nondisabled movie patrons. By refusing to hear Regal’s appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed this decision.
In the noncompliant theaters, patrons enter at the front of the theater. One design that accommodates wheelchair users places an entrance in the middle of the theater.
“Not the worst, not the best,” said Kathleen L. Wilde, legal director of the Oregon Advocacy Center, about what her plaintiffs expect. “Just give us what half the people in the theater get.” The suit now goes back to the U.S. District Court in Oregon, where the plaintiffs originally filed. This Court must now incorporate the findings of the Appeals Court into its ruling. Regal Cinemas is owned by the Regal Entertainment Group, which also includes the United Artists Theatres, and Edwards Theatres. This lawsuit applies to all the states in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which in addition to Oregon includes Arizona, California, and Washington.
The following is from Paralinks.com—ed
ENTREPENEURS ON WHEELS
The folks listed in this article have created/or operate their own business...they all use wheelchairs.
Scott T. Duffy: Artist. In 1980, when he was sixteen, he broke his neck while bodysurfing. He was permanently paralyzed. He proceeded to get his GED, started classes at Suffolk County Community College and then in a year decided to go to a trade school where he could concentrate all his energies on one field of endeavor. Island Drafting and Technical Institute provided the format he needed in mechanical drafting and computer aided drafting. After graduating in 1987 he started working for a company called Linotype, designing letter faces and logos on computer. He started painting as a hobby in 1991 and although his hands were paralyzed, he uses a splint to hold the paintbrush and uses tape on the canvas to help make straight lines and different shapes.
Handi Signs: A home-based business run by a man, his wheelchair, and his wife. Steve Hill was 18 years old one week before the accident which left him with a T-11-T-12 spinal cord injury. After years of struggling with lower abdominal pain, he
