In Good Legal Hands . . .

Howdy Comrades!

During a grueling two hour meeting on Monday, 8/4, I met with lawyers from the Texas Civil Rights Project and plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Cap Metro to discuss the pending structured mediation scheduled for August 11 and 12^th.  Judy Watford, Chair of the Access Committee and Mary Ward, Chair of the STS Subcommittee also participated.  I am very impressed by the legal acumen and dedication to disability rights evinced by Jim Herington and Jodie Barton of TCRP.  I recall the landmark case Mr. Herington litigated that enshrined the rights of dog guide users to use their dogs where the general public is invited.  Under Title III of the ADA, the Federal judge ruled that Shiner Brewery should have allowed Mr. Sawyers to take the brewery tour accompanied by his dog guide.  This case is now part of the Texas White Cane Law and set a precedent for the entire nation.

I regret that I was unable to find a web host able to publish chairmanmal.com by my self-imposed deadline of 8/08.  I felt that the case with Cap Metro required the majority of my time.  The ability of blind and other disabled people to get to work on time, attend social activities and retain the right to use a taxi voucher when returning from medical appointments are in great peril if Cap Metro prevails.  We will not allow this to happen here in Austin.  I am going over my initial statement and talking points in preparation for the mediation tomorrow morning.  Wish me luck, comrades!  I will report the results as soon as I am permitted to do so.  A gag order may be imposed until the federal judge accepts or rejects any potential agreement.

Regards,

Chairman Mal

Power to the Peeps!