July 28, 2001

Mr. Tony Sisto
Division President
Charter One Bank
6700 W North Ave
Chicago, IL  60707

Dear Mr. Sisto:

I need to tell you about a very bad experience I had at your bank yesterday.

Your Wood Dale Branch, on Irving Park Rd, is the bank I go to all the time since your dive-up window is always open. The reason I use this branch is I have MS and my left side is effected. There are times I have trouble with the tubes if the left arm does not extend properly.

Friday, I went to the drive up window requesting a $2,000.00 cashiers check. I was told they needed my driver’s license or a picture ID. Told your girl I did not have it because I was waiting for it to come back from the motor vehicle division. I had the copy of the ticket with my name on it. I had my credit cards plus my checkbook. The girl said they needed a picture ID. I asked for the manager. He told me the samething. I told him about the amount of the deposit I made on Thursday. He said he couldn’t do it. I told him I would write him a check for the amount and all he had to do was check my signature. He told me no again and he would do me a favor issuing me this check at the drive-up window if I had the ID. Told him I had a hard time walking but I was coming into the bank and he would be very sorry.

I went to the entrance and guess what I discovered. Your Wood Dale bank is not handicap accessible. You have a sign but is at the end of the walk but you do not have any curb opening. You are not accessible for a wheel chair, automatic cart, walker or cane. I had to walk the driver’s side of the car and hold onto the hood for support. I put my cane on the sidewalk, then my right leg and while I was holding on to the hood of the car I swung my left leg onto the sidewalk. The hood of car was very hot because of the heat. My right hand became very sensitive so I had a harder time walking with my cane. I took me ten minutes to get inside.

Your manager was waiting for me when I got in. Told him he had better pull up my account and I will give him all my personal information and he could then check my signature. He asked for my ticket and then issued me the check for $2,000.00. You have any idea what it took me to get into the bank when all this could have been handled at the drive-up window.

Charter One Bank not only broke the accessibility law but you are also discriminating against the handicap people. Accessibility because you don’t have curb openings and discriminating by forcing people with a disability to come into the bank for a cashier check. You deal with the public and the law reads since you deal with the public you cannot discriminate.

Charter One Bank bought out St Paul Federal Bank over a year ago. You mean to tell me no one noticed you did not have curb openings. Did you think by just putting up a sign was all you needed to do to comply with the law? You have very stupid lawyers. They should know the law, or is Charter One Bank saying handicap people are second rate citizens and you should have people doing things for you even though you can do it yourself.

Charter One Bank is not the only one that broke the law but the Village of Wood Dale. I do not know why they did not check about accessibility to your bank. The Village of Wood Dale must think you are so big that they should just close their eyes to this problem. Do you think we want to be handicap? We had no choice in the matter. This LAW was put on the books ten years ago but yet we are still fighting for these laws to be inforced.

Please note copies this letter is being sent to. Handicap people are not second rate citizens. We are first class citizens because we are trying to live a normal life with what has been given to us. Take one week in your life an make yourself handicapped and maybe you will know we are pretty great people whether we are a minute old or l00 yr. old.

Cordially,


Rosemarie A Botthof
460 Eagle Dr    Apt 106
Elk Grove Village, IL  60007

Cc:	IL Attorney General Office - Disability Division MS Society Chicago & New York