November 23, 2002

Senator Lisa Madigan
2006 W. Addison
Chicago, IL. 60618

Dear Senator Madison:

The Unified Voice of Disabled America wants to congratulate you on your election to Illinois Attorney General.

This is the first time in years that the persons with disabilities feel the Americans with Disabilities Accessibility Law will be enforced. It will mean we will not hear that persons that enforce the Illinois ADA Law knows what is good for us or we enforce the Illinois ADA Accessibility Law and we have been trained to know the law.

This is why there are hundreds of complaints filed monthly. This is why Jim Ryan did not get elected. It was his failure to see that the Illinois Disability Bureau Accessibility Law as written did not work for us and failed to put laws that give us the independence needed.

Independence by the ADA Accessibility Law means automatic doors on all federal, state, medical and retail buildings. Automatic doors means accessibility for an independent person using a wheelchair, automatic cart, walkers, four-legged cane or cane. It means we can contribute to the economy and go to the doctor without having to have someone else with us. This means we can go anywhere at anytime. This is independent living for persons with disabilities. This also means our young persons with disabilities have a future.

Independence means that all open sidewalks and curbs slant is usable by enforcing the 1:20 or 2% slope and three feet across exclusive of flared sides requirement. This will allow a wheel chair or automatic cart over 40" to go up or down easily. It will also allow a person with a walker, four-legged cane and cane to go up or down without a struggle or worrying about falling.

Independence means all handicap-parking spaces are 16 feet across. This means eight feet on the left for the car or van and eight feet on the right stripped for access. This does not mean a sixteen foot 'universal handicapped parking space' that does not work. Unless you are disabled you would not know the trouble we have with it. It also means no obstructions front, back, or on either side. No obstruction taking up one of the handicap spaces or blocking the handicap spaces. No snow being plowed into the handicap spaces because it is convenient.

The handicap spaces are to be close to all doors or entrances.

This is what ACCESSIBILITY MEANS.

The Voice of Disabled Americans is going to be sending you everything we are doing to correct these problems. We are going to group as many activists as possible to get the ADA Accessibility Law enforced correctly even if it means amending it. We are also going to push to have some persons with disabilities become inspectors on our own Illinois Accessibility Board, even if it means that the Illinois Bureau for Disabilities is revamped. We would like the fines to be changed when the law is broken. What we have now are fines that are slap on the hand and seldom enforced.

The people with disabilities need your help and we need you to fulfil your promises so that all of us can get our dignity back and feel that, whether we are disabled, we still have something to contribute to our society.

Cordially,

Unified Voice of Disabled America



Rosemarie A. Botthof

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