December 10, 2002

Mr. Irwin A. Bock
Village President
Hanover Park Village Hall
2121 W. Lake St.
Hanover Park, IL 60133

Dear Mr. Bock:

The United Voice for Disabled Americans is an organization founded to fight for the rights of persons with disabilities.

We want you to know that we feel, that just because we have the Americans with Disabilities Act that addresses disabilities and access, that it does not mean these laws are being enforced fairly and correctly. People with disabilities still have problems accessing a wide range of buildings. We feel discriminated against by our own government due to their seeming lack of enforcement of these laws

We are enclosing pictures that we took, after we visited out the Walgreen's Store on Barrington and Irving Park Roads. This Walgreen's Store was built after 1993 when the ADA laws went into effect.

Walgreen's had to present the Village of Hanover Park the blue prints of this store so that it could be approved. The Unified Voice of Disabled America would like to know how these plans were approved. The ADA Accessibility Law for persons with disabilities has not been met; in fact, the Village of Hanover Park and Walgreen's have violated them.

The Illinois ADA Accessibility Law reads that sidewalks are to have three feet opening exclusive of the flared sides. Handicapped parking spaces, should be a total of sixteen feet wide with, eight feet on the left for van or car and eight feet on the right stripped for access. These handicap-parking spaces should be next to the sidewalk openings. It also states that there should no obstructions near the sidewalk opening or the handicap parking spaces.

What the Unified Voice of Disabled America would like to know is how the Village of Hanover Park approved blue prints that discriminated against us. The way it looks to us is that the Village of Hanover Park and Walgreen's completely forgot about the sidewalk openings.

What was put in is a ramp that is so slanted and not wide enough for an oversize wheel chair, automatic cart, cane, four-legged cane or walker. Please note this ramp was put on top of the handicap parking access strips. It is put in front of the support pillar. We tested this ramp and a person that is handicapped could get injured seriously. Was this an after thought or the cheapest way to go when the Village of Hanover Park & Walgreen's there was no ramp access to this store? This is DISCRIMINATION!!!!!!

We have notified Walgreen's and Senator Lisa Madigan about this store. The Unified Voice of Disabled America would like a meeting with you and Walgreen's to see these blue prints and how the Village of Hanover Park and Walgreen's is going make this store handicap accessible

Please also check out our web site. It will tell you what the Unified Voice of Disabled America is all about in detail. Our web site is located at http://www.bonewits.net/UVDA-0.htm The 0 is #0.

Cordially,



Rosemarie A. Botthof
Unified Voice of Disabled America

Cc:           Mr. David Bermauer, Pres. & CEO Walgreen's
                Senator Lisa Madigan
e-mail Cc: Yolanda Ytreiguts, actavist MS Society
                Linda Stern