Give a voice to those who cannot speak

By The Tampa Tribune
Published: July 30, 2010

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We the people have much to our credit, one of which is the Americans with Disabilities Act. Twenty years ago this week, we decided the handicapped should be treated equally, given equal access to public buildings and have equal employment opportunities.

We omitted one major segment of the disabled population and their needs: those unable to adequately speak for themselves.

The privacy acts, of which there are many, prevent others from speaking on behalf of the disabled, who need help communicating injustices, abuse, harassment by co-workers and discrimination on tenure, privileges, vacations, work schedules and, especially, employment reviews.

I am not addressing language barriers - just a qualified but disabled person's inability to speak on his own behalf in those needed times.

The ADA needs to be amended to give the disabled the right to have a spokesperson named to help him communicate and make informed decisions on his behalf in the workplace.

JUDITH BATSON

Tampa