[bscb-l] sidewalk snow-removal resolution

Wed Mar 24 15:47:22 GMT 2010

The sidewalk snow-clearance policy referred to in the second resolution is actually a bad idea.  

Requiring businesses to clear the sidewalks in front of their stores might work, but requiring this from private citizens will never ever be enforceable, so it will never really work.  And it would hurt people with disabilities who own their own homes.  

Sidewalks are the property of the cities and towns, not the homeowners who happen to live near them.  Cities and towns don't ask private citizens to go out with shovels and clear the roads, so why is the sidewalk any different? Asking private citizens to clear snow from sidewalks is nothing but a losing battle--especially when the snowplows from the cities and towns often dump snow on the sidewalks (especially at the corners)!--so apparently this law would require anyone who lives near a corner to shovel away a huge mountain of snow everytime the snowplow goes by??  This is so unreasonable, it will never be enforceable.  Instead, we should start by setting huge fines for cities and towns who allow their snowplow drivers to dump snow on the sidewalks!  You have to admit, this one change would make a huge difference, and it would actually be enforceable, unlike the other policy.  

If we keep fighting for that other snow-removal policy, we're going to end up hurting people with disabilities who own homes and can still live on their own in every other way except that they actually cannot clear the snow from the sidewalks in front of their homes after huge storms.  So now we're going to ask cities and towns to punish these people for living on their own?  Should all these people move out of their homes because they're not able to do snow removal, which is a very physically demanding task after some of our worst storms?  That's really unfair to those people, many of whom are senior citizens struggling to stay in the homes they love.

The fact is, the responsibility for keeping the sidewalks safe rests with the cities and towns.  If cities and towns would change the way they do business (for example, by refusing to allow snowplow drivers to pile snow up on sidewalk corners), this would benefit everyone with any kind of disability (since we all have trouble climbing over snow-mountains in the sidewalk)--but if BSCB keeps supporting snow-removal policies that put the responsibility on the wrong people, we're going to lose this battle because the law will be unenforceable, and BSCB will also come out looking like a bunch of selfish jerks in the disability community because this policy will end up hurting people with disabilities who own their own homes.

The snow-removal resolution should be rewritten to call for legislation that puts fines on cities and towns for allowing snowplows to dump snow on sidewalks.  BSCB should distance itself from policies that punish private citizens for not being able to do something that is actually the responsibility of the cities and towns.

--Alison

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Hachey" <bhachey at comcast.net>
To: "Bay state (Massachusetts) discussion list" <bscb-l at acb.org>
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 5:57:35 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [bscb-l] filling out census forms

Hi all,
Alison, thanks much for the clarification. I figured that one would not be 
abel to fill out the form using this method.
Here are resolutions that will be considered at our upcoming convention.
Please note that this was pasted from a word document and is suitable for 
reading on screen but not for printing or Brailling.
Bob Hachey

BSCB RESOLUTIONS FOR 2010
RESOLUTION 2010-01: CENSUS ACCESSIBILITY?

WHEREAS, Article I Section 2 of the United States Constitution requires that 
all citizens be counted in a census to take place every ten years and;

WHEREAS, the census results have a direct bearing on how many 
representatives we have in Congress as well as the apportionment of various 
federal grant programs;  And

WHEREAS,the Census Bureau has made efforts to reach out to historically 
under-counted populations including minorities and persons with disabilities 
and;

WHEREAS, The Census Bureau has provided a customer service toll-free 
telephone number, (866-872-6868), designed to answer consumer questions and 
provide equal access to the census for those who cannot read the printed 
word and;

WHEREAS, public service announcements on television and radio designed to 
encourage full participation in the 2010 census failed to include this phone 
number and;

WHEREAS, recent Calls to this number have revealed that those who cannot 
read the identification number on the form sent to them in the mail will not 
get assistance over the phone to fill out the form until April 12;

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the Bay State Council of the Blind in convention 
assembled on this 28th day of March, 2010 in Waltham, Massachusetts 
expresses its deepest disappointment with the efforts made by the Census 
Bureau to make the 2010 census accessible for persons who are blind and 
visually impaired; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that BSCB will work with the American Council of the 
Blind and other organizations to ensure that the Census Bureau provides 
equal access to the census for persons who are blind and visually impaired.

RESOLUTION 2010-02: CLEARING SNOW FROM SIDEWALKS

WHEREAS, a clear path of travel on sidewalks is vital to the independence 
and quality of life for blind and visually impaired persons as well as all 
pedestrians and;

WHEREAS, although most municipalities require that sidewalks be cleared of 
snow after winter storms, many sidewalks remain snow-covered and impassible 
long after the storms have passed and;

WHEREAS, municipalities such as Cambridge, Watertown and Newton have made 
recent efforts to clear sidewalks including more vigorous enforcement of 
existing ordinances and the development of new policies and;

WHEREAS, on February 10, 2010, Governor Deval Patrick signed H3588 which 
will "allow cities and towns to develop a snow and ice removal policy for 
their sidewalks and to set fines at a level that would encourage 
compliance";

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the Bay State Council of the Blind in convention 
assembled on this 28th day of March, 2010 in Waltham, Massachusetts supports 
the implementation of policies designed to ensure that all sidewalks in the 
Commonwealth are cleared of snow within a reasonable time after winter 
storms and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that BSCB asks all of its members to work within 
their local municipalities in support of this goal.

_______________________________________________
bscb-l mailing list
bscb-l at acb.org
http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/bscb-l