All posts tagged: Americans with Disabilities Act

The Franklin Institute

Why The Franklin Institute Can No Longer Charge Disabled Guests Twice

My son, Michael, is a 34-year-old who has cerebral palsy. Despite his disability, he knows how to enjoy life. He’s very active in politics, he loves sports, he loves museums, and he loves going to concerts. But he can’t do any of these things by himself. While he can drive his own power wheelchair, for just about everything else – getting dressed, eating, showering, transferring from bed to wheelchair, shaving, driving in his van, going to the bathroom – he depends on somebody else to help him. He has attendants 24/7. Because of his disability, jobs are hard to come by, and even when he finds one, it’s always part-time. He relies mostly on Supplemental Security Income and food stamps to get by. Accordingly, even more than most, financial considerations limit the number of things he can do. But he also faces an additional obstacle. When he goes to an event, he gets charged twice – once for himself and once for his attendant. Now on the surface, this might seem reasonable. After all, the …