Podcasts about air carrier access act

Monologue:Wedding BlissFounder's Day HangoversDevelopment in Dripping Springs UpdateOutdoor Patio at Austin Airport is Hot and SmellyGuest:Sheri Soltes founded Service Dogs, Inc. in 1988 on the concept of using dogs rescued from animal shelters. An honors graduate from both the University of Texas School of Law and the University of Texas Plan II Honors undergraduate program, she left her law practice to devote her full time to building Service Dogs, Inc. Under her guidance, Service Dogs, Inc. has led the industry in combining the use of all rescue dogs with positive reinforcement training methodology. In 2023, Sheri served as new Chair of Assistance Dogs International North America (ADI NA). Her work contributed to the revisions of the Air Carrier Access Act making air travel safer for passengers traveling with legitimate Service Dogs. Based in Dripping Springs, Steve Mallett and Michelle Lewis invite you into their world of engaging conversations with guests who bring fresh ideas, humor, and wisdom to the table. They dive into everything from life's absurdities to community quirks, adding their signature twist of small-town charm and bold candor. Think of them as the funny neighbors with the best stories, the ones who always tell it like it is. With a healthy dose of Hill Country spirit, they explore local gossip and topics that connect us all—proving you don't need to be famous to be extraordinary; you just need a microphone and the courage to share your voice. Every episode is a mix of laughter, insight, and connection, making this podcast one you won't want to miss! New episodes weekly! Send us a textSupport the showSPONSORS: The top Real Estate Pro's at The Mallett Integrity Team. Call-512-627-7018 SouthStar Bank a tradition of full-service community banking for over 100 years. www.southstarbank.com Nomic Power Solutions your trusted partner in Austin for turnkey backup generator installation, service, and maintenance for your home. Cody/Dillon-512-387-4232 Jovie Belterra-Nestled within the Belterra master-planned community, discover your path to joy and wellness at the exquisite 55+ apartment community. Thanks for listening! Follow us, leave a review, TELL A FRIEND!AppleSpotifyInstagramWebsitemallettandmichelle@gmail.com for inquiries on advertising or gue...

Short Week - 4 days of trading - then EOM The Miracle Flight - I have witnesses this with my own eyes Cruise anyone? Global Warming - New Info In PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter DONATE - Show 700 Campaign Warm Up - Short Week - 4 days of trading - then EOM - The Miracle Flight - I have witnesses this with my own eyes - Cruise anyone? - Global Warming - New Info In Market Update - 40,000 ! Then we fail - Fed Officials Hawkish behind closed doors - BBQFlation - Split Excitement! - Hindenburg Omen Fed - Two Faced - Federal Reserve officials grew more concerned at their most recent meeting about inflation, with members indicating that they lacked the confidence to move forward on interest rate reductions. - Minutes from the April 30-May 1 policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee released Wednesday indicated apprehension from policymakers about when it would be time to ease. - The meeting followed a slew of readings that showed inflation was more stubborn than officials had expected to start 2024. BBQFlation - Your Memorial Day barbecue will cost upward of 10 percent more than it did this time last year according to Datasembly - Datasembly follows the cost of groceries across the country every week. Its recently released data points to this year's Memorial Day festivities costing the average American family about $30.18 or 10.19% more than 2023. - Burgers jumped from $7.04 in 2023 to $8.07 in 2024, or a change of 14.63% in cost. Hamburger buns cost two cents more, from $3.04 on average to $3.06. Hindenburg Omen - Indicator was triggered last week. - only right about 25% of the time - Was thought to be able to predict market crashes - let's see what happens. FED HEAD - The Federal Reserve should wait for significant progress on inflation before cutting interest rates, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari told CNBC on Tuesday. - Asked what conditions were needed for the Fed to cut rates once or twice this year, Kashkari said: “Many more months of positive inflation data, I think, to give me confidence that it's appropriate to dial back.” - He said the central bank could potentially even hike rates if inflation fails to come down further. “I don't think we should rule anything out at this point,” Kashkari added. Could we finally get relief from these thieves? - The U.S. Department of Justice is suing to break up Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, over alleged antitrust violations. - The lawsuit, joined by 30 states and filed Thursday, follows a DOJ investigation into whether Live Nation maintains a monopoly in the ticketing industry, a probe launched in 2022 and bolstered by fan complaints following a botched roll out for tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras tour. - In a statement, Live Nation said the DOJ's allegations of a monopoly are "absurd." - "The DOJ's complaint attempts to portray Live Nation and Ticketmaster as the cause of fan frustration with the live entertainment industry. It blames concert promoters and ticketing companies—neither of which control ticket prices—for high ticket prices. It ignores everything that is actually responsible for higher ticket prices, from increasing production costs to artist popularity, to 24/7 online ticket scalping that reveals the public's willingness to pay far more than primary tickets cost," said Dan Wall, Live Nation executive vice president for corporate and regulatory affairs. DONATIONS- New Shirt Design? Miracle Flights - The 1986 Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to provide a wheelchair to passengers with disabilities at the airport. The problem: Many travelers are faking it,

Have you ever thought about how difficult it would be to travel, especially on planes if you had a disability or were a plus sized person? The US Department of Transportation has proposed some rules that they want the airlines to follow that are centered around accessibility accommodations for disabled persons. Taylor Uster wrote an article explaining what these proposed rules are and how they would work. Taylor is the head of research and editor of the magazine called Access Spotlight that is found on the website Friendly Like Me. I also am joined by Elysia Everett who is Friendly Like Me's co-founder and CEO to explain how significant a problem it is to travel as a plus sized person. All that and more on the Driving You Crazy Podcast.    Contact: https://www.denver7.com/traffic/driving-you-crazy 303-832-0217 or DrivingYouCrazyPodcast@Gmail.com Jayson: twitter.com/Denver7Traffic or www.facebook.com/JaysonLuberTrafficGuy  WhatsApp: https://wa.me/17204028248 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denver7traffic   Friendly Like Me: https://www.friendlylikeme.com/ Accessible travel article: https://www.friendlylikeme.com/access-spotlight/news-update-dot-proposes-stronger-rules-for-air-carrier-access-act   Production Notes: Open music: jazzyfrenchy by Bensound Close music: Latché Swing by Hungaria  

Welcome to the latest episode of Spinal Cast, where we discuss the often over looked challenges of air travel, particularly for those with disabilities. In this segment, Ian Ruder, Editor-in-Chief of New Mobility, shares shocking stories of air travel. You'll discover the alarming lack of industry training for individuals with paralysis as well as the handling of essential equipment like wheelchairs. Ian also offers practical tips for smoother travel and highlights positive changes, including Delta's wheelchair-friendly seating prototype and ongoing federal efforts to amend the Air Carrier Access Act. Join us for a discussion on the path towards a more accessible and inclusive air travel experience for everyone.More information about Ian and New Mobility can be found using the links below: New Mobility - https://newmobility.com/meet-the-team/United Spinal - https://unitedspinal.org/Injury - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-0mbh7Di-w Ian's Bio:Ian Ruder is the Editor-in-Chief of New Mobility, the longest-running, most-trusted magazine and web site for active wheelchair users (newmobility.com). A quadriplegic himself, Ruder joined the New Mobility team in 2011 when the magazine was purchased by United Spinal Association, a non-profit focused on mobility-related disability. Prior to working for New Mobility, he worked as a freelance journalist in the Pacific Northwest. When he is not working to promote authentic voices and stories from the disability community, he can likely be found enjoying the culinary delights in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, or rooting for his San Francisco Giants.Thanks again Ian for being our guest on today's podcast! This production is a collaborative effort of volunteers working to create a quality audio and visual experience around the subject of spinal cord injury. A special shout out of appreciation to Clientek for providing studio space and top-notch recording equipment. Most importantly, thank YOU for being part of the Spinal Cast audience!Interested in watching these episodes?! Check out our YouTube playlist! - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL40rLlxGS4VzgAjW8P6Pz1mVWiN0Jou3vIf you'd like to learn more about the Morton Cure Paralysis Fund you can visit our website at - https://mcpf.org/Donations are always appreciated - https://mcpf.org/you-can-help/

Easterseals is calling on the United States to commit to making air travel accessible by the 40th anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act in 2026.Renee DiNino chats with Easterseals Capital Region and Eastern CT President and CEO Robin Sharp (interview below)At Easterseals Capital Region, is leading the way to 100% equity, inclusion and access for those we serve -- Easterseals provides critical services and powerful advocacy so that people with disabilities and active military and veterans are provided with the resources they need to achieve their full potential in life.

20230429 Demand Our Access Originally Broadcasted April 29, 2023, on ACB Media 5 We began with an update on Desiree's Air Carrier Access Act complaint. This is something you will want to hear. Time allowing, we discussed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Sponsored by Demand Our Access

20230318 Demand Our Access Originally Broadcasted March 18, 2023, on ACB Media 5 There was an update on Desiree's Air Carrier Access Act complaint and an interactive discussion about filing complaints and the podcast. Sponsored by Demand Our Access

20230121 Demand Our Access Originally Aired January 21, 2023, on ACB Media 5 Participants learned how to file a complaint with the Department of Transportation under the Air Carrier Access Act. Sponsored by Demand Our Access

20230107 Demand Our Access Originally Aired January 7, 2023, on ACB Media 5   This episode focused on the Air Carrier Access Act and the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights.   Sponsored by Demand Our Access

The Air Carrier Access Act was passed more than 30 years ago to prohibit airlines from discriminating against people with disabilities. And though it was an essential step for equality, it hasn't been enough. Josue Cordova explains the struggles of traveling with a disability and how to fix these issues. Learn More: https://radiohealthjournal.org/how-air-travel-becomes-a-nightmare-for-people-with-disabilities/

ENCORE: **This podcast was recorded on November 27, 2019.**DRNY PAAT, PAIR, & PAVA Program Director, Christy Asbee, Esq., discusses flight accessibility for travelers with wheelchairs and other mobility devices.**Resources**DOT Aviation Consumer Protection Division's Disability Hotline: 1-800-778-4838 File a Complaint with DOT: 202-366-2220Support the show

Episode Summary Resilience is an understatement. LauraBeth has not only survived several major health crises in her life, but she has conquered them and moved on. This week you have the opportunity to hear from someone who has lived through health and other challenges and now dedicates her life to help empower women, yes and men too, who are overwhelmed by their own seemingly bad circumstances. If you ever wanted to hear an inspiring and hard-hitting story then you are in for a treat this week. Man or woman you will be inspired and learn a lot from what LauraBeth has to say. Not only will LauraBeth tell her story, but she will give you specific ideas of what you can do to overcome obstacles and become unstoppable in your own right. You will learn ideas you can immediately put to use. Listen to our episode this week and then please let me know your thoughts through your rating as well as via email at michaelhi@accessibe.com.   About the Guest:  LauraBeth Ryan is the owner and founder of Cheerful Hearts.  A company created to inspire, educate, and empower women.  She is an international empowerment coach, speaker, and author.  With over 25 years of experience in personal, professional, and spiritual growth, she helps high-achieving, financially successful women who are overwhelmed and unfulfilled to minimize their stress, simplify their lives, and overcome their toughest challenges with grit and grace.  She has overcome a spinal injury that left her bedridden for over 10 years, then rose up above severe Celiac disease, and most recently won a two-year battle with breast cancer. Known as "The Queen of Resilience", LauraBeth shares her powerful story to help you become unstoppable in every area of your life. About the Host:  Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/  https://twitter.com/mhingson  https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links  https://accessibe.com/  https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe  https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!  Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast  If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review  Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.     Transcription Notes UM Intro/Outro  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:20 Welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here with us. Thanks for dropping by. And we have LauraBeth Ryan with us today. LauraBeth is going to talk about the resilience factor in men becoming unstoppable. Boy, that's as good as it gets for this particular podcast, Laura Beth, welcome to unstoppable mindset. LauraBeth Ryan  01:43 Thank you so much for having me, I'm thrilled that I get this opportunity to share some research. Michael Hingson  01:48 So tell me a little bit about you. You obviously grew up and became an adult, and so on. But I'd love to learn a little bit about your background and so on and how you got where you are. LauraBeth Ryan  02:00 Well, I'm going to try to condense it because, okay, so I don't want to. I'm a talker, and I, which is great as a speaker, but I don't want to share an overload. So Michael Hingson  02:13 you don't want to start out with a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. LauraBeth Ryan  02:18 Right. So I'll just tell you, I started with a childhood that was not ideal. While there was physical, all the physical needs were met, there was a lot of emotional neglect and a lack of love. So I grew up with a lot of insecurities. Very low self esteem. And I'm really not having the tools to how to live my best life. And so I got married at 18. Um, just wanted the perfect picket fence, you know, everything kind of you would see like on the Waltons life, all I wanted was this beautiful family. So I quickly started having children. But before that I had had a car accident that severely injured my spine. So I was very young. Anyway, so the doctor said it would be very difficult. I was determined, and I had four children back to back. Well, by the fourth child, I was living pretty much what people consider, you know, the typical American dream, right? I had an husband who made a good income, I was able to be a very hands on very active stay at home mom, and I really was enjoying my life and was fulfilled that I finally have this family. And at the age of 28 with my fourth pregnancy, in an instant, it was all taken away. I go ahead, do Michael Hingson  03:54 what happened. LauraBeth Ryan  03:55 Yeah, so, um, because previously, I had the car accident, the spinal injuries. And when you're pregnant, and I was small, you have something called your sacroiliac joints that stretch and you're really not supposed to lift already. And one of my children at the time when I was like eight, eight months pregnant fell. And as a mother would do instinctly I picked him up and carried him over my very pregnant belly to the hospital. And well to the car and the nostril. And then by that evening, I was in such excruciating pain, um, that it felt like basically had to dislocated hips. And here I was pregnant had three other children, and I was instantly put to bed and they weren't sure if I would ever recover. Michael Hingson  04:51 But you did. LauraBeth Ryan  04:53 Well, not exactly way later I did but after I gave birth it also hurt my sacrum. And so I really never truly recovered, I had to get help in the house, I was somewhat able bodied, but had a lot of limitations. And one day I bent over a few years later to kiss one of my children to buy at school, I could still walk at that point and be functional, and tore the ligaments and the SI joints. And that was it. That literally was the final straw that broke the mother's back and I became completely bedridden with severe chronic nerve pain. And the only thing that would take it away was being completely been written that with bed rest, and the doctors offered zero hope. They said, I'm sorry, this particular injury is something that we can't help you with. And, of course, it was devastating. Michael Hingson  05:52 How did you move forward from all of that? LauraBeth Ryan  05:55 Well, in the beginning years, of course, I went through major depression. And the biggest factor that I had to do was find my why to keep living, because at times, I really was suicidal, um, all those old feelings of worthlessness came up, one would already feel bad when their whole lives taken away, but I had deep insecurities that were rising up. And so the best thing I did for myself was seek out support. I went to a therapist, I'm a strong person of faith, I have hung on to my faith. And I knew that I had to pull out of the depression and figure out how I was going to make my best life even from a bed. And I did it because I had to literally make the decision to choose joy no matter if I was going to be like this for the rest of my life. Michael Hingson  06:46 And what did you do?  LauraBeth Ryan  06:48 Well, I, I saw the counseling, um, it really helped. Then I ended up hiring a life coach who helped more than anybody she asked she live with Ms. So that support I would say reaching out support is the biggest factor. And then of course, your mindset, you literally have to work on your mindset. And so I started writing, I started journaling, I ended up pouring out a lot of incredible poetry that I later turned into an inspirational greeting card and gift line. And that's how my company cheerful hearts began after 10 You know, I was 10 years completely bedridden, raising the children, I had to get really creative, not helping the house, and just woke up every day. And as long as I was still there wasn't a horrible amount of pain propped up with pillows, and I just decided my time and attention. They were going to get all of that I just couldn't cook and clean. And I did still deal with depression at times when the pain was bad. And I'm would always just reach out for that lifeline. And of course, my faith. Michael Hingson  07:57 So did you get over the pain? Are you over the pain not not being able to see you? Are you in bed now? LauraBeth Ryan  08:06 Okay, so here's the cool thing. I'm a determined person, it's pretty hard if doctors are going to tell me I'm never gonna walk again, I'm gonna prove them wrong. So I saw tons of medical people that could possibly help me had a lot of failed surgeries, had a lot of failed treatments. But eventually 10 years later, came across New always always looking for new possibilities and never gave up. And so I stood up after 10 years for the very first time and took my first steps after a medical procedure that was successful. So I even though I still have physical limitations, I do use a power chair. I couldn't even get functional in the chair. So I was thrilled just to be able to sit up and get around. And now the pain is manageable. I've learned how to manage it. I still have to use you know, I can walk some I can completely move in the water for all my exercise. So my quality of life now is amazing. Michael Hingson  09:12 Or you use a power chair. A lot of that okay. Yes. Now my wife is a paraplegic. She was born with some scar tissue on her spinal cord. I think they think either came from a breech birth or her mom had a kidney disease when she was pregnant with Karen. Karen used a manual chair until 2003. And as her physical medicine doctor at the time said, God didn't provide a warranty with shoulders and so she she had to stop using a manual chair because it was just too hard on her shoulder. She uses a power. She uses a power chair as well. Well, I used to say and I actually still say that. When we got married, she reads I push works out well, but now she's got a power chair. So I got to keep my toes out of the way. LauraBeth Ryan  10:03 It's true. It's true people are scared because I love zipping around, it gives me my independence. And I'm really like a perky person. So when I got my power chair, and could sit up in it, it pretty much gave me all that independence to help me become unstoppable as well. Michael Hingson  10:19 Sure. And in reality, as she's zips around, or as I walk around the house, you know, if we happen to bump into each other in one way or another, it's an opportunity for more kisses. So it works out. Well. LauraBeth Ryan  10:31 That's, that's funny. I Michael Hingson  10:33 like that. And we've been married well, 39 years old 27. So you know, LauraBeth Ryan  10:40 congratulations, that's inspiring in itself. Michael Hingson  10:45 Are you still married? Well, LauraBeth Ryan  10:47 the first marriage ended very abruptly, very, sadly, while I turned to hope and positivity and my faith, and sought therapy and all the things have to find the tools to learn to live a powerful life regardless of limitations. My ex, who is now my axe, he was very bitter and unaccepting of my such circumstance, very resentful. So eventually, that marriage ended. And it was it actually became domestic abuse, and I had to flee for my life. So that's another whole nother story for another time. But I escaped, and I had nothing but a suitcase to my name. And I wonder how the heck am I going to survive? Michael Hingson  11:34 And what did you do? Well, you left, obviously, LauraBeth Ryan  11:38 I left, I had some family, because I had to have full time care, right. So I have some family in another state. That's where I ended up. That's where I'm now in Texas for 13 years. And then I looked and researched and, of course, my life and business coach, because I'd already started cheerful hearts, which is my company from the bed. So I had that hope that I was going to make it with my company. And I was going to make it on my own with, you know, with having assistants. So I found did all my research. For a time I had to be on government assistance. It was very humbling. But it was my freedom from the emotional pain that I was in for so long. And it was very, very hard. But I then found a program called DARS, Department of Rehabilitation Services that believed in me when I was doing with cheerful hearts, got some grants, got a program that allowed me to have assistants in my home so that they could do all the all the domestic duties that I cannot do. And got back to work. Once I got through the divorce and all that emotional turmoil. I gave myself a break, put the company on hold, but always had that vision and hope because it was so deep inside of me that I knew I was going to change lives and encourage and make a difference for people. So that hope kept me going. And I'm happy to say that later I remarried the most kindest man in the world. Who is my number one fan, Vice President of everything. Mayas he helps with he loves me unconditionally. And that is amazing. Michael Hingson  13:23 And you know, that's as good as it gets. It's too It's too bad. You had to go through the the first marriage situation, but you grew from it. And that's really kind of what in a sense, it's all about it's also what you learn and how you assimilate what you learned. So triple hearts. Tell me more about it. LauraBeth Ryan  13:47 Yes, it's cheerful heart shuffle hearts. I'm sorry. Yeah. So Michael Hingson  13:52 um, triple hearts too, but that's okay. Yeah. LauraBeth Ryan  13:55 Cheerful hearts. It came actually it originates from the scripture in the Bible, called a cheerful heart is good medicine. Right? Proverbs 1722. And I felt so strongly way back when I was depressed. That name was like, imprinted in my heart. I felt like it came from a higher power. Because I was feeling anything for Jericho and wondered how in the world I was going to cheer other people up, or encourage them or empower them. However, that journey of all my writing and all the poetry and all the path that that took, that's how triple heart started with a greeting. I eventually turn that into a greeting card and gift line to spread it that way. Well, then my then coach, Trish Rober Shaw was amazing. She was so impressed by what I did from a bat and my spirit. She said, You know, you need to become an empowerment life coach because what you did and what you do, is you help people overcome their obstacles and you on it. So I took training from her then continue education, then I became, you know, we got to share your story. So it evolved from the greeting card and gift line, to becoming to helping high achieving women to slow down and to really realize what matters most in their life, to find more peace and happiness and less stress. And then as a speaker, I share my story to encourage, empower, and educate women as well, that no matter what happens in their life, no matter what they face, they can overcome it. And they too can become unstoppable. Michael Hingson  15:39 Just out of curiosity, do you do you coach men as well? Or do you focus mainly on women? LauraBeth Ryan  15:45 Mostly women? I do have some men clients, but my ideal client is our women. Michael Hingson  15:52 Because that's where your greater expertise obviously lies. LauraBeth Ryan  15:57 Yes. Michael Hingson  15:57 So have you have you created any courses? Do you just do personal coaching? Tell me a little bit more about what you're doing. Do you do that all under the cheerful hearts brand or a different brand? Yeah, LauraBeth Ryan  16:12 yes, cheerful Hearts is really all about inspiring, educating, empowering women in everything we do, and offering encouragement, hope as well. All of that is intertwined with everything from the greeting card line to and to the coaching and the speaking, it's all about the same thing. Um, so I'm sorry, I lost track. What was that? Michael Hingson  16:36 Okay. I was just asking if that's all under the cheerful hearts brand. Do you? Do you travel to speak much? Or do you do it mainly virtually today? Or LauraBeth Ryan  16:46 virtually? what's awesome is that I from the beginning, thank God for technology, because it's been my lifeline. Because before I could even sit up for long periods of time, because it was too painful. I didn't have the core strength. I actually started 20 years ago, where this was just starting, right? The technology, told people I was I had so many naysayers, business, people who said, you'll never do it from a bed. Technology is not enough. But it was for me, I did so many interviews, and back then there was no video. So I'm in my bed, and I can talk, I have a voice. So I was able to share my message across the world internationally, and prove all of them wrong. And then eventually, I started, you know, speaking, but I had my limitations. So I would speak about once a month in my wheelchair, in person. And then a lot, you know, then a lot of what I do is blog talk radio, and those types of and podcasts like yourself, and then I do a lot of speaking locally. I live in Austin. So there's tons of opportunity for people looking for speakers. Michael Hingson  18:01 Yes. So do you. So do you do any traveling? Well, the pandemic notwithstanding, do you travel much to speak? Or how does that work? LauraBeth Ryan  18:13 Not a whole lot. It has to be really worth my time. Usually about where I go with it, you know, it has to be because of my health. Because I have a lot of physical conditions. I've learned how to say no, where, you know, I because my health and everyone's health needs to be a priority. So yes, I do travel. But, um, it just depends on the venue. Michael Hingson  18:42 We've also found over the years that airlines are not the most conscientious and helpful people when it comes to transporting complex wheelchairs. LauraBeth Ryan  18:53 Oh, they tore my care. Yes. And oh my gosh, I have terrible stories. One time before I had my power tear. I was in a wheelchair. But I can't I didn't have because of the pain. I could not push myself with my arms. And I literally was left at the bottom of the tarmac. And the all the people are getting off. Someone was supposed to push me up to where the person was going to get me. And all the the what do you call them? The flight attendants were saying no, we can't push you up like it's illegal. And I'm like, I'm sitting here. And finally the pilot comes out and goes, Why are you still here? I said nobody would assist me. And he pushed me off. But it was it can be a bad experience. Oh, yes. Michael Hingson  19:39 Well, my wife went to a conference in the Virginia area in 2013. And, of course was using a power chair. And she had a big challenge. They said we have to open up your wheelchair and investigate what kind of batteries it is. And she said no, they don't make them anymore. With lead acid batteries, they're all gel cell. They're all sealed. Well, we have to see it. Well, you can I'm in the chair, you're gonna get me out of the chair because she doesn't walk her stand at all. And she almost missed the flight. She said call the manufacturer then when they finally did that, but then she went did the retreat came back, she went with someone, a young lady who was helping her. So they came back and it was into San Francisco airport, we lived in the area at the time, near San Francisco. They put her in an aisle chair to get her off the aircraft. And aisle chair is what moves you up and down the aisles on an airplane for people who don't know, see because you can't do it in your regular chair. Right? She sat on the jet bridge and down comes her wheelchair, taken apart batteries out of it. And they just left it there saying well, okay, here it is. Her her friend, wearing a dress had to get down on the floor and figure out how to put the batteries back in the chair. LauraBeth Ryan  21:00 That's really they need to be educated for people with special needs for sure. Yeah, they Michael Hingson  21:05 don't really focus a lot on learning what makes sense. And the reality is, it wasn't against the law for flight attendants to push you or anyone else for that matter. It's not like LauraBeth Ryan  21:18 they told me and it really was it made me screaming. It's a degrading feeling. Michael Hingson  21:23 Yeah, I've never heard that it's against the law, the Air Carrier Access Act doesn't, doesn't say anything about that. And I would challenge whether the airline regulations even say that, but it certainly isn't something that's under the law. Now I can understand from an insurance standpoint, they can't lift you in the chair, perhaps but as far as you being pushed, that's ridiculous. But that is part of that is part of what we face. And and we, we all live with these kinds of things. I have been on many airline trips, where I am told I have to sit in the bulkhead row, which is the worst seat in the aircraft for a guide dog. Because if they're turbulence wants to keep the dog from bouncing around, when in reality, the dog can go under the seat in front of me going flight from front to back, so that the dog is completely under the seat except for his head, which sits on my feet, which he loves. Because that way he's got a pillow. But the dog is protected. But the airline flight attendants are incredibly notorious at making up their own rules as they go along. And, you know, we need to learn to to go with the punches, which gets us to the whole concept of resilience, which you talk about and which you deal with, but it is what we all have to face. Flight Attendants won't even oftentimes tell me the row numbers of emergency exit rows, I could be sitting right in front of one, and they go, Oh, well, we'll get you out the front. And we'll come and get you after we get the passengers off the airplane. And I love that line. Because then I say, well, if I'm not a passenger, would you refund my money, and I'll just fly it as a non passenger, or we didn't mean it that way, then tell me where the emergency exit rows are. And what turns out to be the case usually is they don't know the row numbers. And they don't want to take the time to go look, we all get treated very funny in a lot of ways and inappropriately, so. So it's an education. LauraBeth Ryan  23:29 You just you know what, you can't take it personal. You just have to advocate for yourself and speak up for what you need. Michael Hingson  23:37 So tell me about the resilience factor? LauraBeth Ryan  23:41 Well, the resilience factor is really main key is your mindset. Because you can't control everything around you. But what you can control is your mind. And you can change that mindset and it work. But when you change your mindset from what is going wrong to more positive mindset and looking for solutions, then you're going to become resilient, and you're going to be able to bounce back. Not only did I have that injury, but then later, later in life, as my company was thriving and doing very well. I became very ill again, with celiac disease that was undiagnosed for an entire year. And when you're hit with that, it's a disease of the stomach and inflammation in the body. And I had parently had it all my life but never been told, until the symptoms got so severe that I kept persisting at the doctors. And they told me basically you're going to feel this crappy for the rest of your life. Take all this medication, there's really nothing you can do. But I knew enough about nutrition that you can do a lot. And when I told him I was going to do they said it was a waste of your money. Don't do it but I took a master class on healing the gut. And while I still have to manage it, and it's a lot of work, when I do all the things that I do now, I'm very, very healthy, regardless of the celiac. Michael Hingson  25:14 So again, you learned what you needed to learn to survive and thrive. LauraBeth Ryan  25:21 You got it, you just can't you go part of resiliency is not accepting what people tell you is not possible. That is a big part of the resiliency factor. And then most recently, I got hit again, with breast cancer. I'm literally just coming out of a two year breast cancer battle that was hellish, that even now I have partial limitations in my arms because of it. And I beat it. But let me tell you, I didn't know how I was going to bounce back from it. But here I am now with Michael Hingson  25:54 you. There you go. You're just looking for attention. That's all there is to Oh, God, LauraBeth Ryan  25:59 no. One anymore. Something funny, my chair when I when a cancer hit, because I've already been speaking and sharing my story on resilience and overcoming for so long. He said, Well, now you have you know, more to your story. I said, I don't need it anymore. I've ever known material for a lifetime, please, I don't want more adversity. But yet it happened. And still, I learned through it. It was horrible. But I'm even a different person and a stronger person than I was going in. Michael Hingson  26:33 So the pastor, your pastor was right. LauraBeth Ryan  26:35 He was right. And I told him when I was diagnosed, I said, I'm going to come back stronger than ever. And he said, I believe that. Well, let me tell you to your listeners, when you're in an in the pit in the worst pain and the worst, my arms became paralyzed, I needed so much more care, I was depressed in horrific pain, and I'm allergic to pain medicine. The doctors did not understand my limitations, nor listened to me about the spinal injury. So that's why I ended up with arm and shoulder and discs in my neck going out. So you have to be your own advocate. And you have to trust that even in those darkest times, where you'll see how you're gonna get out. Think about those times part of the resiliency is remembering the other times that were your worst is dark times. And you made it through those, and that will encourage yourself to hang on. And of course, again, I went back to my life coach, and had her support the whole time. And it was invaluable. Michael Hingson  27:42 Oh, do you help others? Or how do you Teddy? Well, two things, how do you teach someone to be resilient? And how do you really learn resiliency? I mean, we, we live in a world today, where we hear what the doctors say, and we believe it because we're taught to trust the doctors because they know when, as you just point out, and and there's so many other examples of it. They don't know, I can tell you so many times that I've heard from people who were losing their eyesight, and the doctors come in, and they say that you're losing your eyesight because of glaucoma, or macular degeneration or whatever, there's nothing we can do. And literally they walk out. And that depresses people, rather than the doctor saying, it doesn't mean it's the end of life for you, but they don't know it themselves. How do you? How do you help people with that? And how do you learn? Or how would you tell anyone else to learn to overcome that kind of attitude? LauraBeth Ryan  28:49 Well, first, you know, I will tell the women and then the most most of the women that I Well, my, the women that I coach are high achieving women already there, they're already kind of go getters. So they're looking for solutions, but they need a sounding board. And they need somebody to be compassion, compassionate, and that they feel safe with because the first step is to allow yourself to grieve. And a lot of people I think it's you know, what they call toxic positivity is they'll Oh, just don't worry about you're going to be this and they don't let you go and express your true emotions. So I think that's one of the kids is letting those feelings come up. Don't deny it. Reach out to a coach, reach out to a therapist, whomever you need. When whenever you have any obstacle, whether it's whatever it is in life, if you're just completely stressed out overwhelmed, how I help them to become resilient bounce back is I say, Listen, what's going on, and they open up. And these are some of the most incredible, amazing women that I work with you One of my favorite clients is a is a ophthalmologists. She has her own company. She had small children. A great husband who supported her, had a thriving practice of about four other people in her and she felt like why is this so far it's, you know, still feeling not good enough. And in the world if she's telling successful, so what I do with them is break it down, help them simplify their lives, help her like I helped her realize how awesome she was. Because no one is telling women, they're spread so thin, and they're doing so much that they don't feel good about themselves. And so part of the resiliency is working on your inner self, your mindset, and then moving forward and taking action steps and strategizing to figure out how to lessen your stress, how to get through the overwhelm, and all the feelings that come with that. Michael Hingson  31:04 On another episode, we had a wonderful conversation with Dr. Gabe Roberts from Kansas City and he talks he's uh, he deals a lot with psychosomatic illness and dealing with psychosomatic curing. He talks a lot about the holographic memory, the hologram memory, where there are things that typically happened to you early in your life that are there. But they're in your unconscious mind. And what you don't typically do is bring them up and deal with them and learn how to reframe what you interpret as being a problem into something that can be a more positive experience. Like he talked about one patient who had some serious illness. And he when he regressed this person, it went back to a time when she was six year old years old, and was spanked, and that memory was negative. And he went and worked with her to get her to rephrase that into a loving experience where her father really did care about her. And that it was was truly done for good reasons. And that was the right thing. And the illness went away. Wow, it's a really fascinating thing. You ought to look him up on Facebook, Dr. Get Dr. Gabe Roberts. LauraBeth Ryan  32:38 I will that is so fascinating. I actually I had so much time on my hands with being so still again with the arms and recovering from the breast cancer that I started studying psychology more taking more psychology classes learning about the subconscious, and it's amazing 70 Over 70% of our actions are from our subconscious that we have no idea, like you said, from programming for like the ages seven and earlier. It's just amazing. Michael Hingson  33:10 And he would say it's even more than 70%. But But either way, the point is that our subconscious is there. And those memories are stored, but we can reframe them, which is of course what what he is all about which is important. Well, how so? When you when you deal with people today and you talk with women about becoming more resilient. Again, they're very high achieving women. But what I'm hearing you say is that doesn't necessarily make them resilient. They're they're high achieving, and they're they're either hiding from something or something isn't right in their lives, so they don't feel resilient or maybe aren't resilient. Right? LauraBeth Ryan  33:56 Yeah, well, they're one of the biggest things they say is like, why is it so hard? I have achieved this success, right financial success, but they're unfulfilled. So we go through and we examine a lot. The reason is because they are subconsciously, coming from a place of pushing, pushing pushing. overachievers often don't feel good enough, no matter how much they do. And because they're stretched so thin. It makes that feeling even magnified. So she didn't like melawan clinic is expressed about she didn't feel like she was a good enough mother, even though she was a great mother and then in the workplace. Why isn't this happening? Why did my team not on board why can I get this thing done that I've been wanting? Why is it so hard? So we start breaking down? Exactly. Let's take a look. Let's take a listen. And because I've been through so much And also I have I coach from a place of compassion. A lot of coaches are sort of really hard, like, get it done. And I'm very different. I encourage one of the biggest things that helped to my clients, is me to show them and what I needed to learn was how to slow down. This world is going so fast and slowing down. Most people don't know how to do it, or to maximize their time. And both of those I've been forced to learn how to do, I am able to very quickly get my clients results in that area to where they're living their life with more ease more fulfilled, and truly feeling like a successful women they are. Michael Hingson  35:44 Do you ever explore the idea of doing more self analysis like self self analysis, like, during the day you do what you do, but at night? Take the time to go back and look at what did I accomplish today? Or what happened today? Did I make the right choice here? What can I learn from what happened? Do you encourage people to really go do that kind of introspective self analysis? LauraBeth Ryan  36:09 On our calls? The first thing I do is say, we don't talk about what obstacles they have or what didn't go? Well, the first thing I say is, tell me, I'll just say Shannon, for example. What went well, this week, tell me what your winds were. People are not used to doing that to stop in and reflecting. And that really builds their confidence. Michael Hingson  36:37 The other thing that comes to mind, though, is not only what were your wins, but what were your losses, but not so much because it's an obstacle, but what were your losses? And why are they a loss? Or why do you think they're a loss? LauraBeth Ryan  36:51 Oh, absolutely. We go there next and like, for instance, you know, coaching is based on commitment and accountability, right? So, so say they have a challenge. And we they, you know, I always work with them, I feel like I'm a guide, I don't tell them what to do, or give advice, but I more in pulling out from them what I'm hearing and reflecting back. And so I'll say, you know, they're so used to being hard on themselves, instead of instead of embracing or understanding. So we will break down well, what is it about that? Why is it that you quit reach that that thing that you wanted to reach? So we break it down into smaller pieces, and I don't I'm they're so used to being beat up about not being perfect. And I say, Look, this is why let's and they help we help discover why. And then let's think of a new strategy that makes it simpler for you to accomplish it. Michael Hingson  37:54 You know, I've been in sales most of my life and you are talking about exactly what really makes a good salesperson because a salesperson shouldn't be talking you into buying something. A salesperson should be an individual that counsels you and guide you and gives you the information so that you can make an intelligent choice. It's it's hard to get salespeople to recognize that you don't need a hidden agenda. And yeah, if somebody is talking with you, they know you're selling a product, they know that you have a product to offer them. But what should your job really be just to force that down their throat, or to guide them and see if in fact, it's the right thing for them because it may or may not be truly the best product. And that's especially true for real high ticket items in a corporate world, and so on. Because people don't necessarily have the right product. I've experienced that on a number of occasions where the products that I had, were not the best fit for or a good fit at all for what a person's needed, needs were and so my job was to, as I felt, guide them, tell them why my product might not be the best fit, and also talk with them about what other options were available. Here's the result of that. And there's a particular instance I'm thinking of where it happened, where I went to a meeting and said, after listening to them, I recognized our product isn't going to work. I still went ahead and did the discussion of the product because I wanted to teach them about our product. That's the part that I got to but at the end I said and as you know, our products not going to do what you need. So here's one that will two weeks later, we got a request from them to give them a price because they found another application where our product was a perfect fit. And it was even larger than the one that we went to so we we gained from that it's And it's about doing it for the right reason. And we can be motivated by money, or we can be motivated by helping people accomplish what they need to accomplish. And we need to learn what that is. Oh, yeah, LauraBeth Ryan  40:11 my sir. I'm all about service and getting my clients results. I am so happy when my clients are fulfilled, it brings me true joy. Michael Hingson  40:22 Yeah, and that's exactly what it should be, is that no matter what we do, I really believe that we're our brothers and our sisters keepers. And I mean that in a, in a spiritual and mental way, in an in a physical way. We need to work more to help each other. And we need to work to break down some of the barriers that we face. We're in a world where people won't converse with each other, there is so much of a fracture, because of politics and other things. How do we overcome that some of that? LauraBeth Ryan  40:55 Well, that's a pretty loaded question. There Michael Hingson  41:00 may be politics aside, it's not a political, that's not a political question. LauraBeth Ryan  41:04 So I, you know, my world has expanded, because I have so many different people have different beliefs, whether it's politically, whether it's spiritually, whether it's financial ideas, whatever it might be, right. And so what I think the most important key is, is that we need to be better listeners, we so many people are what I call white fighters, they just want to get their point across, they want to be right. But if we're really going to hear each other, you know, the let's just say the political the left and the right, they're just fighting, fighting, fighting, who can be louder, who can who can put the other down, which is so unproductive. And so I think if we just said, I'm listening, I want to hear I want to understand your point of view, I may not agree with it. And but you can politely agree to disagree. Michael Hingson  42:04 The other aspect of that, though, is I may not agree with it. But I'm open to listening, because I want to learn and you never know what you'll learn. LauraBeth Ryan  42:14 It's true, my mind has been open to things that I used to not believe it, you know, over the years, things that I had a different mindset about, um, and, you know, as we learn from other people with other things that they have to share, if we do have an open mind, it does empower us and educate us to, as you said, learn something new. Michael Hingson  42:41 I think life is all about learning. And I'm always excited when I get to learn new things and to hear other points of view, and then you're right, I may not agree with them. But if I close my mind, and don't analyze what the other person said, then I'm doing a disservice to me, much less anything else. Great point. So it's really important to be more of a not only a listener, but a learner no matter what the situation, no matter what the viewpoint. Because if we don't analyze, and we don't truly step back and dissect and ponder what we hear and learn, then we don't progress and move forward. Absolutely. Well, I'd like to kind of get your final thoughts on what what you want people to take away from from this? How can they start to do more with what they do? And obviously you have a program and if you want to talk about how they can reach you. But what what should people take away from today? LauraBeth Ryan  43:47 Well, I want them to one take away that nothing is impossible. Okay? No matter what you face in life, you do not give up. You may have dark times, you may you're going to have times where it seems impossible. But if it's in your heart, and you know it, believe it, get other people around you to support you, and you will become unstoppable. And number two is gratitude. We didn't talk about that today. But when you're in the midst and as an entrepreneur or as high achieving women or whomever you are facing adversity, gratitude is one of the keys that is going to bring you to success, because we can almost always look towards something in our lives no matter how bad it is. And when you start focusing on that, it's going to change the whole inner feelings of your body in your situation. It's going to help your mindset to shift into a more positive light. And then thirdly, I'd say reach out for support. So many women especially in Corporate are that are financially successful, high achieving women. I'm gonna give you an example. Um, I think it was her name was Kate Spade, the the person who, who was the most cheerful made all these great, she was so successful with her purses and her uniqueness. And she committed suicide, because she was having problems in her business. And instead of reaching out for support and meeting, admitting she needed help, she felt helpless. And there's no point in that. I don't care where you are. If you're struggling, it is so vital to reach out to someone that's going to give you the strategy give you the safe space to be a sounding board. There is no weakness in saying that you need help, we need to completely flip that, and know that it's a place of courage and strength, that you don't want to stay there anymore. And then your life is going to be so much more fulfilling. Michael Hingson  46:03 Well, thinking about successful people, just immediately into my mind came Robin Williams, I mean, look at how successful he was. Look at all that he did, and yet he committed suicide. LauraBeth Ryan  46:16 I mean, it's, it's so sad. Yes, yeah, so many, many people like that Thomas Kincade, he was the most well known artists living in his lifetime. And he too, couldn't admit he ended up having alcohol problems and couldn't admit and reach out for that help. And it's just because he had this idea like life and what he paints his idea like, what the truth is, life is not ideal. We all face adversity, every single one of us. And so I would encourage people, anybody listening to this spoke to, to reach out to me at www cheerful hearts.com. and schedule a free consultation with me a free 20 minute consultation, if not, now, when it could change the entire trajectory of your life. There's also a free downloadable my five top tips to unspeakable joy that has a power packed, short little e report that's going to help you go forward and feel more happy fulfilled in your life. Michael Hingson  47:31 You mentioned gratitude. And that is so important. I've written a small ebook called blinded by fear. And one of the things and we talk in the in the book about the reality being that you can learn to control or deal with your fear and make it a powerful tool for your success. Rather than being paralyzed when something unexpected happens in your life. And you certainly have done that you've clearly had a number of challenges. And I am sure that there was a lot of fear. And you you related to that. But at the same time, you found ways to get past that and to use that fear to help you focus LauraBeth Ryan  48:21 on fuel, right? Like, I don't want to be on government assistance. I need to be financially secure. I don't want to be, you know, put in a nursing home at the age of 40. Something. I'm way too young that fear was a good motivator, right to do what you do. Michael Hingson  48:38 But you made it a motivator. You you turned it around. Yeah. And you became unstoppable, truly unstoppable because of that. Yes. And that is, of course, what what this is really all about that your mindset shifted. And something taught you along the line to be able to do that. You know, and I don't know what you haven't really, maybe don't know. But what what made you be the kind of person that could turn that around and make it an unstoppable environment? LauraBeth Ryan  49:15 Well, one is my faith. As I said, one of my favorite inspirational women is Joyce Meyer. And I watch her every day. So I filled my mind with positivity. I didn't watch anything negative. I didn't watch the news, nothing that would bring me down because they already struggled with depression. So that's one key. And then I also became an avid reader. I never stopped before the injury. I was too busy running around all the time. And so all the books I read think bit by Kent Ben Carlson. Know your worth like by Joyce Meyer. I read a book by Johnny Erickson Tata who was an inspiration who is a paraplegic, so I dove in to any positivity, any information that was going to help shift that mindset. Michael Hingson  50:09 Well, I'm prejudice and I hope that you have you will read if you haven't read thunder dog. LauraBeth Ryan  50:15 I would love to. Michael Hingson  50:18 Anywhere books are available. underdogs called Thunder dog do G the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust at ground zero. And as I said, I'm prejudiced. But you know, I know the guy who wrote it this guy, Mike kingsun. He's pretty good. And I'd love your thoughts on it after you read it, but it is it is still in print. Okay, you're off Amazon? Oh, you absolutely can get it off of Amazon. And I'm gonna read it, you better believe it. You can get it from Audible. If you'd like audiobooks, it's available there as well. LauraBeth Ryan  50:55 Yes. Now I have limitations from that arms. I can't hold a book. So Audible has become a best friend. Michael Hingson  51:04 It's it's there too. But, you know, I hope it inspires you. And we wrote it for for the purpose of inspiration, and education. LauraBeth Ryan  51:13 Absolutely. Thank you for sharing that. I will read it. And I will let you know. Michael Hingson  51:18 Laura Beth Ryan, we really appreciate you coming on. You've been wonderful, and I really am so happy that you are unstoppable and that I hope that people really understand and see how unstoppable you are and how you've been. You've adopted this unstoppable mindset. And would you repeat again, how people can find you? LauraBeth Ryan  51:39 Absolutely. And more than I want them to know that I'm unstoppable. I want them to know they can absolutely be unstoppable in anything they face, or wanting to accomplish as well. And if they want more help with that, then they can reach me at www. Cheerfulhearts.com Michael Hingson  51:59 Is that heart T or TS  LauraBeth Ryan  52:01 TS Plural  Michael Hingson  52:04 cheerfulhearts plural .com. Well, thank you for coming on and helping us better understand the unstoppable mindset. And for those of you listening, I hope that you enjoyed today, please give us a five star review rating. Wherever you listen to podcasts, you can visit www.Michaelhingson.com/podcast. That's M I C H A E L H I N G S O N .com/podcast. And sign up and subscribe there as well. I have to ask one last thing. Are you going to do a podcast? LauraBeth Ryan  52:39 Am I Well, right now I'm just podcast speaker but after listening to Michelle and Kim, I'm I very well may go into that as well. Michael Hingson  52:51 And for those who don't understand the reference, I met Laura Beth because we're doing something called PodaPalooza, which is an opportunity to interview wonderful guests. So and then it's also a program where people are learning how they can become podcasters and the value of it. Well, I hope you do it. And if you do, let me know. We'd love to come on and talk with you on your podcast as well. LauraBeth Ryan  53:17 Well, thank you so much. It was a pleasure learning from you and sharing with your audience. Michael Hingson  53:23 Well, it was an honor to have you here. You've been wonderful. And again, everyone. Thank you very much for listening. Join us again in the future for another edition of unstoppable pod unstoppable mindset, the podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And Laura Beth. Thanks again. LauraBeth Ryan  53:41 Absolutely, thank you. UM Intro/Outro  53:48 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Welcome to Body Talk with Becks , brought to you by Becks Carlyle ! In this week's episode Flying with a Disability we discuss what it's like to fly and go through TSA with a disability. Resources: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1549 (ACAA Amendment 2019| Library of Congress) https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/s642/BILLS-117s642is.pdf (2021 ACAA Amendment) - To protect the rights of passengers with disabilities in air transportation, and for other purposes. This is an amendment to the Air Carrier Access Act- amended in 2021 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1318/text (ACAA 2017 Amendment | Library of Congress) https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilities (Air Carrier Access Act | US Department of Transportation) - Details about the air carrier access act that was envisioned to aid and protect passengers with disabilities. https://www.tsa.gov/travel/passenger-support (Passenger Support | Transportation Security Administration) - The TSA Cares Passenger Support Page Thank you for listening! If you wish to come on the show as either an expert or to share your story, please use the contact page on https://body-talk-with-becks.captivate.fm (Body Talk with Becks website) .

All too often questions and disputes regarding access for persons with disabilities are not settled until they wind up in a courtroom. Some of the best lawyers who address these issues have disabilities themselves and thus bring a strong personal commitment to the debate.   Meet David Shaffer, a blind civil rights lawyer who will tell us about his own commitment to the law and to the rights of persons with disabilities. As you will hear, David did not start out litigating civil rights cases and he didn't even begin his life as a blind person. He has a fascinating journey we all get to experience. From his beginning as a Stanford law student through his work today on internet accessibility and inclusion David Shaffer's story will help us all see more clearly how we all can work harder to include nearly %25 of persons with disabilities in the mainstream of society. Some directories do not show full show notes. For the complete transcription please visit https://michaelhingson.com/podcast About the Guest: David Shaffer is a blind attorney with  over 35 years of legal practice experience in the Metro area of Washington DC. He currently specializes in ADA Consulting for tech companies using his  previous work as a Section 508 coordinator and lead counsel in defending the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in a class action under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act. David says “my goal is to ensure the world wide web is accessible to anyone and everyone as I am legally blind, hard of hearing and have learned to understand the extreme necessity of this issue for all persons with disabilities”.   In 2006 David began losing his eyesight due to Glaucoma. As is so often the case, his ophthalmologist did not confront his increasing loss of sight. As David described it, “it was after I totaled two cars in 2009 that I finally recognized that I was blind”. He received blindness orientation and training through the Virginia Department of Rehabilitation and the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind in Washington DC.   In addition to his work on internet access cases, David specializes in civil rights cases for women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities, and have represented hundreds of women and minorities in nation-wide class actions against federal law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, DEA, ICE, and the Secret Service. He also represents individuals with disabilities in seeking accessible accommodations in the workplace and represents them in employment litigation. About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i  capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:22 Hi, welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. And today we have I think, a person who's pretty unstoppable, at least I tend to think so he he can make his own comments and judgment about that. But I'd like you all to meet David Shaffer. David is a blind civil rights attorney has lots of stories to tell I'm sure about all of that. And I think has a lot of interesting things that will inspire all of us, but also a lot of things to make us think David, welcome to Unstoppable Mindset.   David Shaffer  01:57 Welcome, thanks for the great introduction. I'm happy to be on here I look forward to discussing issues involving accessibility and adjustment to blindness.   Michael Hingson  02:11 Well, let's see what we can what we can do. So you, um, you are not blind when you first were growing up, as I understand.   David Shaffer  02:22 That's right. I always had horrible vision and was tremendously nearsighted. But until I got to about in my late 40s, it was I could still get by with glasses or hard contact lenses. And that was about the time that I acquired a guy comma. And the comma went undiagnosed for about a year due to some idiosyncrasies in my eye, which misread eye pressure on a standard test. And so by the time I went to a specialist figured out that I had glaucoma, even though the pressure test didn't show it, I was I was gone, I was legally blind my visions about 2800 But it's the closest they can measure it. But I still see some I can see shapes and things and it depends a lot on light and in various issues. But I'm pretty much reliant upon my cane and, and my technology these days to practice law.   Michael Hingson  03:42 So you sort of had to go through an adjustment process, obviously about becoming blind and being blind and acknowledging that how did all that go? What kind of training did you have? Or when did you decide that you really didn't see like you used to see?   David Shaffer  03:58 A, I realized that after I totaled two cars, that kind of was the wake up solution for me. It started off with night, severe night blindness. And so they tried to accommodate me by letting me go home at three in the winter, going home before dark, while I can still drive but quickly ended up at a point where I couldn't see the drive I couldn't see across the street. That was a tough adjustment because I was in the middle of practicing law at the time. I was a general counsel at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Just finished up huge ADA class action, kind of reforming the agency's paratransit system. And then I started realizing that I couldn't see my notes anymore that I couldn't see Oh, The face of witnesses on the witness stand. And suddenly, litigation, which was my primary focus became extremely difficult, if not impossible. It was it was very difficult because my employer had no idea how to adjust to somebody who was blind, until there's only one other blind person or organization. And she had a totally different role. So it was a mismatched series of attempts to accommodate me, that pretty much all failed, just try it. It started out with magnifiers and ZoomText and all that. But it finally became evident that I needed to learn to use the screen readers properly, and not try to just magnify things 20 times and get by. That was that was very challenging, because I was trying to keep up the practice a lot at the same time, while no longer be able to see what I was doing. Fortunately, I finally, through Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, got hooked up with the Virginia's rehab agency. And they gave me initial, you know, training jaws and things like that on them. basic survival. But the problem is that these state agencies are so low on funding that I was expected to practice law with a total of six hours of God's training. And that's all that they would allocate to me. Obviously, that was not adequate. To become proficient enough to practice law, I can barely read a website or a document. So I just had to go out and get my own training and pay for it myself. And I still do to this day, due to lack of resources that Virginia had. I understand it's much better in Maryland, where I live now. But now that I've taught myself and paid for my own lessons, and I'm pretty advanced jobs user and, and, and Diane Tasker. So what happened next was I began a campaign at at Metro to make technology accessible was once I learned to use JAWS, I realized I couldn't use their website, because the public website wasn't accessible. I couldn't look up things for people on the phone. I couldn't use our internet at all. I couldn't even do my own timesheets anymore, because none of that was accessible. And that was a big problem. Because we'd struggled over that organization organization's initial reaction was, we're not covered by 508. Because we're not part of the federal government, despite the fact that we're a federal contractor, and therefore required to comply with 508. Anyway. So after four years of fighting, and complaining, I finally got them to adopt an accessibility policy. They made me the section 508 officer. And then again, I taught myself accessibility, I taught myself web accessibility through DQ University online, enough so that I could start guiding the, the team that that made up the website on how to make it accessible. So that was kind of how this all developed, that I went from zero competence to now being a fairly recognized   David Shaffer  08:57 web caster and user of this technology.   Michael Hingson  09:02 Let's go back a little bit. So you, you have been in law all your life. What What got you into that? Why did you decide to choose law in the first place? Because obviously, you didn't have some of the same causes that you do now like blindness and accessibility and so on.   David Shaffer  09:21 Well, I grew up in a town of 1000 people, or Ohio. My stepfather was a lawyer. He'd been a former state senator and Majority Leader of the Ohio Senate. So he was of course the only lawyer in town and the only way or pro for a while around nearby, but I saw how he helped people from anything from a divorce to a car accident DWI to a criminal offense to any sort of state funding. I mean, he did everything And, you know, clients are constantly coming to our house in the evening and not just to his office, and it was just like part of our life was what we do we help people with legal problems. I remember I was so curious about the law that we get a decent Law Library in my house. And so if I would ask him a legal question, at 12 years old, he'd make me go into his office and look it up in American jurisprudence, or how jurisprudence, bring him back the answer, and then we discuss it. So I was doing legal research from 12 years old, onward. And I, I guess, I just got hooked up with a plus the political angle I would, because we were all very active in politics. And my stepfather ran campaigns for the Democratic Congress, in our district and things like that. So politics law was kind of in my blood from from very early on.   Michael Hingson  11:06 Well, clearly, you had a good teacher, because he made you go do the research and the work. And of course, there's nothing like discovering things for yourself. But you've had other you've had other good teachers, haven't you?   David Shaffer  11:18 I have, I would, you know, at law school at Stanford, I had a interesting teacher, former Justice Scalia, for common law. That was a fascinating experience and frustrating, but boy did I learn his side of the law, and his points of view and, and his philosophy. And the rest of that I have read the camera itself, I learned on my own, but we had to listen to his philosophies quite a bit. But he was a very good teacher. And then after I graduated from Stanford, I was lucky enough to work for an incredible woman on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals at Carter appointee, who was also tremendously liberal and, and taught me more in that year than I'd learned in three years of law school. And so throughout, I guess, my career, I've been lucky to have mentors. After the clerkship, I went to Gibson, Dunn, and Crutcher in California, a large law firm and had a litigation partner they are kind of take me under his wing and, and, you know, let me go out and my first week, I was in court, of course week on the job. And, you know, there was that gets it throughout your life, you've got to take advantage of mentors and people that really are looking out for you and then to them learn from. It's really the most valuable way to learn than trying to do everything on your own. As I learned when I lost my budget, it would have been really nice to have a lot of training fast rather than having to take a year to get up to speed on the technology.   Michael Hingson  13:18 Yeah, I mean, we we all have to take things as they come. I remember in my involvement with the law, from a legal standpoint, comes from the other side being a consumer. And I had a situation that happened, I think, in 1981, it was 80 or 81. I think it was 81. But I was denied access to an aircraft with my guide dog. And they actually, they they insisted that I had to sit in the front seat, even though the airlines policy did require that. But we went to court with it. And eventually it was appealed and it went to the ninth circuit. We had a judge in LA Francis Whalen. I don't know whether you ever encountered him here. He was pretty old. cielo or her but that's that was my closest experience to dealing with the with the appellate court directly. I've been involved in seeing other appellate cases. But it's it's it was it was interesting.   David Shaffer  14:24 How'd it come out?   Michael Hingson  14:27 The case was settled. It actually had to go back for a second trial because Francis Whalen was on the ninth, actually not the appellate court. He was in the Ninth Circuit. But when it went to appellate court the he didn't like it but the the appellate court found that he had erred and went back for a second trial and we ended up settling it which is unfortunate because it it was certainly a case that could have been a little bit more of a landmark than it was but you It was interesting. One of the things that happened at the beginning of the the case was that when the ruling went when when motions were being heard at the beginning, one of the motions that the airlines lawyer put out was, well, yeah, it's our policy that people don't have to sit in the front row with their guide dog. But that's just our policy. And so it shouldn't be allowed in as evidence and the judge allowed them, which was horrible. But you know, we all face, face those kinds of things. But Judge Whalen did what he did, and then it went to appellate court, and it and it did get settled. And, of course, overtime, the law change, there's a growth time for all of us. The Air Carrier Access Act was passed in 1986. And it needs to be strengthened. And then of course, in 1991, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, which you have, obviously, as a lawyer now, a lot of involvement with when when you were going through training, well, let me put it this way, when you were becoming blind and discovering you were blind, how did all of that affect you in terms of your practice of law, and your view about what you were going to do with the law and how you would do it?   David Shaffer  16:20 Well, it seriously affected my ability to practice law for about a year, it was a good time was was a government agency, because they couldn't get rid of me too easily with the disability. But after that, it really made me I mean, I'd done it, I've been doing ADEA law since before the ADEA, since I started practicing in California under the unrack. But it really hit home to me this whole feel of digital accessibility. I mean, of course, I knew about it. And, and, and, but I'd never had any cases on it in my entire practice. Until these days, so I, what I ended up doing was, first off, they switched me to internal advice from litigation. And the department, one of the departments that gave me was Ada, in addition to human resources, because I'd spent my previous 20 years as a Labor Employment lawyer, advising large corporations. So doing that, let me start trying to make some impact from within those organizations. So I get a DEA office and the human relations office to understand accessibility. And that was the first step was was an education, it really, it's something that had to go on person by person one at a time. Because just talking about it, never made an impression till I brought somebody in my office and showed them how I use JAWS, how a screen reader works, now, it doesn't work, when something's not accessible. In the minute you give them a visual and hearing example of how important it says to a blind person, you've converted them, okay? Obviously, we need to make this work for you. Because that's their obligation. But it's a person by person thing, then they take it back, and the other people don't understand it. So then they got to come down to my office and get shown, and, like, did a lot of internal training and advocacy, and force them to, you know, form the position of section 508 Officer, which by then was given all of my other jobs and make a commitment to accessibility. You know, company wide and to the public and within, and that was a long battle. But I did it from within, instead of without, probably would have been quicker if I just turned around and sued them. But lawyers generally don't like to sue on behalf of themselves. It's just not pleasant. So I worked from within and made changes, and left when I left that organization, their website was 95%, double A 2.1 compliant. And that was due to four years of work by me manually with the web department. I had three people there working for four years to fix a 15,000 page website manually. Of course, we use software level access at the time But it's all there is out there that are equally as good. But that just goes to show how difficult accessibility can be when you start from ground zero. And part of the thing that I'm into, as well as presenting people with disabilities, and advocating on behalf of people with disabilities and trying to make the ADEA stronger, and Congress, working with Congress and various issues,   David Shaffer  20:33 to educate them. And now I'm finding that as I talked to people in Congress and the staff members, again, it's just, it's an education thing, once you've shown them an example and explained how important accessibility is to 20% of their constituents who have disabilities, then it clicks, and then they're interesting. But it's really got to be a strong education effort by the blind community. And we just got to, we have to reach out and explain ourselves to others, and not feel embarrassed about being blind, but show them what we can do when we're bind, if we have the right technology. And I think, demonstrating on a daily basis that you can do the same job as anybody else can do with with as long as you got the right technology and an accessible source to read it from. You're just the same as anybody else. And and I think that's the education effort that the blind community really needs to work harder on. Because you got to change people's minds about this, and they can't view accessibility as simply an expense. That's mandated by law.   Michael Hingson  21:56 Do you think it's all about technology? Do you think that the technology Oh,   David Shaffer  22:00 it's not? I mean, it, obviously, I deal with more than just digital accessibility, you know, I was also responsible for the physical accessibility of the buses, trains and stations, and so forth. But it's an overall understanding of the concept of accessibility to the 20% of the population who has some sort of disability. And that's the hard part. To shine them, okay, well, they think, oh, there's only you know, three to 5% of the people that are blind, that need a screen reader. They're not that important to me, but about the other 15% with other disabilities, you know, almost 40% of which are cognitive. Those people are currently being left out of the world. They're being left out of jobs or being left out of information technology. And, you know, the studies show that people with IDD issues often make up the most best and loyal and valuable employees. Study after study has shown that if we simply know how to accommodate them, and that's not so easy as it is to fix a website to make it five a weight or with gag compliant. That is much more even more of an education effort. I would say the other project that I'm working on is also football people with disabilities and that we are working with a company called way map, UK company and a partnership with Verizon. And we're mapping the whole DC Metro and DC metropolitan area for the for the blind with step by step navigation. That process also has separate options for people using wheelchairs. And I was the major drafter of the US standards for this technology, as well as to 1.1 which is the standards for cognitive wayfinding which will be the next phase. So technology there is technology out there to help people with disabilities other than just blindness in its in its infancy. But some very good pilots have been done with FTA with whom I worked quite a bit Federal Transit Administration that we can make much more of the world accessible to people, not only who are blind but with other types of disabilities that make it difficult for them to navigate or to use technology.   Michael Hingson  24:47 So the the way we met was actually through as you know, accessiBe where does that fit into what is happening to make the whole internet And website access available.   David Shaffer  25:04 Well, what it's going to help do is guide people to accessible locations. If your website's accessible, then we can put you on to this app, and people can find you and not only find you, but read the menu in your restaurant. And so can tourist find you. So, by encouraging people, you know, by expanding this project, into convention centers into other places, museums galleries, where there's a ton of information, we can integrate the accessibility of the web, the original website, to, for example, the descriptions on a picture in the National Gallery to be, you know, read to you, and explained, and all that it's going to be 100% WCAG compliant. So these, I think, these all work together, it might vary his projects, to show people that there's overall issue of accessibility websites, of course, are one of the major ones. But we've got to integrate this awareness concept with not just websites, but with how do we make this world safe and accommodating for all people with disabilities, so that everybody can achieve their full potential.   Michael Hingson  26:46 So I know that you also in addition to doing the web map project, though, do or have become involved with accessor be specifically so website access in general, but accessiBe in specific, why did you choose accessiBe to work with?   David Shaffer  27:03 That's anotherInteresting story. I was do when I was the byway officer at macro, I was deep into manual coding, fixing, you know, analysis of police reports, and how to deal with them. And that's what took four years to get that website compliant. That was four years of daily work by a team of people. I was against layered approaches that first. Some of the ones that had been proposed to us at macro simply didn't work. So I just figured, okay, I'm not interested in layered approaches, when somebody gives me something that doesn't even work on their own website, then, you know, forget it. But, you know, I was introduced to accessiBe with some skepticism. And then I started trying and testing it. And I found that it made websites accessible and usable, to really the greatest extent feasible by AI technology. So, I was convinced that accessiBe is better than the other ones. Plus, what really impressed me most about accessiBe was in fact, it's not just for the blind. And it has significant settings for cognitive disorders, ADHD, seizure disorders, various types of color, vision issues, and cognitive. And I think that this is the comprehensive approach that I've been preaching that we need to accommodate all disabilities. We can't just focus on the blind community, we can just focus on the deaf community, or the IDD community. This has got to be an overall attitude about how we approach all of our technology, how we approach shopping, how we approach going into a store, getting down the street, getting on a train or bus, that we've got to bring together these concepts of Universal Design for everybody, so that the entire population has the same opportunity, as everybody else   Michael Hingson  29:23 do you think accessiBe is having success in this arena?   David Shaffer  29:28 Yeah, I do. Continue to outreach to the blind community to talk to us and give input. I give both legal and technical input to accessiBe and and that's because I can see both sides of this. I can see how the courts developing the law as well as how the technology is developing and how it's been used. And it's a fascinating place to be and I'm you know enjoying working with them. quite a bit as we try to bring more education accessibility to the 20% of the population that's left out these days.   Michael Hingson  30:09 It's interesting the society in the times that we live in. We are in such a technological era. Yet, more and more we see everything being oriented or most things being oriented toward a visual process. So websites, for example, that that put more visual stuff in. And what prompts me to mention that is, we were watching my wife and I were watching a commercial this morning on a television. And it was just some people singing a song. And there was nothing to say that it was Google talking about all the ways that it protects us. And I, and there are a lot of those kinds of commercials that do nothing but play music or Yeah, or sounds, but that have nothing to do with anything, how do we get people to recognize that they are leaving out a significant amount of the population? And oh, by the way, what about the person who gets up, I guess the marketing people don't think that that will be a big problem, and I'll come back to it. But don't think that'll be a big problem, because they'll saturate the air with the commercial. So eventually, people will see it, but they don't even deal with the people who get up during a commercial and go do something else get a slide or whatever, never see it.   David Shaffer  31:36 Right. I don't understand that either. Myself, many times I turn to my significant other and I say, what was that commercial about? I'd like the music. Cuz I don't know what they're trying to sell. I don't know why they think this is useful. Especially like you said, half the people get up and go the bathroom and commercials 12 The toilet flush at once. But yeah, I don't get it. It's just like they think all this has impact. You don't have Flash, big name, at the end, after the beautiful pictures didn't have an impact on me. So they're losing 5% of their potential customer base, do they may   Michael Hingson  32:22 be losing more, because again, anyone who doesn't see the commercial, blind or not, has the same challenge.   David Shaffer  32:32 And this is the fault of the people that look only at the visual side of things. And that's all they can think or think about these people that are creating the commercials, people that are creating websites, whatever creative people are doing this. They're looking at it. And they're deriving their impact from what they see and not what they hear. And this frustrates me, but I figure, okay, well, I'll never buy that product, and I can't tell what they're advertising. So that's one down the drain. They won't get my business. You know, what else can you do? Except deprive them of their business? If they're not going to make this commercial accessible?   Michael Hingson  33:21 How do we break into their psyche? And get them to recognize what they're doing? Which is, of course, a general question that deals with the whole visual or non disability aspect of society in general. How do we how do we get the the public at large, the politicians, the visible people of large, to bring us into the conversation? Maybe it's a good way to start that, why aren't we part of the conversation?   David Shaffer  34:00 I think we're not because we're not thrusting ourselves into it. We can just sit back and wait for these people to call us up and say, Hey, we were just thinking about whether blind people can see our commercials got any advice? No, we have to, we have to get out to you know, write, like we're doing with Congress, get out to them, and explain to them what we're seeing or not seeing. We need to get to the advertising community with some sort of education. If they really are interested in selling us products, so the the blanket, I mean, we're going to 24 million people in the United States. That's a tremendous market. We just need to get people to understand that they're losing 24 million potential customers every time they put an ad up like that.   Michael Hingson  34:54 But in general, whether we deal with the advertisement part of it or whatever you deal with the whole population of persons with disabilities. How do we get into the psyche of people into the conversation? I mean, I hear what you're saying about getting Congress and showing Congress what we do. But here's a perfect example of the problem. Several years ago, I went to a congressman who I knew to talk about the fact that at that time, and still, as part of the Javits, Wagner eau de act, it is possible for organizations and agencies to apply for an exemption. So they do not have to pay a person with a disability a minimum wage, who they bring in. And that typically is in the case of some sheltered workshops that that number has diminished a great deal, because there's been visibility, but it's still there. And the law is still there. And what this congressman said is, well, we're opposed to minimum wage in general. And so I can't possibly support this bill had nothing to do with the fact that it's still the law of the land. But we're not considered an important and I mean, all persons with disabilities, we still are not really considered part of, of society in the same way. Now, we're not hated like, some, some people probably hate different races. And and we certainly don't face some of the challenges that that women do, although bind women probably do, but but the bottom line is we as a collective group, and not just blind women, but people, women with disabilities, but we are as as a, as a total group, not included. Really, in the conversation. We see it all the time. Last year's presidential elections are a perfect example. But you could you can go anywhere and cite anything. That that looks at all of the different things that go on COVID websites were not accessible last year. So you know, how do we get into that conversation? Collectively,   David Shaffer  37:10 like, well, that is how we do it is collectively, I think, but I think we're doing too much of is that, you know, you've got the blind community doing advocating for this, you've got the people with physical disabilities advocating for their thing, that people cognitive advocating for those things. And they're all just focusing on what they need. What we all need to be focusing on together is what we need as a group of people with disability grant, granted, each of each type of disability has different needs. But if we can get everybody to understand the concept of universal design, and start applying that didn't everything we build to, from buildings to websites to whatever, then we'll be taking, we'll be including this population. But even the phrase universal design is not even fully under widely understood. But that is where we have to be gone. And we have to be doing it as the entire disability community. That is numbers, but lots of numbers of people.   Michael Hingson  38:29 Sure, since 20%, to 25% of all persons in the United States have a disability. That's a pretty large group, and it's 100   David Shaffer  38:40 million people.   Michael Hingson  38:41 Yeah, you're talking about a minority second only to depending on who you want to listen to men or women, probably they're more women than men. So men may be the minority, although they don't think so. But But the bottom line is it's a very large group of people,   David Shaffer  38:56 or it's not significant. You know, it's the most significant thing size, protected group there is under the law.   Michael Hingson  39:06 But the protections aren't always there. So for example, the other problem, yes, the other problem,   David Shaffer  39:12 which is the courts, the courts are slow to catch up to the courts don't understand this. You file a web accessibility lawsuit and find your typical federal district judge. I mean, they don't have a clue what this case is about. And then we're down to the Battle of competing experts, you know, and where does that put a judge? Where does that put a jury where they mean, the legal system is not the right place to be solving this problem. Unfortunately, it's the only place we have left to go to.   Michael Hingson  39:46 Well, I guess that's of course part of the I'm sorry, go ahead.   David Shaffer  39:49 No, go ahead.   Michael Hingson  39:50 Well, that's, that's of course part of the problem. But, you know, is it the only place to go to so for example, you wrote an article earlier this year. which I found to be very interesting and very informative the talk about web accessibility. And that article described a lot, a lot of the issues, a lot of what's being done. And maybe you want to talk a little bit about that and where people can see it, but also should should we work to be finding more people who will publicize in the world. Part of the the issues that we have when I talked about being part of the the conversation frame, frankly, I think we need to be putting out more more writings, more articles, more missives, more whatever. And as you said, we need to be putting ourselves in the conversation.   David Shaffer  40:53 We go and, you know, I, I'm, I listened mostly to NPR. And what I do notice there is they do a lot of stories on disability issues. Really impressed by the way they cover disabilities. I don't see that on mainstream media. Occasionally, you'll you'll have a feel good story on the evening news, then which one you're watching, you know, they they're tagged at the end of the last two minutes. But really, dealing with this as a societal issue. It's so low on the priority of things these days after COVID and, and overseas wards and foreign policy and everything else that's going on. We're, we're just faded where we fade into the background, or unnoticed. It's just like when, when when you when you walk into a store with somebody who's with you, they will talk to the other person and ask them what does he want to order? Instead of asking you were invisible?   Michael Hingson  42:01 Yeah. And of course, also part of the problem today, is that with everything that's going on, we face it, too. And it kind of beats you down.   David Shaffer  42:12 It does. It's, it's depressing. I mean, I my usually, my usual answer is I can order for myself in that sort of tone. But, you know, it's like we walk, walk into a dark, so up till the day with my white king, trying to find my way because they don't allow visitors now so that I can't bring him by with me to guide me. So I'm, you know, stumbling around the place trying to find the front desk and all that. And then they shove a piece of paper in front of me saying, Can you please sign in. And they've seen me walking around that reception area trying to find the reception desk with a white cane. And they turned around and asked me to sign something. They'll get   Michael Hingson  42:59 it. It's, it's all education. And I think you said much earlier is very important. We have to as hard as it is as frustrating as it is, as trying as it is on our patients. Sometimes. We have to be teachers, we have to help. But we do need to speak out, we do need to be pushing ourselves in the conversation. There are there's a lot of mainstream media that as you said, doesn't cover us much. And somehow we need to get more people to reach out to mainstream media saying Why aren't you talking about the fact that blind people and other persons with disabilities are exempt? In some situations from receiving minimum wage? Why aren't you talking more about the lack of appropriate information provided to us? Why aren't you talking about the fact that when one flies on an airplane, the flight attendants don't necessarily give us the same information that that people who can see or people who can can read don't have they already have. And I got like, the fact that people like with dyslexia also have issues.   David Shaffer  44:25 Yeah, well, pointing to the emergency exits doesn't help a lot.   Michael Hingson  44:28 Right, exactly. But they but you know, it would be so simple for flight attendants to say when they're doing their pre flight briefing. Emergency exits are located at overwing. Exits are located at rows, x and y.   David Shaffer  44:47 Row number you can, that's assuming that's a row number that you can read with your fingers.   Michael Hingson  44:53 Except when you are when you go on, you know what seat you're at. So you know what right So your count? Yeah, you can count. Yeah, they could, they could do something to make the row numbers also more accessible. But again, you do know what seat you go to. And if they know that, then you can easily count and get at least a much better sense, then what you do. I heard once somebody explained that when the preflight briefings are being given, what flight attendants are trained to do, and I don't know if it's true, but it could be, what flight attendants are trained to do is to look to see who's really paying attention to the briefings. Because those are the people that they may be able to call on to help if there really is an emergency, because they're the ones that tend to be collecting the information. I don't know if that's really true, but it certainly makes sense. And, and it is also something that more of us should do, and more of us should be demanding that they do the appropriate things to provide the access that we need to be able to pay attention.   David Shaffer  46:05 Yeah, you know, Michael, it's just, it's such an overwhelmingly huge job. I mean, we're talking about everything from websites to we haven't even talked about apps on phones, to physical accessibility to how you're, how you're treated in a doctor's office, or on an airplane or at a restaurant, or, I mean, it's, it's, it's all throughout society, that the people with disabilities face these obstacles. And courts, you know, I think websites are a fantastic place to start. But that's not the end of the accessibility discussion. We need to have much broader discussions about that. And we need to be doing it more publicly.   Michael Hingson  47:03 Right. And, and I think we can, I don't think that we need to always use civil disobedience, as our solution, although there certainly have been times in the past when that has been what people feel they need to do, and it can be successful, but it still, ultimately is about education. And if people refuse to listen, then obviously there are other actions that need to be taken. You mentioned, what happened with you with Metro and Metro, at least, was interested in working with you and allowing you to help them fix their website issue, by the way, how is it now?   David Shaffer  47:46 Oh, it's pretty good. They actually, they brought in consultants to do the remainder of the remediation and I wasn't able to finish. So they're trying to get as close to 100% compliant as possible.   Michael Hingson  48:02 And, obviously, that's, that's pretty important to do. I don't know whether accessiBe is a part of that or whether you know, have they used accessiBe in any way I'm just curious.   David Shaffer  48:12 I they I don't know who the outside consultants using right now but they haven't seen it says to be put on the site yet. I know they use accessiBe's testing tool.   Michael Hingson  48:24 Right? And can you tell us about that the test   David Shaffer  48:29 accessiBe has a very quick and free testing tool, which is one of the better ones out there on the market, including some of the ones you paid $10,000 for. And if you go to ace.accessible.com there's it's really simple, you just plug in the website name, you hit get a report, you get an immediate report within like 10 seconds of all the errors it reads it from compliant to semi compliant or non compliant. And then you can email yourself the report in a PDF form and and read all the details about what the issues are on the website. You know, and some of my own personal battles I've had recently with our county government kind of forced them to provide me with accessible materials as required by federal law. You know, I finally just sent them a report of their website or encountered entire county website is non compliant. And they said they know it. Let baffled me and what they're getting me my documents on your threat of a federal lawsuit.   Michael Hingson  49:49 You It's amazing. I recently upgraded we were talking about it before we started this. I also upgraded to Windows 11 and And there are some real challenges from an access standpoint. Or example, for example, and I, and I'm saying this after having called and spoken to Microsoft's disabilities answer desk, I needed to map a network drive. And the instructions say, click on the three dots on the toolbar, the three dots. So that's inaccessible to me, I am going to try some other experiments to see if I can access them. But in Windows 10, there were ways to do it. Why would they? And could they? And should they have updated to a new version of Windows without dealing with the access issues, and I know what they're gonna say, they did it with Microsoft Edge years ago, when Microsoft Edge came out, they knew it wasn't accessible. And they said, well, we'll get to it. Well, you know, that's, that's immediately sending the message that some of us are not as important as everyone else. We are, and I'm   David Shaffer  51:09 so sorry, I upgraded to Windows 11, I would never recommend that any visually impaired person right now until they get it fixed. It makes your life so much more difficult.   Michael Hingson  51:21 Well, but it's going to take a while to to happen. And the problem is that more and more things will become unsupported. So upgrading needs to be done. But there should be a real outcry to Microsoft, from a large number of people about the accessibility issues that they face in Windows 11. And that is something that gets back to what we discussed earlier. Microsoft should have made it accessible right from the outset right out of the gate, right. And they have the team, they have the people, they have the knowledge, it's a priority.   David Shaffer  52:02 While the priority for them is to get the product out the door, and then worry about, you know, the details later.   Michael Hingson  52:11 But still, the priority is to get the product out the door. So as many people can sort of use it as possible and the people who are marginalized well, we'll get to them eventually. Yeah, right, which is a problem. If people want to read your article, how can they do that?   David Shaffer  52:32 It's on my website, David Schaefer. lawn.com. Under the add a tab, Shaffer is spelled s AJ FF er.   Michael Hingson  52:43 So David Schaefer Law comm under the ADEA tab. Right. So what's next for you? Where do you go from here?   David Shaffer  52:53 Well, I'm, I'm also been retained by another organization, to do some congressional lobbying on behalf of ADA, making ADA explicitly include websites, and also to work to make work with them to make Congress itself accessible, working with how, with the congressional Select Committee on modernization, and, you know, we got to start somewhere, your congress has got to set the example for the country. And it's really pathetic, that the studies I've shown are that approximately 80 to 90% of congressional websites are inaccessible. And where there were their constituents to, and we have an equal right to communicate with our representatives, under the First Amendment as anybody else, and we're being deprived. And I think it's a serious issue for Congress that they've got a face, that they're not making themselves available to the entire population that's supposed to serve.   Michael Hingson  54:14 Good point. And hopefully, you'll be able to make some progress on that. We certainly want to hear from you as to how that's going. And you are welcome to come back here anytime and tell us what's happening and keep us all up to date. We really appreciate your time today. In sitting down with us and talking about a lot of these issues. Are there any kind of last minute things that you'd like to say?   David Shaffer  54:43 Oh, I just I just want to be treated the same as everybody else. And I think that's what all of us want. You know, you treat treat me like you would anybody else. with courtesy, and if it's an older person, you, you're courteous to them in a different way than you are a blind person or a deaf person. Just I'd like to see people treat people as people, and not according to what they look like, or are able to do is hear, see or or think.   Michael Hingson  55:23 Well, clearly, that's that's a goal. I think that all of us share. And I hope that we'll be able to, to see more of that happen. Excuse me, I know, being involved with accessiBe. It's an accessiBe goal. And I'm, I'm glad that accessiBe is really growing in its understanding of the issues, and that it intends to do more to try to do what it can to educate people in society about all of this. Okay, so that's part of what this podcast is about.   David Shaffer  56:00 Right. And I think we're well on our way there. We have more work to do. But we've made a lot of progress. Since I came on board and I think February I think you came on board just a little bit before that. Right. So we've, we've done a lot this year, and next year, it's gonna be even better.   Michael Hingson  56:22 Well, I hope people have enjoyed listening to this and that they've learned something. We're always interested in hearing from listeners, you are welcome to reach out to me directly at MichaelHI@accessibe.com. accessiBe, You spelled A C C E S S I B E. So michaelhi@accessibe.com. David, if you want people to be able to contact you. How do they do that?   David Shaffer  56:50 I'm david.shaffer@davidshafferlaw.com   Michael Hingson  56:57 is easy as it gets. Yeah,   David Shaffer  56:59 I try to make things easy.   Michael Hingson  57:01 Yeah, absolutely. So well, I want to thank you for being with us. We've been working to get this set up for a while you've had a pretty, pretty busy schedule. And so we're finally able to do we're able to do it. But seriously, we'd like to keep hearing from you as to what progress you're making and your thoughts. So don't hesitate to reach out and let us know if you'd like to come back on and we will chat some more. And in the meanwhile, again, if people want to reach out you can reach me at Michael Hingson. That is michaelhi@accessibe.com. And if you would like to consider being a guest on our podcast because you have some things to say, email me and we'll see what we can do. I want to thank you all for joining us on another edition of unstoppable mindset. And David, thank you as well for doing that   Michael Hingson  58:01 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

ENCORE: **This podcast was recorded on November 27, 2019.**DRNY PAAT, PATBI, and PAVA Program Director, Christy Asbee, Esq., discusses flight accessibility for travelers with wheelchairs and other mobility devices.**Resources**DOT Aviation Consumer Protection Division's Disability Hotline: 1-800-778-4838 File a Complaint with DOT: 202-366-2220Support the show (https://donate.democracyengine.com/DRNY/contribute)

Episode Description On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update, Clark and Swatha speak with an old friend of ACB, Claire Stanley, Public Policy Analyst at National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and co-Chair of the ACB Transportation Committee, to discuss air travel accessibility and the Air Carrier Access Act's (ACAA) 35th anniversary. They discuss the law's relevance in today's post ADA world, what the law means for blind and visually impaired travelers, and successes and areas of improvement regarding airline accessibility, including the ACAA Amendments Act (H.R. 1696/S.642). If you are facing accessibility barriers or believe the airline is discriminating against you based on your disability, you may file a complaint with the Department of Transportation Office of Aviation Consumer Protection: https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint.

ENCORE: **This podcast was recorded on February 5, 2020.**Christy Asbee esq., PAAT, PATBI, & PAVA Director at DRNY, discusses the difference between service animals and emotional support animals.Support the show (https://donate.democracyengine.com/DRNY/contribute)

Episode 40: Emotional Support Animals.Service Animals vs Emotional Support Animals, meet Ronica and Fred, HTN medications at night, jokes about being 40. Today is February 15, 2021.We hope you had a beautiful Valentine’s Day. Today I’d like to share some information that may be not so new anymore, but for some people it may be new. It’s about hypertension chronotherapy. An article published in AAFP News in November 2019 explains that taking hypertension medication at bedtime improves cardiovascular risk. This was a large prospective study that compared taking meds at bedtime vs taking meds in the morning. It was called The Hygia Chronotherapy Trial. It was originally published in October 2019 in the European Heart Journal. The study was conducted in Spain (ole!), and involved almost 20,000 patients with hypertension who were divided into two groups: One group took all their hypertension medications at bedtime, and another group took all their hypertension medications in the morning. In the next 6 years, 1,752 participants experienced cardiovascular-related death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, heart failure or stroke. And the good news is that the bedtime medication group showed an improved blood pressure control and lower risk than the morning medication group. Taking BP medications at bedtime dropped the death rate by 45%. Incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure were all significantly reduced. Taking thiazides at bedtime may be challenging, on the bright side, the study also found that moving only one medication to bedtime is still beneficial. This is Rio Bravo qWeek, your weekly dose of knowledge brought to you by the Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program from Bakersfield, California. Our program is affiliated with UCLA, and it’s sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista, Let Us Be Your Healthcare Home. Emotional Support AnimalsArreaza: Our guest does not need introduction because you have listened to her voice in several episodes, especially in our recent episode about menopause. Welcome, Valerie Civelli, it’s a pleasure to have you here. Random question, what is the farthest place you have visited? What will be talking about today?Civelli: Emotional Support Animals (ESA). Many people with disabilities use a service animal in order to fully participate in everyday life. Dogs can be trained to perform many important tasks to assist people with disabilities, such as providing stability for a person who has difficulty walking, picking up items for a person who uses a wheelchair, preventing a child with autism from wandering away, or alerting a person who has hearing loss when someone is approaching from behind.Arreaza: So, is it like a service animal? Civelli: Service animals and emotional support animals are not the same, so be sure to note the different. According to the APA, American Psychology Association:  Species: Any animal can be an emotional support animal. Under federal law, only dogs and miniature horses can be service animals[2]. Such is the case of Abrea Hensley who has flown from Nebraska to Chicago with her miniature mare, Flirty in August 2019. Arreaza: There was revival on the topic again. A story went viral in February 2020, one year ago, as Ronica Froese flew from Michigan to Ontario (California) with her service animal who is a miniature horse named Freckle Butt Fred, or Fred for short. They traveled together in first class. The picture went viral online, and it created positive and negative comments among travelers and internauts. Miniature horses were approved as service animals in 2011 by the ADA (Americans with Disability Act).Civelli: Purpose: An emotional support animal assists through its presence alone. A service animal is specially trained to perform tasks for someone with a disability. Training: An emotional support animal requires no training; all that's needed is a letter from a mental health professional explaining its therapeutic value. Service animals must undergo individualized training. Arreaza: Animals for sure generate a reaction in humans whenever they enter a room. Tell us about the legal protections. "An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ― Martin Buber. "An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." ― Martin BuberCivelli: While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects service animals, it does not cover emotional support animals. Emotional support animals are covered only under the Air Carrier Access Act and Fair Housing Act. Keep in mind, the criteria of mental or emotional disability is defined in the DSM 5, by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), the Fair Housing Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504), as well as the Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. 41705 and 14 C.F.R. 382).Arreaza: Where can service animals go?Civelli: A service animal can go anywhere its owner goes. While owners of emotional support animals may get away with bringing them into places where pets aren't allowed, the only places legally required to welcome them are aircraft—where they fly for free in the main cabin—and housing units.Arreaza: Or with the owner, and in the case of Fred, the miniature horse. However, Fred probably had his last flight because the US Department of Transportation now allows only service dogs to fly with their human owners in an airplane. Airlines may have different rules, but are required by law to accept service dogs only. So, before you fly with your service animal or emotional support animal, check with your airline. Civelli: Let’s talk about ESA letters. They can be written by any licensed mental health professional, such as a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist, which should state that pet therapy is an important part of your treatment plan. To get an ESA letter, you must consult professionals who are authorized to prescribe emotional support animal letters in your area. Here is a list of people who can prescribe an ESA Letter:A Primary Care PhysicianA Licensed TherapistAny Licensed Mental Health ProfessionalA Licensed General PhysicianArreaza: Elements that should be included on an ESA Letter: It must clearly state the patient suffers from a mental illness that can be managed by an emotional support animal. It should be on proper letterheadCivelli: And it should contain the following elements:Licensed person’s name and signatureLicense number, date of the license, and state where it’s issuedDate of issuanceState Patient’s name and date of birthPet details-optionalAlthough not required, it’s recommended to keep the letter updated each year. Arreaza: Let’s say you decide to take your service dog to a museum. What questions can employees ask you to determine if your dog is a service animal?Civelli: In situations where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person's disability.Arreaza: Do service animals have to wear a vest or patch or special harness identifying them as service animals?Civelli: No. The ADA does not require service animals to wear a vest, ID tag, or specific harness.Arreaza: Anxiety is a very prevalent condition, especially during these times of pandemic. If someone has a dog who calms when having an anxiety attack, does this qualify it as a service animal?Civelli: It depends. The ADA makes a distinction between psychiatric service animals and emotional support animals. If the dog has been trained to sense that an anxiety attack is about to happen and take a specific action to help avoid the attack or lessen its impact, that would qualify as a service animal. However, if the dog's mere presence provides comfort, that would not be considered a service animal under the ADA.Arreaza: A sample letter is provided in our website and also as a dot phrase in Epic. Just type .RIOBRAVOESA and a letter will pop up for your patient.Page Break                                             Sample Template for Emotional Support Animal Letter Date:  2/21/20ESA Breed: Dog, Golden RetrieverESA Name: Max To Whom It May Concern: Maria Gonzalez is currently a patient receiving care at our facility.  I am familiar with her/his medical history and with her functional limitations.  This person meets the criteria of mental or emotional disability as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM 5), the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), the Fair Housing Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504), as well as the Air Carrier Access Act (49 U.S.C. 41705 and 14 C.F.R. 382). This individual has certain limitations associated to social interactions and coping with stressful situations.   To enable his/her ability to live independently and alleviate these difficulties, Maria Gonzalez has an emotional support animal (ESA).  The ESA is necessary to mitigate symptoms experienced. In the setting of airline travel and/or hotel stay, please allow her/him to have the ESA accompanied by her/him at all times as needed.  Sincerely,      Alan Smith Alan P. Smith, MDMedical License #: 12345Date of License Issued: 1/1/1985NPI #: 17283930Medical Board of California  Clinical Sierra Vista|7800 E. Niles St.|Bakersfield, CA 93306| 661-328-4284 ___________________________Questions of the Month: Diabetes management by Ikenna Nwosu, MDHi, I’m Ike, I’m a first-year resident, and today I’m filling in for Dr Carranza, who normally hosts the question of the month. We are happy to inform that we have a winner! Her name is Lubna Nasr. We chose her answer because it’s the most accurate and concise of all the answers. Question: What is the first treatment approach for type 2 diabetes mellitus? For example, for a patient who had polydipsia, polyuria for a few weeks, and at your office had a random BG of 210.  Ok, let’s call our winner. Answer: The first treatment approach for this patient includes diabetes education, intensive lifestyle modification and Hemoglobin A1c measurement.  Diabetes education: Participation in a comprehensive diabetes self-management education program to learn more about the disease, glucose monitoring, management and complications.  Intensive lifestyle modification (nutrition, physical activity and weight reduction): Nutrition should be based on foods who are low in carbs, include proteins and good fats.  Physical activity: focusing on aerobic exercise (150 minutes weekly or more, at least 3days/week, AND resistance training with free weights or weight machines (2–3 sessions/week).  Hemoglobin A1c measurement: To determine if the patient needs to start treatment with metformin and/or other medications for diabetes, including insulin, if indicated. ____________________________For your Sanity: 40by Steven SaitoThis is our 40th episode, so we have some jokes related to being 40 years old. 40 is the perfect age for people. You’re old enough to recognize your mistakes but young enough to make some more. 40 — it’s all fun until it happens to you! You know you’re 40 when your back is hairier than your head. You know you’re 40 when you have a party and the neighbors don’t even realize it. You know you’re 40 when someone offers you a seat on the bus. And you don’t refuse it._____________________________Now we conclude our episode number 40 “Emotional Support Animals”. Dr. Civelli explained that Emotional Support Animals are companions to provide comfort to patients, but they do not have a particular skill and do not need training. We congratulate Lubna for her concise answer about diabetes management. Diabetes is the bread and butter of primary care, you “gotta” learn diabetes if you want to make a positive impact in your community. We’ll bring you another question next week. Remember, even without trying, every night you go to bed being a little wiser.Thanks for listening to Rio Bravo qWeek. If you have any feedback about this podcast, contact us by email RBresidency@clinicasierravista.org, or visit our website riobravofmrp.org/qweek. This podcast was created with educational purposes only. Visit your primary care physician for additional medical advice. This week we thank Hector Arreaza, Ariana Lundquist, Valerie Civelli, Claudia Carranza, and Ikenna Nwosu. Audio edition: Suraj Amrutia. See you next week! _____________________References:Crawford, Chris, “Taking Hypertension Medication at Bedtime Improves CVD Risk”, AAFP News, https://www.aafp.org/news/health-of-the-public/20191106bedtimehbpmeds.html. O’Kane, Caitlin, “A woman took her 115-pound miniature horse on a plane as a service animal. Now, she's worried it could be his last flight”, CBS News, February 20, 2020, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/miniature-horse-on-plane-woman-took-service-animal-flight-could-be-his-last-airlines/ U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Disability Rights Section, Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA, accessed = February 11, 2021. https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html “Emotional support animal vs. psychiatric service animal”, Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, September 2016, Vol 47, No. 8, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/09/pet-aid-sidebar.  

Abby Volin, Esq., president of Opening Doors PLLC, speaks with Communities Program Attorney Andrea Rodricks about Animal Accommodation Law. Discussions include the new regulations for animal accommodations on aircrafts under the Air Carrier Access Act, Fair Housing law for service and assistance animals, why pet owners are particularly vulnerable during the eviction crisis. Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.

Information Corner – Accessible Travels: As we are in the midst of the holiday season, join Ray Campbell and Claire Stanley from the IRPS steering committee, to talk about accessibility and accommodation rights for travelers who are blind and visually impaired. Claire will help you understand your rights under laws like the ADA and the Air Carrier Access Act to prepare you to travel with ease. An Ray Campbell, who works in the air industry himself, will offer helpful and informative knowledge on such travel. Sponsored by the Information Referral and Peer Support Steering Committee

Kathleen opens the show with a freshly poured spicy bloody Mary, mixed with Sausage Tree Irish vodka in her favorite Imo’s Pizza pint glass. DOLLY PARTON QUOTE: Kathleen reads a Dolly Parton quote involving men’s intentions and her own female intuition. “BAD GOOD FOOD”: In her quest for new and delicious not-so-nutritious junk food, Kathleen describes to listeners the taste of Hershey’s Kisses new limited edition Sugar Cookie candy, which she samples for the first time while recording the Pubcast and immediately realizes that the candy doesn’t pair well with a bloody Mary. Kathleen recovers and tells listeners that the newly released Gingerbread Oreo cookies will get anyone in the holiday spirit even during a pandemic, and if those don’t make you break out your reindeer bells she recommends Cheetos White Cheddar Snowflakes (which actually pair well with everything that Kathleen drinks ☺)KATHLEEN’S QUEENS GET BUSY: Kathleen follows up on her story from EP 17 regarding Cher traveling to Pakistan over Thanksgiving to meet an elephant named Kaavan. Cher has been lobbying to relocate the pachyderm from its most recent home at the Islamabad Zoo to a sanctuary in Cambodia, and she flew to meet and serenade Kaavan before his departure for his new home. Stevie Nicks announced this week that she has sold a majority of her publishing catalog to publisher Primary Wave for a reported $100 million. Kathleen goes off on Stevie for selling her precious hits that Kathleen loves so dearly, and is upset to advise listeners that along with the catalog purchase, Primary Wave also has access to Nicks’s name and likeness, and has established a partnership with the singer to allow her to sign new songwriters in a joint venture. Kathleen finishes her rant telling listeners that she’s considering starting a Go-Fund-Me for Stevie to prevent further insane decisions in the future on behalf of her most devoted fans. HOLIDAY CHRISMAS MOVIE TIME: Kathleen has become somewhat addicted to the cheesy nature of Hallmark Christmas movies, disclosing to listeners that she watches at least one movie every night during the holiday season. She has branched out from the original Hallmark Channel to also watch holiday movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel, Lifetime, and Netflix. Kathleen has created her “Good” and “Bad” list of common themes in the majority of these movie plots, DEATH OF A SLIM JIM: In keeping with her gas station food palette, Kathleen tells listeners that she LOVES Slim Jim jerky snacks, and is extremely sad to hear that the inventor of the Slim Jim recently passed away from complications of COVID-19. Alonzo “Lon” T. Adams II died at the age of 95 in North Carolina, and spent the better part of his 25+ year career at GoodMark Foods perfecting the current recipe for the classic Slim Jim. ANIMALS MOST LIKELY TO KILL YOU BY STATE: Kathleen continues with the new segment of the Pubcast: Animals Most Likely to Kill You (By State), as reported by the Center for Disease Control. If you live in Arkansas or Idaho and die by animal encounter, you’ve most likely run into a bear. FEMALE FANS AND THE NFL: Kathleen is alarmed when she reads to listeners the recent comments from NBC NFL sportscaster Cris Collinsworth regarding women’s knowledge of football. While broadcasting a recent Pittsburgh Steelers game, Collinsworth stated that he was “blown away” by the questions from female fans of the team, which came across as extremely sexist when he insinuated that female fans don’t have a lot of general knowledge about how football is played. Kathleen tells listeners that the irony of those comments is that Collinsworth has worked with veteran sideline reporter Michele Tafoya for years now, and he has also worked on segments involving female NFL coaches. Kathleen boasts that her favorite sportscasters include Greg Gumbel, Bob Ley, and Mike Tirico, and that she and her mom beat her dad every week in the family NFL pool proving that women actually DO use their football knowledge in the Madigan family tree. TIGER BITE AT BIG CAT RESCUE: Like many listeners, Kathleen was obsessed with the Netflix documentary “Tiger King” about private zoo owner Joe Exotic and his feud with Carole Baskin from Tampa-based Big Cat Rescue. Baskin’s big cat sanctuary has come back into the national news last week when a volunteer nearly had her arm torn off by a tiger. Kathleen reviews the circumstances surrounding the incident, and also Baskin’s two dismal performances on Season 29 of ABC’s reality show “Dancing With the Stars.” AIRLINES VS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS: As a frequent flier, Kathleen has strong feelings regarding Emotional Support Animals flying on commercial planes. Until November 2020, the federal government had no law regarding emotional support animals, which effectively required airlines to accommodate any animal that was presented with appropriate documentation from a doctor as a service animal. Airlines maintain that the old policy under the Air Carrier Access Act had been abused and was dangerous to flight crews and passengers, and as a result US Department of Transportation has ruled that only dogs qualify as service animals. Kathleen secretly loved seeing strange Support Animals in the airport every week, including kangaroos, monkeys, and the infamous peacock that made national news when its owner said she couldn’t fly without it. ZOMBIE MINK: Kathleen reads an article from Denmark where several thousand mink carcasses rose from the ground weeks after being buried. Denmark is one of the mink capitals of the world supplying pelts for the global fur industry, and these particular group of weasels were believed to be carriers of the COVID-19 virus. Kathleen evaluates the horror experienced by locals at the sight of the dead animals. 2020 CHRISTMAS STAR: Kathleen tells listeners of a rare occurrence set to take place December 21st, 2020 when Jupiter and Saturn will cross paths and appear to be a mega-star, or “Christmas Star.” Historians believe that the Three Wise Men tracking the birth of Jesus could have been following a similar celestial event, rather than the recorded “Star of Nazareth.”JESUS’ CHILDHOOD HOME DISCOVERED: Kathleen shares breaking news from Jerusalem with listeners, where archaeologists believe to have discovered the childhood home of Jesus. MYSTERY OF THE WEEK: Kathleen discusses the mystery behind the buried treasure of New York City gangster Dutch Schultz. Three groups of treasure hunters are looking for the missing loot, and PBS has released the documentary “Secrets Of The Dead: Gangster’s Gold” detailing the history of Schultz, and the hunt for his missing fortune.

This week on the ACB Advocacy Update podcast, Claire Stanley speaks with Heather Ansley from Paralyzed Veterans of America. The two discuss the first in-person meeting of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) Advisory Committee. Learn about the committee members, the topics they will be advising on, and how you can help provide valuable input to the committee. To learn more about Paralyzed Veterans of America, visit: https://pva.org/

This week on the ACB Advocacy Update podcast, Claire Stanley speaks with Heather Ansley from Paralyzed Veterans of America. The two discuss the first in-person meeting of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) Advisory Committee. Learn about the committee members, the topics they will be advising on, and how you can help provide valuable input to the committee. To learn more about Paralyzed Veterans of America, visit: https://pva.org/

This week on the ACB Advocacy Update podcast, Claire Stanley speaks with Heather Ansley from Paralyzed Veterans of America. The two discuss the first in-person meeting of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) Advisory Committee. Learn about the committee members, the topics they will be advising on, and how you can help provide valuable input to the committee. To learn more about Paralyzed Veterans of America, visit: https://pva.org/

An emotional support animal (ESA) is a type of assistance animal that alleviates a symptom or effect of a person's disability. An emotional support animal is not a pet and is generally not restricted by species. An emotional support animal differs from a service animal. Service animals are trained to perform specific tasks (such as helping a blind person navigate), while emotional support animals receive no specific training, nor even, necessarily, any training at all. (It therefore stands that in the setting of mental illness, whether or not the animal is a "service animal" vs. an emotional support animal would hinge on whether or not it is formally trained to do something specific to mitigate the mental illness.) Any animal that provides support, well-being, comfort, or aid, to an individual through companionship, unconditional positive regard, and affection may be regarded as an emotional support animal. In the U.S., people with emotional or mental disabilities can be exempted from certain federal housing and travel rules if they own an emotional support animal. To receive that exemption, they must meet the federal definition of disabled, and they must present a letter from a certified healthcare provider, stating that the animal provides emotional support that alleviates one or more of the symptoms or effects of the disability. Emotional support animals are typically cats and dogs, but may be members of other animal species. In relation to whether or not an emotional support animal should be allowed in a rental property, it is thus necessary to perform an individualized assessment of the specific assistance animal to determine if it poses a direct threat of harm or would cause substantial property damage, and not to assume that an animal is excluded based upon breed or species. Although a wild or exotic animal that poses an increase risk of disease or potential attack upon other people may potentially be excluded, courts have recognized species including guinea pigs and miniature horses as emotional support animals. Laws and regulations that allow service animals to be taken into businesses or onto aircraft may give the service provider discretion to deny admission to unusual service animals. For example, under the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines are never required to accommodate unusual animals such as ferrets, rodents, snakes and other reptiles, or spiders within the passenger cabin of an airplane. In 2018, Delta Air Lines banned pit bulls and similar breeds of dogs from the passenger compartment of their aircraft as emotional support animals, after a pit bull traveling as an emotional support animal bit two employees. Most airlines will allow emotional support animals, with proper documentation from a veterinarian and/or mental health counselor, and small animals such as cats and dogs can be held on the passenger's lap during the flight. There is no requirement under federal law for emotional support animals to wear a tag, harness, or clothing of any type indicating they are emotional support animals. Emotional support animals do not need to have any special training. There are no training requirements for emotional support animals. Emotional support animals typically have no training beyond what would be expected for the same type of animal. Emotional support animals need not perform any tasks other than what a pet of the same species would perform, and may display unwanted behaviors, such as defecating or urinating in inappropriate places, growling and barking at people, or biting them. Both poorly trained emotional support animals and poorly trained pets that are being fraudulently passed off as emotional support animals represent a threat to the health, safety, and function of both people and trained service animals. To qualify for an emotional support animal in the US, its owner must have an emotional or mental disability that is certified by a mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or other licensed mental health care provider. These may be invisible disabilities. The owner's mental health impairment must be substantial enough to produce disability, rather than discomfort or a desire to have a pet. Furthermore, for the provider to certify the animal, non-fraudulently, the emotional support animal's presence must provide a significant benefit, that makes the difference between the person functioning adequately and not. An emotional support animal letter, or an ESA letter, is a document that qualifies people to be accompanied by a support animal in contexts in which pets might not be permitted, such as in rental housing or mass transportation. The letter must be issued by a psychiatrist, qualified mental health professional, or physician. The professional who issues an ESA letter need not be the recipient's primary care physician, and some doctors may refer patients who are seeking an ESA to psychologists or other professionals. Under US Department of Transportation, rules, the doctor or mental health professional who issues the letter must be currently providing treatment to the passenger. Airlines are not obligated to accept certificates or letters that are more than one year old, and may require that the certification be provided on the letterhead of a licensed mental health professional or doctor who is specifically treating the passenger's mental or emotional disability. ESA owners are currently permitted to have their animals with them on commercial flights in the US, with the proper papers saying they are under the care. While there do not seem to be any cases dealing with the issue of multiple emotional support animals, the basic requirements for this accommodation would be the same. Thus, if a disabled person claimed to need multiple emotional support animals, he or she would need documentation supporting this claim from his or her psychologist or other licensed healthcare professional. The practitioner would need to provide documentation that each support animal alleviated some symptom of the disability. As of 2018, Delta Air Lines limits free travel for emotional support animals to one animal per ticketed passenger. The ability to avoid extra costs, such as paying damage deposits for pets in a rental apartment or extra baggage fees for taking an animal on an airplane, has resulted in some people misrepresenting their pets as ESAs. Following a 2018 incident in which a woman tried to board a flight with her peacock, airlines have tightened their requirements for flying with an ESA. In some US states, providing a letter, registry, or certificate to a person who is not disabled is a crime. Many states have made it a criminal misdemeanor to make false claims stating that their animal is an assistance animal or to say they are a handler training an assistance animal. States that have passed laws criminalizing the misrepresentation of service and assistance animals include Alabama, Arizona,California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington State.

Hello and welcome to Q&A day here at  Day in Washington. Today’s question comes from a panel I was on as a part of  a Disability session for the State Department. I thought it was a fantastic question so am including it in here.  QUESTION: I was wondering if you were comfortable addressing the difference between service animals and support animals and kind of elaborate on the topic of service animals in the workplace. ANSWER: Nowadays there are a lot of questions about service animals, service dogs, psychiatric service animals, emotional support animals - I could go on and on - what is the difference and what does the law say. There is a lot of confusion, in part, because there are multiple laws that cover service animals. Even the terminology differs! Let me start with the Americans with Disabilities Act. That is the law that people are most familiar with. The ADA and its regulations are under the purview of the Department of Justice. Laws are usually pretty vague. Think along the lines such as “thou shalt not discriminate against some with a disability”.  Regulations, written by Federal Agencies flesh that out into the rules of access. So the Department of Justice has detailed out the rules around service animals under the ADA. They just rewrote their regulations on service animals in 2010. In it they defined a service animal as a, “dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.  The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability.” These dogs are allowed out in public spaces because they assist the person to actually manage their disability and BE out in these “places of public accommodation.” Note they specifically only refer to dogs. The original regulations just said “animal” but it is now dogs only. So….does this count if the dog is for a mental health condition? Yes. If the dog is trained to perform a task that helps mitigate the individual’s disability. So the dog is actually DOING something. A psychiatric service dog, if you will. Also, let me just add, under the ADA you are NOT required to provide any paperwork or “proof” that the animal is a service animal. You can be asked “Is that a service animal?” and “What task does he/she do for you?” and that is it. So……..how is this different from an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)? Well, remember how we were talking about service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act? And how it is managed by the Department of Justice? Well, the Fair Housing Act deals with discrimination in housing and falls under the purview of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. So this relates to animals and housing NOT out in public (although some folks will try to take ESAs out in public and argue that it is acceptable. Short answer - no it is not). Their definition includes “Emotional Support Animals” that provide support and help to ameliorate the symptoms of disabilities such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Note, unlike DOJ’s definition where the dog is trained to do specific tasks (including to assist with psychiatric health conditions), the emotional support animal helps an individual’s mental health by its companionship alone. It isn’t necessarily trained to do anything. Also note, the Fair Housing Act uses the term “animal” so it not restricted to dogs. There have been cats, birds, reptiles, and many other species. For the Fair Housing Act, all an individual needs to do is provide a letter from their physician stating their need for an emotional support animal. So now, let’s go to the most recent of laws that talks about service animals – the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).  Rather than choosing to follow the DOJ or HUD, they created their own definition that is a bit of a mix of both of the older regulations. Under the Air Carrier Access Act a service animal is “any animal that is individually trained or able to provide a...

Delta Airlines announced Wednesday that it will no longer allow “pit bull type” dogs as service or support animals on board its aircrafts starting on July 10. Delta customers will also be limited to one emotional support animal per flight from that date forward, per the new policy. “Pit bull type” dogs will be added to a long list of service and support animals that are banned from flying Delta, including goats, hedgehogs, and birds of prey. “These updates, which come as the peak summer travel season is underway, are the direct result of growing safety concerns following recent incidents in which several employees were bitten,” the company said in a statement announcing the decision. “The safety and security of Delta people and our customers is always our top priority,” Delta Chief Operating Officer Gil West said in the statement. “We will always review and enhance our policies and procedures to ensure that Delta remains a leader in safety.” Pit bull owners are NOT happy about this decision, to put it mildly. hey @Delta, fuck you. My support dog is a pittbull and I’ll GLADLY use a different airline with my ESA Pitbull ? it’s bullshit that you won’t recognize her as a support animal because of her BREED. pic.twitter.com/G6WprcNuOU — gracie morse (@graciemorsee) June 21, 2018 DON'T FLY @Delta THEY ARE ANTI PITBULL ?? SHAMEFUL ? #DontBullyMyBreed #EndBSL — My Red Smog (@Mygreatredmare) June 20, 2018 F*ck you, @Delta. No dog breed is inherently violent. #endBSL — Chewie (@chewie_the_dawg) June 21, 2018 Some people pointed out that “pit bull type” doesn’t specify any one breed and can be applied to many different dogs. Hi @Delta. Platinum medallion flyer here. Can you explain what you think a “pit bull type dog” is? That’s not actually a breed. What is the basis for your decision? — Lizzie O'Leary (@lizzieohreally) June 21, 2018 Really @Delta ? You’re banning “pit bull type dogs” as support dogs?! Disgusting how you think it’s okay to vilify an entire breed. I guess this includes my sweet boy as well as @scrowder ‘s @HopperCrowder pic.twitter.com/qQqOCm3yen — Maxine (@Irate_Ginger) June 21, 2018 Others on Twitter argued that banning a breed as a service animal violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, but commercial airlines are exempt from the ADA. The Air Carrier Access Act is the federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities in air travel. Are you kidding me, @delta? The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against the use of service dogs in public spaces, INCLUDING breed-specific discrimination. Also, "pit bull type dog" is not a breed. — Nikki Burdine (@NikkiBurdine) June 21, 2018 The ACAA section of the Department of Transportation’s website doesn’t mention dog breeds when talking about how the law applies to service animals on planes, but it also doesn’t say that airlines aren’t allowed to exclude certain breeds. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals released a statement criticizing Delta’s decision Thursday afternoon, saying that the new policy “does not achieve its stated public safety aim and spreads false and life-threatening stereotypes.” A statement from @ASPCA CEO Matt Bershadker about @Delta’s policy to ban pit bulls. pic.twitter.com/R42IA2wHKX — ASPCA (@ASPCA) June 21, 2018 BuzzFeed News has reached out to Delta Airlines for comment and clarification on what the airline means by “pit bull type dogs.” The post Delta Just Banned “Pit Bull Type” Dogs As Service And Support Animals And People Are Pissed appeared first on DAPULSE.

Matt and Tony start the show discussing something they have a mutual appreciation for, animals. They begin riffing on service animals and how now a day’s people take them EVERYWHERE, especially in Los Angeles. They delve into some of the rules and regulations of service animals and the different types of service animals. They joke about the lengths people have gone to, to validate their “service” animal.     Highlights: [3:21] – What makes a dog a service dog and what venues are service dogs allowed in? [04:26] – The history of the first “assistance” dog began in 1929 with the establishment of the first guide dog school called “Seeing Eye” This was for the blind [06:15] – It wasn’t until the 1970s that people began getting service dogs for other disabilities. Bonnie Bergan started the push for this and created Canine companions for independence. [06:50] – The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog or other dog that is trained to provide assistance to someone who is disabled [08:24] – Emotional support dogs are different from service dogs. They’re just meant to provide emotional comfort. In order to get one you need a letter from a mental health professional [14:09] – According to the Air Carrier Access Act, emotional support animals can fly with you [15:36] – You can have other animals for emotional support, but only dogs can be service animals [21:20] – Dolphin Therapy Research Centers for kids with Autism Twitter: @mattritter1 @toekneesam Website: www.cascademedia.com

We talk disability discrimination and ignorance at the hands of airlines on this episode.Jonathan recounts a less than optimal experience he and Bonnie recently had with a New Zealand airline, Jetstar.He then speaks with Sue Martin, who was the victim of repeated violations of US federal law, humiliation and intimidation by American Airlines.Penny Reeder, President of Guide Dog Users Incorporated, joins Jonathan to discuss Sue's experience and the state of airline travel for blind people in general.Know your rights. If you're in the United States, or you ever travel there, read this summary from the US Department of Transportation of the Air Carrier Access Act. https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilitiesSupport the Blind Side by checking out HMA VPN. http://mosen.org/hma

We talk disability discrimination and ignorance at the hands of airlines on this episode. Jonathan recounts a less than optimal experience he and Bonnie recently had with a New Zealand airline, Jetstar. He then speaks with Sue Martin, who was the victim of repeated violations of US federal law, humiliation and intimidation by American Airlines. Penny Reeder, President of Guide Dog Users Incorporated, joins Jonathan to discuss Sue’s experience and the state of airline travel for blind people in general. Know your rights. If you’re in the United States, or you ever travel there, read this summary from the US Department of Transportation of the Air Carrier Access Act. https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/passengers-disabilities Support the Blind Side by checking out HMA VPN. http://mosen.org/hma

From the Mother Nature Network web site www.MNN.com  The confusing world of service dogsmnn.com The term "service dog" is used a lot in public these days. What was once an assistance animal for blind or deaf individuals, highly trained service dogs are now helping people with a wide range of disabilities, acting as seizure alert dogs, PTSD service dogs, alerting a handler with diabetes to when his blood sugar dips, and so much more.However, as an understanding of the broadened range of what a trained service animal can do reaches the general public, and with the important work the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has done to increase public accessibility and privacy for people with service animals, it has become common for people to call their pets service animals even when they don't meet the legal definition.Related reading: 11 things that humans do that dogs hateA lot of people are interested in calling their pet dogs service animals for reasons that have little to do with mitigating the effects of a disability. Maybe it's so they can bring their pet along on shopping trips, bring them on the plane with them during vacation, or get around housing restrictions for pets. Whatever the reason, claiming your dog is a service animal is no small thing. Those who want to have a dog as a constant companion or a working animal need to be aware of everything that claim entails legally — not to mention how it can effect the reputation of trained service animals everywhere.Service dog versus therapy dog versus emotional support animalThere can be a lot of confusion about the different titles for dogs, particularly when it comes to public access. However, as Please Don't Pet Me points out, "Differentiating between service dogs, therapy dogs and emotional support animals is not a matter of splitting hairs or political correctness. Each of these dogs has a very different job from the others and the terms are not interchangeable."Service dogs have been trained to perform specific tasks that help mitigate a handler's disability.A therapy dog provides comfort to people, particularly in hospitals, nursing homes and schools. While therapy dogs receive training on how to handle themselves in public and around the people they're comforting, they are not trained to do specific tasks to help with a disability.Emotional support animals (ESAs) are pets that provide a high level of comfort to the owner and do not have to have any training.The only animal that legally can go to any public place the handler goes is a service dog.ESAs have some additional legal protection under the Fair Housing Act; a person whose doctor has recommended they have an ESA can have their pet living with them, even in housing that has pet restrictions. They also have some protection under the Air Carrier Access Act, which allows a person with documentation to have their pet travel with them. However, an ESA is still a pet, not a service animal, and does not have the same public access as a service animal. In other words, while you can have your ESA living with you in a no-pet apartment, you can't bring your ESA to the grocery store or coffee shop.The American with Disabilities Act has an excellent FAQ that helps clarify the differences among service dogs, therapy dogs and ESAs. It can be a bit confusing even for those familiar with the territory, so it's easy to imagine the confusion and frustration of business owners or other service providers who have to deal with people who claim a therapy dog or ESA is a service animal.A working dog helps a vision-impaired handler. (Photo: Cylonphoto/Shutterstock)So how do you know if a dog is legally considered a service animal? Ultimately, it's quite simple: A dog is considered a service dog under the law when that dog trained to perform specific tasks that mitigate the handler's disability. It doesn't matter the type of disability the handler has, or whether that disability is physical or psychological.To be allowed to go everywhere with a handler, not only must a dog be able to do a job, but the dog must also stay under the handler's control at all times. In other words, the dog needs to be leashed or harnessed and has to be able to mind his manners. A significant amount of training goes into a service dog's ability to be polite in public. The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners has a standard for the minimum training requirements for public access.There's no overarching organization that deems a dog a service dog and provides certification as such. If you have a physical or psychological disability, your dog consistently and reliably performs tasks that help you with a disability, and your dog has the obedience training to behave in public, then your dog is legally considered a service dog — no paperwork, special certifications or listing in a registry required.But as with any system, there are those who play by the rules and those who don't. Many people willingly "certify" their dogs to get the official-looking paperwork that might wave off a questioning business owner. And that's where things can get hairy.Fake service dogs are a big problemThere has been a public backlash against people who take fake service dogs into public places, and rightfully so. It isn't just about the issue of lying for your own benefit; it's also about the danger the owner is creating for the animal, for other people, and for legitimate service dogs that may find themselves next to an unruly pet."Fake service dogs present a problem for legitimate service dog teams in a number of ways," says Erin Kramer, a professional dog trainer and owner of Tug Dogs. "The first and most widespread is that by taking untrained dogs into public spaces and masking them as service dogs, when they do act inappropriately, it makes it more challenging for legitimate service dogs to be welcomed."For instance, many people put their dogs in shopping carts or allow them to sit on chairs in restaurants. Neither of these activities are allowed for service dogs. Or the owner may allow the dog to go sniff other people, or to seek out attention from strangers or to bark excessively — also behaviors considered unacceptable in trained service dogs. People claiming to have a service animal but who really have an untrained pet with them harm the reputation of legitimate service dogs and make it harder for people with working dogs to gain the respect of business owners, people who grant access to public places, and the public in general.Service dogs don't sit at the table, unless it's for a very specific task that requires contact with their handler. When you see people let their dogs sit at the table with them, that's a good indication the dog is probably a pet. (Photo: Olesia Bilkei/Shutterstock)"Illegitimate service dogs often end up unknowingly teaching poor habits to the general public by allowing people to pet or interact with their (so called) service dog." Kramer states, "If your dog is not performing a task for you, it's no big deal to have them busy trying to greet strangers. However, when you have an actual service dog who is there to assist you in some way, you need them focused on their job. Service dog handlers already have to deal with the general public attempting to interact with and otherwise distract their dog. When someone has been able to pet and interact with what they believe to be a legitimate service dog, it can be confusing or disturbing when you have to tell them your dog cannot be petted."Fake service dogs can also cause problems for legitimate service dog-and-handler teams by being reactive or approaching other days to play."Fake service dogs can create problems while out and about for actual service dogs by reacting negatively, such as lunging, barking, growling, and other inappropriate behavior in confined spaces such as at restaurants and in shops," says Kramer. "If a service dog is having to worry about another dog acting aggressively towards them, they cannot focus on their handler's needs, and that can be downright dangerous."As a result, service dogs that have undergone years of training may have to be rehabilitated or retired after being attacked by fake service dogs — and such a loss is a significant one to the handler who needs a working dog to navigate the world.The problems of fake service dogs go way beyond the perception issue. There's also the impact on the well-being of fake service dogs.Colt Rosensweig writes, "Service dogs are specially trained to deal with things like children racing up to them and invading their space, adults randomly reaching for their heads, shopping carts rattling by inches from their face, and crowds pressing in on them from every direction. These things can stress pet dogs out beyond their threshold. Some pet dogs will shut down in the face of such stress — this is very unpleasant for the dog. But some dogs will be so stressed out that they lash out. This is not only unpleasant for the dog, but dangerous to the dog, owner, and members of the public."The problem isn't limited to people who propagate the fake service dog myth, but also to websites that claim to register dogs as service animals or ESAs. Not only does this confuse pet owners, who might think they're playing by the rules by registering their animal, but the certificates or identification cards mailed out to pet owners who flash them in public can cause even more confusion.Are online service animal registries legitimate?Unfortunately, the reality is most websites that offer registration or certification for service animals or emotional support animals are in it to make money and aren't giving you anything of legal value. Not only is there no official certifying organization for service dogs, you don't even need to carry certification for your service dog. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require service animals to be certified or registered with any company or organization.Service Dog Central writes, "There is no legitimate service dog certification or registration in the United States. Some programs will certify the dogs they train and test, and some do not. Those certificates are the only ones that actually mean anything, and they only mean anything if you have to go to court and prove your dog is trained. They are not required; they are merely useful documentation for the dog's training, which could be substantiated by other means. You don't need them for public access, or housing, or flying, or anything else."Some websites offer a doctor's letter for a fee to those who want to be able to have their pet considered an emotional support animal or service animal for various reasons. Others will register the animal in their database and send out identification cards and a certificate so that everything feels official, even if it isn't. Some services will even charge an annual renewal fee to keep the animal registered, or to renew the doctor's letter each year. Ultimately, while it might help you feel more official, registering your animal with one of these registration services doesn't give you any additional legal protection or status for your pet. Still, some owners want that card.Service Dog Central has a list of scam registration websites, and notes, "Not a single service listed above tests the dogs they certify, register, or ID. They do nothing to verify the dog's training or the owner's disability. All that is required is that the purchaser fill out a form with the information for the certificate and where to mail it, and include payment ranging from $35 to over $200 depending on the package being purchased.""Quite honestly, the registration of the dog on a website is the lowest of our priorities when we train or provide a service dog," says Kramer. "Putting that goal first is a big mix-up in proprieties. I think focusing too much on how and where to buy a vest or register a dog misses the most important element of the service dog experience: having a dog who can do their job."Sometimes, having a card as identification to clip on to your dog's vest makes it easier for those training a service dog to navigate public spaces without being hassled by store owners. But sometimes, whipping out that identification at the slightest questioning does more harm than good.Legally, a business owner can ask only two things: Is your dog a service animal? And what tasks is the dog trained to perform? That's it. Those people presenting the identification to business owners when questioned about their dog unwittingly train the business owner that documentation is available and should be presented. When a legitimate service dog team refuses to show documentation — because legally, they don't have to — the business owner may think that this legitimate team is actually a fake.Can you train your pet to be a service dog?Legally, someone can train a dog to be a service animal, but there's a big caveat here: Most pets are not cut out to be service animals. Beyond being trained to perform specific tasks to help mitigate a handler's disability, a service dog needs to have excellent behavior while in public and be calm despite anything happening around them. The world can be a stressful, scary place for a dog — from loud cars to construction noise, to the chaos of a busy store, to children running up, to people trying to get their attention to give them affection or food, to having to experience something new such as riding on a new form of transportation.A service dog needs to have the mental tools to navigate that loud, hectic world for themselves while also paying attention to the needs of the handler and being able to do the tasks they've been trained to do. It's not a job for any pet. Even dogs bred specifically for the temperament of a service dog "fail" service dog training school for various reasons.So while there may be the option for you to train your dog as a service animal, it's important to realize that your dog likely may not have what it takes to be an effective helper. You also have to realize it takes upward of a year of intense daily training of your dog, and continued training throughout the dog's lifetime to maintain those skills, so it also might be something you as a dog owner don't wish to take on — especially if your only goal is to legally be able to take your pet with you everywhere you go.Training your dog to be a service dog needs to come from the right place and to happen for the right reasons because it's a serious long-term commitment — and it also affects the reputation of legitimate service dogs everywhere.How to train your dog to be a (legal) service dog"There is a lot of confusion out there about what it takes to have a service dog who meets legal requirements and can perform the tasks required of them, or to turn your own dog into a service dog," says Kramer. "With different regional regulations, conflicting internet information, and even many trainers not knowing some of the details, it can be challenging just to figure out how to get started."If you and a medical professional feel a service dog would benefit you, and you think your pet dog is an ideal candidate, the best place to start is to find a reliable trainer who has experience in training both service dogs and handlers. Not only is it important that the trainer have excellent skills with dogs but because you will be doing practically all of the hands-on training, they need to be good at teaching people as well. The trainer will guide you on thedaily training and how to build up to advanced skills for your dog.Do your research in finding the right trainer for you. Then set up an evaluation so the trainer can let you know if she thinks your dog will be able to handle the responsibility. Be prepared to hear that your pet should remain a pet. However, if both of you have what it takes to tackle training, then you'll be able to move forward in what will likely be many months, if not a year or two, of daily work.Kramer gives an overview of what to expect with her program: "We first ensure our clients meet legal requirements by having a doctor's note indicating that in fact they would benefit from the use of a service animal. We then look at the team (handler and dog) to see how they interact, what weaknesses are present, and what tasks need to be trained."A service dog in training is not yet legally recognized as a service dog. However, some states are more lenient about providing public access to service dogs in training to help teach them how to behave in public. For instance, California allows a person with a disability who is training a service dog, or a licensed trainer to have the dog with him in a public place for training purposes. Check with your city and state to know the laws about public access.Building your dog's service skills is a long process. "We work toward the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test in the early stages of training, and then public access standards as set by Assistance Dogs International," says Kramer "If, at the end of this rigorous process a client chooses to register with an online resource, they can do so knowing that their dog has met all the requirements and can actually do the job they need to do."Ultimately the final exam for a service dog is this: Can a service dog perform tasks that help a handler cope with a disability and be with that handler at all times, remaining calm in any public situation? Federal law allows businesses and organizations to remove a service dog that is out of control or that isn't housebroken. Your service dog's training and your abilities as a handler are the real access pass to public places, not some certificate bought online."Certifications and ID cards can be faked," Rosensweig writes. "Impeccable behavior can’t be purchased for $50 from an Internet scam site. It can’t be obtained in a day. It takes an incredible amount of time and dedication. People who want to 'take Fluffykins with me everywhere!' are not the kind of people who will put in two years of training to make sure Fluffykins can handle it."However, if you and your dog can put years into training, then you certainly have the potential to become a legitimate team that can add respect to the reputation of service dogs and handlers everywhere.