Mike and I took a slight detour on our way to the Wisconsin Book Festival on Friday. An NPR show called The Story had contacted me earlier in the week and we had to stop at a studio Friday morning to record an interview. If you’ve never heard The Story, here’s a description of the show from the Serious Radio web site:
The Story is a daily interview program designed to bring great stories to public radio midday’s in a way that will help listeners understand what is going on in their world and why it matters to them. A veteran radio journalist, Dick Gordon interviews people whose real-life experiences help us understand the news of the day or ongoing issues of importance.
The Story originates on North Carolina Public Radio, so Dick Gordon, the show’s host, was in Chapel Hill during Friday’s interview. Me? I sat alone with Hanni in a recording booth in Evanston, IL. The sound man, seated in another room behind a plate of glass, says if you listen carefully you’ll hear Hanni’s harness jiggle as she settles in at the beginning of the taping. She slept for the rest of the hour. She’d heard this all before.
The interview questions centered on my working life. Before losing my sight, I had a job advising college students who wanted to study overseas. The job entailed talking with students, checking out what programs might work for them, phoning different college departments or other universities to arrange for the transfer of college credits. I was sure I’d be able to perform these tasks without being able to see. My boss, however, was equally sure I could not. My contract was terminated. My confidence was shattered. How could I have been so naive? Did I really think I was worth hiring? Why would anyone employ someone who couldn’t see?
That all happened in 1986. The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law four years later. It took a while for me to get the gumption to apply for work again, but once I did I met up with some pretty wonderful, flexible employers. A series of part-time jobs helped rebuild my confidence back up. So much so, that in 1999 I took a job many others would never dare try: I modeled nude for University art students. An essay I wrote about the experience was published in alternative newspapers all over the country, and my new career was launched. No, silly. I did not become a professional nude model. I became a professional writer.
The Story is doing a special series called “What’s Working Who’s Working,” and my guess is that when my interview airs, it will be featured in that series. The Story is distributed nationally by American Public Media. It can be heard in North Carolina on WUNC-FM and WRQM-FM (90.9) in Rocky Mount. The show can also be heard on other stations across the U.S. including WBEZ in Chicago and KPCC in Los Angeles. Not sure yet when my particular segment will air, so stay tuned — I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.
That is awesome! I listen to that segment with Dick Gordon on our local NPR station 90.7 FM in Orlando. Hard to believe that ADA is so young- thank goodness the lawmakers saw the need and the times have changed. I’m so sorry it was not done earlier for you.
Can’t wait to hear it! that was one of the things Gladys was always telling people about….your stint as a nude model! She would love to hear your interview too.
I am not surprised at *all* to hear that Gladys loved sharing my nude modeling story with her pals! And you know that I wish Gladys was still around to hear that interview, too. She might be disappointed that I forgot to mention one very important part of “the story,” though: when I volunteered for hospice, they refused to give me a patient who lived in a regular house; they assumed I wouldn’t be able to handle something like that. Again, I was disappointed. Months went by, I wasn’t given any patients to visit, but then they called to tell me there was a hospice patient in a nursing home who none of the other volunteers wanted to visit –after all, the volunteers said, they had trained to do hospice because they wanted to visit people in their HOMES. I didn’t care about that, I told them. I’ll visit the nursing home. Man, oh man, was I rewarded. I got to meet Gladys and hear her wonderful stories, plus I got to meet the colorful characters in her family, and as a result I now have two very dear and treasured friends –Gladys’ daughter Nancy, and Nancy’s Steven. And as for Marilee’s comment, true, the ADA was a little too late – I would have prospered in academic life, probably gone on to do some other counseling at the college level. But…eyebrows up! If that had happaend, I would have never written books, not to mention model in the nude!
You might want to know that my pal Dawn has just been deposed in her suit against NY State, under the ADA. Long story and I’m not a long typist. She isn’t doing it for the money, but for the principle of the thing. Stay tuned to find out if Dawnie wins her case.
I love listening to Dick Gordon’s “The Story” and can’t wait to hear your interview, Beth!
Thanks, Mary Ellen — I’m a teeny bit nervous how it will all sound once they edit it and all, but at the same time I am very eager to hear the interview on the radio when it airs, too.
And as for Benita, one *HUGE* problem with the Americans with Disabilities Act is that when it comes to ADA lawsuits, the onus is on the individual to prove discrimination (which can be viewed in court as circumstantial evidence). A 2008 study I found said that since the ADA was signed into law in 1990, employers prevailed in as many as 97 percent of disability discrimination cases.
I give your pal Dawn a *TON* of credit for taking on the State of New York, she’s really got some chutzpah. These cases take a lot of time and money, two things most people with disabilities don’t have at their disposal. ALL MY BEST to Dawn, and do let me know what happens –
I was interested in Beth’s comments about the ADA putting the burden of proof on the person with the disability, to show that they have been discriminated against.
A really good book about the ADA is called “Make them go away,” by Mary Johnson. It shows how, basically since the ADA was conceived, opponents managed to co-opt the public discussion surrounding civil rights for people with disabilities, usually by claiming that the ADA puts too heavy an economic burden on businesses and the public to “accommodate” the disabled. It’s an easy read, and pretty jaw-dropping.
[…] About « Sticking to “The Story” […]
Siobhan’s suggestion to read “Make them go away,” by Mary Johnson comes at a perfect time for me. I gave a speech in a Chicago suburb last week, and realizing that none of them would have been able to hear my interview on “The Story” I just kind of restated the interview as a speech. Turns out I might have a good speech about the ADA in the works now! Just need some stats and evidence to give the speech “cred,” maybe Mary Johnson’s’ book will provide. In any case, it sounds like a very good read. THANKS FOR THE SUGGESTION, Siobhan!
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