Court Expands Scope of Disabilities Law

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court, expanding the scope of a landmark federal disabilities law, ruled Monday that foreign cruise lines sailing in U.S. waters must provide better access for passengers in wheelchairs.

The narrow 5-4 decision is a victory for disabled rights advocates, who said inadequate ship facilities inhibited their right to "participate fully in society."

"With this decision the Supreme Court has told the cruise lines that we are entitled to what every other passenger receives _ access to emergency equipment and the full range of public facilities," said Douglas Spector of Houston, one of the disabled passengers suing the cruise lines.
...
"The statute is applicable to foreign ships in the United States waters to the same extent that it is applicable to American ships in those waters," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority. He was joined by Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/06/AR2005060600578.html

[Zodiak]

1. gee

Gee, and I thought there could have been REAL expansions of the diabilities laws. This is so not important compared to the diminishing of the safety net for disabled people.

[Iowa]

2. I"ll bet all those people with significant disabilities...

who are struggling to keep food on the table and access decent medical care are breathing a big sigh of relief today. The struggle to make their luxury cruises more comfortable has been won! God is in his heaven, and all is right with the world.

As usual, our government is wasting time on extraneous jet-set related crap while ignoring the life and death issues of average people. But it's nice to know that some wealthy business tycoon, who took over daddy's factory when he died, will now be able to wheel his elderly mother up the nice new ramp of their luxury cruise ship.