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Opinion
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Monday, July 26,1993 The Battalion Page 5
Most Texas businesses don't
comply with Disabilities Act
Tuly 26 marks
the third an
niversary of
tne passing of the
Americans with
Disabilities Act.
Yet three years
later, Texas busi
nesses and gov
ernment agencies
have yet to come
anywhere near
full compliance.
Indeed, the
: Equal Opportuni-
t)'Employment
| Commission has
f received more
; complaints from Texas than any other
| state about discrimination against
] workers with disabilities. Disability
| groups in Texas estimate that only 30
1 percent of Texas businesses and gov-
! emment buildings comply with the
; ADA's accessibility requirements.
This massive non-compliance wTth
, the law is shameful and unacceptable.
1 Indeed, estimates are that over 70 per-
; cent of the modifications needed in the
business sector for the ADA cost under
1500; tax credits are available.
i To help remedy this abysmal situa-
| tion, Advocacy, Inc., a non-profit legal
^ services program for people with men
tal and developmental disabilities, has
undertaken a statewide litigation pro
ject on behalf of aggrieved individuals
and community-based disability
groups. Advocacy has offices in
I Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston,
Corpus Christi, Lubbock, Pharr, El Paso
and San Antonio.
The suits involve public and private
employment, government services and
j accessibility to health facilities, chain
convenience shops, malls, recreational
programs, attorneys' and doctors' of-
1 flees, theaters, government agencies,
; colleges and universities, clothing
; stores, large, restaurants and banks.
The suits are filed on behalf of ag
grieved persons with disabilities, but
: only after the business or public accom
modation is requested in writing to vol
untarily comply and chooses not to do
so. To date, about 85 percent of busi
nesses come into voluntary compliance
when requested by Advocacy. The oth
er 15 percent refuse to do so even
though the ADA required compliance
18months ago for large businesses and
six months ago for smaller enterprises
— after an 18 to 30 month grace period
from the time the ADA was enacted.
Advocacy began its project in June.
Cases so far include alleged discrimina
tion by an oil company for terminating
an employee who underwent short
term voluntary treatment for mild
mental illness during his vacation.
Suits have also been filed against a
car rental agency for refusing to furnish
an automobile equipped with hand
controls for a person in a wheelchair
and against a number of chain stores.
One case challenges the failure of the
Texas Mental Health and Mental Retar
dation and the Department of Criminal
Justice to provide proper services for
prison parolees.
Advocacy estimates that, given the
pervasiveness of the problem, probably
about 50 suits will be filed as of mid-
September all around the state.
As a matter of policy. Advocacy
avoids suing small "mom-and-pop" en
terprises, but rather focuses on chains
and large entities that have the finan
cial wherewithal to comply with the
ADA. Besides, influencing change in a
sizeable business or government
agency benefits more people and gives
greater impact with limited resources.
Non-compliance with the ADA in
Texas is worse than most other areas of
the country, but Advocacy is deter
mined to help turn Texas around. Peo
ple with disabilities are the only group
still routinely denied admission to pub
lic accommodations due to architectur
al or programmatic inaccessibility and
in some cases patently discriminating
policies (e.g. day care centers refusing
to take children with disabilities).
Although we no longer tolerate ex
clusion of individuals from restaurants,
stores, theaters, banks, professional of
fices, and so on, because of race, sex or
age, we continue to accept and thereby
sanction such exclusion based upon
one's status as a person with a disabili
ty. This reality gave rise to the ADA.
Advocacy will do everything it can
to ensure that Texas business and gov
ernment understand and fulfill their
duty to comply with the ADA. The dis
abled community in Texas expects and
is entitled to no less.
James C. Harrington is a regional litiga
tion attorney for Advocacy, Inc. in Austin
GUEST
COLUMN
JAMES C.
HARRINGTON
The perfect body: dying to be thin
Anorexia and bulimia threaten young women's lives
I'm too fat. . .
I'm too fat. . .
I'm too fat. . .
I'm so thin now...
I'm so thin that my bones are seeping
through my skin.
But I won't eat.
Because...
I'm too fat...
I'm too fat...
M ore and more young women
today are suffering from two
eating disorders of life-
threatening nature.
Anorexia nervosa, a disorder in
which young women starve them
selves, affects one in every 200 college-aged women.
Bulimia nervosa, a disorder that can occur with anorexia
or by itself, propels its sufferers to take in massive amounts
of food and then purge themselves of the contents, usually
by self-induced vomiting. It affects approximately 5 million
people in America — mostly women.
Neither disorder has any physiological basis.
Anorexia has its onset in adolescence, usually about the
time that girls start to menstruate. The girls who suffer this
eating disorder will go on a diet that eventually begins to
extend way beyond any reasonable amount of weight loss.
Consequently, amenorrhea, a condition of at least three
missed menstrual cycles — develops.
Five percent of all anorexics starve themselves to death
while twenty-five percent of the others have relapses after
two years of treatment. It is an affliction that can follow the
victim throughout her lifetime.
Anorexics exhibit the following signs:
• A refusal to gain weight (they are usually at least 15
percent below normal body weight for their height and
age).
• An intense fear of becoming fat, even though they are
underweight.
• A distorted body image (they feel fat even when they
are extremely thin).
• The absence of three consecutive menstrual periods.
Bulimia, a condition similar to anorexia, is also extreme
ly harmful to the victim. She goes on a great eating binge
and then expels the food from her system by self-induced
vomiting or an excessive laxative intake. A typical binge
can consist of two packages of cookies, a loaf of bread, bags
of chips and snacks, several sodas, a pie, a cake — all in one
sitting.
Bulimics are much harder to detect than anorexics be
cause they usually maintain a constant weight and do their
binging and purging in secrecy.
Bulimics exhibit the following symptoms:
• Recurrent episodes of binge eating.
• Regular self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives or
diuretics to prevent weight gain.
• A minimum of two binges a week for at least three
months.
• Persistent concern with body weight and shape.
Anorexics and bulimics seem to be attempting to exert
some form of control over their lives. Anorexics tend to be
perfectionists and children of controlling parents. By refus
ing to eat, they are removing some of the control that their
parents extend and placing themselves in control. It is a
strange, inconspicuous way of fostering self-competence.
Bulimics take control of their bodies by indulging to the
fullest extent and then subsequently ridding their bodies of
the guilt and calories their overeating creates. They then
have control over the form of their bodies and other aspects
of their life.
For instance, a bulimic who is severely afraid of rejection
may subconsciously allow herself to become too obese or
too thin in order to remain unattractive. This way, men will
not approach her and she does not have to face the possibil
ity of failure or rejection.
These disorders are indeed life-threatening and need to
be treated immediately. Self-competence and self-esteem
do not evolve from starvation and weakness and sickness.
It comes from facing what is feared and persevering any
way.
Active coping styles identify and correct problems; but
passive resistance only serves to enmesh the person deeper
and deeper into incompetence.
Stop starving.
Start eating.
That's being good to yourself.
Jones is a senior psychology major
TRACEY
JONES
Columnist
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A&M must face up to
past to achieve justice
On July 20, James Hudson and Mark
Feed offered arguments for the Corps
of Cadets' continuing value to A&M.
Ihese arguments are easy enough to ac
cept, provided that the Corps remem
bers its place as a part of the University
community and that A&M zealously
Pursues and punishes wrongdoing
within the Corps.
However, the University's half-heart
ed effort to investigate alleged offenses
(combined with its wholehearted at
tempt to ward off the Attorney Gener
is office) leaves this skeptic with little
hope that a proper balance of the
Corps' rights and the rights of the stu
dent body will be achieved before Ar
mageddon.
What most puzzles me about Mr.
Hudson and Mr. Feed's letters was nob
defense of the Corps, but their
hopelessly clouded view of American
history. Hudson seems to doubt that
the Confederate States rebelled against
the united States; he even says that
West Virginia "rebelled" against Vir
ginia. For his part, Fecci all too willing
ly accepts the official deification of
Lawrence S. Ross as "Soldier, States
man, and Knightly Gentleman."
A passage from the United States
Constitution should help clear the air.
Article III, Section 3, defines the crime
of treason as follows: "Treason against
the United States, shall consist only in
levying War against them, or in adher
ing to their enemies...." By definition,
lacking a constitutional provision for
secession, the Confederate States were
in rebellion. Moreover, Confederate
diplomats sought to draw Great Britain
and France into the conflict and bring
foreign powers against the United
States. Military officers and elected of
ficials who either joined the Confeder
ate army or repudiated their oaths to
the United States constitution were trai
tors. This includes Robert E. Lee, Jeffer
son Davis, and yes, Lawrence S. Ross.
Fecci praises the Corps' devotion to
"love of country" and no doubt, love of
country stands out as an attribute of the
CT. It seems, however, that love of
country demands a better understand
ing of its past than lies in the grasp of
either Fecci or Hudson. We must face
up to the ugly truths lying beneath the
surface of A&M's past, so that we may
pursue justice in the seamier aspects of
A&M's present.
Ricky Floyd Dobbs
Graduate student
Must A&M 'protect'
us from nude photos?
This is in response to the recent con
troversy about the removal of the
Czechoslovakian photos in the MSC Vi
sual Arts Gallery.
I have a question for Wynn Rosser,
the chairman of the AggieHostel. Does
Mr. Rosser think that members of the
AggieHostel don't look in the mirror at
home? Maybe he is worried that since
the AggieHostelers are all over 65, they
may get too worked up if they see some
skin in a picture.
Does Mr. Rosser follow the members
home and protect them from going into
the Hastings magazine section? I won
der if he warns them about what cur
rent movies have nudity in them.
I was lucky enough to slip into the
exhibit before it was shut down to pro
tect the AggieHostelers. I thought the
exhibit was fascinating, and it was far
from the pornography the Mr. Rosser
might have been expecting. I was not
forced into the exhibit against my will,
but went on my own accord. Does the
AggieHostel program force its mem
bers to see every gallery, every sight the
campus has to offer?
Maybe Mr. Rosser could instruct the
gallery to put up a sign that says
"CAUTION — Nudity Ahead" and put
it in front of the door.
Since the AggieHostelers are 65 and
over, they have probably seen more
than enough nudity in their lives that a
photograph of a breast or penis would
not cause them any undue harm.
Finally, I think the MSC Visual Arts
Committee should thank Mr. Rosser for
all the publicity he has provided free of
charge. Attendance to the exhibit
should increase when the exhibit re
opens. If we could only get those
Czech photos to an Aggie home basket
ball game....
Trey Morton
Class of '93
Groff best choice for
A&M athletic director
Why make a mountain out of a mole
hill? Wally Groff meets all of the quali
fications as presented to the 12-member
search committee for A&M's athletic di
rector by A&M President Mobley last
April.
Wally Groff meets all of the five
qualifications plus many more impor
tant ones, especially to Aggies. W ally is
an Aggie (we don't nee Rice, University
of Miami, Maryland, or 'Podunk' com
ing here to divest Aggie athletics.)
Wally Groff is tried and true with in
tegrity and has a heart for what is best
for A&M and the SWC.
No "off-campus" expensive travel in
terviews are necessary. Wally is right
here.
Speak up, let President Mobley know
how you feel (he will make the final de
cision). Let him know Wally Groff is the
only one for athletic director for A&M.
No need to make a mountain out of a
molehill.
Helen Pugh
College Station
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