>Yes compared to Bulgaria the US does a better job - because the disability
>rights movement has fought to improve our lot. But some areas here remain
>as backwards as Bulgaria when it comes to access. It depends on how active
>the disability community is in any given area and how the courts are
>intepreting the ADA and how much the DOJ is enforcing the civil rights
>laws aside from other reasons.
>marta
>--
That is not necessarily the point I wanted to make. I argued that the US has more "special programs" for the disabled, including those aimed to improve their mobility, than most other countries (nut just backward Bulgaria). But what this country lacks is public services (which are often confused here with "welfare" and servicing marginalised elements of society) - which makes transportation difficult for anyone who is unwilling or unable to drive. This includes not just people with disabilities, but also children, the elderly, those who cannot afford high car payments and insurance premiums, and other people who for various reasons cannot drive.
In other words, it is not discrimination, but fucked up public policy that lowers the standards of living for many groups of people in this country, including the disabled.
wojtek