Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Written Statements

Progress has been made. UNMH spoke with my sister and I yesterday, I love you speakerphone, and they agreed to sensitivity training for their staff as well as service animal training that encompasses a non dog program. I am going to be working with Service Animals and the Law. They have experience with this process.

After this long conversation where we kept having to point out that yes we were right, and had to slog through a lot of simpering apology with the undercurrent of please do not sue us, we're sorry, we got another call, this time from the rather hard to get ahold of UNM police. They get their very own incompetent police. We were asked by a sergeant to come and make a written statement. I dislike written statements on only one scale, my hands hurt by the time I am done. Caissa and I headed down and as we drove up we saw an officer looking for someone, he headed in. It turns out this was our sergeant, awaiting our arrival. It took us two hours, eight pages for me and nine for her, and a good deal of carpal pain and side effects of reliving the ordeal before he read the complaint and said, "I think this is out of my jurisdiction so I will be giving this to the Chief." The hospital is also contacting the UNMPD police chief, since their operators stonewalled us. I included that in my complaint. Poor Sprite was alerting before we were half way through. Bad chairs, bad pens, and bad lighting had us both hurting.

At least this is progress, I will post more as we find out what else will happen. Neither facility was pleased to discover that I am going to the Department of Justice with my complaint anyway, neither facility understood why I would do this. I am doing this because they will keep on screwing over the disabled with their fear tactics. Apparently a very pregnant friend of mine is fighting her own battles,when she is due any day. Her own hospital is trying to refuse treatment. They too will be suffering the wrath of Advocates.

I know I have continually said this in the few short days of having a blog and will continue to repeat it, but advocacy is one of the most important things that a person can do for them selves. Self advocating is more powerful than having someone advocate for you except in the circumstances where you would be detrimental to the message.

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