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Paralympic Gold Medalist Struggles at the Gas Station

By law, gas stations are required to pump gas for drivers with disabilities (15 million) when there is more than one employee on duty. In this story, Brigid drives with Paralympic athlete Linda Mastandrea to experience firsthand the barriers Linda faces

Please meet Linda Mastandrea, attorney, author and athlete who has won 15 gold and five Silver medals in wheelchair track. By every standard, Linda is an accomplished person.  And yet…like 15 million other Americans with disabilities, Linda finds it to be a challenge every time she gets gas at the pump. While gas stations are everywhere - there were 159,000 retail fueling stations in 2010 – gas station access is almost nowhere for drivers with disabilities.  This, despite the fact that there has been a law in place for more than 21 years requiring refueling assistance at the pump for drivers with disabilities.  For those who were wounded fighting our wars, for our parents needing assistance, for our children injured playing sports, buying …

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Local Businesses Increase Access for Disabled Customers

Evanston man helps businesses better serve people with physical disabilities.

When Mitchell Swanson drives into a gas station to fill up his tank, the experience is often frustrating and overwhelming. Swanson, who has used a wheelchair ever since breaking his neck in a car accident 20 years ago, is one of many disabled drivers who needs assistance at gas stations. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires gas station attendants to pump gas for disabled customers whenever there are two or more people working, but figuring out how to get that help can be hit or miss. "Many locations have stickers that say to honk your horn," Mitchell said, but noted that people don't always come out when he honks. If nobody comes out to help, there is sometimes an 800-number listed on the stickers but they may not work. Many times…

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Jessica Rudis

11:28 am on Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Matt, that's very true. Spending a day with him made me realize all the little things that I do throughout the day that I've always taken for granted.   more ›