Jury Duty Crippled: The Time I Was Exempt from My American Duty

At the beginning of the summer, I was summoned to jury duty. Since the day I turned 18, I had been anticipating this day; the chance of having the ability to step inside a court room without committing a crime or paying thousands of dollars excited me. When I received my summons in the mail, I looked forward to fulfilling my duty as a citizen of the United States. However, along with the summons information came a paper that I had to fill out; I had to indicate anything that could keep me from fulfilling my obligations as a juror. I wrote that I am in a wheelchair and that I need assistance to use the bathroom. I also wrote that I am legally blind. These statements are both true, but I was hoping that neither of these facts about me would keep me from sitting on a jury. After all, I do have a degree in Political Science. I submitted this information and waited for a potential response.

A week went by and I did not hear anything. Another week went by and I still did not hear anything. I began to become excited; at this point, I thought I actually was going to have the chance to sit on the jury. None the less, I did receive a letter; the government did not cease to disappoint, and sent me a response at their snail speed pace. However, the response was not an explanation of why I could not effectively fulfill my obligations as a juror, nor was it a simple we have enough jurors so you are not needed. I instead received a slip of paper stating that my request to be exempt from my jury duty was granted. I did not ask to be exempt. I asked for there to be a way for someone to assist me in the bathroom when participating as a juror; I wanted an accommodation -- no a cop out -- to my duty as a citizen. I really did want to have the experience of sitting on a jury, but my disability warranted an unwanted exemption.

My exemption letter. In the upper lefthand corner is the address of the Whatcom County Courthouse. Under this address is a barcode. In the upper righthand corner is my name and address with an official postoffice stamp stamped over my name and address. In the center of this letter, there is a message that states, "Your request for exemption has been granted for the term on you summons."

I honestly do not know if I was the only one to receive this slip of paper who did not request the exemption and I cannot for sure blame the unwanted exemption on my disability. However, I did not ask for an exemption, so there has to be an alternative motive for granting me the exemption. My hope is that not all people with disabilities who ask for accommodations are exempt from jury duty. The Supreme Court has ruled that a jury member cannot be removed for their race or gender, why should physical ability be any different? If I, or any other person with a disability, was exempt solely for the need of an accommodation to fulfill our duty as a juror, I do not see how that is any different than exempting a potential juror due to their race or gender.

We all have a right to a jury of our peers, which means people from the community. People with disabilities are apart of the community. It was not that long ago that neither blacks nor women were allowed to participate as a part of a jury, and this may still happen. However, my hope is that people with disabilities will not be excluded from the opportunity to fulfill their duty as a citizen of the United States either. 

When the Sidewalk Ends: An Experience Edition

The other day, I was on a walk with my mom. We were on our way home and decided to venture from our usual route and travel a different path. The way we went did shave about five minutes off our travel time, but we ran into a glitch that would prevent me from traveling this route on my own. We were traveling along just fine, excited that we had found a new, faster way. A couple overgrown blackberry bushes stuck out into the sidewalk, but as a Western Washington resident I am used to this and they did not stand in my way. I am thankful that I have solid tires as the pesky thorns on these bushes may have otherwise stopped me in my tracks.

A little ways past the blackberry bushes, the side walk came to an end; there was no way for me to exit the sidewalk to cross the street. I had traveled multiple blocks that did not have any cross streets (which would potentially prove a previous curb cut) nor any driveways (which would provide another means of exiting the sidewalk). I did not have the desire to backtrack multiple blocks back to the point where I had decided to take the shorter -- but unknown -- route. I am thankful my mom was with me and able to assist me down the curb on one side of the street and back up again on the other side. If she had not been there, I would have had to backtrack defeating the purpose of taking a shortcut.

Coming to the end of the sidewalk. While facing the curb, to the right there is grass, to the left is the road. 

The curb across the street that blocks me from taking the shortcut from High to Garden. There is a trail that heads down a slight hill, cuts through some trees, and leads to the road below. 

I am not writing this to encourage anyone to take pity on me. I am writing this to inform the population that the lack of a curb cut can mess up an otherwise perfectly good pathway. Just because the typical person who walks this pathway can access a pathway does not mean every person can. This should not be the case; if there is a pathway that is open to the public, it should be open to all members of the public. It is frustrating that something such as simple as a curb can send me out of my way in order to access the same destination as anyone else.

When I was on this particular walk, I could see where I needed to go, but without someone physically able to help me, I could not get there. I do not understand why this is the case, when two or three blocks away perfectly good curb cuts were being updated. Sure, follow the law and update the old curb cuts that have to be updated as there are currently curb cuts that are terrible; however, a terrible one is better than there not being one at all. It is more important for places lacking a curb cut all together to be updated before a place with an existing curb cut to be replaced. People who cannot step on or off a curb can enter or exit a sidewalk if a curb cut exits, but their paths are completely blocked when there is not a curb cut at all.