Readers on Qualifications for Disability

Sunday was the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, so in the Sunday Poll I asked what should qualify as a disability. Before the results, here is information from a national poll: .

Strong majorities of Americans believe vision loss, blindness, or other permanent vision impairments (88%); cerebral palsy (83%); hearing loss, deafness, or other permanent hearing impairments (79%); multiple sclerosis (78%); autism (68%); and epilepsy (68%) should qualify as disabilities.

Over half also believe speech and language disorders (57%), learning disabilities (54%) and cancer (52%) should qualify, though only minorities of older Americans and Republicans are behind these particular conditions being considered disabilities:

Speech and language disorders: 41% of Matures, 47% of Republicans
Learning disabilities: 44% of Matures, 46% of Republicans
Cancer: 48% of Baby Boomers, 41% of Matures, 45% of Republicans
Majorities of Millennials (57%) and Democrats (54%) believe schizophrenia should qualify, while lower percentages of other generations (44% Gen Xers, 41% Baby Boomers, 27% Matures) and political persuasions (37% Republicans, 42% Independents) say the same, bringing the total support for this condition qualifying to 46%.

Three in ten Americans believe depression (29%) should qualify, while just over two in ten say the same of migraine headaches (22%), 17% say the same of morbid obesity and 16% believe anorexia or bulimia should qualify. One in ten feel that drug addiction (10%) or alcoholism (9%) should qualify, while 5% say the same of compulsive gambling.

Perhaps not surprisingly, those who say they or someone else in their household faces an emotional or mental disability are especially likely to believe autism (75%), schizophrenia (67%) and depression (57%) should be considered qualifying conditions. (The Harris Poll: Overwhelming Public Support For the Americans with Disabilities Act, But Disagreements Exist on What Should Qualify as a Disability)

The free online poll software I use here doesn’t let me get into such detail. When reading the results below keep in mind people could select 1-16 answers. I don’t know how many people voted — my guess is 22. If so that would mean 100% think  vision loss is a qualifier for disability. I’ve added a percentage in {0%} to indicate the relative support.

Q: Which of the following do you think should qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act? (check all that apply)

1. Vision loss, blindness, vision impairment 22 [12.02%] {100%}
2. TIE 20 [10.93%] {90.9%}
   1. Multiple sclerosis
   2. Cerebral palsy
3. Hearing loss, deafness, permanent hearing impairments 18 [9.84%] {81.8%}
4. Epilepsy 17 [9.29%] {77.3%}
5. Autism 14 [7.65%] {63.6%}
6. Schizophrenia 13 [7.1%] {59.1%}
7. Speech & language disorders 12 [6.56%] {54.5%}
8. TIE  10 [5.46%] {45.5%}
   1. Learning disabilities
   2. Cancer
9. Anorexia or bulimia 6 [3.28%] {27.3%}
10. TIE 5 [2.73%] {22.7%}
    1. Morbid obesity
    2. Depression
11. TIE  4 [2.19%] {18.2%}
    1. Drug addiction
    2. Alcoholism
12. Compulsive gambling 3 [1.64%] {13.6%}
13. Unsure/no answer 0 [0%]

The key is what makes it so you can’t do your current job, or another job. I’m not in a position to tell someone who is, say clinically depressed, they should be able to work. Besides, I’m too busy worrying about a potential 19% cut in 2016.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: What Should Qualify As A Disability?

Twenty-five years ago today President George H.W. Bush singed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. A national poll released Friday showed support for the ADA but disagreement over what should qualify as a disability. For the poll today I want to see how reader’s views compare to the national results.

Select all that apply. There are additional qualifiers not listed — this list matches those from the poll — enabling a comparison. Please vote above and come back Wednesday to see how the results compare to the national poll.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: What Should Be The Long-Term Outcome of the Condemned Parking Garage at Tucker & Locust?

On Tuesday I wrote about the condemned parking garage at Tucker & Locust, which led to discussion in the comments about what should/could happen. Perfect poll topic…

Please assume the list choices aren’t necessarily government imposed or funded, could be entirely private — you can wave a magic wand. You may pick two, one can be your own.

The answers above are presented in random order.

— Steve Patterson

Sunday Poll: How effective is “Hot Spot Policing”?

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson is an advocate of “hot spot policing”:

Through hot spots policing strategies, law enforcement agencies can focus limited resources in areas where crime is most likely to occur. The appeal of focusing limited resources on a small number of high-activity crime areas is based on the belief that if crime can be prevented at these hot spots, then total crime across the city might also be reduced. (National Institute of Justice)

This practice also has local critics. For today’s poll I want to see how effective readers think this strategy is.

The poll closes at 8pm.

— Steve Patterson

Readers Take Uber’s Side

I’m still unsure about Uber, Airbnb, and the sharing economy, I’m also not pleased with how local taxicab companies take more fees from their drivers’ fares when credit cards are used. I rarely have more than $5 on me — we use plastic for everything we possibly can — rewards add up. So I’m in the middle — Uber shouldn’t avoid all regulation, but taxicab companies don’t appear to be regulated enough. If taxicabs companies want to remain relevant their drivers must cheerfully accept credit cards.  The transaction must be easy, passing a tiny receipt back for signature isn’t easy.

Anyway, here are the results from the Sunday Poll:

Q: The Metropolitan Taxicab Commission has been fighting with Uber ride sharing service. Which of the following best matches the side you support:

1. 100% Uber / 0% Taxicab Commission 18 [45%]
2. 75% Uber / 25% Taxicab Commission 13 [32.5%]
3. 50/50 4 [10%]
4. 100% Taxicab Commission / 0% Uber 3 [7.5%]
5. 75% Taxicab Commission / 25% Uber 1 [2.5%]
6. Unsure / no answer 1 [2.5%]

On Sunday morning I moved the poll from the sidebar to within the post, enabling mobile readers to be able to vote from within the mobile layout. This will be the practice going forward. Thanks to readers
Maimeó & Kelly for prompting me to make the change!

— Steve Patterson