SO YOU DON'T DRIVE 
                       by Larry Streeter 

From the Editor: I first met Larry Streeter at least fifteen 
years ago. At that time he lived in Idaho and was a teacher. Then
he began the peripatetic course of the following years, moving to
Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, probably other places I don't
remember, and finally (of course, it may not be finally) to
Omaha, where he now resides. Wherever he has gone, Larry has not
only been a Federationist but an active one. He has recruited
members, established chapters, been president of chapters, and
otherwise worked in the movement. In short, he takes his
Federationism seriously, and he carries it with him wherever he
goes. Larry's wife Sandy, who is also blind, is equally active
and dedicated. It is not just that Larry is a Federationist 
but that it is a Federation family. Larry and Sandy typify that
large number of committed members and leaders who rarely get a
lot of the limelight but who constitute the backbone, muscle, and
heart of the movement. 

In the circumstances it is not surprising that Larry and Sandy 
took the actions described in the following article. In sending
it to me Larry said: "In my years as a member of the National
Federation of the Blind, I have never had an experience like the
one described in this article. It is quite clear to me that we
must continue to inform and educate the public about blindness." 

We print Larry's article not only for the story it tells but also
as a tribute to him and Sandy and the thousands of other
Federationists throughout the country who on a daily basis are
changing what it means to be blind. Here is how Larry says it
happened: 
 
A few weeks ago, I woke up to face another day.  It was my day
off, due to my flex schedule, and I was alive with ambition and
great intentions.  I wandered around the house thinking that
something constructive should occur like cleaning the garage or
placing fertilizer on the lawn. Those particular thoughts faded
quickly. I made a sudden decision to sit down at my computer. It
would be so easy to play computer games and just forget about
assuming responsibility. I turned on the computer and just sat
there for a moment or two.  Sandy came in and we started to talk
about taking a trip to one of the Mormon temples.  This wasn't
the first time the subject had come up.  Each previous time we
had planned such a trip for the family, it had been placed on the
back burner for one reason or another.  We both made each other a
commitment that this time our goal would be met.  Several
locations were discussed and debated, and we finally decided on
Denver. 

Sandy checked on air fares, and the cost was too much for our
budget. So we both thought we could ask some friends at church to
go with us.  Several couples offered to use their car and drive
us. However, six persons in one of these small cars for 541 miles
each way can be rather unbearable. Sandy started calling around
to check out prices for renting a mini van. We found some pretty
good bargains and finally settled on dealing with Budget
Rent-A-Car. I called Budget on April 11 to reserve a van for
April 19 and during the conversation was told that a driver's
license and major credit card would be required. The customer
service representative asked the usual questions such as my
telephone number and name of the credit card to be used. She
stated the driver would be required to supply the license and the
card with at least $251 to cover the cost of renting the van. 
We have rented numerous vans and cars over the years and have
never had any difficulty, but this apparently was going to be
different. I told the representative that I did not drive, due to
my blindness and was quickly informed that the driver would need
to meet the requirements she had already discussed. The battle
had begun. She was informed that: (1) I was the person renting
the van; and (2) I would pay for said van with my credit card,
which I had done on so many occasions before; and (3) that I had
rented vans from this very company many times before, without
difficulty. She retorted that her company had their rules and I
in turn informed her about the White Cane Law of the State of
Nebraska and said that she was probably violating the law and
thus discriminating against the blind.  She denied the charge 
and told me that if we wanted to rent the van, the rules would
apply.  In final, she stated that my reservation would be
retained and advised me of the location where to pick up the van.

To express it mildly, we were rather disgusted about the entire
episode. Budget had the van we wanted and the price of our
liking.  So why the hassle? My thoughts ran wild:  "It's time to
go to the press and tell our story" or "let's put these jerks out
of business" and "call the members of the chapter and let's go to
the airport to picket."  I thought about our White Cane Banquet
last September.  We had presented the National Park Service (NPS)
regional office and the Hyatt Hotel Reservation Center with
employee of the year awards.  Had I heard the statements by Ken
Compton from NPS and Jeannette Foxvog from Hyatt correctly or was
it only a dream?  Mr. Compton expressed his appreciation for the
positive recognition and "hoped someday that awards like this
would not be necessary and that employment of the blind would be
an ordinary occurrence."  Ms. Foxvog proclaimed her pleasure with
the performance of the two blind employees recently hired and
hoped to employ additional blind people in the near future. 

This fact has become a reality since that evening. Had
circumstances for the blind of Omaha not improved? It only took a
few short moments, for once again I was forced to return to
reality and common sense prevailed. My sleeping time was
extremely limited that night and I couldn't wait until the
national consumer complaints number for Budget was accessible 
at the crack of dawn.  I was absolutely determined that the van
set aside in my name would be ours to rent and under our
conditions. Pam LaPour of the consumer relations department in
Dallas listened and attempted to respond to my concerns.  She put
me on hold and called the Omaha airport location and spoke to a
Mr. Baack.  After some time, she returned and asked me if the
driver would have a credit card. 

It was then evident that Ms. LaPour had not heard me correctly. 
The issue was restated again, emphasizing the fact that I would
pay for the van with my credit card and that the agency was
discriminating against us because of our blindness. She finally
put Mr. Baack on the line, and we discussed the matter.  He was
totally unfamiliar with the Nebraska White Cane statute and did
not believe that his agency was being unreasonable nor unfair. 
The conversation became quite interesting.  He continued to claim
that it was not our blindness but the fact that the driver may
not return the vehicle.  Did we have a man who had lost his mind?
Was I going deaf? I alerted him to the fact that as a federal
employee, I had a great deal to lose--most assuredly my position-
-and would certainly assume the responsibility to return a van.  

For an instant my mind pictured large numbers of the blind
carrying signs at the airport with scores of reporters dashing
around seeking the truth. An inner voice told me that we would
close this business down.  I suddenly asked Mr. Baack if twenty
blind citizens came in with twenty drivers and each had the same
circumstance I was facing, would he send them to Hertz, Avis,
Thrifty or Dollar Rent-A-Car? He responded in the affirmative. I
told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was not a good
businessman and that this did not make good economic sense.  He 
was informed that this was a most unfortunate situation, for I
had always been pleased with Budget in the past.  The moments
wore on with the same issue being rehashed without positive
results.  Finally, Mr. Baack stated he would be willing to review
the White Cane Law.  I advised him that he would receive a copy
of the document in question. 

I arrived at work that morning and anxiously awaited a call from
our state president, Barbara Walker.  She called shortly before
9:00 and read the section of the White Cane Law which we felt
pertained to our case.  I listened carefully as she read from
Chapter 20, Section 127 of the Nebraska Statutes: "The blind,
visually handicapped, and otherwise physically disabled shall be
entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages,
facilities, and privileges of all common carriers--airplanes,
motor vehicles, railroad trains, motor buses, streetcars, boats,
or any other public conveyance or mode of transportation, 
hotels, lodging places, places of public accommodation, amusement
or resort, and other places to which the general public is
invited, subject only to the conditions and limitations
established by law and applicable alike to all persons." 
The words full and equal sounded great--was victory in our sight?

Barbara felt the issue was straightforward.  We had never had
this kind of problem arise in Nebraska. Numerous members, for
example, had rented cars and vans from various companies and
trouble had not occurred in one single instance.  We decided it
would be worth our time to contact other companies and ascertain
their policy. Sandy followed up by calling several agencies,
including (but not limited to) Avis and Hertz.  The Avis
representative stated it was a simple issue.  The blind person
could use his credit card and sign a form authorizing a person to
drive. The driver would present his license to the representative
and sign the form required for all drivers.  Hertz made the
matter even easier.  A blind person pays with his credit card and
the driver provides the license to operate the vehicle.  No
hassle from Hertz or Avis. 

Later, that same afternoon I spoke with Mr. Hank Carriger, the
chief deputy to the county attorney.  We reviewed the situation
together. He was sympathetic to our situation. However, he felt
that a jury would not find Budget "criminally guilty" of
violating the White Cane Law. Together we came to the conclusion
that the best maneuver would be to ask my state legislator to
request an opinion from the state attorney general.  While
securing information from the car agencies, Sandy was told by 
Hertz that they would be happy to rent one of their vans to us
for $20 less a day than our previous offer by Budget.  After some
deliberation, we decided to take this opportunity for we could
save money by making this change.  We plan to take further action
by speaking with our state legislator and reviewing this issue
with him.  Hopefully, we will make a decision to request an
opinion from the attorney general, but only time will tell.  I
have also written to the president of Budget and expressed to him
my personal feelings regarding this incident. 

We, the Streeter family, will take our trip to the Mormon temple
in Denver.  I am sure that on the way we will review the
circumstances, and questions will arise in our minds if we made
the proper decision.  Much has been learned from this situation. 
We should always be ready to deal with unreasonable people, at
the most inappropriate times. We must constantly be aware that
many people have illogical and unrealistic attitudes about us. 
For a short few hours, we as a family will be inside the quiet,
sacred, and reverent confines of the temple.  It is a place where
we are able to leave the problems of the world behind and
concentrate on those higher spiritual issues. However, upon
leaving this peaceful setting, we are very much aware that we
will, as before, be challenged with complicated issues and
concerns.  The struggle for first-class citizenship will never be
easy; the blind of this nation must be constantly prepared, 
armed with the facts, and ready, willing and with a firm
conviction to do battle if necessary. 


Omaha, Nebraska 
April 18, 1990 
 
Mr. Clifton Haley, President 
Budget Rent-A-Car 
Chicago, Illinois 

Dear Mr. Haley: 
The purpose of this correspondence is to bring to your attention
a matter which, I believe, needs immediate consideration. First,
let me say that throughout the past several years I have rented
cars and vans from your company without any difficulty. One can
easily determine from this statement that I have been pleased
with the services offered by your organization. Unfortunately,
this is no longer the case. As an employee of the National Park
Service and as a member of the National Federation of the Blind,
I travel throughout the country. However, I do not drive due to
my blindness. My wife is also blind, and we travel extensively
for business and pleasure. 

On April 11, 1990, we made contact with your Budget location at
the Omaha airport to rent a van for a trip from Omaha to Denver.
The call was made to rent a van for April 19. However, once the
sales representative was informed of my blindness, she quickly
stated that I would have to produce a driver's license and a
credit card to cover the cost of $251. My credit, to say the
least, is excellent. However, the license is out of the question.
She was informed that I would pay for the van and my driver would
sign the required form to consummate the transaction. She made it
quite clear that this would be against the rules and that I would
not be able to rent the vehicle. My driver would need to provide 
the cards and sign the necessary documents. I advised your sales
representative that she was most likely violating the Nebraska
White Cane Law, which is enclosed for your review. This statute
provides for full and equal access to all public facilities and
accommodations. The conversation concluded with her statement 
that the van reservation would be retained in the computer; and
if I wanted to rent said van, I must agree to the terms
previously cited. 

The next morning I contacted your customer service number in
Dallas and spoke with a Ms. LaPour, who tried to field my
questions and concerns. But during the conversation she
apparently completely missed the point. After some time, Ms.
LaPour made contact with a Mr. Baack at the Omaha airport
location. We then discussed the matter, and several points 
regarding this contact should be noted: 

1. Mr. Baack had never heard of the White Cane Law. 
2. He restated the same conditions for renting a Budget van. 
3. He expressed the fact that he could not rent the van to me--
not because of my blindness, but rather due to the condition that
the van may not be returned. 

The first two comments were expected. There are many persons who
have never read nor chose to abide by the provisions of the White
Cane Law. I knew that a repeat performance would come regarding
the rules of the company. The third statement, however, raises
serious questions. 

Here are several facts: I have a good paying job, my credit is
excellent, and I would be paying for the van. Why would I decide
to risk all of this, not return your van, and thus engage in
criminal activity?  How many sighted customers are insulted with
such a statement? The point is clear to me. A sighted person
would never have to deal with such a ludicrous and discriminatory
statement. However, due to my blindness (and only for that
reason), different (and definitely incorrect) assumptions were
made. 

I asked Mr. Baack (I believe Ms. LaPour was still listening) if I
brought in twenty blind citizens who each had a driver, would he
send them to one of your competitors? Without any hesitation, he
responded in the affirmative. I informed him that he was not a
very good or smart businessman. Mr. Baack, toward the end of the
conversation, did agree to review the Nebraska White Cane Law.
Time was becoming a factor, and my wife decided to call several
other companies and determine their rental requirements. Avis
said their policy would be to have the blind person sign a form
to authorize another person to drive. The driver would be
required, as expected, to show his license. 

Hertz only wanted a record (for the computer) that the blind
person would be using a driver, who had a valid license. 
Mr. Haley, your company has a problem which does not appear to be
a problem for your competitors. We decided to rent from Hertz
because they had a better deal, speaking in terms of attitudes
and economics. Hertz made it quite clear that as blind persons,
we are entitled to the same privileges as sighted persons who
choose to rent vehicles. I would hope that you, as president of
Budget, would apply good common sense and resolve this matter so
as to avoid a similar circumstance. 

I am sure there are effective ways of establishing policy for all
rental locations. The blind consumer will, as before, continue to
rent vans, cars, and trucks from companies who use sound business
judgment and common sense. 

This entire situation was unfortunate, to state it mildly. As a
consumer, I am aware there is a need to establish guidelines and
set policy. However, we should not be penalized because of our
blindness. I am convinced that it would make good common sense
for your company to change its policy and attitude. Your
attention to these concerns would be greatly appreciated. I look
forward to hearing from you soon. 

Thank you so very much. 
 
Sincerely yours, 
Larry E. Streeter 
 
cc: Mr. Marc Maurer, President 
National Federation of the Blind