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Show SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS Opinion 4 WEDNESDAY MARCH 15, IMS Speaks We would like to welcome new Kane County Attorney Colin Winchester. Winchester brings with him an extensive and impressive background. His reputation precedes him. Everyone I've talked to around the state, has said that he will be a real asset to our county, and that we are lucky to have him. ..AN' YOU COULO SAY, THIS IS A "AtO SOONER PONE THAN KINO OF Winchester's supervisory skills and legal background will arm him well for his new job as head Kane County law enforcement. In addition, I was impressed by his willingness to be upfront with the public. Winchester says that his door is always open, and that he will always be happy to talk to residents about their questions and concerns. It's a clear win win situation, whenever a public servant makes himself available. We applaud Colin Winchester, and hope that his stay in Kane County will be a long and happy one. TOWN Letters to the Editor What is your opinion ? This newspaper welcomes opinions from its readers concerning any subject. Anything of a libelous nature or defamation of character will not be considered for publication. Letters must be signed and include your full name, address and telephone number. Thank you for your interest. Stop sign at Powell and Stewart In Re: Dear Editor I hate to disagree with Mayor Adams, but UDOT has no jurisdiction over city streets. In this instance no state roads are involved and the decision to change the sign is entirely up to the city. Fred Beeman The situation with the library Dear Editor Recently the Southern Utah News printed a guest editorial by Mr. Evan Henderson which expressed support for the Kanab City Council regarding the ongoing situation involvingthe city and Ms. Marolynn Watson. At the conclusion of his editorial, Mr. Henderson stated that he hoped citizens of Kanab arrived at their conclusions after acquiring complete and accurate information about the situation. It is with that spirit I submit this letter with the hopes of giving a complete picture of the other side to this issue and correcting some of the inaccuracies stated by Mr. Henderson. I am an advocate with the Legal Center for People with Disabilities in Cedar City. We are a statewide organization and our primary function is to protect the human, civil, and legal rights ofUtahns who are discriminated against because of their disabiliWe are a private, nonties. profit organization, independent of all government agencies, not as Mr. Henderson suggests, an arm of bigger government. We community. I am sure that Mr. Henderson can think of at least one relative or acquaintance who suffers from a mental or physical impairment who could have benefited if they would have had someone to advocate on their behalf when they were unable to do so themselves. A major area of focus within our organization is to ensure access to equal employment opportunities based on merit. One of the tools we use in trying to reach this goal is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The purpose of the ADA is to remove barriers which prevent qualified disabled individuals from enjoying the same employment opportunities that are available to people like Mr. Henderson or myself. The ADA does not establish quotas or require preferences favoring disabled individuals. The intent of the ADA is expressed rather well by Mr. Henderson himself. He states that Ms. Watson is the best trained, most knowledgeable, and most experienced person in the community concerning libraries. He also shows great insight in noting that Ms. Watsons cerebral palsy is beyond her control. The ADA simply requires the employer to consider whether or not a reasonable ac- commodation could remove a barrier to employment that is not anyones fault. Its intent is to enable disabled persons to compete in the work place based on the same performance standards and requirements that an employer expects of people who are not disabled. Mr. Henderson suggests that once a persons performance becomes unacceptare part of the southern Utah able, the employer is expected to I 4 - help the employee with an accommodation. This is not correct. The protections of the ADA are based on the assumption that if it were not for the individuals disability, they would be otherwise qualified to perform the essential functions of the job in the same manner and to the same standard as a person. The facts are that Ms. Watson has been subject to the same performance review process as any person employed by Kanab. She has consistently been rated outstanding in her overall job performance. Whether or not her ability to do her job is affected by her speech difficulty is still a matter for discussion between the city and Marolynns legal counsel. However, even if that is the case, it is clear that without that hindrance, Ms. Watsons abilities would never have come into question. As Marolynns legal counsel, the Legal Center for People with Disabilities is not in a position to dictate anything unilaterally as Mr. Henderson suggests. The ADA process is meant to be flexible and should involve both the employer and the disabled individual. Mr. Hendersons figures regarding the cost of an accommodation are excactly the type of misinformation that our office tries to correct by educating the community. Most workers with disabilities require no special accommodation, and the cost for those who do need an accommodation is quite a bit lower non-disable- d than Mr. Henderson imagines. The Presidents Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities has done studies which show that 15 of job accommodations cost nothing. 66 cost less than $500, and 78 cost less than $1,000. If Mr. Henderson were to attend a more balanced presentation dealing with the rights of disabled indi- - Southern Utah NEWS AAA Deadlines AAA FRIDAY 1 PM See LETTERS, Page 5 The Southern Utah News (ISSN No. 0C49-165is published every N. Wednesday at 26 Main St., Kanab, Utah 84741 . The SUNews serves Kane County, Utah, and the Arizona Strip. Address communications to 26 N. Main St., Kanab, Utah 84741 , or Fax telephone Advertising rates available upon request. Second Class postage paid at Kanab, Utah 84741. Newsstand price 50c per copy. Yearly subscription rates to Kane County addresses and Fredonia and Moccasin, Arizona, $22; others $30 (out of U.S. $50). The SUNews reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement or submitted items. 9) 801-644-29- Dennis and Dixie Brunner Publishers and Editor RuthKoontz Dillon Cunningham Production Staff Postmaster: Send change of address cards to - 26 N. Main St, Kanab, UT 84741 Barbara Pyles Feature Writer Myma Cox Orderville News Richard Negus Kanab News Barb Kimball Fredonia News 6. |