By Cheryl Weiss

If you love to read, used book sales at local libraries are a great place to be, especially on the last day of the sale, when you can fill up a bag for $5.00. If you have physical disabilities, however, don’t go to the Rochester Hills Library’s used book sale.
They won’t let you enter their shiny new used book room where the book sale is held with a folding cart to help you wallk and hold your books.

They also don’t allow wheelchairs, walkers, or other assistive devices commonly used by people with disabilities on the last day of the sale.
They don’t allow strollers either. There’s a sign on the door announcing that strollers are not allowed in the sale. There is not a sign prohibiting adaptive devices for the disabled, but the volunteers with the Friends of the Library are eager to let you know that you can’t clog their aisles on such a busy sale day with those items.
I know this is true, because it happened to me on Sunday, September 27, 2015.

I have a number of serious chronic health issues that have led to physical disabilities. If you look at me, you may not realize I am disabled, but not all disabilities look like a missing limb or a stroke-affected side of the body. I am in constant pain from my lower back down to my toes, and on bad days like yesterday, I need to hold on to something in order to stand and walk for more than a few minutes. Carrying a pile of books in my arms right now is impossible.

In addition, I have a number of autoimmune diseases including Advanced Sjogren’s Syndrome. Currently, Sjogren’s is attacking my lungs, making breathing difficult. I have been on a high dose of steroids for over six weeks, I have to take breathing treatments with a nebulizer every 4-5 hours, and I am on a great deal of other medications to ease the respiratory distress. Because of both health challenges, and others, I spend a lot of time at home resting and reading. This is why I wanted to stock up on books at the bag sale.

One of my favorite things in the world to do, ever since I was a child, is to poke around a book sale, browsing as long as I can, finding treasures in almost every genre. I can get lost in a book sale for hours, if only my body holds up that long! However, my cart was not allowed, so I was not permitted to browse like everyone else. The volunteers offered to bring me a selection of books I could look at and choose from, or to assign a volunteer to escort me around the sale, taking the books I chose (with my cart stored away, of course), but that is not what I consider enjoying a used book sale. I want the same access as anyone else at the sale, able-bodied or not. The room is huge, with aisles that are even wider than standard library aisles. The new space holds 40,000 books! And it couldn’t accommodate a folding, collapsible cart?

I’ve taken this cart to many other used book sales at local libraries, all of which are held in much smaller spaces than Rochester Hills. Sure, sometimes it’s crowded, but that’s when we use common courtesy and step aside so someone else can pass, say “excuse me, please”, or even go around another way. No one has ever complained.

Why did they put up such a fuss at the Rochester Hills Public Library? What is their problem with a collapsible wire cart?

For that matter, what about the Americans With Disabilities Act? How can they establish and enforce a rule that excludes people with physical disabilities that require devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, or scooters from shopping at their sale? Is this not a direct violation of the ADA? Doesn’t the ADA provide for reasonable accommodation at public events, including libraries? I’m not an expert, but I did some reading.

According to Section 12132: Discrimination of the ADA, “Subject to the provisions of this subchapter, no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.” In Subchapter III – Public Accommodations and Services Operated By Private Entities, Sec. 12181: Definitions states the following:” (7) Public accommodation. The following private entities are considered public accommodations for purposes of this subchapter: (H) a museum, library, gallery, or other place of public display or collection; if the operations of such entities affect commerce.”
According to Mark Pierce, one of the Friends of the Library volunteers who asked me to leave the book sale on Sunday, their accommodation is to offer volunteers to pre-select books for me, or to assign me a volunteer to follow me. That makes me uncomfortable. I do not want an escort. I do not want to be followed. I want to browse on my own, like the middle aged adult that I am. Their offer is not a reasonable or acceptable accommodation.

I was asked if I have a doctor’s note regarding my health issues with me. No, I don’t carry a doctor’s note detailing my health issues, but I do have a handicapped parking placard. I had it in my purse because I only use it when I absolutely need to, and since I had the cart to hold on to on the walk from the parking lot to the sale, I parked in a regular spot so that someone else who needed it more than I do would have access to that handicapped spot. But I showed the volunteers I had the handicapped parking placard. It didn’t matter. I still couldn’t go in with my cart. Even though it collapses at the touch of a finger, so it could be out of anyone’s way in an instant.

There were quite a few people at the sale, but there were not hundreds of people in the room when I was, as Hage claimed. Forty or fifty, maybe, but I don’t think there were even that many. According to at least five volunteers with the Friends of the Rochester Hills Library group, their aisles would get too crowded with carts like mine; there is no room when the sale is so crowded. With able-bodied people, of course.

Another volunteer, who was identified later as Pierce’s wife, said I can use one of their black carts downstairs if I want. I looked at their cart and compared it to mine. Guess what? Their cart is approximately the same height and same width as mine! I couldn’t understand the difference, so I took them both back upstairs. Pierce said he didn’t know why his wife even suggested the black carts; he won’t allow those in either.

There was a very kind, compassionate young man named Ed at the checkout counter. He listened to me share my experience, and offered to give me a comment card to fill out for the Director of the Library, Christine Hage. I wrote about what happened, gave him the card, and he assured me that he would place it directly in her box so she would see it Monday morning.

Then I left for the 40 minute drive back home empty handed, angry, embarrassed, offended, and determined to try to make things better for the next person who tries to shop at their sale and is turned away like I was. This is not right. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity, regardless of physical abilities or disabilities.

Monday around noon, Hage called me. I hoped she would be kind, offer an apology, and assure me that the way I was treated on Sunday was not the way they respond to guests at their library, nor is it how they will treat people with disabilities in the future. That’s all I really wanted.

Unfortunately, what she said couldn’t have been more opposite, more rude, or more hurtful. Hage said, “We are happy to bring materials to you, to preselect for people like you, and we are glad to bring as many books as you want to look at. That’s our accommodation, and other people do take advantage of that. However, you can’t clog the aisles with your equipment. We can’t have safety issues. We do not allow walkers, scooters, or wheelchairs on Sunday; it’s just too crowded.” She suggested, “You could come on a Friday afternoon when it’s not busy.” I reminded her that I went on Sunday; Friday had already passed. In addition, the bag sale was in my budget, because I planned to buy a lot of books. I am retired, on a pension, and on a tight budget. Spending $20-50 on books is not something I can afford right now. Spending $5-10 for a bag or two of books, however, is what I budgeted for. When I said that, she laughed unkindly, and said, “Really?” I guess Hage, in Rochester Hills, does not only fail to understand life with physical disabilities, but life on a tight budget as well. She can laugh at me if it makes her continue to feel more superior, I suppose, but I believe my situation is more common around this area than she may realize. I would rather struggle financially, however, then struggle to be a kind, caring, compassionate woman as she apparently does.
When I shared with Hage that I have taken my cart to many other local book sales, and I am on the Friends of the Oak Park Library Committee, she suggested, “Maybe you need to go to smaller book sales. You can go to Oak Park. We are very busy, we have safety concerns. Because of the size and success of our sales, we have rules, and the rules are no different for you than anyone else. We don’t allow wheelchairs, walkers, or scooters.”

Wow.

Wait, what does that mean exactly?

“You can go to Oak Park.” Does that mean that I should just stay in my own city, and stay away from Rochester Hills? That I am not welcome? That Oak Parkers are not good enough to visit the Rochester Hills Public Library? That Oak Parkers should just stay in Oak Park?

Wow.

You know what? Fine! I am proud to be a lifelong Oak Parker. Oak Park has a spirit unlike any other city anywhere. We help each other. We care about each other. We welcome each other, regardless of disability, income level, age, culture, race, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, or any other identifier that might separate us. Our hearts are bigger, fuller, and richer than the cold, closed, discriminatory Grinch-like heart expressed in Christine Hage of the Rochester Hills Public Library.

Yes, her suggestion to ‘stay in my place’ hurt for a while. But it made me proud that my little city, along with Berkley, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, and Auburn Hills would never dream of treating a guest at their used book sales as she treated me. I know this is true, because I called all of them and asked if I could bring my cart to their used book sales. Every one of them answered the same – YES! Of course! That is no problem! People attend their used book sales with strollers, walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, wheeled carts, and all are welcome.

But there’s more.

I could have written and posted this story as it is above yesterday, before the Oakland Press published their story about this situation. But I wanted to investigate further, to do more research. I was wondering about the “safety” issue. In this huge new space, with extra wide aisles, would a cart, or a wheelchair, truly be an issue for safety and building codes?
I called the Rochester Hills Fire Department to ask. I was told that actually, although the library is called the Rochester Hills Public Library, it is actually located in the city of Rochester, and would follow their building codes, as they have jurisdiction. So I called them. I was told that they are looking into it, but I should call Police Chief Schettenhelm and share this with him. So I did. He was very kind, and wanted to hear about what happened. He said that he will discuss this with the Building Inspector, and he will go over to speak to the Director of the Library and find out how they are making decisions like this. He explained that as my cart may not be an actual medical device, it may be exempt from the letter of the law of the ADA, but there is a need for common sense. I understand and agree with him. Certainly wheelchairs, which Hage prohibited at the sale, are in the realm of the ADA. Tomorrow, Chief Schettenhelm and the building inspector will continue to look into this issue, and I deeply appreciate his concern, his kindness, and his interest. I am very much looking forward to hearing what they find out and share with me.

I also thought the Mayor of Rochester Hills might like to know about this situation, since I planned to share this story on social media. I spoke with someone at Mayor Bryan Barnett’s office, who wrote down my information and assured me that she would share this with him when he returned to the office. A few hours later, Mayor Burnett returned my call. He asked me what happened, listened to what I shared, and said, “I’m sorry, I have never had a situation like this brought to my attention before.” He genuinely sounded amazed that this happened, that I was treated with such disrespect. He explained to me that the library is actually not under city control, and the library employees are not city employees. They have their own governing board, and they are their own administration, which serves the people of Rochester Hills, Rochester, and Oakland Township. This is different from how other libraries in the area are run. So unfortunately, the mayor has little control or influence over what happens there, but he did express his dismay at my experience, apologized, and said he hopes I will not avoid all of Rochester Hills because of that group of people. I appreciate that, but at this point, I have no intention of returning to the Rochester Hills Public Library for anything, nor do I plan to attend any events in Rochester or Rochester Hills. There is more than enough to do in Oak Park and other nearby cities. I’m an Oak Park girl, and proud of it!

So what’s next? The Friends of the Oak Park Library Used Book Sale is coming up in October! The sale schedule is as follows:

Thursday, October 22nd from 1:00 – 7:30pm

Friday, October 23rd from 1:00 – 5:30pm

Sunday, October 25th from 1:00 – 4:30 pm

Monday, October 26th from 1:00 – 7:30pm – BAG DAY!!!

Tuesday, October 27th from 4:00 – 7:00pm – FREE DAY!!!

Please come and shop!

If you have a walker, a wheelchair, a scooter, a stroller, or a cart, you are more than welcome at our sale. We welcome everyone in Oak Park! See you there!