They deliver for you...if you're able

                I’m not sure how many times I have been to the Buffalo Grove post office.  Maybe hundreds. 

                But it wasn’t during a recent visit that something sparked my interest.  Perhaps it was a

There are two parking spots for motorists
with physical challenges.

sore shoulder (which, along with my age may qualify me to pitch for the Cubs) that drew something to my attention.  I noticed that the doors to the Post Office seemed heavy – which I probably would have ignored if it had not been for my shoulder.  Then something entered my mind – what does someone who has physical challenges do?

              No problem; I’m sure the other doors are handicapped-accessible.  It’s not.  I looked for another entrance to see if it was set up for wheel chair users.  There isn’t one.

But no accessibility for the physically challenged here...

                So the United States Postal Service, which vows to deliver for you, does so only if you’re physically able to visit one of its post offices.

                In an apparent display of kindness, there are two spaces for persons with disabilities.  Great.  It seems to me that the message is “welcome, park here, but beyond that – you’re on your own.” 

                I was going to talk with the postmaster, but to no surprise, there was a line and it was approaching closing time.  My initial thought was that there had to be some error because how could the United States Postal Service not comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

               

...Or here

It’s easy.  It does not have to.  Seriously.  According to its website, USPS.com, “…The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers private-sector employers while the Rehabilitation Act covers public-sector employers. Even though the ADA does not apply to the Postal Service, the two Acts mirror one another and the same regulatory standards apply…” So I checked it the Rehabilitation Act and to no surprise, there was no clear cut edict.  An Internet search yielded a litany of information about protest by, you guessed it, physically challenged Americans, who were, justifiably, upset because they could not easily, if at all, access government buildings – including post offices.

                The village has long been proactive in addressing the needs of residents with disabilities.  Its mission is “…is to assess the needs and concerns of citizens with disabilities and to cooperate with the village government and all other governments in the promotion of quality-of-life issues for persons with disabilities...”.

                It’s not the village’s fault, or the commission’s “fault” that the post office doesn’t want to deliver for everyone.  There is, however, a bit of irony – the federal government is quick to offer funds to improve things in a village – like road projects – but yet for reasons that are not easily found, it chooses to not be as accommodating for a segment of the population that needs as much assistance as possible.

                The village, as previously noted, has its hands tied because, well, the federal government seems to march to the beat of a different drummer.  While it’s a tall order to expect the Commission for Residents with Disabilities to take on the feds, it might want to send the Buffalo Grove postmaster a copy of its mission statement.  And while they’re at it, send a copy to Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer to let him know of local concerns and that if the Postal Service is going to “deliver for you…” it needs to do so for everyone.

                Whether the commission does or does not is its business.

                But here’s a tip for commissioners.

                Play it safe; send it by Fed-Ex.