We received the email below from a good friend, a longtime disability rights advocate:
I came across an interesting article in Golf.Com about Casey Martin. You may or may not remember when Casey Martin v. PGA was decided by the Supreme Court. Very briefly Martin sued the PGA under the Americans with Disabilities Act, asking for the right to use a golf cart in PGA tournament play as an accommodation. The underlying issue was how are accommodations determined to be reasonable. Was the “endurance” represented by the PGA rule that players walk the course truly essential to the game of golf? If not then riding a cart would be a reasonable accommodation. The decision was that riding a cart was a reasonable accommodation under the law.
Mr. Martin’s condition took him out of the game by the time the decision was made, but this year he is back in U.S. Open play.
The article provides a brief history of the case, but more interestingly discusses how the response to his return and use of accommodation reflects changes in society’s understanding of disability, accommodation, and what is important!
Planet of the Blind 