Quadriplegic Sues Disney: Stranded on 'Small World' Ride

| Saturday, March 5, 2011 | 0 comments |
by Erin Skarda

A quadriplegic man is suing Disneyland after being stranded on the "It's A Small World" ride for more than 40 minutes during an evacuation.

Jose Martinez is suing the "Happiest Place on Earth" for negligence, emotional distress and liability, claiming that after the famous ride stalled, Disney staff evacuated other passengers, while leaving him and his wife behind.

The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court by the Disability Rights Legal Center on behalf of Martinez, claims that Disney violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not having proper procedures in place to evacuate disabled passengers. Martinez also alleges that Disney staffers refused to call the paramedics after the stress of the situation caused his blood pressure to rise.

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Milwaukee spent nearly $800,000 on Viagra for teachers

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by Susan Donaldson James

Two years ago, the Milwaukee school district decided that it was more interested in enhancing teacher performance in the classroom than the bedroom.

The district cut Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs like Cialis and Levitra from its health insurance plan, hoping to save $786,000 a year.

Officials said too many teachers were using the expensive drugs for recreation, swelling their insurance rates. An estimated 1,000 of the 10,000 school's staff, which includes employees, dependents and retirees, were using the drugs.

Now, teachers are fighting to get the benefit back with a lawsuit. The Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association (MTEA) argues that the new policy discriminates unfairly against men and "creates barriers" to receiving necessary medical treatment.

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