Hello. My name is Bob, and I too, have Epilepsy. It is a lifelong problem for
me, as it began as the result of a large tumor being removed from my brain when
I was 16 months old. However, unlike in years past, my seizures have become
both less frequent, and less powerful. My (fiancee, at the time) Beth, is in a
wheelchair. My then landlord had a ramp on the side of the house, but chained
it off, claiming it was unsafe. It was okay for his mother, so why was it
suddenly unsafe? I broke my lease, and moved out.
My wife and I now live in 2 separate apartments, in the same apartment building,
as she needs space for her equipment. We make it work.
Good luck!
Bob B.
________________________________
From: Steve <stephenpales@yahoo.com>
To: epilepsy@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, May 29, 2011 12:55:05 PM
Subject: [epilepsy] Re: landlord discrimination & sad update
Hi Brian,
I want to thank you for sharing with us how much your housing has affected your
life because of epilepsy. Most people with epilepsy post about the general talk
about epilepsy. Though epilepsy affects all our lives in different ways like
you are sharing with us. I just want to thank you for keeping us up to date on
what you have been dealing with!
And Brian, don't Feel in anyway that you shouldn't vent out to us!!! We all
reach points when we need friends to vent out to. And here, we all are friends,
and are here to listen and give support to each other!
Steve
--- In epilepsy@yahoogroups.com, "fakeMacGyver" <nairbrian@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Mrs. Tapscott:
>
> Thanks for writing again. I wish you the best, too, with your health and I will
>pray for your healing. I've only broken my collarbone in a fall from a seizure
>at the end of 2010. I've never broken anything before and I can't imagine how it
>must have been for you.
>
> Yes, of course I wouldn't expect anybody to clean my apartment. No, her
>complaints were about cleaning up anything in the hallway, how they don't know
>how to and shouldn't have to when it comes to "bio-hazardous material". Also,
>they spoke of what if I had a seizure in the apartment and they had to break
>down my door to get to me. Trying to remove/punish me because of a "what if" is
>wrong, too.
>
> I have maybe two major seizures a year. Usually, when I have a problem, I
>automatically seem to head into the hallway after I call 911 on my own. I usally
>grab my keys in time, too. The lady also wrote of how it was annoying how, if I
>return from a hospital, I might not have my keys and one of their sons would
>have to let me in. That's something they are there for, too. Once, so I would
>even have to deal with them, I called a locksmith and that was about $70 which
>is a lot when I get SSD.
>
> The "Tameren" LLC is apparently just the husband and wife who live
>elsewhere...but they have a couple of sons living in apartments in this building
>and they are always cleaning. Apparently, it was one of them that complained to
>their mom. The lady then contact the Housing Authority instead of even asking me
>about things. In here letter to the HUD, she mentions of how she's concerned for
>her health and that of her sons "handling bio-hazardous material" and that her
>son was "worried that Brian would choke on his own vomit". Obviously they don't
>know anything about first aid for a person with a seizure.
>
>
> I did speak with the landlady in the beginning and she's ridiculous. I remember
>her saying that
> "Why don't you clean up your own vomit, then?" I was never rude during our talk
>but she surely was. I remember my final words to her were "That's too bad."
>which I said while shaking my head, feeling sorry for her attitude a little bit.
>
> Also, during the investigation the Civil Rights Division made, they mentioned
>that I wasn't appreciative of their help. What is that...opening the door to the
>building for the paramedics after they called them, which I would have no
>knowldege of? Paramedics don't always have to be called; again they aren't
>educated.
>
> She could have had the decency to express her concerns to me and I could have
>given details about the condition. The people at the Housing Authority never
>knew I had the condition and, to me, the landlady telling them is a privacy
>violation. I'm a very private person. To the investigator, it was just
>"informative" in nature.
>
> I guess there is nobody but the husband/wife and sons to mention problems too.
>She handles the money, the sons clean, and the man does maintenance (whenever he
>feels like it, when it comes to me it seems).
>
> She even wrote that she thought I would be best in supervised location, then
>denied it in a response to the investigator. The place that she claimed to have
>visited a former tenant...a place she thought I would be best in...was a place
>for just seniors. I'm 37.
>
> The attorney who helped me in the past never spoke with the management; it was
>just through a letter. The letter that was sent to the Housing Authority was
>also mailed to the management. This attorney was from South Jersey Regional (I
>believe that's what it's now called; it used to be Camden Regional) and they
>have an office in my town. They helped me to understand how I didn't have to
>move becuase of the landlord's statements and I stayed. The wanted to be
>"proactive" and what they wrote helped.
>
> These people I spoke of who are in charge of the building are the same as when
>they bought the place in 1998, I believe. I lived here since approx. 1994.
>Hmmm...'secret shoppers'. I would love to know what would happen if someone was
>able to try to get an apartment here and mentioned that they have seizures. I
>wonder what they would be told. Maybe I can get a friend to find out for me.
>
> I wonder if I could just file in Small Claims and go directly at the
>management. Yet I guess that is just for specific money-damages and not for
>someone who wants closure on a discrimination situation.
>
> I've contacted a lawyer referral service, where someone can recommend an
>attorney who I could talk to for $25 for the first half hour and then I could
>hire the person if I chose. It wouldn't be free, but apparently the South Jersey
>Regional only handles situations where the person is already in trouble.
>
> I also have contacted a person by e-mail...a person recommended by another
>attorney in town. That attorney personally called his attorney friend, who
>handles civil rights claims, and would have taken my case for free and then I
>would have paid a part of any winnings to him afterwards. Yet, instead I went
>the route of filing a complaint with the Division On Civil Rights, which I
>believe failed me and didn't do a proper investigation. Specifically with not
>giving me all the information they had although their findings state that they
>did. As I surely mentioned elsewhere, I don't see how the management, at the
>least, didn't discriminate. It's claimed that the "evidence shows a Respondent
>who was willing to let him remain on the premises despite their concerns". I
>never thought for a moment they were concerned about me; they are concerned
>about any messes or a 'what if he chokes on his own vomit' situation.
>
> So the recommended attorney told me that if I still needed his help I could get
>in touch with him and I'll be waiting for a response. I guess it was his choice
>to represent me before for nothing at the start and he thought it was an
>interesting case? I hope he's still interested once he knows of the recent
>events.
>
> Well, thanks for reading and writing. I surely hope that I never come across
>angry in any of my writings here, expressing my anger about the management and
>now the Civil Rights Division in an improper location.
>
> Everyone here has been great and I appreciate it.
>
> - Brian
>
> --- In epilepsy@yahoogroups.com, "Amy Tapscott" <amymknipp@> wrote:
> >
> > Brian, I was under the impression they were coming into your apartment and
>cleaning up. I didn't realize it was in the hallways. That is entirely
>different. And you are absolutely correct, when we have seizures we are
>unconscious and are not aware what happened. My most recent occurrence was last
>month and I had 3 massive grand mals right in a row. I was considered status
>epilepticus. I fell in my home and fractured my skull and have two hematomas on
>my brain. There is a course of several days I have no memory of whatsoever. I
>think that them cleaning the hallways is completely reasonable, as you aren't
>physically able to do it, and if they are showing any apartments near yours,
>they need to be clean. We normally would clean the hallways on a regular basis
>anyway. Have you contacted the management company directly, and not just the
>employees who work there? It could very well just be the employees who are
>causing the issue and not the company itself. I know you filed suit and your
>attorney probably talked with them. I am wondering if a change in staff would
>ease the problems? Most apartments here have a high turnover rate, basically
>because the employees have quotas they have to meet when renting an apartment,
>they have to stay within budget and get good reviews from "secret shoppers".
>Has there been new employees that suddenly started causing these problems for
>you? Now this has me upset, since it does sound like they are discriminating
>other people as well. We can't tell people who they can and can't have for
>guests! Best of luck. If you were here in Florida I could get you some help
>through Legal Aid.
> >
> > Amy
>
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