Administrativa Disbeliever
Back in August, I’d mentioned that I’ve been trying to get Safeway to reactivate the mute function on the self-checkout kiosks, because the incessant narrating chatter is a final sensory nightmare when grocery shopping already is a stressful activity as it is. Over a year and a half, things had progressed from emails with the store manager to filing a disability accommodations complaint with the state.
Last week, I received a piece of mail from the Bureau of Labor and Industry, indicating without elaboration that in late November my complaint had been “administratively closed”, which certainly brought up the same foul taste as did Social Security’s silent rejection of an appeal of a claim denial earlier this year.
It’s almost as if I need to pen a sequel to the unprinted commentary I’d sent to The Oregonian about the concept of administrative burden.
According to the latter, I have the right to do two things: file a civil suit against them if I disagree with the decision, and/or file a free public records request for the file. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’d receive the file within the timeframe for filing suit, and you’d sort of want to know what the file actually says before filing a suit.
Anyway, it’s frustrating that this is dragging on, as the fix is simple. Safeway loses nothing by reactivating the mute function, and the rule of thumb should be that disability accommodations should be made using the means that ar eleast disruptive to the disabled. While we know that staff can use their override card to enable the mute function on a one-off basis, I shouldn’t have to request this. If doorways were barely wide enough for a person we wouldn’t have a wider door for wheelchairs that require the disabled to hit a button to call an attendant to open it.
(To be clear: no one has suggested this alternative. It’s just that the manager, at least the one last year, told me in email that he could override the setting, and so I’m frankly surprised no one has said to me, “Just ask someone to do that, every single time you’re checking out.”)
The automated response to my records request warned that they will do their “best to review the requested records and produce them for you no later than January 28, 2024”. I’ve rummaged my email for the two contact addresses at BOLI from previous messages, and asked for someone to explain the term “administratively closed”.
Addenda
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Well, I have a response. Swamped with cases, BOLI made the decision to close some number without actually considering them. Although it’s difficult to do anything but assume they must have had some calculation on what was worth their time and what wasn’t. What wasn’t? My autistic sensory sanity.
Another win for America’s artificial austerity.
My only option apparently is to file a civil suit, which no lawyer would consider doing, either. I’m thinking I might simply communicate the situation to the Autism Society of Oregon. I can’t imagine they’d want to sue in my half but maybe if they contact Safeway they’d have more luck than I did.