Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 86.djvu/1014

 972

PUBLIC LAW 92-515-OCT. 21, 1972 EQUAL. ACCESS TO HOUSING

Dog guides.

[86 STAT. '

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SEC. 5. (a) Blind persons and other physically disabled persons shall be entitled to full and equal access, as other members of the general public, to all housing accommodations offered for lent, lease, or compensation in the District of Columbia, subject to the conditions and limitations established by law or in accordance with law and applicable alike to all persons. (b) Every blind person who has a dog guide, or who obtains a dog guide, shall be entitled to full and equal access to all housing accommodations referred to in this section, without being required to pay an extra charge for the dog guide; but such blind person shall be liable for any damage done to the premises by such dog. (c) Nothing in this section shall require any person renting, leasing, or providing real property for compensation in the District of Columbia to modify his property in any way or to provide a higher degree of care for a blind person or otherwise physically disabled person than for a person who is not physically disabled. -!fo,iiO'i'.M'':



PENALTY


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SEC. 6. Any person or the agent of any person in the District of Columbia who denies or interferes with admittance to or enjoyment of any of the places, accommodations, or conveyances listed in sections 1 and 2 or otherwise interferes with the rights of a blind or otherwise disabled person under sections 1, 2, 4, and 5 shall be imprisoned for not longer than ninety days, or fined not more than $300, or both. WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY

Commissioner gj-p 7 Each year, the Commissioner of the District of Columbia mationauthoriza- shall take Suitable public notice of October 15 as White Cane Safety ti°"Day. He shall issue a proclamation commenting upon the significance of the white cane, and calling upon the citizens of the District of Columbia to observe the provisions of this Act, to be aware of the presence of disabled persons in the community, to keep safe and functional for the disabled the streets, highways, sidewalks, walkways, public buildings, public facilities, other public places, places of public accommodation, amusement, and resort, and other places to which the public is invited, and to oflFer assistance to disabled persons ' upon appropriate occasions.

DEFINITION

SEC. 8. For purposes of this Act— (1) The term "blind person" means, and the term "blind" refers to, a person who is totally blind, has impaired vision of not more than 20/200 visual acuity in the better eye and for whom vision cannot be improved to better than 20/200, or who has loss of vision due wholly or in part to impairment of field vision or to other factors which affect the usefulness of vision to a like degree. (2) The term "otherwise physically disabled" refers to an individual who has a medically determinable physical impairment (other than blindnessj which interferes with his ability to move about, to assist himseli, or to engage in an occupation. Approved October 21, 1972.

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