Outrageous Discrimination: Iraq War Veteran Kicked off Miami Bus Over PTSD Service Dog

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Outrageous Discrimination: Iraq War Veteran Kicked off Miami Bus Over PTSD Service Dog

Written by WTKR-TV3

Friday, 23 October 2009 15:54

October 21, 2009 (WTKR-TV3) - Arthur Schwartz was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after coming back from Iraq. His job there involved identifying the bodies of dead American soldiers.

Doctors assigned Schwartz a service dog to help fight anxiety. However Miami-Dade bus drivers have been kicking Schwartz and his dog off because his disability is not a visible condition.

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That's illegal under Americans with Disabilities Act.

"And on Saturday morning, I got on the bus to go to the VA and first thing when I got on, I got into a confrontation about I can't have a dog on the bus and if I'm not blind and if I don't explain what my disability is; And I said, well, I'm not going to do that, so they stopped, shut off the bus, they get on their phone, they get off the bus, they call the headquarters and we go around and around until somebody gets on and decides they're going to drive the bus away. And that's usually what I have most of the time," says Schwartz.

Miami-Dade transit officials apologized, and say they're taking steps to educate all their drivers about service dogs on their buses