Denise Delatoba of Gautier is the type of patient helped by the nonprofit Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation.

Delatoba, 49, woke up one morning unable to see out of her left eye, she said. An orange-sized tumor in her brain had pressed on her optic nerve and severely impaired her vision, she said.

Her right eye also was affected by the tumor, which has been removed, she said.

With the summer pool season approaching, a battle is brewing between advocates for disabled Americans and hotel owners over how to make public swimming pools more accessible to people with disabilities.

At the center of the dispute is a new regulation that requires hotels and recreation centers that operate public pools and spas to install or order permanent lifts — costing between $2,500 and $6,500 each, plus installation — by May 21. The requirement also can be satisfied by pool ramps, which are much more expensive.

Mention footpath and our cup of collective cynicism runneth over. Yet Corporation of Chennai (CoC) seems determined to prove us wrong. CoC has identified 60 bus route roads in the city and around 170 km in the newly-added areas to upgrade street facilities to world class standards.

Sceptical? Anecdotally, 80 per cent of our footpaths have no real encroachments. They are just badly designed and maintained and can be set right. 10 per cent have obstacles that can be removed and the rest have serious encroachments. Is 90 per cent a good start?

A PARTIALLY-sighted York man has finally got a job after being out-of-work for 12 months – now he is pleading for other people with sight problems to be given the same chance.

Steve Butler, 34, of Tang Hall, had been finding that sight loss was a major barrier to employment, despite having a number of administration qualifications and working in voluntary positions.

He said he was losing his confidence, fearing every time an employer realised he was visually impaired, they would find a reason not to interview him.