THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407220273
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 206 lines
FOR NEARLY SIX years, Frances Riddle and Gregory Willis considered their volunteer work with local rescue squads to be a vital part of their lives.
Both were trained as emergency medical technicians - Riddle pulled duty shifts at Nansemond-Suffolk Volunteer Rescue Squad, and Willis ran rescue calls and trained volunteers for the Windsor Volunteer Rescue Squad.
But in 1992, both of their worlds crumbled. Riddle became deaf and Willis lost his eyesight.
Now they spend their days trying to overcome their disabilities and fighting the discrimination that often accompanies such losses.
Both have struggled to lead nearly normal lives, and in some ways they have succeeded.
But their separate battles to continue their contributions to emergency care have not been as successful.
The two disabled emergency medical technicians feel they can perform their duties as well as their able-bodied counterparts.
But others disagree. Riddle resigned her rescue squad position after the squad's medical director refused to allow her to drive an ambulance or serve as the primary attendant on scene.
And the state is currently reviewing Willis's status as a trainer of rescue workers.
``The bottom line is we're talking about people's lives,'' said Mark Whiting, public information officer for the state Office of Emergency Medical Services, which certifies emergency medical technicians and trainers.
``Our big concern is (to ensure that) all our EMT providers can provide safe patient care. That is our prime concern.''
FRAN RIDDLE, 27, suffered from partial hearing loss most of her life. But she learned early to read lips and managed to exist in the hearing world.
That changed Nov. 8, 1992, when she awoke completely deaf.
And frightened.
Her husband, Ted, helped her get medical attention. But doctors were baffled to explain the loss, saying it may have been caused by bacteria.
Riddle struggled to cope and to continue to care for the couple's two young sons. Eventually, she and her family learned sign language. And with the help of a speech therapist, she was able to speak normally.
Before losing her hearing, Riddle volunteered her time as an ambulance driver and attendant-in-charge for the Nansemond-Suffolk rescue squad.
She also was a volunteer firefighter for the Driver Volunteer Fire Department, where she is still active.
After she lost her hearing, Riddle switched to a vibrating pager so that she could ``feel'' rather than hear an emergency call.
When she talks on the telephone, she communicates through a relay operator, using a computer. And she drives her car without assistance, because it has rear view mirrors on both sides, the only requirement for a deaf driver.
Riddle believes she can provide the same quality emergency care as rescue workers who can hear.
And in May 1993, the state gave her its seal of approval, renewing her certification without restrictions.
But state approval does not guarantee membership in a squad.
Rescue squads are governed by their own by-laws and selection process, said Susan McHenry, state OEMS director.
``They operate under the doctor's license,'' McHenry said. ``He has got to have that ability to say `yes' or `no.' His license is on the line.''
Dr. Brian Gruber, Nansemond-Suffolk's medical director, said `no' when Riddle asked to continue driving and to be allowed to be the attendant-in-charge.
He was willing for her to be the third member on an ambulance, but that only infuriated Riddle.
``Essentially, people who ride third are people who only have CPR,'' she said. ``I have more than that.''
In March, Riddle resigned from the rescue squad, frustrated and angry.
``I'm tired of the battles,'' she said. ``I want to give up so bad. But I know I can't because of the other people out there.''
GREG WILLIS, 32, was living a life he thought close to ideal in spring 1991.
He was working as a mechanic at the Isle of Wight County school garage, a job he loved. And he married that spring, after an earlier divorce.
He enjoyed fishing and working with the Windsor rescue squad, where he had many friends and had become an EMT instructor.
``It came pretty easily, natural,'' Willis said. ``I lived and breathed it.''
His rescue work was his way of repaying a debt he felt he owed to the community, said Willis, a North Carolina native.
``I came here and didn't have any family in the state of Virginia,'' he said. ``They took me in. I felt I owed the community for what they provided me - pretty much my sanity.''
But by spring 1991, his eyes had started swelling, and he suffered frequent headaches.
Thinking he may have allergies, Willis sought medical attention and was diagnosed that March with Graves' disease.
A diabetic, he had been dependent on insulin since age 15.
``But going blind never entered my mind,'' Willis said.
He took medicine, went through steroid and radiation treatments, and had eye surgery.
But nothing worked. In March 1992, Willis quit his job, unable to see any longer.
He spent seven months in a Richmond rehabilitation center, learning to cope in the seeing world. This past June, he returned to the hospital for quintuple-bypass heart surgery.
Within weeks he was back at work at the Isle of Wight Farm Bureau, where he has donated his time for 11 months in a work experience program through the Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped.
With a special computer that talks to him, Willis has ``literally very few limits,'' he said.
``I can tell the lights are on,'' he said as he made coffee, carefully fingering the hole where he should pour the water. ``On a good day, I can see some forms.''
In January 1993, Willis called state OEMS officials and told them he was blind. He asked what he needed to do before October, when his instructor certification would expire.
He was given an extension on his old certification so he could continue to teach while officials evaluated his methods.
Willis said that people showing up unexpectedly to monitor his progress made his class ``a dog-and-pony show.''
``They wanted me to do practical skills demonstration,'' Willis said. ``I said, `Sure, as long as every other instructor in the state has to do it.' ''
Willis believes his past teaching record proves he is capable.
``I've got the only student in the state who ever made 100, that I know of,'' he said. ``The proof was in the pudding already that I could do the job.''
While they haven't decided about his future status as an instructor, state officials have asked Willis to give up his certification to be an emergency medical technician.
But Willis has refused, even though he admits he should not be allowed to provide patient care.
``I'm not asking to ride an ambulance, as much as I would like to,'' Willis said. ``I just want to teach.
``I'm still waiting for an answer.''
But answers may not come quickly.
P. Scott Winston, manager of licensure and certification for the state OEMS, said the case would be reviewed by the state advisory board.
``The key to focus on is it is purely performance-based,'' Winston said. ``Is the individual fully capable of performing the essential functions of the position they seek?''
WILLIS AND RIDDLE hope a new federal law designed to safeguard the rights of the handicapped is the answer to their prayers.
The fourth and final phase of the Americans with Disabilities Act became effective July 1.
The law prohibits discrimination by public entities. But whether a private rescue squad is covered is unclear. Even the explanation in the U.S. Department of Justice manual is ambiguous.
Winston, the OEMS licensure manager, said the matter is open to interpretation.
``I've seen decisions where rescue squads are considered governmental agencies and other decisions where they are not,'' Winston said. ``It is really a gray area.''
Richard DiPeppe, superintendent of the Endependence Center, a Norfolk-based agency that assists people with disabilities, disagrees.
``Rescue squads are generally considered to be covered, and their procedure would tie them to state and local government,'' DiPeppe said. ``If there are tax dollars involved, the city is required under ADA to be non-discriminating.''
Gruber, the Nansemond-Suffolk squad's medical director, said he believes the law ``applies only to people gainfully employed'' - not volunteers.
The ADA requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide ``reasonable accommodations'' to allow disabled workers to perform their jobs.
Riddle said she did not ask the squad to provide her any special equipment, such as a digital pager or automated blood pressure monitor to enable her to do what she wants.
``I was looking for grants myself for the equipment I would need,'' she said. ``Just give me the right to do what I'm trained to do.''
Riddle did say, however, that she would need to have another attendant handle radio communication for her.
Gruber said that was not acceptable.
``I will not put myself at risk,'' he said. ``I will not put the people of Suffolk at risk. I can't put the wants of one person ahead of society. I'm not putting my livelihood on the line or the livelihood of the squad.''
He is sympathetic to her disability, Gruber said. But ``putting her wants over the needs of the general public - that is unconscionable.''
WHILE RIDDLE AND WILLIS continue their struggles, their cases will be closely monitored throughout the state.
Winston, the OEMS licensure manager, said the issue is very complicated, and there is no legal precedent to guide decisions.
``This is really new ground we're covering,'' Winston said. ``We want to make sure any decision we make is in the best interest of patient care.''
State officials also want to protect other squad members and the disabled individuals themselves - by keeping them out of situations they might not be able to handle.
``We look at each one on a case-by-case basis,'' Winston said. ``We're trying to get a handle on this so we're fair and equitable to everybody.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Color on the Cover: Before losing her hearing, Frances Riddle
volunteered her time as an ambulance driver and attendant-in-charge
for the Nansemond-Suffolk rescue squad.
Frances Riddle, who is deaf, quit the Nansemond-Suffolk Volunteer
Rescue Squad after its medical director refused to let her drive an
ambulance or be the primary attendant.
Gregory Willis ran emergency calls and trained volunteers for the
Windsor rescue squad until he lost his sight two years ago. State
officials have asked Willis to give up his certification to be an
emergency medical technician until they can evaluate his future
status.
by CNB