Innersight: Advocates for the disabled

Frank Perrino remembers when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990.

“A lot of people praised it,” Perrino said of the bill. “I’m not one of them.”

Perrino, who is blind, is the founder and executive director of Innersight, an organization that advocates for the disabled. One of his main complaints is with enforcement of the ADA. For example, if a disabled person launches a complaint against a company, it can take years for the issue to be resolved.

“You can’t call the federal government and say, ‘I’m being discriminated against, they won’t let me on the bus with my guide dog,’” Perrino said.

Innersight, which was founded in 1986 and is completely owned and operated by disabled individuals, has many outlets through which they advocate for the disabled. They have a half-hour TV show, a radio show and podcast, and are currently developing a show for YouTube. These outlets typically highlight someone’s personal story of struggle due to a disability and the lack of support they received from the government. They also take and answer caller questions.

One of the biggest things Perrino said individuals, employers and companies can do for people with disabilities is just listen and take action when something is brought to their attention.

One such company is Suffolk Transportation Inc., which runs Suffolk Bus Corp. The company has known Perrino and Innersight for quite some time and has always made an effort to be receptive to feedback they get from customers.

“I think the most important thing we do is listen,” said Tom McAteer, executive vice president of Suffolk Transportation. 

McAteer told the story of a customer who was blind and had a service dog. At a board meeting, she brought up that when the bus would make a turn, her service dog would slide around the bus. After listening to her remarks, the team at Suffolk Transportation purchased rugs for the buses to prevent service animals from sliding around.

“[We] try to make the services as receptive and responsive as we can to people’s needs,” McAteer said.

Suffolk Transportation recently made a $2,000 donation to Innersight, which they do annually. Perrino is currently looking for someone to match the donation.

Going forward, Perrino hopes Innersight can help as many people as possible, whether they be disabled or in his words, ‘the average person.”