UN adopts disability convention
 

Anyone wanna' bet the US does not ratifiy it?

UN adopts disability convention By Geoff Adams-Spink
Age & disability correspondent, BBC News website


The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted a treaty on the rights of disabled people.
The text of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was agreed by a UN committee in August.
Countries that ratify it will have to introduce laws ensuring that disabled people are treated fairly.
The treaty will enter into force once it has been ratified by 20 countries. It is thought that the world's disabled population is 650m.
It will now be up to the 192 member states of the UN to ratify it and to begin putting it into practice.
The treaty will be signed by the European Union as a legal entity - a first in the field of human rights.

Fastest legislation?

The convention is the most rapidly negotiated human rights treaty in the history of international law - as well as the first such treaty in the 21st Century, said UN Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown.
"Too often, those living with disabilities have been seen as objects of embarrassment, and at best, of condescending pity and charity," Mr Malloch Brown said.
"On paper they have enjoyed the same rights as others. In real life, they have often been relegated to the margins and denied the opportunities that others take for granted."
The convention sets out in detail the rights of disabled people. It covers civil and political rights, accessibility, participation and inclusion, education, health, employment and social protection.
The treaty also recognises that attitudes need to change if disabled people are to achieve equality.
Countries that adopt the treaty will have to get rid of laws, customs and practices that discriminate against disabled people.
An optional protocol to the treaty will give groups and individuals the right to petition the Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities once they have exhausted all avenues within their own country.
A committee of independent experts will receive reports from states that have ratified the convention on the progress made in meeting their obligations.
The convention will be opened for signature and ratification in March 2007.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/6173073.stm

Published: 2006/12/13 18:25:30 GMT

hmmmmmm but will it guarantee equal access to getting slaughtered by bloodthirsty warlords while they discuss a plan
to have a meeting to talk about putting it on the agenda of possible topics to be put on the schedule for next year?

That would depend a lot on what it mandates, I would think. Stuff like Braille labels on aircraft controls?

Interestingly enough, the document does not appear to actually define what a "disability" is...other than to refer to it in a preamble as "an evolving concept". Kind of a blank check in that respect.

By the way, you may want to curb your enthusiasm for rapidly-arrived-at UN treaties if you're interested in keeping your small arms; they've decided you don't need them.

We Americans have a problem with disabilities. In building a house for the disabled, I could not find facts and numbers that define what was necessary. In America (except on the west coast), we want to define who can be sued and for how much. Do it yourself. What are the numbers for light switches in a building for disabled people? This is how we learn by doing. Do it yourself. How many inches from the floor must a light switch be located? Provide that url. And how many web sites were visited before useful reality (the numbers) could be obtained? Do we want to sue or do we want to solve problems?

Forget the UN. How many of us think like an engineer verses how many think like a business or law school graduate. Do it yourself to learn.

I swear tw - you must be the life of the party.

Yeah - liars are so much more fun. Ripping off old ladies means we drink the good stuff tonight. After all, that is only what matters. We feel good, then everything must be right.

What really sucks about the house issue, and everything else, when it comes to disabilities, is that everything is so much more expensive.
A counter that has FEWER materials is TWICE as expensive as a "normal" one.
I know for a fact, because I was a builder, it is easier to put in a doorway without a floor thrshold... yet, they charge more to do a home with them. You don't want to price a disabled home... it is a nightmare how much they rape people for, people who have no choice, for items in the home that are no different than "regular" homes, take no special equipment, with few exceptions... just because they can...
How conveeeeeenient.
When I stayed at a hotel recently, they put me in a disabled room, even after I asked not to be, charged me $60 more per night. The room was smaller than a standard room, was smaller than the standard rooms and had NO VIEW in a hotel that is know for it.
Welcome to my world. BTW, I did not pay the extra and just looked at the cashier when she started to say something... as she started to say something else my wife just said "try it". Never heard another peep. They know it is criminal.
Read a thread recently on a disabled board and this is standard practice, most four or five star hotels have their disabled rooms facing their dumpsters (many do what the Sheraton in Orlando does, have them smaller and charge more for them).

Interesting that you should mention this, that is precisely what they did to me when I went to San Diego for the operation last summer. The "disabled" room had almost no furniture and a cavernous bathroom with no decorations, looked like the shower room at a prison. They had the bath tub filled with so many gadgets for lowering somebody into it that I couldn't even stand in the thing to shower on my own two feet. The only good thing about it was they place these rooms near the lobby so you can get back and forth easier. For the privilege of this room which I did not request because I was perfectly ambulatory at the time, they wanted $250 per night, with very steep fares to get you to the hospital in their shuttle instead of free like the place we stayed the year before. Fortunately, they have to give discount rates to patients of Thornton at UCSD or I could not have afforded this uncomfortable room.

As far as any UN resolutions, obviously they have forgotten that UN troops are raping women all over Africa after they proclaimed the Year of the Woman. Seems to me they also reported record slaughters of children in places like Dafur and children being sold into slavery in Sudan during the UN Year of the Child. We are all going to be better off if the UN would just quit with these preposterous proclamations which they will never come close to affecting.

They might affect some of this stuff if they weren't trying to dance to several political tunes at the same time. Our countries are a part of that community, and on our behest they weaken it constantly. We are the ones who are making the UN ineffective. rkzenrage raised the issue about America possibly vetoing this bill. It would not be the first time that great ideas in the UN were subverted or destroyed by a couple of major nations.

Even so, it still ameliorates some of what goes on in the world. There have been successes, they just tend to a smaller scale.

Weeelll they are screwing up pretty badly in Africa right now...

This is way off topic but, my daughter's fencing magazine showed up with photos from the World Championships in Torino. Wheelchair fencing was one of the disciplines. Looks like saber from the pictures.:cool:

Very cool, thanks.

Cripes, tw. You're telling me it's not in here?:

http://www.bookmarki.com/ProductDeta...63&click=62446

My Dad had a copy of this (not the CD-ROM version, of course). And his was pre-ADA. I think my copy at home is the 6th edition.

It's not a bill, it's a treaty. The issue raised was that the US might not become a signatory. I'm not in favor of the US ratifying it in its present form, it's way too vague.

It was approved by the General Assembly...as I recall, the US only has a veto in the Security Council.

so... you would like the USA to have a veto in the GA as well?

I thought you was the home of democracy, the land of of the free, et al...

And hopefully still the land of be-specific-about-what-you're-talking-about. They aren't doing anyone any favors by keeping the language vauge, all it'll do is cause complications when problems arise and the people in charge have no real guidelines to follow.

I didn't see MaggieL saying she wants the USA to have a veto in the GA - she clarified the fact that this is not a bill, it's a treaty - nations sign it or not. If the USA doesn't sign it, that's not a veto.

Yeah, this is the best working model of a 'land of the free' at the moment ... coming from a socialist state, I really appreciate the freedoms here. Freedom of expression, freedom of religion - those are only 'free' to the extent the government's agenda will tolerate them, where I came from. :mad:

For anyone interested, my friend at the UN sent me her first e-mail.
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/publicati...Seriesy_2E.pdf
If you want it in another language, click on it...http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=214

http://www.independentliving.org/standardrules/

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/disiddp.htm

Yeah, and I thought you was the home of English. I guess I were wrong. :-)

Orthodoc had it right though...I was pointing out that it wasn't legislation, the GA approved the text of a convention. Member states are free to become signatories or not. And nobody has veto power in the GA.

I was not going to spend $250 (another book was rumored to provide the data for only $80) for information because the person who was being paid and who could not seem to find the numbers did not do so. BTW, I also could not find any of these books in libraries.

I was simply looking for most basic and common information such as how high must wall switches be located from floor. Where in relationship to doors. Access to electrical panels. Location of toilet and peripherals. The simplest of numbers and no one could provide it. But again, I found reams of information on who could be sued, why, for how much, etc.

Where did I find this information? West Coast cities provided much of it. It took hours - most of a day - to find those numbers because I had to wade through so much law and other (what should be) irrelevant crap. It says much when 'how to get the work done' becomes irrelevant to 'who can we blame'. Wonder why ADA stuff can get expensive?

Washers and dryers. The paid professional even had us put those up on a raised platform. What did the disabled residents immediately do? Remove a platform that only made washer and dryer more difficult to use. But again, some english major could not bother even read the book. And so I had to learn how difficult ADA can be.

Yes some items cost plenty. A sidewalk to meet ADA requirements costs many $thousands. But there is no good reason for putting electric switches so high. In fact, a friend owns a house originally designed by an EE. Every switch is at knuckles height. Turn on lights without even raising a hand; simply swing an arm at the switch. Easier for the 'enabled' as well as for the disabled. But in construction, fear of change and learning is rampant.

Washer and dryers are routinely made with controls foolishly located in the back only because that was always how it was. Today, LC, et al routinely make white appliances easy for both 'enabled' and disabled - and they cost less.

Having addressed disability questions, most solutions need not cost more money. One complained that they had to widen an exterior door. But then that door was also in violation of human safety standards - for both 'enabled' and disabled. Many expenses for the disabled really are because we keep doing the same thing wrong rather than asking some simple questions and adapting better standards.

In one town, when it was obvious that ADA requirements for curbs were coming, they still built street curbs wrong. And then complained when they had to remove those new and defective curbs to meet ADA requirements one year later. Too often the expense of making something ADA compliant is traceable to that girl who could not even read the material provided and provide us with the right numbers. Then she complained about how ADA was making things so complex. In trying to do her job, I then learned why so much ADA stuff is so expensive. It's not. Just that some people do not do their jobs - ie learn. So many just fear change because this is how we did it 20 and 30 years ago. Ask them why - they don't know.

I could not even find any numbers for ADA in any of so many county and university libraries. But I certainly knew how to sue.

At least some, if not all, new-home construction in my city now has the lower light switches as standard. My friend who owns one of them likes it because her youngest kids can reach the switches without help.

why exactly would it be a good idea for the US to sign anything the UN puts out that doesn't specifically deal with international relations?

What height are we talking about here and what disability would prevent someone from using them? I don't think I can remember using a light switch higher than 3-4ft, not high enough for someone in a wheelchair to have a problem with. Is there some weird standard where they install them at face height or something:confused:

All the houses in Texas, at least, except the very newest ones, have the light switches about 5 feet off the ground, around shoulder-to-chin height. The new ones are about 3 feet off the ground. Each state has its own building codes.

These are the standard, rigid frame, wheelchairs that we use. Those, like me, who use power-chairs are a bit higher, but not much.
http://www.colourswheelchair.com/idx_products.htm
Basically, people need to comply with the ADA, and they do not.
I cannot begin to list how many new companies, or companies that have changed hands, have come into being in my town since the ADA has been in force that are non-compliant. It is just a lack of consideration/caring, they just don't want our business.
Edit:
Complying with the ADA is easy, get a damn wheelchair (full sized with feet out a pack on the back, many have ventilators)and do what you need to do to do to make it easy to do everything that an able bodied person does in that space, including the bathrooms... if you do that, then you are compliant. Duh.

It looks like most of the requirements in terms of door width, switch height, etc., are right on this web site: www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm. The main ADA site is here: www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm. It took about one second to google it. I'm not sure why anyone would need to pay for expensive books or consultants ...

OK where does it list the height of wall switches? Where does it list the height of AC wall receptacles?

There are also limits on slope verses length for ramps, sidewalks, etc. Where is any of that listed?

Cited is a but a miniscule list of what is required for ADA. And many of those features (ie mirror height, sink height) should become standard anyway.

Sounds like the real problem was you hired an incompetant.

Architectural Graphic Standards is...well..a standard work. Shit, even I have a copy, although it's elderly...but then so am I, and I'm not practicing as an architect.

You and your minions can't find things that seem to be easy for others to find. Then you complain about how Americans suck and nobody cares.

not true, Maggie..... I care about how well Americans suck

"How Americans suck" and "how well Americans suck" are not equivalant phrases. Still not living in the home of English, I see. :-)

A slope between 1:10 and 1:12 is allowed for a maximum rise of 6 inches.
A slope between 1:8 and 1:10 is allowed for a maximum rise of 3 inches. A slope steeper than 1:8 is not allowed.

Controls and operating mechanisms in accessible spaces, along accessible routes, or as parts of accessible elements (for example, light switches and dispenser controls) shall comply with 4.27.

4.27.3* Height. The highest operable part of controls, dispensers, receptacles, and other operable equipment shall be placed within at least one of the reach ranges specified in 4.2.5 and 4.2.6. Electrical and communications system receptacles on walls shall be mounted no less than 15 in (380 mm) above the floor.

4.2.6 Side Reach. If the clear floor space allows parallel approach by a person in a wheelchair, the maximum high side reach allowed shall be 54 in (1370 mm) and the low side reach shall be no less than 9 in (230 mm) above the floor (Fig 6, Fig. 6(a) and Fig (b)). If the side reach is over an obstruction, the reach and clearances shall be as shown in Fig 6(c). ;)

ADA requires more. Notice that I said "slope verses length" - because I already saw those missing numbers were not provided. Each rise also has a limit on length and other considerations. Also not mentioned is a foundation requirement.

Height of the switch is not 54 inches. That is above current switch height which is not ADA compliant. Top of a switch typically cannot be more than 44 inches due to considerations not listed.

Those west coast sites (back then) made it even easier - with diagrams instead of text for things like hot water pipe clearance beneath a sink.

Many ADA standards should be standard construction. And that is a point being obfuscated. Why should a switch at below 44 inches cost more? Standards that should be so routine as to even be available in libraries. I could repeatedly find references to how to sue - but not the numbers. I have not checked libraries in the past two years. No reason to do so. MaggieL says a book is easily obtained. She has provided book titles. Is it in any of your libraries?

Meanwhile, access-board.gov citation from orthodoc did not exist then (see its date) - or at least was not available via Google then. After reviewing a long list of sites that told me who to sue, I eventually found some numbers from some west coast government web sites. Obviously these sites would be well down the list (due to how Google prioritizes).

Having been through this ADA stuff when requirements were long established, I discovered numbers nearly impossible to find. That remains fact.

Go to an appliance store. Ask them about ADA compliant white appliances. I still do this from time to time. Same response every time. No one (yet) knew whether any appliances are ADA compliant nor how to find information defining ADA compliance. A common response was, "Nobody ever asked." Recently found appliances from Korea (LC?) that met ADA requirements. Where have the American manufacturers been this last decade when ADA compliance was long defined in America?

Want to see why some ADA requirements cost so much? Well imagine if these same people designed computers. We would still be using Windows 95. Some industries absolutely fear change. Terrain that is ripe for lawyers.

It should be in yours, if you're doing construction. I maintain a reference library for my professional books, what's up with your contractor?

That's the nice thing about Architectural Graphic Standards. They're so...graphic.

I was showing information is there, do I have to do everything? sigh

4.3.7 Slope. An accessible route with a running slope greater than 1:20 is a ramp and shall comply with 4.8. Nowhere shall the cross slope of an accessible route exceed 1:50.

4.5 Ground and Floor Surfaces.
4.5.1* General. Ground and floor surfaces along accessible routes and in accessible rooms and spaces including floors, walks, ramps, stairs, and curb ramps, shall be stable, firm, slip-resistant, and shall comply with 4.5.
4.5.2 Changes in Level. Changes in level up to 1/4 in (6 mm) may be vertical and without edge treatment (see Fig. 7(c) ). Changes in level between 1/4 in and 1/2 in (6 mm and 13 mm) shall be beveled with a slope no greater than 1:2 (see Fig. 7(d) ). Changes in level greater than 1/2 in (13 mm) shall be accomplished by means of a ramp that complies with 4.7 or 4.8.
4.5.3* Carpet. If carpet or carpet tile is used on a ground or floor surface, then it shall be securely attached; have a firm cushion, pad, or backing, or no cushion or pad; and have a level loop, textured loop, level cut pile, or level cut/uncut pile texture. The maximum pile thickness shall be 1/2 in (13 mm) (see Fig. 8(f)). Exposed edges of carpet shall be fastened to floor surfaces and have trim along the entire length of the exposed edge. Carpet edge trim shall comply with 4.5.2.
4.5.4 Gratings. If gratings are located in walking surfaces, then they shall have spaces no greater than 1/2 in (13 mm) wide in one direction (see Fig. 8(g)). If gratings have elongated openings, then they shall be placed so that the long dimension is perpendicular to the dominant direction of travel (see Fig. 8(h)).

4.8 Ramps.
4.8.1* General. Any part of an accessible route with a slope greater than 1:20 shall be considered a ramp and shall comply with 4.8.
4.8.2* Slope and Rise. The least possible slope shall be used for any ramp. The maximum slope of a ramp in new construction shall be 1:12. The maximum rise for any run shall be 30 in (760 mm) (see Fig. 16). Curb ramps and ramps to be constructed on existing sites or in existing buildings or facilities may have slopes and rises as allowed in 4.1.6(3)(a) if space limitations prohibit the use of a 1:12 slope or less.
4.8.3 Clear Width. The minimum clear width of a ramp shall be 36 in (915 mm).
4.8.4* Landings. Ramps shall have level landings at bottom and top of each ramp and each ramp run. Landings shall have the following features:
(1) The landing shall be at least as wide as the ramp run leading to it.
(2) The landing length shall be a minimum of 60 in (1525 mm) clear.
(3) If ramps change direction at landings, the minimum landing size shall be 60 in by 60 in (1525 mm by 1525 mm).
(4) If a doorway is located at a landing, then the area in front of the doorway shall comply with 4.13.6.

4.8.5* Handrails. If a ramp run has a rise greater than 6 in (150 mm) or a horizontal projection greater than 72 in (1830 mm), then it shall have handrails on both sides. Handrails are not required on curb ramps or adjacent to seating in assembly areas. Handrails shall comply with 4.26 and shall have the following features:
(1) Handrails shall be provided along both sides of ramp segments. The inside handrail on switchback or dogleg ramps shall always be continuous.
(2) If handrails are not continuous, they shall extend at least 12 in (305 mm) beyond the top and bottom of the ramp segment and shall be parallel with the floor or ground surface (see Fig. 17).
(3) The clear space between the handrail and the wall shall be 1 - 1/2 in (38 mm).
(4) Gripping surfaces shall be continuous.
(5) Top of handrail gripping surfaces shall be mounted between 34 in and 38 in (865 mm and 965 mm) above ramp surfaces.
(6) Ends of handrails shall be either rounded or returned smoothly to floor, wall, or post.
(7) Handrails shall not rotate within their fittings.
4.8.6 Cross Slope and Surfaces. The cross slope of ramp surfaces shall be no greater than 1:50. Ramp surfaces shall comply with 4.5.
4.8.7 Edge Protection. Ramps and landings with drop-offs shall have curbs, walls, railings, or projecting surfaces that prevent people from slipping off the ramp. Curbs shall be a minimum of 2 in (50 mm) high (see Fig. 17).
4.8.8 Outdoor Conditions. Outdoor ramps and their approaches shall be designed so that water will not accumulate on walking surfaces.
If they say "for example, light switches and dispenser controls shall comply with 4.27" and 4.27 says 48" for forward reach and 54" for side reach, why would you not believe them?
Maybe, maybe not. :right:
Sec.36.507 Effect of unavailability of technical assistance.
A public accommodation or other private entity shall not be excused from compliance with the requirements of this part because of any failure to receive technical assistance, including any failure in the development or dissemination of any technical assistance manual authorized by the Act.

I borrowed one to build my house. Any serious builder should have it.

I only do it now on a volunteer basis. Construction work is fun when done intermittently - a pain especially in winter. But once the paid professional repeatedly could not get ADA right, then I went looking for facts. I got tired of teaching people how to rip out work and redo it.

Meanwhile, much of what is required for ADA should be standard. I recall a newspaper office where a front door was even awkward for regular traffic. The comments were disparagement about ADA laws rather then management who did not do it right the first time - cut costs.

Yes I was surprised the ramp required an expensive foundation. Some ADA requirements are expensive. However, does it really make sense to put stove controls where one must reach across hot cooking food? Forget ADA. That makes no sense anyway. There is much in ADA that really should be standard - not require special laws.

Notice how details the requirements are as xoxoxBruce posted. Yes, everything in the world is that complex. Even a light switch, so simply that anyone can by one and install, is actually chock full of complexity and a many page document. How do we eliminate such complexity? We make standards. ADA should not be so 'something special'. Much of it should be standard construction practice.

I don't know the text of that UN document. But one reason laws are made - mankind would not advance otherwise. The computer industry does not have reams of regulation because of the industry attitude. Construction had a long history of fearing change.

Being a "paid professional" is of course not a reliable assurance that someone isn't a clueless moron.

For some values of "advance".

*I* read the convention enough to know that it's drivel; unable or unwilling to define exactly what a "disability" is.

Fortunately it's not a law.

It is easy, TW, for many to forget how "simple" these things are.
There was a show on TLC, not too long ago where some motivational speakers (remember that, what they do for a living) lived other's lives for a month.
After a week in a wheelchair, just during the day, one of them said that they would kill them self.

I can honestly say that I can remember being on a ramp, as described above, twice, in the last three years, other than hospitals and my home.

I went to a dinner recently and was discussing the bathroom with my wife quietly (she wanted to make sure I was ok... it can be difficult for me sometimes and I was not feeling well), someone overheard and a discussion about facilities began.
I really did not participate. I don't get out much and wanted to focus on positive things... my wife told the story of how we were charged more for a smaller room with no view at a four-star hotel known for the view and how I had been told that this is common in a SCI forum.
Apparently, there was a hospitality major there and he said that he was not surprised. It upset him... he wanted to check his hotel (he was not completely sure about the pricing, he said) but he was not surprised, even though it is illegal. That much he did tell me.

Oh... the entire side of the restaurant had to be rearranged for me to get to my table. It was very strange and a bit embarrassing. I wonder if that is a fire hazard?

Absolutely. Laws, especially Federal laws, should be incorporated into the building codes at their next publication.

That said, part of the reluctance for change is that in many areas, in order to do any alteration/remodeling/up grade on a part of the building, at least that part and sometimes the whole structure, must be brought up to code. That can be a very expensive proposition.
Imagine you want to replace the kitchen sink and add a dishwasher. But in order to hire a plumber and get a permit, you have to rewire the whole kitchen, widen the doorways, buy a new stove and install sprinklers.

I'm being ridiculously extreme in that example, but you get the idea, it's those code changes that bite you later.

Another problem is local building inspectors. They tend to work on trust with the contractors, and a new contractor will receive close scrutiny until the inspector is comfortable with their work. If they see anything that's not customary, it'll be sure to send up a red flag.

If you violate local code, or even what they are used to seeing, in order to comply with ADA, they could shut your job down until it's straightened out, and possibly fine you $1,000 a day, until it's fixed.
Straightening it out (convincing them) could be in a couple weeks...... at the next planning/appeals board meeting...... when you can document it for the inspector's boss...... if you can get documentation from the feds.
It'll cost you time, money and good will with the inspector.:(

The ADA is federal law and building code.

Nice.

Man Sorry for Taking Handicapped Spot
UNION, S.C. - A man who parked illegally in a space reserved for handicapped drivers was sentenced to stand outside the store with a sign telling everyone about his crime.

Ragheem Smith, 29, stood in front of a Bi-Lo grocery store Thursday with a handmade sign that read "I am not handicapped. I just parked there, sorry."

Magistrate Jeff Bailey imposed the sentence. "I figured he needed to apologize in a public way," Bailey said.

Smith told Bailey he didn't have the money and couldn't afford the time away from work that a jail sentence would require. He could have been sentenced to 30 days in jail or fined $325.

"That was better than having to pay a lot of money," Smith said of his punishment. "I know I won't do it no more."

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

a neat idea, Rk.... I wish more magistrates over here would take up that idea.

Whilst not physically disabled (note how I left *that* door open) myself, I spent many years pushing my father around in a wheel-chair, and I was fairly amazed at how difficult some people/institutions/corporations make it for disabled persons. Not just the physical access ( though the UK and EU is probally ahead of the US in this respect) but the attitudes... loom over the guy in the chair and speak loudly.... maybe he'll understand... as if physical impairment equates to mental deficiency.... well, guess who the intellectually challenged are......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6160588.stm
Something I read recently.
Yeah, I get that a lot... many talk loudly (and slowly). It is funny if I am in a good mood, other-times, not.

I know it's federal law but if it's not incorporated into the code, it's just not going to happen except on federal money jobs.:headshake

A friend of mine's dad was the editor of the edition that came out in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The particular stamp that he put on that project was to include the Mickey Mouse phone solely because he wanted the words "Mickey Mouse" to appear in the index. While it's apparently a great honor to be chosen to edit the thing, he had certain opinions about the project.

Interesting...finally pulled my copy down from the bookshelf. Not sure when or how I got it; it may have been used because it's the fifth edition, published in 1956. It doesn't even *have* an index. The drawings (and it's all hand-drawn and lettered) are gorgeous.

I beleive it appeared in the Whole Earth Catalog, which was a dead-tree edition of the World Wide Web published in the 1970s. That's where I first learned about Aikido and Swiss Army Knives. The closest modern equivalant of the WEC is probably Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools. Apparently Kevin editied at least one of the WECs.