a part of AFPH. My presence here, attended by my mother, is a good example of an important business trip that necessitated public transportation.

It is impossible for me to perform activities of daily living without some assistance. This is the sort of assistance that is not given by employees on public conveyances, or hotels, or motels. Therefore, an attendant must go with me.

Traveling is important to the severely physically handicapped, as it is to nonhandicapped. For example, it has helped me gain a great deal of good feeling, moral support, education, self-improvement, selffulfillment, and a self-satisfaction which I cannot describe in words. Perhaps if you will form a mental image, you may visualize what it means to a severely handicapped person to be seated in a plane, or train, side by side with his fellow citizens.

Many times I have regretted that a trip, of importance to me, could not be arranged because of the financial expense. Expense for two for the price of one would be a help, and add an incentive to more severely handicapped to travel more frequently.

Since a handicapped person is a part of our great democracy it is only fair that we should be given the rights and privileges accorded to all who live in this democracy. So, in behalf of all severely handicapped, respectfully, may I ask you to amend and vote to pass H. R. 6111 introduced by your warm-hearted committee chairman, Mr. Priest.

I thank you.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Miss Yambor, you suggested that we amend H. R. 6111. Is your suggestion that the amendment be to make it conform with the Senate bill as it has passed the Senate?

Miss YAMBOR. Yes.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Do you have any questions, Mr. Carrigg?

Mr. CARRIGG. No questions.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. Edward W. Wetherald?

STATEMENT OF EDWARD W. WETHERALD, AMERICAN FEDERA. TION OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, LODGE 143, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Mr. WETHERALD. Mr. Chairman, my name is Edward W. Wetherald. My address is Bryantown, Md.

I am a graduate of Earlham College, Richmond, Ind., and a member of the American Federation of the Physically Handicapped, Inc.

I am glad to meet with this committee to present the views of AFPH Challenger Lodge 143 on H. R. 6111, a bill authorizing common carriers to carry a disabled person requiring an attendant and such attendant for one fare.

We, as physically handicapped, using wheelchairs, stretchers, canes, and needing an attendant, express our position favoring adoption of H. R. 6111.

Let me consider the specific benefits associated with H. R. 6111. Quite often a physically handicapped is confronted with a trip of im

portance, be it for pleasure and/or business. This trip may have to be canceled due to expense. Not only does the physically handicapped have to pay his own full fare, but provide for the fare of his attendant. Too often the physically handicapped has to give up his trip and his independence takes another rap.

Another important point deals with an old proverb: "What is good for the goose is good for the gander."

The severely handicapped have been discriminated upon. The blind, and the blind only, already receive the benefits for which this bill is intended.

Is it not important to share equally with other severely handicapped, who are likewise entitled to consideration?

It is thus clear that favorable action on this bill will help add a more fruitful life for many of the 9 million severely physically handicapped.

Thank you.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Mr. Wetherald.

In reading the Senate report on this bill, I notice that the present law states:

Any totally blind person accompanied by a guide or seeing-eye dog or other guide dog, especially trained and educated for that purpose,

and so forth.

Do the words "accompanied by a guide or seeing-eye dog or other guide dog," include a human being also as a guide under the present law; is that the interpretation that has been placed on it?

Mr. WETHERALD. It is my opinion.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Next we have Mr. G. Wendell Swain.

STATEMENT OF G. WENDELL SWAIN, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, LODGE 128, KALAMAZOO, MICH.

Mr. SWAIN. Mr. Chairman, as a physically handicapped person, I am proud to have been asked to testify before you gentlemen, because I know what it will mean to the thousands of other handicapped people to have you vote favorably on bill H. R. 6111.

As you probably already know, it means everything to a handicapped person to have work or something to keep their minds oecupied. It would also mean a lot to some to be ableto travel, but cannot afford it, whereby, by passing this bill, then they go with an attendant for the price of one.

Speaking for myself, I have to be carried on and off a train, plane, or bus, and sometimes it is very difficult to find someone to do it, but if it were possible to take along an attendant I could make more business and pleasure trips.

I love to travel, but have not been able to do much due to the lack of finances.

As president of Lodge 128 of the American Federation of the Physically Handicapped of Kalamazoo, Mich., also as treasurer of our Michigan State Department of the American Federation of the Physi

cally Handicapped, it has been a privilege to come here to ask you gentlemen to vote favorably on H. R. 6111.

Thank you.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Mr. Swain.

Miss Barbara Coverdale, of Battle Creek, Mich.?

STATEMENT OF MISS BARBARA COVERDALE, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, LODGE 115, BATTLE CREEK, MICH.

Miss COVERDALE. Mr. Chairman, it is an honor to be here.

As a handicapped person who must have an attendant when traveling. I respectfully urge you to vote and pass H. R. 6111.

There are many persons in moderate or very poor circumstances, financially, who are compelled to forego the convenience of travel by public conveyances because they cannot afford the added expense of another fare.

Today the blind are permitted to ride upon public conveyances, when accompanied by a guide, for half fare for himself and his accompanist.

It is just as important to the severely handicapped to be able to avail themselves of the services of public transportation, be the trip for pleasure or business reasons. There have been many times I have been unable to make trips because of the financial expense.

So, in behalf of all the severely handicapped, I again urge you to vote and pass H. R. 6111.

Thank you.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Miss Coverdale.

STATEMENT OF MISS LOIS JANE GREGG, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, LODGE 113, PITTSBURGH, PA.

Miss GREGG. Mr. Chairman, I am very honored to have the opportunity to appear before you gentlemen to urge your support of H. R.

6111.

I am speaking in behalf of handicapped people of the State of Pennsylvania.

The passage of this bill would mean a great benefit to handicapped men and women throughout the country not only financially, which is a great consideration, but by giving a sense of mobility and independence which is invaluable in successfully living with our handicap. Thank you.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Miss Gregg.

Mr. CARRIGG. What part of Pennsylvania, Miss Gregg?
Miss GREGG. Pittsburgh.

Mr. WILLIAMS. I believe we have two more witnesses.

Mr. Thomas Burke?

Mr. Burke is national legislative representative for the United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO, with offices here in Washington.

STATEMENT OF THOMAS H. BURKE, NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE, UNITED AUTO WORKERS, AFL-CIO, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Mr. BURKE. Mr. Chairman, I am grateful for the opportunity to testify for this bill, introduced by your chairman, Hon. J. Percy Priest.

We in labor are familiar with the vicissitudes of life, particularly those stemming from physical injury, disease, or defect, and we are particularly sensitive to the needs of those who are severely handicapped, and require assistance in order to move around.

Unquestionably, passage of this bill will remove a great injustice which has been done to many millions of handicapped people, in wheelchairs, on crutches or canes, and requiring attendants in order to go from place to place.

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, there is every reason to approve this bill and none whatsoever in the minds and hearts of thinking, humane people, dedicated to fair play, to oppose it. All labor has endorsed this bill, and my own union, which is the largest organization in labor, the United Auto Workers, is strongly in favor of its early enactment.

As a comparable proposition, in some respects, Mr. Chairman, our union is responsible for the recent action of the city of Detroit streetcar and bus systems in permitting elderly, retired persons to ride halffare. This accomplished two purposes:

One, it helped the transit companies, which continually complain, as do many of our rail and other transportation lines, of insufficient revenues from passenger fares, to increase their income from that source, and, second, it permitted many citizens who must watch their expenditures very carefully, to have the advantage of half-fare transportation cost.

Enactment of H. R. 6111, or the Senate bill, S. 1777, will perform virtually the same benefits for many of our severely handicapped people, and we most strongly urge your approval and support for its pas

sage.

Thank you.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Mr. Burke, for your contribution.

I would like to ask you one question that may be indirectly related to the type of legislation we have before us.

Do you know what the present policy is, the policy of the automobile manufacturers, with respect to the cost of equipping specially equipped cars for handicapped people?

Mr. BURKE. I do not know the recent policy. However, I believe that the cars that were equipped through the Veterans' Administration approvals, the special equipment was put on at cost.

Mr. WILLIAMS. It was put on at cost?

Mr. BURKE. Yes.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Do you feel, this brings up another question on a subject whose only relationship to this is that it would affect physically disabled people, do you feel that there would be any interest in legislation that would permit automobile manufacturers to provide special equipment on cars without cost to disabled persons if they saw fit to do so?

Mr. BURKE. I should think so. However, I do not know as there is any need for that kind of legislation because they do not operate in a licensed way as do the carriers; that is, the rates and costs and the price are not set by legislation or by administrative action.

I think that at the present time, if they so desired, if General Motors desired to furnish that type of equipment without cost, I think they could do it.

Mr. WILLIAMS. That may have been a bit alien to the question at hand but I thought I would find out for my own information anyhow. Mr. BURKE. Yes, sir.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Next we have Miss Marion Sikora, of Detroit, Mich. STATEMENT OF MISS MARION SIKORA, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED, LODGE 72, DETROIT, MICH.

Miss SIKORA. Mr. Chairman, it is a real pleasure to be here today, and I am only here from Detroit because I was fortunate enough to be chosen by the Detroit lodge, at its expense, to testify here this afternoon.

During my lifetime I have foregone all vacations or pleasure trips because of the expense a trip such as this entails to a person in my position. It is necessary for me to have someone with me in my own city, so naturally an attendant on foreign soil is an absolute must. It is true that one gives up many pleasures when one is in a wheel chair. However, there have been times a trip has been necessary because of death or sickness. These trips have really proven a hardship in as much as I had to pay traveling expenses plus living expenses for myself as well as my attendant.

I know I speak for thousands in this same situation. Also people who have a difficult time on crutches have this same problem.

I am certain that if you gentlemen would place yourselves in a severely handicapped person's position for one brief moment, you would understand how 1 or 2 trips a year gives this person a new perspective on life in general.

For this reason I say what a wonderful thing it would be if two could travel for the price of one.

We most respectfully urge your approval of this necessary legislation.

Thank you.

Mr. WILLIAMS. Thank you, Miss Sikora.

I believe that was the last witness we had listed.

Is there anyone else?

Mr. STRACHAN. Mr. Chairman, the only thing I can say is that I believe from my canvassing that you will not have any difficulty in putting this bill through.

I fully understand that you have a Rules Committee to go through, but Mr. Priest promised me and said, "Paul, you have something here that is absolutely fair and just and I am convinced that our subcommittee will see it the same way."

I thank you very much.