FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 1995                          (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888
        PLUMBER NOW ABLE TO TAKE LICENSING EXAM ACCORDING
   TO AN AGREEMENT UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A man with a learning disability from
Rockland County, New York who has 42 years of plumbing experience
will now be able to take a licensing examination orally in place
of the county's written test, according to a settlement under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Justice Department
announced.  
     A county license is a prerequisite for ownership of a
plumbing and heating mechanic business in Rockland County.  
     Cosimo Chindemi has worked in the plumbing trade for 42
years and owned his own business until the time shortly after
Rockland County passed its licensing law in the late 1960's. 
Chindemi has dyslexia, a learning disability which causes an
individual to perceive letters and numbers in disordered fashion. 
Because of his disability, he was unable to adequately read the
examination and had asked, for over 23 years, that it be given
orally or that he have it read to him.  Until now, the Rockland
County Board of Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Examiners had
denied his requests for accommodation.   
     "The ADA protects persons with disabilities from unfair
restrictions," said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
Deval L. Patrick.  "The law ensures that an individual has the
opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills he or she has
acquired and to fulfill the dream of business ownership." 
     Over the past 23 years Chindemi continued working as a
plumber, and received numerous recommendations attesting to his
expertise both as a plumber and a heating mechanic.  He even
installed the plumbing system in the building which houses the
board.
     Under the ADA, a licensing board that requires passage of a
test as a condition for receiving a license must make necessary
accommodations to insure that the test is measuring an
individual's knowledge and abilities rather than merely
reflecting a disability.  
     According to the settlement, the Board will allow Chindemi
to take the exam orally at the next available testing date.  The
settlement also requires the board to develop and publicize a
policy stating that it will not discriminate against individuals
with disabilities.
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95-454