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Comment by ndarilek | Hacker News Reader

I'm blind. Would you not rent this property to me because you fear for my safety therein?

Would it make a difference if I've said I've skied, biked solo, rock-climbed? If so, why should I have to do so when others don't, and are trusted to make up their own minds as to whether your property works for them?

Do you feel more confident than I am in determining my own limits?

Disclosure: I've been denied many opportunities because an unqualified person determined what was and was not safe/possible/healthy/OK for me to do, and find it upsetting to be denied my agency because of it. Glad to see these changes landing. If I've misinterpreted your post then I do apologize, but it looks like you're making choices and denying opportunities for capable adults, and I'm not OK with that if that's the case.

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It is not about your safetly alone. It is about his liability. If there is something unsafe in his apartment, and you get hurt, you can sue him. He just doesn't want to get sued.

Exactly, that's why before I accept, I'd call my insurance to make sure that I do not have any legal risks in accepting him. If I accept him and then there's an accident and the insurance tells me that I'm not covered because my apartment doesn't have x safety features then it's a huge issue for me.

I'd actually most likely rent it to you after I've made sure that you really know what you're getting and I've phoned my insurance to make sure it's not an issue...

I'm slightly biased though since my flat mate in university was legally blind and I've seen him be extremely independent.

It's mostly for people who have difficulties moving that I couldn't rent it since there's a lot of stairs with no elevators, the stairs are old and not that stable and inside the house, the stairs have no handrails to support oneself and the sidewalks of the street of the apartment are extremely narrow, badly maintained with people driving very fast in that street. I love the area and the place and it has a lot of rustic charm but it is dangerous and inconvenient.

I mean when I broke my leg and had it in a cast, I rented an apartment in the same city because it was to dangerous to access my own apartment.

Now, outside of renting my apartment, if I were hiring, I would certainly never discriminate against anyone who is disabled or anyone else.

Do you see any problem with home owners saying no to those that require the assistance of a service animal?

No. I have seen this system abused many times. There are misbehaved pets in the store all the time now.

Yes.

Then you and I would likely have a problem. I wouldn't let a dog into my house because of family members with severe asthma and allergy issues. My medical needs take priority over yours in my house.

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