December 10, 2023
I am self-aware, self-sufficient, work smart, educated, assertive, fun loving, emotionally intelligent, grounded, deeply spiritual, quietly reflective member of the human family living with and experiencing a disability, whom happens to be Black man. The past two years, living life in Minnesota equitably has been extremely difficult. White male physicians, insurance investigators and other White male medical providers have become extremely discriminatory, disrespectful, power abusing, unethical, law-breaking white supremacist. There is no medical provider, insurance investigator, or other “medical provider” that knows my body, health-living needs and requirements as well as I do. There are women, mostly white in positions of authority, that have also abused their power, discriminated, tried to silence me, don’t know or appreciate their real history in the United States of America.
The lack of equitable and fair treatment has resulted in my having to increase my knowledge and awareness of the local, State, and federal laws that protect my rights to equitable/fair treatment. The physicians wanted me to give up my right to free speech, assimilate into white maleness, and allow them to control my person, with statement: “they did not like my tone.” I don’t know who “they” are. I spoke with one white male physician, and communicated through e-mail with their Office manager and patient advocate both white women.
I filed a discrimination complaint against the physician and medical practice for violating Mn State Statutes 363A.11 Reasonable Accommodations and 363A.12 Public access. The physician refused to recognize my disability, tried to treat a mistaken diagnosis, wanted to control my health, and fix something that was not broken. This was the first and only time I’ve experienced a physician that was argumentative and not willing to listen. The physician by not listening, did not recognize I am a person with a disability and I had prescription for and medical diagnosis to receive three left foot prosthetic braces. This physician stated: “he did not know why I had a brace and he said I did not need one. I’ve worn a left foot prosthetic brace since 2013. It assists me in reducing the two-inch foot drop I’ve had for 64 of my 66 years of life.
The women in the MN Human Rights department including their legal council refused to officially charge the physician with violation of the law. One of the reasons they gave for not filing the official charge was “I could receive a 2nd or 3rd brace at a later date. This statement was a violation of the law 363AS.11 they are supposed to apply, and the healthcare policy Im covered by allowing a person to receive more than one of the same item the same day at the same time on the same order.