MIAMI, FL – Theodore Demosthenes Karantsalis, a disabled Greek librarian has filed an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) lawsuit against the Board of Trustees of Miami Dade College (MDC). Karantsalis works at the college as a librarian but suffers from many health issues including multiple sclerosis (MS), psoriatic arthritis, and bipolar disorder. He is a qualified individual under the ADA as the documents from the United States District Court. Southern District of Florida, Miami Division, indicate, and is suing for discrimination due to the “poor condition and inaccessibility of the roads, sidewalks, and other common areas” at the college.

A former competitive triathlete and former federal law enforcement agent Karantsalis was awarded the Bronze Medal from the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 for his efforts keeping the public safe following the September 11^th attacks. He has worked at MDC since 2004, but his health issues make it difficult for him to get around and as the lawsuit states, he is “denied full, safe and equal access due to violations that continue to exist” at the college.

Karantsalis has excellent reviews for his work at MDC and is highly motivated. Before filing the lawsuit, he made requests that the ADA violations be addressed by the college, but there was no action taken, according to the court documents.

Also a prolific writer, Karantsalis has published over 1,000 projects and freelances for various media outlets, including the Miami Herald. He told The National Herald that his family is from Kiriaki, Levadia in Greece. When asked if he had a comment about the lawsuit, he told TNH, “I decline comment pending litigation.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, “the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government programs and services.”