My name is Daniel Patterson and I attended my first ADAPT action on September 12, 2006 in Washington DC. I got into ADAPT because my good friend Eric Clow has muscular dystrophy (MD) and he and I wanted to be a part of the societal change.
The main focus in ADAPT right now is affordable, integrated, accessible housing, so for our first action we went to the large Public Housing Authority (PHA). Everyone rolled or walked into the building through a discreet side entrance very quickly as to not give any time for people to call the police or security guard because the PHA had no idea the we were about to go in there and shut the place down until our demands where met.
Our demands were not unreasonable either. We simply wanted the issue of more housing units for people with disabilities to b e brought to attention at the next board meeting. People in nursing homes who want to get out are unable to do so because of the lack of affordable, accessible housing. We believe nursing homes are very bad places, or as a famous ADAPT activist Spitfire calls them “death camps,” and she would know because she spent many years in a nursing home. I was trained for the action at a youth summit, the very first in ADAPT history, by scenarios of what it would be like negotiating with the “enemy.” Wd did some role-plays and then the next days we went to a local Starbucks that was inaccessible.
There was an accessible door, but it was locked at all times, and there was no signage to tell how to get it unlocked. My role was dealing with the police, and I did so with unheard-of enthusiasm. I tend to not talk or deal with police, but I saw it as an excellent opportunity to practice my negotiating skills and “stick it to the man.”
It made me feel important, like I had a purpose and I did: to make the place accessible. They treated me with respect just as I respected them, but I would not give in easily. I feel that inequality is injustice and inaccessibility is inequality, so you can follow the natural path of logic and find the inaccessibility to be an outrageous injustice. On our way to the big action, the cop that I had dealt with at Starbucks, saw me from where he was eating lunch across the street, and came up and said hello and shook my hand. He asked me if I was in charge of this one too, and I felt very proud when he said that but I said no.
We had to deal with some nasty office people, but after a couple of hours we sat a date for a meting in October with the executive director, and our mission was complete. The next day was even more fun. We went to the Hilton Hotel and crowded the main lobby so full, that even walkers (people who can walk) couldn’t get anywhere. The first thing I did was dress up in a cow suit, which was ironic because our slogan was “we are people, not a cash cow,” but we got the message across regardless. I had so much fun chanting and dancing around in my cow suit with my cowbell. Everyone got a big laugh out of me and I was glad to be the person that could bring a smile to peoples faces. I didn’t feel self-conscious or anything, because it was for a cause I am very much proud to stand up for even if that means dressing up like a cow, and making an utter fool of myself. Pardon the pun. But all went well this time too because we ended up getting another meeting. I was told that getting what we requested is a rarity, especially two times in a row and that usually people get arrested if our demands are not met. I was not willing to be arrested, because I am a person who cherishes my freedom and cannot be held captive like some animal, but that is not to say that the majority of ADAPT members were more than willing to go to jail and as the saying goes “I’d rather go to jail than to live (or die) in a nursing home.”
