Snubbed by Mayor Brown, ADAPT wins assistance from the Feds

Stephanie Thomas addresses ADAPT following the meeting with Willie Brown

Fifteen ADAPT representatives met with San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown this morning to discuss community options to the planned rebuilding of the Laguna Honda Hospital, the largest nursing home in the country. ADAPT opposes the continued needless institutionalization of persons with disabilities and asked the Mayor seek a better alternative than to rebuild the colossal institution. 

Outside City Hall, 500 ADAPT members gathered in support and built a symbolic wall as Johnny Crescendo sang "Tear Down the Walls of the Nursing Home."

"In 1996 I went into an nursing home, lost my husband and had to fight for my kids," said Sue Trager tearfully to the large group outside. "I did everything they expected of me; but, I ended up losing my kids because I am disabled."

Following the meeting with Mayor Brown, Stephanie Thomas, a national ADAPT organizer from Austin Texas addressed the crowd outside:

Thirty years ago the national fight of the Independent Living Movement began in this area. That movement expanded across the country and grew into the United States Supreme Court's Olmstead decision. That is why all of us from around the nation are appalled that San Francisco will rebuild the largest nursing home in the nation. It is a reversal of the roots of the beautiful independent living movement and shows that San Francisco is committed to institutions.

"The meeting with the mayor was a complete joke," said Stephanie. "The mayor would not even start a task force to study the issues."

"California ADAPT is not going anywhere," said Blane Beckwith of Oakland. "If he [Mayor Brown] wants to do it the hard way - Okay, bring it on."

ADAPT marched directly from the City Hall to the Federal Building at the United Nations Plaza and blocked the entrances. Because the City of San Francisco is so committed to institutions, ADAPT demanded more vigilance on the part of the Federal Government.

Specifically, ADAPT insisted that the Regional Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights take action on the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II complaint against Laguna Honda Hospital, stop federal reimbursement funds for the thirty-bed wards at Laguna Honda and not allow federal funds to be used in the rebuilding.

The ADA is federal civil rights law that requires services to be delivered in the most integrated setting, which was reaffirmed in the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision. The bond-issue passed by city referendum to fund the rebuilding of Laguna Honda does not exclude the money, for residents, from being used in providing home and community alternatives. ADAPT's message to the federal government was that spending the funds on an institution is discrimination.

Josh Valdez of the Department of Health and Human Services agreed and will meet with local ADAPT organizers to coordinate a task force on the issue and work to see that California fully implement Olmstead.

"He seemed good," said Luanne Kibbie about Mr. Valdez, "genuine."

"The meeting went really well," said Barbara Toomer comparing the meeting with Mr. Valdez with the earlier meeting with Willie Brown. "They were respectful and took notes."

- Tim Wheat