May 15, 2002
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Overflow Crowd at MiCASSA Hearing Concludes ADAPTAction-Packed Week in Washington

(Washington, D.C.) A week of long ADAPTdays, fueled daily by McDonald's hamburger lunches eaten on the streets while blocking traffic and doors, ended on Capitol Hill - on an even higher note than it began. The combination press event/hearing for S 1298 and H.R. 3612, the Medicaid Community-based Services and Supports Act (MiCASSA), packed a cavernous hearing room in the Russell Senate Building with so many ADAPTmembers and friends that the overflow crowd spilled out into the halls and had to listen via a sound system. 

Speakers at the event included co-sponsors of both bills, disability organizations and individuals from the grassroots disability community. The first speaker introduced by Master of Ceremonies, Courtland Townes III of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), was the patriarch and elder statesman of the disability rights movement, Justin Dart. Dart set the tone when he compared being warehoused in a nursing home to being held as a captive slave, and repeated the refrain, "MiCASSA NOW! Free Our People!" Each time, the enthusiastic crowd loudly chanted the refrain back to him. 

"We worked with legislative staff for months to get this event scheduled, and it had to be postponed in the wake of September 11, so today was the culmination of a lot of work and waiting," said Stephanie Thomas, National ADAPTOrganizer. "It was amazing to have thousands of people join us by phone, and to have all our partner organizations here to demand "MiCASSA Now!" with us. And, this event turned out to be such a hot ticket that several co-sponsors unexpectedly left the House floor to be here, too." 

Speakers from Congress included original co-sponsors of S1298, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA); co-sponsors of H.R. 3612, Rep.Danny Davis (D-IL), and Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), as well as Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS) and Rep. Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA). Disability organization and grassroots particiants included Barbara Toomer, ADAPTUtah State Organizer; Mike Oxford, President of the National Council for Independent Living (NCIL); Howard Bedlin of the National Council on Aging (NCOA); Marty Ford of the Arc representing the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD); Rick James of Denver ADAPTand Montana; Jim Ward of ADA Watch; Marcie Roth, Executive Director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA); Becky Ogle and Brian Rasmussen of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP); Marie Anderson of Knoxville Tennessee ADAPT; Maureen McCloskey of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA); Andy Imparato, Executive Director of the American Association of Persons with Disabilities (AAPD); and Shelly Perrin of Rochester, New York ADAPT. 

The MiCASSA press event, followed by visits to congressional delegations from 35 states, was the culmination of successful week of action. Mother's Day saw ADAPTat the White House with a 5 ft. by 8 ft. card for First Lady Laura Bush, and in Houston, home to former First Lady Barbara Bush, with an identical card, to point out that 75% of those in nursing homes are women. Monday's action, blocking doors and 2 major intersections around the New Executive Office Building, garnered a meeting with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mitchell Daniels, Jr., to challenge his routine quashing of MiCASSA on a fiscal basis. 

Tuesday's simultaneous actions against the AFL-CIO, and member unions, AFSCME, and SEIU quickly resulted in a meeting with union heads to challenge their past opposition to closing institutions in order to protect jobs. In addition, Tuesday was the day MiCASSA received an endorsement from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in a statement issued by Chair Terry McAuliffe. Wednesday after the nationwide press event, ADAPTkept the pressure on by lobbying their Senators and Representatives. 

"In case anyone is wondering why we didn't hit HUD while we were here, it's because passing MiCASSA is our biggest priority right now," said Erik von Schmetterling, Philadelphia ADAPT. "However, we did visit HUD at 5pm on Tuesday, and when HUD employees left the building they were greeted by 500 ADAPTmembers each sporting a mask of the face of their boss, HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. We may not have hit HUD this trip, but we weren't about to have Martinez think he was forgotten or off the hook for HUD's poor showing in its response to the President's calling for swift elimination of barriers to equality for persons with disabilities. It really was a great week!" 
 

Link to the DNC Press Release: http://www.democrats.org/news/200205150003.html 

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