Incitement
Volume 17 No. 1 A Publication of ADAPT
Winter/Spring 2001
State-by-state Report on Olmstead Compliance
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A new, on-line resource from the National Conference
of State Legislatures (NCSL) is available to state legislators and others
as states attempt to comply with the Olmstead Supreme Court decision and
meet the needs of people with disabilities.
The States' Response to the Olmstead Decision: A Status Report found that
36 states have created task forces or commissions that are developing
comprehensive plans or recommendations for compliance with Olmstead. The
report also identifies several states that have already issued
comprehensive plans that could serve as models for other states as they
continue their planning processes.
"The 1999 Supreme Court decision encourages state policymakers to develop
plans for serving more people with disabilities and for reducing waiting
lists for community-based services," said Wendy Fox-Grage, Senior Policy
Specialist at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "What we
have found is that most states are addressing the issue head on through
planning, increased funding for home and community-based services and, in
many cases, both. Our hope is that this report will enhance informed
decision-making among state policymakers as they face the growing public
demand for these services."
In June 1999, the Supreme Court ruled in L.C. & E.W. vs. Olmstead that it
is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act for states to
discriminate against people with disabilities by providing services in
institutions when the individual could be served more appropriately in a
community-based setting. States are required to provide community-based
services for persons with disabilities if treatment professionals
determine that it is appropriate, the affected individuals do not object
to such placement and the state has the available resources to provide
community-based services. The Court suggests that a state could establish
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act if it has: 1) a
comprehensive, effective working plan for placing qualified people in
less restrictive settings, and 2) a waiting list for community-based
services that ensures people can come off the list at a reasonable pace
and receive services.
Funding for The States' Response to the Olmstead Decision was provided by
a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey.
The full report is available from NCSL's website at http://www.ncsl.org.
ADAPT/Incitement
1339 Lamar SQ DR #101
Austin TX 78704
(512) 442-0252 v/tty
(512) 442-0522 fax
Incitement is produced from the offices of Topeka Independent
Living Resource Center (TILRC). Articles, letters, compositions, displays
and photos are encouraged. Please contact Tessa Goupil for deadlines for
submission of materials. The Editor reserves the right to edit or omit
any material that is submitted. For more information, contact Tessa
Goupil at TILRC or Stephanie Thomas at ADAPT.
Topeka Independent Living
Resource Center, Inc.
501 SW Jackson St., Suite 100
Topeka, KS 66603-3300
(785) 233-4572 v/tty
(785) 233-1815 tty
(785) 233-1561 fax
Keep Olmstead
Work Real
Reports, meetings, blue ribbon task forces, statistics, studies,
budgets.... blah, blah, blah. Real Choice and Freeing Our People is great
but this stuff gets pretty nasty. Bureaucrats, whether on purpose or just
by their nature, will work to pull you in to these murky waters. So get
out your hip boots and keep your eyes on the prize. Make sure you are
spending your time in a worthwhile manner. Here are some ideas to prevent
busy work and getting bogged down in paper:
* Tell the bureaucrats: we will do this work if you agree to submit/use
it. Don't let it become open ended.
* Have one to three action items per meeting, something that must be
done. Use these items to see if the state folks are really doing anything.
* Create deadlines/timelines. That way you can tell if something has been
done or not. Otherwise it's always "in the works."
* Keep asking/demanding "How many people are you going to get out? By
what date?"
* Keep asking "How many people are you diverting or keeping out? By when?"
* If they won't get concrete do it for them. Set a number. Set a date.
Make it concrete.
Your time is important. So is your energy. If things are turning into a
planning session to plan on how to study the situation for a report you
know what to do: Do actions, they keep the other side off balance & your
folks fired up. They help to remind everyone this is about real people,
real lives.
Bus Companies
Must Document
Requests and
Denied Rides
On February 6, the U.S. Department of Transportation published the
long-awaited Interim Final Rule on Information Collection for companies
using over-the-road buses (OTRB)'s. This is the last part of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, transportation regulations. The
rule requires that OTRB companies receiving requests for accessible
service from passengers with disabilities must document the request and
transmit that documentation to the passenger by the next business day.
This requirement was sought by the disability community because it was
felt proof would be needed to ensure OTRB companies did as they were
supposed to, and requests did not disappear into thin air.
The proposed rule originally had included a mechanism for financial
compensation to be given to people with disabilities whose requests for
accessible service were not fulfilled. However, this section does not
appear in the Interim Final Rule due to the DC Court of Appeals ruling.
(See next article.)
DC Court of Appeals Says No Damages Against Over-the-Road Buses
November 14, 2000 the D.C. Court of Appeals held that because Congress
did not give the US Department of Tranportation, DOT, authority to
establish additional remedies, DOT, in its final rules for the Americans
with Disabilties Act, ADA, exceeded the scope of its authority by
imposing money damages on bus companies that failed to comply with the
ADA .
Responding to the horror-stories from would-be passengers with
disabilities, DOT had written the regulation (also known as rules) to
require that bus companies pay "compensation" to disabled passengers when
they fail to provide them with accessible service. A bus operator would
have been assessed a $300 fine for its first violation, $400 for its
second, and so on in $100 increments up to $700 for its fifth and all
subsequent infractions.
The rest of the rules remain intact. OTRB companies still must serve
people with disabilities in a non-discriminatory way, must still provide
access, etc. People who experience discrimination because the
requirements are violated can still pursue the same enforcement and
remedies available for other violations of the ADA's requirements: filing
administrative complaints with the Department of Justice, filing
lawsuits, etc. In addition, the court's ruling found that Title III DOES
allow money damages but only if ordered by the court in cases brought by
the Attorney General.
Paratransit Court Victory
by Steve Gold
On January 8, 2001, a United States
District Court issued the first
decision in the country under the ADA and Section 504 with
regards to "next day paratransit service." In it the Court upheld the US
Department of Transportation's regulation that a public transit entity
"shall schedule and provide paratransit service to any ADA paratransit
eligible person at any requested time on a particular day in response to
a request for service made the previous day." 49 CFR 37.131(b). That
means 100% of eligible persons with disabilities are entitled to
paratransit rides the next day, just as 100% of nondisabled persons
receive fix route service when they want it.
The Court stated that DOT expected public transportation agencies
"to attempt to provide properly requested rides to all ADA-eligible
riders, i.e., without exception. In fact, DOT explicitly rejected
incorporating a 98 percent performance standard."
Rejecting the transportation authority's defense, the Court said
"the focus is not on the percentage of paratransit rides that is provided
to the disabled, but rather, the number of rides that the transportation
authority fails to provide to these patrons and the reasons for that
failure." Further, "while the transportation authority provides rides for
many ADA-eligible patrons in compliance with the law, it may not rely on
its own inadequacies to justify its noncompliance with the ADA and the
Rehabilitation Act for all ADA-eligible patrons."
Besides ruling on the ADA's transportation duty, the Court held
that the Independent Living Center could be a plaintiff in the lawsuit
because it was injured by spending time advocating on paratransit
problemsin meetings with the transportation authority and participating
in protests; also some staff had been unable to secure rides for their
work and for volunteers. Liberty Resources provided "an undisputed record
that show a concrete and particularized injury, specifically, expending
their own time and resources in a range of ways." This was important
because there were no named individual plaintiffs, only organizational
plaintiffs.
The terrific Court decision is on the Internet at
www.paed.uscourts.gov. In addition, the US Department of Justice filed an
extremely helpful and persuasive amicus brief which you can find it at
www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm and then look under "other items of
interest."
DC Housing Authority Sued By ADAPT
District Violates Federal Law,
Denies Disabled Children & Families Accessible Public Housing
A federal class action lawsuit was
filed on Tuesday, March 27, 2001
against the District of Columbia Housing Authority on behalf of
people with disabilities who are denied accessible public housing in
violation of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act.
The case involves children with cerebral palsy and spinal cord
injuries who use wheelchairs and live in public housing and in one case,
transitional housing. Because of inaccessibility they must crawl up steep
staircases to reach toilets and showers, which many cannot do. The DC
Housing Authority denied the families' requests to be transferred to
accessible public housing. Also named in the case are two men in their
mid-40s with mobility impairments who are unnecessarily segregated in
nursing homes because the Housing Authority failed to grant their
applications for accessible public housing. Capital Area ADAPT, an
advocacy organization that seeks equal access to services and housing to
promote independent living opportunities for people with disabilities, is
also actively involved in the lawsuit.
Since 1988, federal regulations have required the Housing
Authority to make at least 5% of public housing units accessible for
people with mobility impairments. About 1% of current public housing
apartments may be accessible, according to the Housing Authority. But
the majority of these do not even comply with federal accessibility
standards, are too small and in senior citizen buildings that do not
accept families. "The tragedy is, the Housing Authority spent millions of
federal dollars over the past few years to renovate many of the
District's public housing units, but they just disregarded federal
accessibility laws," commented Marjorie Rifkt out of bathrooms, unable to
come and go as they choose, and otherwise forced to live in nursing
homes, shelters and other institutions while they languish on waiting
lists."
ADAPT has met regularly since August 2000 with Housing Authority
officials including Director Michael Kelly to urge them to comply with
federal law and make more housing accessible for people with
disabilities. "There's been a lot of talk by the Housing Authority, but
no action. We've tried to remind them that access is our civil right, and
they talk about their business deals," said Robert Coward, leader of
Capital Area ADAPT. "There's no excuse for it. People with disabilities
deserve the right to live independently and be with their families and
loved ones."
The plaintiffs are seeking a federal court order requiring the
Housing Authority to make at least 5% of the public housing units in the
District accessible and to ensure that accessible units are made
sufficiently large to accommodate families. Marjorie Rifkin of University
Legal Services - P & A, the protection and advocacy agency for the
District of Columbia, is representing the plaintiffs, along with
co-counsels Stephen F. Gold and David Kahne.
HUD Outreach
to Explain 504
A new web site as well as mailings
have been a centerpiece of efforts
by HUD to better explain 504 rules regarding housing for people
with disabilities.
In the early 1990s, ADAPT discovered that although U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, HUD had pretty decent regulations for
federally funded housing projects under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, almost no one knew about them. Worse yet, HUD had basically
NO information to help housing developers and other professionals as well
as advocates learn about and understand these rules. There was lots on
Fair Housing, zip on 504!
Almost a decade later, after much banging by ADAPT and others, HUD has
finally begun to address the problem. In January 2001 HUD Secretary
Andrew Cuomo announced the launching of a new web site and distributed
notices to better explain the rights of people with disabilities who are
seeking housing, and the responsibilities of those who house them.
The web site -- http://www.hud.gov/fhe/fheacss.html -- provides a
wealth of practical information about Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973. Section 504 prohibits discrimination based on disability in
any federally funded program. HUD's rules apply not only to public
housing and community development, but to a myriad of other programs that
fund housing built by private developers with federal funds, as well as
economic development programs, even some social services.
The new site includes information for HUD grantees -- ranging
from developers that build integrated, affordable housing, to developers
of housing units for the elderly to non-profit organizations that create
homeless shelters -- on how to comply with Section 504. For people with
disabilities and their families, the site provides useful information
about their rights under Section 504 and even allows those who may have
suffered discrimination to file a complaint with HUD online.
HUD is also distributing notices to thousands of its grantees
that detail their responsibilities not only under Section 504, but also
under the Fair Housing Act and other related regulations. Among those
receiving the notices are all owners of HUD-funded multifamily
properties, participants in HUD's mortgage insurance programs for
multifamily properties, and recipients of HUD's Community Development
Block Grants.
What will happen under HUD's new Secretary Mel Martinez remains
to be seen, but advocates and developers alike should take advantage of
this new resource and encourage HUD to build on this long awaited
beginning. As housing activist Beto Barrera, recently pointed out, "The
main source of housing for people with disabilities is publicly assisted
housing. This web site is a step forward in increasing enforcement of
Section 504 and a good way to educate developers of publicly assisted
housing."
ACCESS Housing 2000
What is the biggest barrier to getting someone out of a nursing home?
Though getting attendant services and supports is still a major
obstacle - another major obstacle, reported throughout the country is -
Integrated, Accessible and Affordable Housing!
ACCESS Housing 2000 is a cooperative project between the
Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS), the Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD), and the Institute on Disability (IOD). It's
purpose is to stimulate efforts to address this housing barrier and to
begin to counteract the warehousing of people with disabilities in
nursing homes and other institutions. Public Housing Authorities and
Medicaid State Agencies will be working together along with Centers for
Independent Living and other community based organizations to address
this issue.
Whereas efforts to counteract the institutionalization of people
in other types of institutions have begun (and need to continue),
Olmstead efforts are really the first acknowledged efforts to address
those who are stuck in nursing homes. Indeed, it was not until the last
few years that HUD acknowledged that nursing homes are not housing!
Therefore, as part of ACCESS Housing 2000, 400 vouchers per year for the
next five years will be targeted to individuals with disabilities
transitioning from nursing homes to the community. These vouchers will be
targeted to states applying for new nursing home transition grants as
well as those who have received these grants in the past. The focus on
nursing homes is a partial response to the Olmstead decision, assisting
states as they identify people with disabilities in nursing homes who
choose to receive services in the community.
In addition, ACCESS Housing 2000 intends to support coordination
between integrated, accessible, affordable housing and receiving
attendant services and supports. However, fundamental to the ACCESS
Housing 2000 philosophy is the concept that this is voluntary
coordination, at the choice of the person receiving the services. It is
NOT linked services and housing where housing and support services are
from the same provider: to get the supports one must in a certain
location, or to live in certain housing one must commit to using certain
services.
Former HHS Secretary Shalala and former HUD Secretary Cuomo
committed to ACCESS Housing 2000 after numerous protests and meetings
with ADAPT .
ADAPT is working closely with the Institute on Disability's new
CHANCE, Community Housing And New Community Economics on this and many
other issues around the coordination of services and integrated,
affordable and accessible housing.
For information on CHANCE:
1-800-220-8770
www.alliance.unh.edu
chance.iod@home.com
Around the World
DAN's London Tales
by Johnny Crescendo
Dan hit London for a 3-day national
action April 2nd, 3rd and 4th 2001.
As the election approaches what better time to bring our message
of freedom for all to the heart of government?
Monday - DAN's Magical Mystery Tour.
Before the action, DAN wrote to 300 members of Parliament
inviting them to a meeting across the road from the Houses of Parliament
with coffee on us. We had fifty replies, all said no. On the day, not one
turned up. So much for the democratic process. So much for trying to be
nice. If they wouldn't come to us, we would go to them.
We marched first to the Tory Party H.Q. demanding a meeting with
senior party officials in 30 days. After blocking the entrance for about
an hour and stopping a film crew from filming we still had no meeting.
This was no different to 4 years ago and they lost the election by a
landslide.
Next were the Lib Dems. One of our group Danny Esterman, is a
fully paid up member of the party and he went in to facilitate (and to
check the bathroom access). It worked! 10 minutes later a party
spokesperson committed the party to meet with DAN in the next 30 days.
Danny said the loo may take longer.
Finally we went to the Labour party H.Q. We blocked all the
doorways and still the police hadn't arrived. We waited. After a while
the building manager became concerned that we were creating a fire risk.
We explained that if the building caught fire we would be the first to
move. We also asked him to ask the Labour office to talk to us. By now
all our placards were up and the DANNERS singing was in full swing. After
two hours the party finally committed to a meeting and to fully involve
DAN in their policy making around all our issues.
Canapes and Controversial Confrontation
So far we hadn't met a single member of the government, but
thanks to our painstaking research department we knew where they would be
that night: at a 5 star hotel in Kensington for drinks and canapés
(whatever they are). They were meeting with the great and the good of the
disabled people's movement; all those organisations "for" us, who take
the money and lock us into their institutions, those people who would
sell us out for a gong.
As we swung into the hotel car park, the rich crips were arriving
dressed up to the nines. Newcastle DAN's Tom Commerford in street gear,
went up to the desk and asked where the party was. They told him and we
all went in. Not surprisingly all the sellouts fought their way in. I was
proud to see BCODP chair Sheila Blair (no relation to Prime Minister Tony
Blair) refused to cross our picket line.
The reception area for the party was totally blocked. The
atmosphere was electric and before long DANNERS wore all the dignitary's
guest passes -- including Tony Blair's. Clueless how to handle this, the
Police placed chairs at the doors to help the blockade. The Ministers for
Education and for Disabled People Margaret Hodge were refused entry and
escorted out by the police. They had offered us a meeting, but our point
was that they didn't recognise that some of the people they were
"consulting" with were our oppressors and our jailers. This controversial
action was to challenge those attending. We're DAN and we want our
movement back.
Tuesday the Shit Hits the Fan
Today we were going to the DOH in Whitehall to protest about the
government charging us for basic care. At 4am Andy and Clair made a weird
and wonderful compound which looked like shit, appropriately disguised in
McDonald's coffee cups. We daubed the marble building with the brown
stuff and hundreds of toilet rolls. Placards said "stop charging us to go
to the toilet!" Finally the police arrived and dragged disabled people
into a pen.
Half the group were out so we headed for our second target that
day the HQ of Leonard Cheshire, largest nursing home owner in the world
and Tony Blair's friend. London DAN member Richard (barrier buster)
Bullard, fed up with being penned in drove his massive wheelchair through
the barricade and the pen being no more, we went to join the rest of the
group heading for Leonard. The police didn't follow us!
We entered the foyer and found, strangely enough, it was owned by
the same company that owned the Labour Party HQ. The symbol of Leonard
Cheshire is a Red Feather. Suddenly red feathers covered in red powder
paint were flying everywhere. Soon after most of the DANNERS inside were
covered in red feathers. It looked like a scene from a Batman movie.
The police finally arrived and penned us, and again we pushed out
of the pen and marched in the road, this time escorted by the police. We
headed to the Local Government Association HQ. Just our arrival there got
us a senior official's committment to meet with us in the next 30 days.
It had been an unbelievable day.
Wednesday's Housing Hit
The last day DAN hit housing. Again we got to our target without
the police bothering us. As it rained we blocked all but one entrance to
the Department of Transport, Environment and the Regions where officed
within which was the Housing Department and the Minister. Two DAN members
went inside to negotiate for a meeting with the Minister. Hours passed.
Our negotiators came out and said the offer was crap. After some
discussion we decided not to take this offer, and DANNERS cold and wet,
tired after three amazing days marched down to Parliament and around the
Square.
Free our People.
Disabled Patients Win Sweeping Changes From HMO
By Tamar Lewin
Exerpt from New York Times, April 13, 2001
The nation's largest nonprofit H.M.O.
agreed yesterday to revamp all its
California health centers and policies to ensure that people with
disabilities have access to the full range of health care.
The agreement will settle a class- action lawsuit, the first of
its kind in the nation, that was filed last year against the health
maintenance organization, Kaiser Permanente, on behalf of all its
California members with disabilities. The lawsuit argued that Kaiser
discriminated against disabled patients by giving them inferior medical
care. Part of the problem, the lawsuit said, is inaccessible medical
equipment, like examination tables that do not lower and scales and
mammography machines that cannot be used by people in wheelchairs.
The three named plaintiffs are all Kaiser members who use
wheelchairs. One of them, John Metzler, had pressure sores on his
buttocks for a year, but his doctor had not visually examined them
because the examination table was inaccessible. Another, Johnnie Lacy,
had not had a gynecological examination in more than 15 years because of
the same problem. The third, John Lonberg, was not weighed for 15 years
because there was no scale accessible to a wheelchair at his Kaiser
doctors' office.
"My first reaction was, 'Oh, my God, we have a lawsuit,'" said
Richard Pettingill, president of Kaiser's California division, "but it
only took about five minutes before it was apparent to me that we needed
to step up and provide some leadership."
The settlement Kaiser agreed to is far-reaching, covering not
only the installation of accessible medical equipment and the removal of
architectural barriers, but also a broad commitment to develop training
programs, handbooks and a complaint system to meet the needs of the
disabled. Kaiser also agreed to consider developing specialized clinical
programs in disability care and to review all its policies to ensure that
they meet the needs of people with vision, hearing, cognitive, speech and
mobility disabilities.
"We believe this will be revolutionary in terms of its impact on
health care for people with disabilities," said Sid Wolinsky, litigation
director of Disability Rights Advocates, the Oakland group that brought
the lawsuit. "The agreement with Kaiser provides a comprehensive
blueprint that could be used by any health provider anywhere in the
country. We intend to use this as a template to present to other major
health-care providers, to urge that they, too, adopt this approach."
We are Tired of Waiting for the Bus!
After years and years of violations, disabled people from Wichita had
enough. On April 9, 2001, ADAPT demanded that the Wichita Metropolitan
Transit Authority end discrimination against people with disabilities.
After our attorney presented Jay Banasiak, General Manager of
the WMTA with our lawsuit, about 100 Kansas ADAPTers blocked the
entrances to the bus terminal. None of the buses could get in to load
and unload, they were lined up and down the street blocking themselves as
much as we were. The drivers, the bystanders, and even the people being
inconvenienced by our activities seemed to understand the problem and
agreed that the WMTA sucked
Some of their violations were outrageous! They have certain
routes labeled inaccessible, implying disabled people aren't allowed to
that area of town. Even if a lift equipped bus is driving that route,
they won't stop because it is designated inaccessible.
Many of the lifts they do have don't work or the driver doesn't
know how to operate them. Often when they do get you on, they let you off
somewhere without a curb cut and expect you to "jump" it.
They have a TTY, but you are supposed to call the voice line
first to tell them to hook it up. Hel-llo?! If you could tell them that
you wouldn't need the TTY!
In addition to rectifying those situations, ADAPT demand
compliance with the ADA including such things as: start calling out
stops, maintain wheelchair lifts in operable condition and deploy them in
accessible locations, cycle lifts to ensure they work properly and deploy
them every time a person with a disability wants to board the bus,
provide training to drivers on proper use of lifts and securement
devices, provide a working TTY line with trained staff for those with
speech and hearing disabilities, provide all materials in accessible
formats, provide paratransit services without application to those who
request it until fixed route buses are accessible, and deploy lift
equipped buses in a manner so as to maximize availability of assessable
service.
Demonstrators actually got to tell Mr. Banasiak how they felt
about his services when he came out as a condition of our demands.
Deborah Looney, a Wichita resident said, "We need access to the
lifts, not to sit up there and tell us we can't get on the bus or pass us
by in the rain or the snow or any weather, we have a right to get on that
bus and they know it."
Olmstead Work Going Strong in Many Ways in Many Places
Across the nation a myriad of folks are working hard on the "most
integrated setting" or "Olmstead" leg of the Real Choice Campaign. It's
taking on lots of forms as different kinds of people in different
situations tackle the problem. Some ble meetings. Some take it to the
streets and offices with direct action demonstrations. Some are legal
beagles who prefer to file the Title II complaints with the Office of
Civil Rights, and/or lawsuits. Some are the hands-on type, delivering
attendant services themselves. Actually most are doing combinations, but
bit by bit folks are moving forward. The ultimate test will be real
people getting out or not having to go in to nursing homes and other
institutions.
Also emerging from the cloud of dust around Olmstead are the different
pieces of the problem that need to be tackled: identify who wants out,
find the dollars to heleces in place before they begin. Solving every
problem before you can start is a recipe for disaster, and one which
people seem to be avoiding.
In Philly where they have a regular underground railroad built (with
sweat) and paid for (in blood and tears) to get folks out, they have been
focusing on affordable accessible housing and recently hit Philly Housing
Authority for 30 vouchers for homeless/near homeless disabled people,
i.e. those warehoused in nursing homes and other institutions as well as
those on the street.
In Rochester NY they may well hold the national record for Title II
Complaints. When others failed to rise to the occasion, they also
declared themselves on the state's Olmstead group; when things were
moving that was fine, but when the state ground to a halt, they went for
the ADAPT not too secret weapon. The Big Apple, NY City, joined forces
with their upstate cousins and protested at their Governor's offices in
Albany and NYC on Dr. King's birthday to let Governor Pataki know New
York had dropped the ball. Despite being snowed on and locked out they
did it their way, winning a meeting with the Governor and getting the
process back on track.
Kansas ADAPT, like the proverbial twisters that cross their state,
combined policy work meetings with actions. They also tackled other
issues involved, like getting nurses to delegate health related tasks to
attendants. Hands on service delivery has been in their repertoire for a
long time, they even have great brochures about getting out. They also
took on the political realm with a Freedom of Choice Bill (see related
article) in their state legislature.
Denver & Colorado ADAPT, "grandparents" in the nursing home underground
railroad, combine their hands-on expertise with the meeting mode. When
the first Olmstead task force got too big to be effective, they got a
second, real group together with their state folks, to see to it the
money follows the person, and are writing their state's plan. Action
beingolorado Nursing Association to get their support for drafting
legislation to allow physician assignment of health related tasks.
UT ADAPT met with their Governor and Medicaid Director and their plan is
to be done June 2001. At hearings held by the state, nursing home
occupants (christened Prisoners of Government or POGs) testified about
their desire to get out. A VISTA Volunteer project is helping to prime
the Salt Lake underground railroad effort. A Christmas news story
highlighted 3 people they helped out of nursing homes.
Texas ADAPT also did the meeting thing, but used a political spin as
well, since their main politician, then Governor - now President Bush had
taken aim with both barrels at disability rights in the Olmstead case
during his run for president. With support of folks from across Texas,
from Philly, Madison, etc. they held the Bush Nine vigil, to call
attention to the folks who are locked away. In addition, a VISTA project
is helping to identify folks and get them out and into the community.
Capitol Area ADAPT combined action with meetings for several results. A
group of nursing home residents who want out rolled into the Medicaid
Director's office to rekindled the Olmstead fires and gain an agreement
that DC would change their waiver to better serve the non-elderly,
non-developmentally disabled folks who so often get left out in the cold.
They have even used Olmstead in a suit against their housing authority,
as folks are stuck in nursing homes due to lack of accessible housing
options.
Indiana too is using the legal angle to focus on the attendant services
piece, filing a lawsuit on behalf of people who want out but can't get
community services. In addition they are pulling together public forums
across the whole state to get statewide consumer input on what their plan
will involve.
In Madison Wisconsin, the Olmstead committee has a deadline to complete
their plan by September 2001. They have three main areas of focus: 1) the
waiting lists, 2) no assessment of people who want out, and 3) assisting
in diverting people from going into nursing homes in the first place.
Delaware's Most Integrated Setting Title II Committee with both consumers
and state agencies wrote a good report. Separately they have an Olmstead
committee of all State agency folks. Unfortunately, but not uniquely, the
Olmstead effort is divided into three areas: people with mental
retardation, people with mental illness or their families, and then the
rest of us lumped in the third area. Delaware ADAPT filed Title II
Complaints for Individuals and already helped a couple of individuals
escape.
KY ADAPT forced a meeting between their Governor's staff and folks who
are directly effected by the issue. It freaked the Governor's folks but
called their attention to the big problem of waiting lists. KY also is
keeping the individual focus by filing Title II complaints on behalf of
people they know who are in jeopardy, and by taking folks who are stuck
in nursing homes to social events so they can talk turkey without staff
breathing down their necks.
St. Louis ADAPTers are deeply embroiled in the meeting mode, with good
success. They worked on the plan and up show in force at each of the
meetings, with even more folks to all hearings. This has resulted in an
Olmstead stakeholders group, a statement of principles, Olmstead language
in their budget about the money following the person, but St. Louis folks
will count their success by the real people getting out!
Chicago ADAPTers are also into the system mode in a big way. The Illinois
General Assembly passed resolution, they have six committees to cover all
areas of issue. They forced the state to turn in a comprehensive report
December 20, state set up a website on Olmstead. But when things were not
moving enough ADAPT took to our old haunt, the State of the State
building where the Governor's office is located, to continue pressure to
get the job done! Governor Ryan felt enough heat to mention Olmstead in
his 2001 State of the State address.
Last but not least, Maryland ADAPT is blasting their Governor for a
budget that will not allow for real implementation while the legislature
passed a state MiCASSA bill.
Connecticut has a contract to organize the task force that is writing
their state Olmstead plan, and identify barriers to implementation.
Georgia is working with other groups like People First and the Statewide
Independent Living Council while taking on their legislature to make sure
the dollars are there.
Our bottom line must remain how many people get out and how many are
diverted. However, these examples - and there is much more than this even
going on, show that there are many ways each of us can help achieve the
goal, to FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!!
Around the Nation
This is in my
H ome
E ducation
A ttendant Care
R espect
T otal Inclusion
What's in your heart?
Support people with disabilities to be a REAL part of our communities.
Implement Olmstead so I won't be doomed to live in segregation. I want to
live in the Most Integrated Setting! End the institutional bias in our
grossly outdated long term care system.
Home is where the heart is!
Central PA ADAPT
Since Governor Tom Ridge seems to be the only person who can
provide the resources to help free our brothers and sisters in
institutions, Central PA ADAPT created Valentine's Day Cards with stamps,
stickers, magic markers, houses and hearts, with the following message
"Meet with ADAPT, cause Home is Where the Heart Is!" On February 12, 2001
over 40 personalwith Keystone ADAPT and Scranton ADAPT. Additionally,
Linda Anthony sent a letter, formally requesting a meeting with him.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, we were also going to hit our Mayor
over the recent HUD NOFA - the 79,000 Vouchers that was in the Federal
Register. We wrote both the Mayor and the Executive Director of the
Philadelphia Housing Authority - offering our assistance in applying to
the NOFA. We found out that Philadelphia DID apply an d that we'd be
getting 600 Vouchers as a result. Steve Gold got details about their NOFA
application and how many would go to people with disabilities, etc.
This is a definite win for us because Vouchers have been
available only on an emergency basis and we've got a ton of folks who
need vouchers ASAP or they will be in an emergency situation - like going
into a nursing home! So, for now, the demonstration wasn't necessary,
proving that - sometimes - the pen is mightier than the sword, but as
Teddy Roosevelt used to say, too, that it's best to say one's words, but
carry a "big stick." So, we can also do demonstrations to back up our words
FREE OUR PEOPLE!
ADAPT of Erie
Just wanted to let you know that Erie ADAPT sent a box of Pulakos
Candy to Governor Tom Ridge asking him to meet with PA ADAPT about
issues. We also sent numerous faxes, emails and phone calls as well.
Maryland ADAPT
Using the Valentine idea with the heart, Maryland ADAPT delivered
a valentine to each of the 138 General Assembly House Delegates today to
seek support for our state MiCASSA. Here is the text supper imposed on
the H.E.A.R.T. sent out for congress valentines. "Have a Heart! Support
MiCASSA, HB 702, Maryland's Community Attendant Services and Supports
Program. This Valentine's, show your love for justice. Help bring the
dream of our hearts to the reality of our homes. Support REAL Choice in
long term care." After the HEART logo and text, we signed "Thank You,
Maryland ADAPT"
Update: MiCassa in Maryland (the Governor signed it)!
Well Coalition...we did it, despite many barriers being thrown
up, sometimes hastily, to try and stop the wave of truth sweeping through
the halls of our Capitol. Congrats to all of you that did your part to
make this happen. I will step out on a limb a name a few folks that did
some exemplary work on this Coalition victory: Thanks Gayle Hulfner &
Christy for creating a great freedom ACT. Thanks to Michael & Dan for
dropping everything to be there when the call was sounded...our cavalry.
Thanks to MDLC for being there when things needed to be done & we knew we
could always look to Phil to figure out a way to "make it so". Lorraine
for being our rock on shaky ground and the light to show us the unseen
door that will get us where we need to go. Thanks to all of the Coalition
members that are a part of the future in Maryland. You should enjoy the
pride of victory for you have won the day... for tomorrow we will again
rise to fight the good fight.
We have a MiCASSA bill in Maryland! -Kimball Gray
Freedom of Choice Bill
Introduced!
Through the blustery cold of a Kansas February day amazing news
broke through. Kansas ADAPT strikes again! The Kansas state legislature
took up the Freedom of Choice Bill. The simple, short bill takes federal
mandate that people have the right to choose to get services in the most
integrated setting, and putdy blow to institutional bias in long term care!
Session of 2001
SENATE BILL No. 319
By Committee on Federal and State Affairs
2-13
AN ACT enacting the Kansas freedom of choice in long-term care, service
and support.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
Section 1. (a) Any person eligible for admission to a nursing facility,
adult care home, intermediate care facility, nursing home for the mentally
ill or state institution for the mentally ill or any other publicly-funded
institution shall be afforded the choice to receive appropriate services in
home and community in the most integrated setting which is appropriate
for the needs of such person.
(b) Cost effectiveness shall be maintained by ensuring that home and
community services for persons with disabilities, in the aggregate, shall
cost less than if those same persons were served in a publicly-funded
institution.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to mean that a person
will be forced into a home and community program if that person chooses
to enter or remain in a publicly-funded institution.
Sec. 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
Access Rules for Electronic and Information
Technologies are Final
The US Access Board published their final standards for Federal
electronic and information technology on Thursday December 21, 2000. The
standards apply to computers, software, web-based applications,
telecommunications products and electronic office equipment. They are
issued under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act which requires access
to Federal sector electronic and information technology. They are also
available on the Board's website http://www.access-board.gov.
Annapolis
Deeming MD Governor Parris Glendening's budget illegal, the
disability community blasted the Governor in protest and press release.
Even the Governor's own disability committee had issued a report that
clearly outlined the need for more than the budget addressed. The
Director of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told the
legislature at a budget hearing that the state was at risk of being sued.
Settlement Reforms Managed Health Care for AZ Children
Washington DC, March 20-An estimated 20,000 Arizona children will
benefit from the landmark settlement of a 10-year-old federal class
action lawsuit, reforming the state's managed behavioral healthcare
system for children. The suit, JK v. Eden, challenged Arizona's failure
to provide mental health services to poor children.
"The settlement is groundbreaking," Burnim said, "because it is
the first to overhaul a state mental health system that operates on a
managed care basis." The agreement is also unique in its approach to
reform, he explained, because it spells out in a legal document a
"vision" defining the purpose of children's behavioral health services
and a set of 11 principles for improving the quality of those services,
to be incorporated in all aspects of the system's operations.
The "Arizona Vision" is a fundamental shift in the way the state
treats children and families and children in foster care who seek mental
health treatment. It emphasizes respect and partnership with families and
children in planning, delivery and evaluation of services, and stresses
collaboration among the agencies that serve children, with the goal of
enabling children "to achieve success in school, live with their
families, avoid delinquency and become stable and productive adults."
The J.K. lawsuit was originally filed by a father who had been
unable to obtain services for his son. When the managed care system
refused to provide the day treatment recommended by professionals, the
boy ran away from home, attempted suicide and was ultimately admitted to
a psychiatric hospital.
For more information: Lee Carty, Bazelon Center, 202-467-5730 ext 21
Utah's Governor meeting
On February 6, 10 ADAPT members met with Governor Leavitt, his
chief of staff (Rich McKeown) and his budget analyst (Steve Jardine). We
introduced ourselves and told our stories. Two people just out of a
nursing home and in the community, one still in a nursing home and
wanting to get out, and one who was able to stay in the community through
the state funded plan told their stories. We discussed the money
difference among them, and asked the Gov. to take the moral leadership on
this issue that was affecting thousands of Utahns.
We congratulated the Gov. on the principles, it was a good first
step. The second step was the state plan which was ongoing, but we saw
many interdepartmental barriers and waiver problems. We said that in
order to have a comprehensive plan, department coordination was essential.
We requested an Executive Order, a coordination letter, space in
the Governor's budget and Olmstead discussion in his state of the state
address.
The Governor said that he wanted something beyond a letter and he
asked Rich to organize a creative coordinating council with department
heads to get everyone at a single table and said we would be asked for
representatives on that council. The council would discuss budget and
other barriers. This interagency group would set up how the policy should
be expressed so the legal and financial interests of both the state and
people would be protected.
This is a first step and we all think the Gov. is finally getting
the message that Olmstead is going to be implemented and he may as well
get behind it. We'll stay on it and see.
Kansas City International Airport
Over a 100 activists descended on KCI Airport after years of
requests for access and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act, ADA, went unheeded by Airport authorities. Passing out flyers and
chanting throughout the terminals, ADAPT was finally heard by the powers
that be. Having to be carried up and down flights of stairs inside the
terminals to reach the smaller aircraft that serve much of the states
around KCI, was one complaint. Another was the lack of accessible
shuttle service between the several unconnected terminals of the airport.
"I've had to wheel in the street at night to make a connection and to get
to my car, it's ridiculous" one protester said. The airport has some
accessible vans, but it takes too long to get them and many people have
missed connecting flights because of the delay. Also, Sharon Joseph
pointed out "when I get off the plane and go outside I want to get on the
same vehicle as my husband, not wait for a special van." The action
gathered people from across the state who were frustrated with the less
than 2nd class service at KCI, and resulted in a commitment by the
Airport folks to shape up!
While they had everyone gathered, Kansas ADAPT also took their
issues to the Unified Government of Kansas City and Wyandotte County with
a march. About 20 people brought the City Administrator down to the whole
group where he agreed to follow up with KS ADAPT regarding the City and
County's lack of compliance with ADA.
Milwaukee Wisconsin
When the Milwaukee Public Library announced the completion of
it's $10.4 million dollar renovation with the grand opening of it's new
central staircase, SE WI ADAPTers were not amused to find access had been
completely overlooked. But not for long. ADAPT folks from Milwaukee were
joined by folks from Madison on the day of the big opening, and when the
Mayor went by they nailed him. He committed to meet, and soon committed
to make the access changes the group demanded.
Montgomery Alabama and Portland Oregon
Two new Olmstead cases were filed in these cities this winter.
The Oregon case was filed by the Oregon Advocacy Center on behalf of 10
people who are stuck in state psychiatric institutions. Each of the 10
has been found ready for discharge to community living situations, but
services are not available so they have been unlawfully held in the
institutions for nearly a year. "Right now, people are left twisting in
the wind. When placements are offered and then taken away, it is
frustrating and people become hopeless" Miranda B., one of the 10
plaintiffs, explained.
In Alabama two woman, Vera Walker (92) and Madie Brown (82) who
live in Assisted Living Facilities are suing the state over rules which
say they must more to a more restrictive institution because the can no
longer manage their own medications. Such rules are common across the US,
and may also be a violation of the Fair Housing Act, however this case
was filed as an Olmstead case. The women contend they are being forced by
the state into less integrated and more restrictive environment against
their will.
Boston and San Francisco
The stadium seating in movie theater issue rages on, on both
coasts this winter. In Boston, disability advocates and the MA Attorney
General's office filed suit against Hoyts Cinema and National Amusements;
between them these two companies operate over three dozen such theaters
in 13 states. "Just about every person with a disability has their own
story about going to the movies. From the day these new theaters opened
their doors, my office began receiving complaints about them" Lorraine
Greiff, acting Director of the state Office on Disability, told the
Boston Globe.
Meanwhile, out on the west coast United Artists agreed in January
to a settlement in a similar case brought by the US Dept. of Justice.
United Artists, UA, agreed to locate wheelchair seating in which viewing
angles are as good as the best 50% of the seats in the house. UA must
also locate wheelchair seating no closer to the screen than the back of
the aisle, separating traditional seats from stadium seats, the Dept. of
Justice told the Associated Press. AP reports that the court in San
Francisco and the US District Court in Delaware (where UA has filed for
bankruptcy) must still approve the agreement.
MCIL publishes accessibility survey of apartments
The Memphis Center for Independent Living, in cooperation with
the Memphis Fair Housing Center, has completed a survey of newly
constructed rental housing compliant with the Fair Housing Act. The
federal law to prevent discrimination in housing was amended in 1988 to
include physical accessibility features.
The survey focused on the first two requirements of the fair
housing amendments that instruct ground-floor rental units to have an
accessible entrance, and the apartment complex to have accessible common
use amenities.
On Thursday, January 25, Memphis Area Legal Services - Fair
Housing Center filed a complaint in federal court contending that local
apartments do not provide necessary access to persons with disabilities.
The action challenges the design and construction of three Champion Hill
properties and the Wyndham Apartments stating that the physical barriers
at the locations are discrimination. The complaint alleges that 147 of
the ground-floor units of the Wyndham Apartments and 60% of the
ground-floor units at the Champion Hill sites have no wheelchair access.
"People with disabilities face discrimination in housing each day
in our community," said Deborah Cunningham, the Executive Director of the
Memphis Center for Independent Living. "Our choices are limited by
architectural design and construction. Today is a first step in calling
for an end to the blatant disregard of the civil rights of all
individuals with disabilities."
Justin Dart had surgery
As you may have heard from Justice For All jfa@jfanow.org Justin
Dart had surgery last week to amputate his leg. ("When the doctors say
it's a 100% chance you die from gangrene or a 15% chance you die from the
amputation surgery the choice is simple!")
It was an above the knee amputation and he should be returning
home soon.
Justin asks: No flowers, just advocacy! [Guess we can fulfill
that wish!]
Together we shall overcome! We love you!
Telephone Access for People with Speech Disabilites
If you have a speech disability you can now use a new, free
telephone service 24 hours a day. This service, called Speech to Speech
(STS), provides communication assistants (CAs) for people with difficulty
being understood by the public on the telephone because of: Parkinson's
disease, cerebral palsy, ALS, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, a
laryngectomy, stutter or use of a speech synthesizer -- to name some
examples. Nationally, about 6,000 STS calls are made every month.
STS is provided through the TTY relay in each state. Unlike TTY,
STS enables people with speech disabilities to communicate by voice
through a CA as many people with speech disabilities have difficulty
typing. You can dial toll free to reach a patient, trained CA who makes
the call and repeats your words exactly in a 3-way calling environment.
To try out STS, report problems or get more information call
inventor Dr. Bob Segalman 800-854-7784 (direct 916-263-8689) or e-mail
him at: bsegalma@dor.ca.gov or visit the STS website:
http://www.stsnews.com/ Contact Katherine Keller at
stslistserv@stsnews.com to place you on the STS list serve.
For a list of U. S. Speech-to-Speech access numbers go to:
http://www.stsnews.com/Pages/STSDial-UpTelnumbers.html
Australia provides STS. Contact: Ace.Tom.McCaul@uq.net.au (Tom
McCaul).
Sweden has just extended its STS trial for one year.
Bank One Installs the First Talking ATMs in Illinois and Ohio
CHICAGO - April 25, 2001 - Bank One Corporation announced today that it
has installed the first "talking" Automated Teller Machines in Illinois
and Ohio to help visually impaired customers complete their banking
transactions.
Bank One has installed 30 of the newly developed ATMs in the
Chicago and Columbus areas. By the end of the year the bank plans to
install 100 additional talking ATMs in these and other markets and will
announce the locations once they are operational.
Ann Byrne, a blind project manager for Exeloncorp in Chicago,
stressed the importance of taking advantage of emerging technologies to
provide greater independence to the growing number of visually impaired
people in the United States. "These ATMs afford visually impaired people
some of the privacy and dignity that is sought by everyone," Byrne said.
Customers use a standard set of earphones to receive voice
prompts that take them step-by-step through an ATM transaction. The
earphones can be obtained from the Bank One banking center locations that
feature the new technology. Bank One employees will help users get
acquainted with the modified ATMs, and audio users will hear a brief
"orientation" at the ATM machine.
More information about Bank One's talking ATM program including
the location of Bank One's Talking ATMs is available by calling
1-877-241-8665. It can be found on the Internet at www.bankone.com.
Check out these Websites
Petition for Captions at the Movies
There is an online, on-going petition drive for more captions in
movie theaters for people who are deaf, hearing-impaired or hard of
hearing:
http://www.captions.org/petition.cfm
Disability Characters
in the Movies
www.disabilityfilms.co.uk has a big database of films involving
characters with disabilities
Visitability & Universal
Design Sites
Here is a site two SUNY students developed as a class project.
They have some very nice ideas about introducing universal design in
affordable homes. They used Habitat for Humanity's program as a case study.
http://www.go.to/habitat4humanity
Please let them know what you think -- Edward Steinfeld, Arch.
D., Director Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA)
at SUNY/Buffalo
tel: 716-829-3485, x327
email: arced@ap.buffalo.edu
IDEA web site: www.ap.buffalo.edu/~idea
RERC on Universal Design web site: www.ap.buffalo.edu/~rercud
Attendant Recruitment Website
Check out this web page
http://www.cilberkely.org/attendant_faq.html
and look at http://www.cilberkeley.org/attendant_form.html
Wade Blank Memorial Website
There is a Wade Blank Memorial website on the Internet. The
address is at
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/8897/USS_Adapt/Wade_Blank.html
The other location to get in is:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shire/3691/index.html This is the
Talaxian Trader's Corner site; go to the Disabled Fandom Alert Pages
where you'll find a link to the above address.
Olmstead Website
http://www.icanonline.net/legislation/get_involved/parsons.html
State Data Website
An excellent resource, especially for state level data, this
webpage was produced with Robert Wood Johnson funding:
http://www.chronicnet.org/
HUD 504 Website
HUD has launched a website on Section 504:
http://www.hud.gov/fhe/504/sect504.html
Passages
Henry Crawford, Nursing Home Survivor
and Freedom Fighter is Gone
ADAPT mourns the loss of a great freedom fighter Henry Crawford.
Henry escaped from a nursing home nine years ago and has been fighting to
free others ever since. He has been to every national action since
Lansing. "ADAPT gave Henry a reason to live" said his friends Ron Lesko
and Kevin Huwe, with whom he lived in Pittsburgh. FREE OUR PEOPLE, was a
favorite chant of Henry's, and ADAPT was in his heart. Condolences to all
those who knew and loved Henry. Donations are being made in Henry's name
to ADAPT at TRIPIL, 69 E. Beau Street, Washington, PA 15301.
We're Parents!
After over a year of work, Renee Peek and Leonard Roscoe have
adopted a son, Nigel, from India. Nigel, like Leonard, has osteogenesis
imperfecta. According to his parents Nigel will make a great addition to
the ADAPT family as he is a tad hard headed and a very fast learner!
Here's our new ADAPTer. Nigel Aabesh Peek. He arrived on Feb
2nd. He's 3, he's going to fit right in. He is head strong and doesn't
like to take no as an answer. His english is coming along , he already
learned to say Free our People Mommy.
Gorski is Gone
The Chicago Mayor's Office on People with Disabilities Founding
Director Lawrence J. Gorski, died suddenly on November 6, 2000. Gorski,
who got the City of Chicago to sign on as the first city in America to
become a MiCASSA supporter, was a supporter of disability rights in many
ways and for many years. He will be missed.
ADAPT Wins Disability Rights Advocates Eagle Award
On Nov. 21, 2000, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national
disability law center, gave out its fourth annual Eagle and Turkey
Fairness Awards. Eagle awards are presented to businesses and individuals
who actively advance the civil rights of people with disabilities. Turkey
awards are given to corporations or individuals who demonstrate
insensitivity to the rights of people with disabilities and impede their
progress.
One of four Eagle Awards was presented to ADAPT (American
Disabled for Attendant Programs Today). "ADAPT has for many years served
a critical role by taking political action wherever it is needed in the
country to ensure that people with disabilities are being heard and that
their rights are being upheld. They have been vigilant in their fight to
keep the Americans with Disabilities Act strong along with other federal
and state laws that protect individuals with disabilities" DRA announced.
Other Eagle Awardees included: Microsoft Corporation for
developing accessibility features in all of its software and helping
spearhead the Able to Work Consortium; Bank of America for its commitment
to install "talking" ATMs nationally, and for employment practices; and
Pacific Bell Park for having one of the most accessible stadiums in the
nation.
The DRA's Turkey Awards included some past targets of ADAPT
actions: Cinemark USA, Inc., for their "accessible seating" in the first
rows of their theaters forcing customers to crane their necks and sit too
close to the screen; Alabama Governor Dan Siegelman, for asking the
Supreme Court to strike Title II of the ADA in the Garrett Case; and
Chuck E. Cheese (aka CEC Entertainment, Inc.) for firing a new Madison
Wisc. employee with a cognitive disability based on his appearance and on
stereotypes.
ADAPT Activists Receive
AAPD Awards
Bobby Coward, Jr., contact person and organizer for Capitol Area
ADAPT, and ADAPT activist Kyle Glozier were among the eleven recipients
of the American Association of People with Disabilities, AAPD's, 2000
Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards.
The awards, given December 8th, include a $10,000 cash grant to
continue their leadership activities as well as a mentor, and are
designed to support the work of emerging leaders in the disability
community.
Coward, age 36, of Washington, DC earned the award because of his
indefatigable advocacy on behalf of young, Washington, D.C. residents
with disabilities who are forced to live in nursing homes because of lack
of community based attendant care and accessible housing. The Hearne
Award will support his activities as Chairperson of Capitol Area ADAPT,
which is working to change a system that supports segregation in nursing
homes rather than providing home and community based services.
An eloquent speaker, Glozier, age 14, of New Freeport, PA has
testified before Congress, spoken at the Democratic National Convention,
and will continue to speak about policy changes needed in education,
community based services, and employment. Active with ADAPT since the age
of 8, Glozier believes that the greatest barriers for people with
disabilities are segregated classrooms and lack of jobs, noting that kids
without education end up in group homes, nursing homes, and sheltered
workshops.
This year's other award winners are: Olegario D. Cantos, VII Age
30, West Covina, CA; Matthew Cavedon Age 11, Bloomfield, CT; Tamar Michai
Freeman Age 29, Berkeley, CA; James Sato Harrold Age 30, Iowa City, IA ;
Tim Holmes Age 37, Grand Ronde, OR; James R. Meadours Age 33, Baton
Rouge, LA; Sharon Lynn Nguyen Age 24, Anaheim, CA; Lauren Teruel Age 22,
Northridge, CA; and Sabrina Marie Wilson, Washington, D.C.
Address Service Requested.
Support the work of ADAPT! Become Inciteful!
Incitement will now be coming out on a quarterly basis. With all
that is going on it is so important that you give all you can. Even
though there is no mandatory subscription, it does cost money to keep the
information flowing. Your contribution keeps the activist voice of ADAPT
speaking out.
Yes! I support ADAPT. Here is my contribution for Incitement:
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Your contribution is tax deductible.
Make checks payable to: Topeka Independent Living Resource Center
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