Showing posts with label advocacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advocacy. Show all posts
Saturday, July 30, 2011
NEW SITE ANNOUNCEMENT: Parents and self advocates...
in the disability community, please check out and consider joining the Special Needs Directory.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Two Way Traffic
I was at a rummage sale over the weekend that was held inside a parking garage. The entire first floor was full of tables with items for sale. Around the tables were the signs usually seen in a parking garage: right turn only, slow, and two way traffic. And, of course, there were speed bumps.
I passed by a table full of kitchen items and my power chair rose up and down. A nearby four or five year old squealed in delight, so I did it again.
"Can I do that, Mommy?" she asked.
Her mother turned, saw me and hustled the kid away. Spoil sport.
It was very crowded, so I had to have fun surreptitiously. After all, nothing like getting in someone's way while I'm having fun, for crying out loud. It's bad enough if I'm in their way by necessity, like while I'm searching for a colander.
That's because the concept of two way traffic really doesn't apply to wheelchairs yet in some folks' minds. I can tell because when I'm near a table looking at items, I'm asked to move out of their way. And when I find a spot away from the table to wait for the person I'm with, I'm asked to move from there too because I'm "in the way".
I'd suggest that in some instances, finding a place to put a two hundred pound power chair that isn't in the way would require a hoist to lift it to the ceiling. Nevertheless, it appears that I'm supposed to make its size, length and presence disappear.
As my nephew succinctly put it after I was asked for the umpteenth time to move "Where are you supposed to go?"
I'm sure people have thoughts on that.
I don't believe it's just the physical layout of places that causes all of this. Crowded conditions highlight the fact that people on foot and people using wheelchairs move differently. Our lanes of traffic, so to speak, don't always get recognized as such. This happens even when it's not so crowded.
People with disabilities are still fighting for our place in society. That literally means that sometimes you have to stand (or sit) your ground. When aisles are wide enough and people still complain, consider that perhaps it's not that so much that your wheelchair is in their way, but that they perceive it as such because it challenges their idea of moving around in the world. If poor planning results in spaces not being large enough for your wheelchair, consider mentioning this to those running the event. Know your rights under the ADA. For example, under the Amendments to the ADA, wheelchairs are allowed in all areas open to pedestrian use. Be brief, succinct and civil, but speak up. Do it for the next person in a wheelchair until more people understand and follow the law.
After seventeen years of making a commitment to show up, I know there are times that going out for fun turns out to be an exercise in advocacy. Even when the aisles are wide enough and there shouldn't be an issue, I've learned that there are still narrow attitudes out there that haven't changed.
And where are we supposed to go? As I told my nephew "Everywhere that everyone else does."
I passed by a table full of kitchen items and my power chair rose up and down. A nearby four or five year old squealed in delight, so I did it again.
"Can I do that, Mommy?" she asked.
Her mother turned, saw me and hustled the kid away. Spoil sport.
It was very crowded, so I had to have fun surreptitiously. After all, nothing like getting in someone's way while I'm having fun, for crying out loud. It's bad enough if I'm in their way by necessity, like while I'm searching for a colander.
That's because the concept of two way traffic really doesn't apply to wheelchairs yet in some folks' minds. I can tell because when I'm near a table looking at items, I'm asked to move out of their way. And when I find a spot away from the table to wait for the person I'm with, I'm asked to move from there too because I'm "in the way".
I'd suggest that in some instances, finding a place to put a two hundred pound power chair that isn't in the way would require a hoist to lift it to the ceiling. Nevertheless, it appears that I'm supposed to make its size, length and presence disappear.
As my nephew succinctly put it after I was asked for the umpteenth time to move "Where are you supposed to go?"
I'm sure people have thoughts on that.
I don't believe it's just the physical layout of places that causes all of this. Crowded conditions highlight the fact that people on foot and people using wheelchairs move differently. Our lanes of traffic, so to speak, don't always get recognized as such. This happens even when it's not so crowded.
People with disabilities are still fighting for our place in society. That literally means that sometimes you have to stand (or sit) your ground. When aisles are wide enough and people still complain, consider that perhaps it's not that so much that your wheelchair is in their way, but that they perceive it as such because it challenges their idea of moving around in the world. If poor planning results in spaces not being large enough for your wheelchair, consider mentioning this to those running the event. Know your rights under the ADA. For example, under the Amendments to the ADA, wheelchairs are allowed in all areas open to pedestrian use. Be brief, succinct and civil, but speak up. Do it for the next person in a wheelchair until more people understand and follow the law.
After seventeen years of making a commitment to show up, I know there are times that going out for fun turns out to be an exercise in advocacy. Even when the aisles are wide enough and there shouldn't be an issue, I've learned that there are still narrow attitudes out there that haven't changed.
And where are we supposed to go? As I told my nephew "Everywhere that everyone else does."
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
On institutionalization and advocacy
via YouTube
Paul Spooner of Boston, MA talks about institutionalization, his life of advocacy, and working with Ed Roberts.
Paul is the executive director of the MetroWest Center for Independent Living Inc., in Framingham, Massachusetts. He is a nationally respected trainer in the areas of independent living history, disability legislation, and other related fields.
This is #7 out of more than 1,000 interviews that "It's Our Story" has collected in an effort to free the voices of the disability community. Visit us at www.itsourstory.org
Paul Spooner of Boston, MA talks about institutionalization, his life of advocacy, and working with Ed Roberts.
Paul is the executive director of the MetroWest Center for Independent Living Inc., in Framingham, Massachusetts. He is a nationally respected trainer in the areas of independent living history, disability legislation, and other related fields.
This is #7 out of more than 1,000 interviews that "It's Our Story" has collected in an effort to free the voices of the disability community. Visit us at www.itsourstory.org
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Oh the fireworks!
Apparently in my hometown, the local fireworks celebration was cut short when a nearby house was set on fire. They decided to forego the finale as firemen rushed to the scene.
Around here, things aren't quite so exciting. The fireworks went off without a hitch. I heard them from my living room. My cat hid in my lap. My nephew tried to find his girl friend in the crowd at the fireworks celebration, texting the entire time. He never did. My other nephew said he wouldn't do that for anyone.
The fireworks will continue all weekend. A major heat wave is on its way for next week. It's going to reach 100. That's not the heat index, but the real temperature, if you're inland.
We escape the heat by playing in fountains. If you're in Savannah, you can't take a wheelchair into the fountains. Wheelchairs, they say, don't belong in fountains. They don't want a wheelchair on a trolley either, even if you take it apart and get out of it. If you can.
In Edmond, Alberta, they say you can't take a wheelchair into an elevator. Then they apologize (after they find out you're a military hero) after you struggled to get down 65 steps.
It's hot out there. Tempers run short. Sometimes the people who think they run the place wind up having to answer to the people who really run the place, but aren't there to run the place. Those of us with disabilities know what that means. It means we get denied access. Or we're told to sit in a corner and wait because we may be in the way. Even if we make noise and get an apology, there isn't justice. There isn't justice until it stops happening.
They may as well say Yankee go home. That, like fireworks, drowns out the rest of the celebration sometimes. We stare up into the sky, the sparkling lights so far above that we're in awe, until things go wrong and a house starts on fire. Then we remember that even fireworks are set off by some guy who may not do it too often, who can make a mistake, who may say he gauged things wrong.
Gauging things wrong can hurt people. It's not a good thing to guess at who's allowed to go where, who has permission to use what. It's illegal to boot. That's called civil rights. Until the average guy and gal who really do run things understand that people with disabilities aren't being troublemakers when they want to live independently just like everyone else, our civil rights are going to be compromised.
Put out the house fire first. That's probably best. When the fireworks stop we can all look down from the sky and remember that it's Independence Day.
For all of us.
Around here, things aren't quite so exciting. The fireworks went off without a hitch. I heard them from my living room. My cat hid in my lap. My nephew tried to find his girl friend in the crowd at the fireworks celebration, texting the entire time. He never did. My other nephew said he wouldn't do that for anyone.
The fireworks will continue all weekend. A major heat wave is on its way for next week. It's going to reach 100. That's not the heat index, but the real temperature, if you're inland.
We escape the heat by playing in fountains. If you're in Savannah, you can't take a wheelchair into the fountains. Wheelchairs, they say, don't belong in fountains. They don't want a wheelchair on a trolley either, even if you take it apart and get out of it. If you can.
In Edmond, Alberta, they say you can't take a wheelchair into an elevator. Then they apologize (after they find out you're a military hero) after you struggled to get down 65 steps.
It's hot out there. Tempers run short. Sometimes the people who think they run the place wind up having to answer to the people who really run the place, but aren't there to run the place. Those of us with disabilities know what that means. It means we get denied access. Or we're told to sit in a corner and wait because we may be in the way. Even if we make noise and get an apology, there isn't justice. There isn't justice until it stops happening.
They may as well say Yankee go home. That, like fireworks, drowns out the rest of the celebration sometimes. We stare up into the sky, the sparkling lights so far above that we're in awe, until things go wrong and a house starts on fire. Then we remember that even fireworks are set off by some guy who may not do it too often, who can make a mistake, who may say he gauged things wrong.
Gauging things wrong can hurt people. It's not a good thing to guess at who's allowed to go where, who has permission to use what. It's illegal to boot. That's called civil rights. Until the average guy and gal who really do run things understand that people with disabilities aren't being troublemakers when they want to live independently just like everyone else, our civil rights are going to be compromised.
Put out the house fire first. That's probably best. When the fireworks stop we can all look down from the sky and remember that it's Independence Day.
For all of us.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Some thoughts on the 20th anniversary of the ADA
After 17 years of living with a disability, I'm no longer surprised when some people ask me "What's the ADA?" The Americans with Disabilities Act will be 20 years old next month, on July 26, 2010. Yet it's a law that's not fully recognized or enforced.
Whenever I use a curbcut or facility that's accessible, I know someone else with a disability has fought for it. Those of us with disabilities have been and remain the primary movers and shakers in enacting change through the ADA on local and national levels.
We have many allies. Sen. Tom Harkin is one of them. His speech on the anniversary of the ADA reflects my experiences. Although he acknowledged the progress all around us, he said something I've found myself saying often:
However, progress under the ADA only happens when people—people like you—understand what the law requires, and then choose to make it a priority to ensure that individuals with disabilities are included in all aspects of community life.
It’s one thing for people with disabilities to have rights on paper and a very different thing to know that they enjoy those rights in everyday practice, especially in their communities and in the workplace. We are in an ongoing fight, a never-ending struggle, to vindicate those rights.
We're in the midst of many changes, some good, some bad. As we celebrate our progress, cutbacks threaten our right to live in the communities we care so much about. Too many of our brothers and sisters with disabilities still remain in institutions, faceless and often voiceless. They can only dream of an opportunity like the disability blog carnival, in which our voices are heard.
Each time we speak up for change, we help ready our communities for our children and others who may not be able to speak for themselves. We may not feel like doing it, we may do it and feel as if we're unheard, or we may even be silenced by families and friends who fail to understand our unwillingness to suffer indignities. Despite this, we need to realize that showing up matters. The words that accompanied the signing of the ADA still ring in the air, even though we have a long way to go, especially with employment of people with disabilities.
“Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”
As we sit in the rubble, may we never forget those who began this fight, to whom we owe so much.
Whenever I use a curbcut or facility that's accessible, I know someone else with a disability has fought for it. Those of us with disabilities have been and remain the primary movers and shakers in enacting change through the ADA on local and national levels.
We have many allies. Sen. Tom Harkin is one of them. His speech on the anniversary of the ADA reflects my experiences. Although he acknowledged the progress all around us, he said something I've found myself saying often:
However, progress under the ADA only happens when people—people like you—understand what the law requires, and then choose to make it a priority to ensure that individuals with disabilities are included in all aspects of community life.
It’s one thing for people with disabilities to have rights on paper and a very different thing to know that they enjoy those rights in everyday practice, especially in their communities and in the workplace. We are in an ongoing fight, a never-ending struggle, to vindicate those rights.
We're in the midst of many changes, some good, some bad. As we celebrate our progress, cutbacks threaten our right to live in the communities we care so much about. Too many of our brothers and sisters with disabilities still remain in institutions, faceless and often voiceless. They can only dream of an opportunity like the disability blog carnival, in which our voices are heard.
Each time we speak up for change, we help ready our communities for our children and others who may not be able to speak for themselves. We may not feel like doing it, we may do it and feel as if we're unheard, or we may even be silenced by families and friends who fail to understand our unwillingness to suffer indignities. Despite this, we need to realize that showing up matters. The words that accompanied the signing of the ADA still ring in the air, even though we have a long way to go, especially with employment of people with disabilities.
“Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”
As we sit in the rubble, may we never forget those who began this fight, to whom we owe so much.
Monday, May 10, 2010
To all you mothers, in every sense of the word
Even when it's Mother's Day, the ableists are out. They are folks who, among other things, are bound and determined to treat people with disabilities badly because they think they can.
I felt sorry for my mother when we ran into a waitress who acted as if I wasn't capable of ordering my own meal yesterday. I watched as her eyes filled with tears when I was insulted in front of her.
I pushed back. That's what advocates do, even on Mother's Day. Maybe particularly on Mother's Day. I believe I did it for all the mothers out there, in every sense of the word.
After a few exchanges, it became clear that not only was I capable of ordering my own meal, I was capable of a lot more. There was push back, of course, and I pointed out that some thought I was an uppity cripple when I refused to allow myself to be insulted. Mouths dropped open, people almost swooned at my open use of the word. You see, folks like this think it and act on it and don't know how to react when you just put it out there.
The way I see it is if I want to use the word, that's a lot different than someone using it as a taunt.
Cripple is fine as a word
When used crip to crip
But not as a taunt
Or a slam
Then cripple just ripples
Hate and disdain
Of me – as I am.
Copyright 2009 A Different Light
And people don't have to call you a name to treat you badly. Actions speak louder than words.
When I was done, my mother smiled at me.
So did the guy whose wife pushed him into the restaurant and parked him at a table caddy corner to ours. He was a middle aged man and he looked frightened, although the restaurant was practically empty. I spotted him as a newbie, someone who recently acquired a disability.
His head was down at first. He stared at the table, not wanting to be there. I heard his wife say "You need to get out." Turns out she's a nurse. He kept staring at that table, boring holes into it.
After the little incident with the waitress, the guy at the adjacent table was no longer staring at the table. He was smiling at me, his head held high.
I noticed that when the waitress went to take the order over at his table, she didn't treat the guy in the wheelchair as if he was stupid.
That's the great thing about pushing back. Maybe we don't change what people think, but we can start by calling them out when they act inappropriately. It isn't often when I do this that I see the ripple effect where the next guy in the wheelchair is treated a bit better or encounters less of a hassle. But this time it worked, at least for one more customer.
So Happy Mother's day to everyone, to those who advocate for us and with us and encourage us to advocate for ourselves. And to all those mothers who think advocates are uppity cripples, well Happy Mother's Day to you too.
Just don't expect any of us to take your ableist crap, even on Mother's Day.
I felt sorry for my mother when we ran into a waitress who acted as if I wasn't capable of ordering my own meal yesterday. I watched as her eyes filled with tears when I was insulted in front of her.
I pushed back. That's what advocates do, even on Mother's Day. Maybe particularly on Mother's Day. I believe I did it for all the mothers out there, in every sense of the word.
After a few exchanges, it became clear that not only was I capable of ordering my own meal, I was capable of a lot more. There was push back, of course, and I pointed out that some thought I was an uppity cripple when I refused to allow myself to be insulted. Mouths dropped open, people almost swooned at my open use of the word. You see, folks like this think it and act on it and don't know how to react when you just put it out there.
The way I see it is if I want to use the word, that's a lot different than someone using it as a taunt.
Cripple is fine as a word
When used crip to crip
But not as a taunt
Or a slam
Then cripple just ripples
Hate and disdain
Of me – as I am.
Copyright 2009 A Different Light
And people don't have to call you a name to treat you badly. Actions speak louder than words.
When I was done, my mother smiled at me.
So did the guy whose wife pushed him into the restaurant and parked him at a table caddy corner to ours. He was a middle aged man and he looked frightened, although the restaurant was practically empty. I spotted him as a newbie, someone who recently acquired a disability.
His head was down at first. He stared at the table, not wanting to be there. I heard his wife say "You need to get out." Turns out she's a nurse. He kept staring at that table, boring holes into it.
After the little incident with the waitress, the guy at the adjacent table was no longer staring at the table. He was smiling at me, his head held high.
I noticed that when the waitress went to take the order over at his table, she didn't treat the guy in the wheelchair as if he was stupid.
That's the great thing about pushing back. Maybe we don't change what people think, but we can start by calling them out when they act inappropriately. It isn't often when I do this that I see the ripple effect where the next guy in the wheelchair is treated a bit better or encounters less of a hassle. But this time it worked, at least for one more customer.
So Happy Mother's day to everyone, to those who advocate for us and with us and encourage us to advocate for ourselves. And to all those mothers who think advocates are uppity cripples, well Happy Mother's Day to you too.
Just don't expect any of us to take your ableist crap, even on Mother's Day.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Spending a moment with you
I love to read blogs.
If I have time, I like to read a few blogs in the morning. Sometimes I can't do this, because of the demands of my job. If I'm really busy, I wait and read blogs later in the day after my work is done. I like to have some quiet when I read friends' blogs, because I consider it to be a way to spend a moment with them even if they're far away.
The easiest one to explain is Wheelchair Dancer. When she is on tour, I imagine that I'm along with her group, perhaps peering from the curtains at the performances or encouraging everyone at rehearsals. She describes the hotels, the audiences , and venues, so this isn't hard to do.
I know many bloggers who write about disability topics. Some are experts and many are advocates who care deeply about our communities. Their dedication is extraordinary.
I don't read blogs just for the quality of writing, but some of my favorite bloggers are writers and poets. Although I always plan to save the writers for last, I generally read their blogs first.
It is only after I catch up on reading other blogs that I write a post for my blog. I sometimes break this rule , but always regret it. If I write before I read, I feel as if I'm being rude- almost as if I met someone on a walk, we were catching up on things and I interrupted him as he was trying to explain how he was doing.
It is that respectful listening that has been key to the joy of writing and reading blogs. Terri writes about how comments left on a piece almost shouted "Just shut up!" to the writer.
I've certainly experienced that, where people have tried to pressure me to change what I say or how I say it or not to say it at all. Speaking up about my perspective and allowing readers to do that is a necessary transition in a society where the nondisabled perspective is the predominant one.
If you live with a disability, I encourage you to speak up about your experiences. Make a YouTube video, start a blog, participate in a message board. And let me know about it.
I look forward to spending a moment with you.
If I have time, I like to read a few blogs in the morning. Sometimes I can't do this, because of the demands of my job. If I'm really busy, I wait and read blogs later in the day after my work is done. I like to have some quiet when I read friends' blogs, because I consider it to be a way to spend a moment with them even if they're far away.
The easiest one to explain is Wheelchair Dancer. When she is on tour, I imagine that I'm along with her group, perhaps peering from the curtains at the performances or encouraging everyone at rehearsals. She describes the hotels, the audiences , and venues, so this isn't hard to do.
I know many bloggers who write about disability topics. Some are experts and many are advocates who care deeply about our communities. Their dedication is extraordinary.
I don't read blogs just for the quality of writing, but some of my favorite bloggers are writers and poets. Although I always plan to save the writers for last, I generally read their blogs first.
It is only after I catch up on reading other blogs that I write a post for my blog. I sometimes break this rule , but always regret it. If I write before I read, I feel as if I'm being rude- almost as if I met someone on a walk, we were catching up on things and I interrupted him as he was trying to explain how he was doing.
It is that respectful listening that has been key to the joy of writing and reading blogs. Terri writes about how comments left on a piece almost shouted "Just shut up!" to the writer.
I've certainly experienced that, where people have tried to pressure me to change what I say or how I say it or not to say it at all. Speaking up about my perspective and allowing readers to do that is a necessary transition in a society where the nondisabled perspective is the predominant one.
If you live with a disability, I encourage you to speak up about your experiences. Make a YouTube video, start a blog, participate in a message board. And let me know about it.
I look forward to spending a moment with you.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
It's about respect - and mobility
This video talks about the lack of respect by those who violate handicap parking laws. I liked it because the speaker mentions the impact on his life- how he has to drive around to find spots because of violators who are taking up the spots.
Of course, those of us with disabilities who have transportation are the lucky ones. Not to minimize the problem of being late or missing appointments because we have to drive around to find a place where we can get out of our cars-and sometimes can't, but there are many more who face serious danger trying to get around in their wheelchairs on roads that aren't built for wheelchair pedestrians.
As I was reading the news this morning, I saw several articles about wheelchair pedestrians in accidents. Sadly, this is daily fare. One wheelchair user was stuck on the tracks near Chicago, but fortunately didn't touch the electrified third rail. Then there are the fatalities. The wheelchair users who wind up dead with photos of their wrecked and twisted chairs in an article that usually reads: Wheelchair user killed. Blind pedestrian hit by car. Sometimes there isn't even a name. I hate that the most, when the person isn't even named.
So often I hear people say that wheelchair users or blind pedestrians (or others with disabilities) shouldn't be here or there. Of course, that's easy to say if you don't face paratransit cuts that are becoming deeper all the time.
But none of these stories mention that.
And, as I said before, every day these stories are in the news. That's because many of our streets- including sidewalks, curbcuts, intersections , and bus stops - are built only for speeding cars.
I ask you to check out the National Complete Streets Coalition.
Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone.
Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
It's not just for people with disabilities, but for bicyclists, all pedestrians, motorcyclists and others.
If you're concerned, learn more about it here.
Or check out this slideshow:
Of course, those of us with disabilities who have transportation are the lucky ones. Not to minimize the problem of being late or missing appointments because we have to drive around to find a place where we can get out of our cars-and sometimes can't, but there are many more who face serious danger trying to get around in their wheelchairs on roads that aren't built for wheelchair pedestrians.
As I was reading the news this morning, I saw several articles about wheelchair pedestrians in accidents. Sadly, this is daily fare. One wheelchair user was stuck on the tracks near Chicago, but fortunately didn't touch the electrified third rail. Then there are the fatalities. The wheelchair users who wind up dead with photos of their wrecked and twisted chairs in an article that usually reads: Wheelchair user killed. Blind pedestrian hit by car. Sometimes there isn't even a name. I hate that the most, when the person isn't even named.
So often I hear people say that wheelchair users or blind pedestrians (or others with disabilities) shouldn't be here or there. Of course, that's easy to say if you don't face paratransit cuts that are becoming deeper all the time.
But none of these stories mention that.
And, as I said before, every day these stories are in the news. That's because many of our streets- including sidewalks, curbcuts, intersections , and bus stops - are built only for speeding cars.
I ask you to check out the National Complete Streets Coalition.
Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone.
Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
It's not just for people with disabilities, but for bicyclists, all pedestrians, motorcyclists and others.
If you're concerned, learn more about it here.
Or check out this slideshow:
Thursday, December 17, 2009
National Council on Disability to Hold Houston Meeting to Hear Issues Affecting People with Disabilities
WASHINGTON—The National Council on Disability (NCD) will conduct its next quarterly meeting at the JW Marriott Houston, 5150 Westheimer, Houston, TX, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, and ending at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 21, 2010. This meeting is open to the public.
NCD believes it is vital to hear from communities around the country on what works and what does not for people with disabilities. This meeting will provide another opportunity for that exchange. The agenda will include, among other things, presentations by the Honorable Kathleen Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, and Lex Frieden, Professor of Health Informatics and Professor of Rehabilitation, University of Texas at Houston; presentations on emergency preparedness and youth with disabilities in transition; and two releases of NCD research projects: Workforce Infrastructure in Support of People with Disabilities and The State of Housing in America in the 21st Century: A Disability Perspective.
A specific time is also designated to receive public comment, supported by a toll-free call-in line, and input is encouraged and greatly appreciated. Individuals or organizations can also provide written comments by e-mail, fax, or mail. A public comment session will be held Wednesday, January 20, from 11:30 a.m. until Noon, CST. The toll-free call-in number is (888) 790-6568, and the pass code is “NCD Meeting.” Written comments on disability-related issues of concern or interest can also be emailed to mquigley@ncd.gov at any time.
A reception will be held at the hotel for meeting participants, audience members, and stakeholders from the disability community on Wednesday, January 20 from noon until 1:30 p.m. Additional details about the meeting will be posted on the NCD Web site as soon as they become available. You will also find the meeting agenda posted there approximately 10 days before the meeting is scheduled, and written comments for Council consideration can be submitted at any time by writing to ncd@ncd.gov.
The purpose of NCD, an independent federal agency, is to promote programs, practices, policies and procedures that ensure full inclusion of people with disabilities into all aspects of society. NCD accomplishes this mission by providing advice and making recommendations to the President, Congress, governmental agencies, and other stakeholders.
For more information, please contact NCD’s Director of External Affairs, Mark S. Quigley, at mquigley@ncd.gov or by telephone at 202-272-2004.
via list serv
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
CELA Scholarships available
Scholarships available from CELA 2010 to travel to Wash DC and tell your story regarding access to and reimbursement for complex rehab products now and in future.
via their site:
What is CELA?
Continuing Education and Legislative Advocacy Conference that brings together Consumers, Manufacturers, Rehab Professionals, and Suppliers for face-to-face visits in Washington, DC with Members of Congress to help address the current challenges of access to, and reimbursement for, Complex Rehab products now and yet to come.
What is required of you?
By accepting a scholarship to CELA 2010 you are agreeing to travel to the Washington, DC area, tell your story and participate in the following CELA 2010 sessions:
- Capitol Hill Visit Orientation - Wednesday April 28th 3:30 - 6:00 pm
- Capitol Hill Visits, Thursday April 29, 2010, 8:30 am-4:30 pm (transportation provided if necessar
- Capitol Hill Debriefing, Wine and Cheese Reception, Thursday April 29, 2010 5:30-7:30 pm
What you need to do.
- If participating in this conference interests you, please continue with the application process below.
- There are a limited number of scholarships available to cover your travel costs, lodging and meals.
- If you have questions or desire additional information please call (800) 976-7787.
- Applications will be processed and reviewed on a first-come first-served basis.
- Final application submission deadline is January 8, 2010. Those awarded scholarships will be notified on or before February 8, 2010.
To see the application form, go here.
[image description: In a box, the words CELA 2010 April 28-30, 2010 with an image of sponsor logos to the right and below spelled out Continuing Education and Legislative Advocacy Conference.]
Thursday, December 3, 2009
International Day of Disabled Persons 2009
It's past midnight here in the U.S. and I wanted to write a post that would be up in the morning today, December 3, 2009 because it's an important day. It's a day that's set aside by the UN to bring attention to issues facing those living with disabilities, to celebrate progress and achievements and to mark the work that still needs to be done.
I found this article out of Sri Lanka, which is entitled 'Today is a good day to stand before the mirror'. It speaks about the ways in which all of us have feet of clay, are utterly incapable of understanding, have short memory spans, are hard of hearing and are unable to see things. And it ends with:
Today is International Day of Disabled Persons. An appropriate day I believe to self-indulge in a different way, to reflect on our disabilities, revisit the choices we’ve made, cast our gaze at that which our eyes avoided, listen to things we don’t really like to hear, speak the inconvenient truths that might cost us something, walk in directions we’ve dared not walk, raise our hands to the right thing and not that which is profitable. Appropriate too, to employ our minds to understand who we really are as an ungainly composite of ability and disability.
The theme for this year is "Realigning the Millennium Development Goals for All: Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and their Communities Around the World,’’ stresses the need to develop programs that raise the profile of disability issues in both the developed and developing world and identify existing needs and priorities, and calls for greater efforts to find solutions which are suited to the technological and economic conditions of the disabled. These actions require people with disabilities to be visible and to be given a voice that will qualify them to be adequately represented in decision making."
From Malaysia, the writer speaks about acquiring his disability and being a father of a son with Down Syndrome and Malaysia's new law the Persons with Disabilities Act 2007, noting that disability is color coded there.
"For the disabled, they have to produce their respective 'Orang Kurang Upaya' OKU identity cards for verification if they wish to obtain assistance from the JKM as well as the other government and private agencies.
This card can be obtained upon registration with the respective district JKM office. The OKU identity card issued by the JKM helps the disabled to deal with the respective authorities.
The respective cards bear six different colour codes where blue denotes the vision disability, purple (hearing), green (physical), red (cerebral palsy), yellow (learning disability) and orange (other disabilities)."
In New Zealand, those who care for people with disabilities are being praised by the Minister of Disability Issues. "My personal connection with disability comes through my brother who was tetraplegic. I remember the experiences so vividly and wished that he could enjoy the pleasures of life, to be able to participate in the way he determined, and to feel that nothing was beyond him.
Please join me today in celebrating the achievements of many people with disabilities as well as praying for and working toward the empowerment of those around the world who still lack basic rights and necessities, our brothers and our sisters who, like us, are a "composite of ability and disability".
I found this article out of Sri Lanka, which is entitled 'Today is a good day to stand before the mirror'. It speaks about the ways in which all of us have feet of clay, are utterly incapable of understanding, have short memory spans, are hard of hearing and are unable to see things. And it ends with:
Today is International Day of Disabled Persons. An appropriate day I believe to self-indulge in a different way, to reflect on our disabilities, revisit the choices we’ve made, cast our gaze at that which our eyes avoided, listen to things we don’t really like to hear, speak the inconvenient truths that might cost us something, walk in directions we’ve dared not walk, raise our hands to the right thing and not that which is profitable. Appropriate too, to employ our minds to understand who we really are as an ungainly composite of ability and disability.
The theme for this year is "Realigning the Millennium Development Goals for All: Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and their Communities Around the World,’’ stresses the need to develop programs that raise the profile of disability issues in both the developed and developing world and identify existing needs and priorities, and calls for greater efforts to find solutions which are suited to the technological and economic conditions of the disabled. These actions require people with disabilities to be visible and to be given a voice that will qualify them to be adequately represented in decision making."
From Malaysia, the writer speaks about acquiring his disability and being a father of a son with Down Syndrome and Malaysia's new law the Persons with Disabilities Act 2007, noting that disability is color coded there.
"For the disabled, they have to produce their respective 'Orang Kurang Upaya' OKU identity cards for verification if they wish to obtain assistance from the JKM as well as the other government and private agencies.
This card can be obtained upon registration with the respective district JKM office. The OKU identity card issued by the JKM helps the disabled to deal with the respective authorities.
The respective cards bear six different colour codes where blue denotes the vision disability, purple (hearing), green (physical), red (cerebral palsy), yellow (learning disability) and orange (other disabilities)."
In New Zealand, those who care for people with disabilities are being praised by the Minister of Disability Issues. "My personal connection with disability comes through my brother who was tetraplegic. I remember the experiences so vividly and wished that he could enjoy the pleasures of life, to be able to participate in the way he determined, and to feel that nothing was beyond him.
"I am passionate about the right of families to care for family members in their own homes, with flexible support that allows them to have greater choice and control of their lives. "And this is an area that I will be focussing on as the Minister of Disability Issues."
In the UK, contributions made by people with disabilities are being celebrated this week.
There is much, much more going on today around the world to mark this important event. Here are some facts from the World Health Organization:
- At least 10% of the world's population, or 650 million people, live with a disability (1).
- 20% of the worlds poor are disabled (2).
- The percentage of children with disabilities not attending school is extremely variable and is between 65 - 85% in some African countries (3).
- Mortality for children with disabilities may be as high as 80% in countries where under-five mortality as a whole has decreased to below 20% (4).
- In many low-income and middle -income countries, only 5-15% of disabled people who require assistive devices and technology have access to them (5).
Please join me today in celebrating the achievements of many people with disabilities as well as praying for and working toward the empowerment of those around the world who still lack basic rights and necessities, our brothers and our sisters who, like us, are a "composite of ability and disability".
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Jetstar working on alternative boarding procedure for wheelchair users...
.after Paralympian Kurt Fearnley refused to be pushed through the airport and crawled to the plane boarding area.
Jetstar said it was its current policy that wheelchair users check in their personal wheelchairs as luggage, then have them pushed to the boarding gate in a wheelchair designed by planes by a staff member.
Fearnley, who just completed a 60 mile crawl in the Papua New Guinea jungle, chose the alternative of crawling as a protest after staff insisted on taking his personal wheelchair away from him.
The airline issued an apology and Paralympian Fearnley said he was happy as long as they are "going ahead" with an alternative boarding policy for disabled passengers.
Fearnley also won the NY City Marathon and is shown in his racing chair in the photo above.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
When We don't Speak Up for Each Other
Mark has written an excellent post on how our failure to speak up as a community can lead to legislation being passed (and other events) that are not in our best interest. He notes how the I got mine attitude toward obtaining wheelchairs- and other things- is dooming us toward an uncertain future.
An overall lack of accountability by those of us with disabilities to advocate for our needs is eroding access to even basic services. Currently, there’s proposed legislation to further devastate mobility funding via a tax, but few with disabilities have spoken against it. Similarly, positive legislation like the Community Choice Act for increased in-home care funding is vital to those with disabilities, but few with disabilities have spoken to support it. Our lack of voice tells legislators that we’re passive at best, and willing targets at worst. Capitol Hill can do what it wishes, knowing that we don’t advocate for our own interests.
He urges people to get involved, speak up and write your congressman when legislation that affects our issues is pending.
Write to your elected officials regarding the struggles of obtaining vital resources like funding for mobility and in-home care, be an engaged member in on-line disability communities for change, and encourage others with disabilities to get involved with you. You need to stay informed of the pressing issues of today – the Community Choice Act toward in-home care, Medicare cuts in catheter coverage, and the proposed further cuts and taxing of wheelchairs, to name just three issues – and get involved as a voice of advocacy. That is, live up to your obligation to be a contributing member to the disability community at large.
Every week there is legislation that is pending which affects the vital interests of the disability community. Think large, think outside your own individual situation, as Mark urges. There is autism legislation. There are bloggers who are blind and deaf who bring our attention to issues. And on and on. Check out JFActivist. Did you know there is a Disability Coalition on Health Care reform? There's so much information readily available online via blogs that just setting up your google reader or a daily email search on "disability" helps keep you informed- for free.
If you're nondisabled, I'm addressing you too. These changes affect all of us, our parents, brothers, sisters, friends. Our children.
I've faced my own individual struggles in getting equipment and care. My nephew faces a future of high costs in treatment with his disability as well. We know, because we are both in one family, that our individual struggles are related. But we are all part of a bigger family. Perhaps my love for him has taught me that, among other things I needed to learn. Our differences in disabilities doesn't matter. Here's what does.
Each of us is a statistic, unfortunately, to some of the people making these decisions. They don't look into our eyes when we are hungry because there is no one to cut up our food. They don't realize that legislation like the Community Choice Act would keep us out of nursing homes- because they may not know any of us who fall into that category or be able to imagine it ever happening to them. Needing a wheelchair? They don't know what that's like. No access to housing or transportation? It's far too easy for people who have never faced these issues to blame the individual. As long as this is seen as an individual struggle (or under the charity model as a misfortune), we will never make progress.
Then think about our moral obligation to those who can't speak for themselves. When I don't speak up or you don't speak up, you fail to speak for those who can't. Some of our brothers and sisters can't advocate for themselves. Use your voice if you have one. Use your hands if you can. Use your legs - use what you have to help those who need you - yes need you- to work toward a better future.
It's so much easier for me to get this when I look into my nephew's eyes, when I see how he works so hard at school and how every single accommodation he gets is so precious and necessary to his future. He will never be a statistic to me and I will never be a statistic to him.
Who better to speak for each other, my friends, than us?
An overall lack of accountability by those of us with disabilities to advocate for our needs is eroding access to even basic services. Currently, there’s proposed legislation to further devastate mobility funding via a tax, but few with disabilities have spoken against it. Similarly, positive legislation like the Community Choice Act for increased in-home care funding is vital to those with disabilities, but few with disabilities have spoken to support it. Our lack of voice tells legislators that we’re passive at best, and willing targets at worst. Capitol Hill can do what it wishes, knowing that we don’t advocate for our own interests.
He urges people to get involved, speak up and write your congressman when legislation that affects our issues is pending.
Write to your elected officials regarding the struggles of obtaining vital resources like funding for mobility and in-home care, be an engaged member in on-line disability communities for change, and encourage others with disabilities to get involved with you. You need to stay informed of the pressing issues of today – the Community Choice Act toward in-home care, Medicare cuts in catheter coverage, and the proposed further cuts and taxing of wheelchairs, to name just three issues – and get involved as a voice of advocacy. That is, live up to your obligation to be a contributing member to the disability community at large.
Every week there is legislation that is pending which affects the vital interests of the disability community. Think large, think outside your own individual situation, as Mark urges. There is autism legislation. There are bloggers who are blind and deaf who bring our attention to issues. And on and on. Check out JFActivist. Did you know there is a Disability Coalition on Health Care reform? There's so much information readily available online via blogs that just setting up your google reader or a daily email search on "disability" helps keep you informed- for free.
If you're nondisabled, I'm addressing you too. These changes affect all of us, our parents, brothers, sisters, friends. Our children.
I've faced my own individual struggles in getting equipment and care. My nephew faces a future of high costs in treatment with his disability as well. We know, because we are both in one family, that our individual struggles are related. But we are all part of a bigger family. Perhaps my love for him has taught me that, among other things I needed to learn. Our differences in disabilities doesn't matter. Here's what does.
Each of us is a statistic, unfortunately, to some of the people making these decisions. They don't look into our eyes when we are hungry because there is no one to cut up our food. They don't realize that legislation like the Community Choice Act would keep us out of nursing homes- because they may not know any of us who fall into that category or be able to imagine it ever happening to them. Needing a wheelchair? They don't know what that's like. No access to housing or transportation? It's far too easy for people who have never faced these issues to blame the individual. As long as this is seen as an individual struggle (or under the charity model as a misfortune), we will never make progress.
Then think about our moral obligation to those who can't speak for themselves. When I don't speak up or you don't speak up, you fail to speak for those who can't. Some of our brothers and sisters can't advocate for themselves. Use your voice if you have one. Use your hands if you can. Use your legs - use what you have to help those who need you - yes need you- to work toward a better future.
It's so much easier for me to get this when I look into my nephew's eyes, when I see how he works so hard at school and how every single accommodation he gets is so precious and necessary to his future. He will never be a statistic to me and I will never be a statistic to him.
Who better to speak for each other, my friends, than us?
Monday, October 12, 2009
ADAPT: Community choice - it's a civil right
ADAPT protestors have been in Atlanta since October 10 to end unjust institutionalization of people with disabilities and push for community choice as a civil right.See Community Choice It's a Civil Right over at ADAPT for background information, which says:
This year is the 10th Anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead v LC and EW decision. This groundbreaking case began in Georgia; a decade later that state is still under a voluntary compliance agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services to bring their state services in line with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504, respectively 19 and 36 year old civil rights laws.
Lois Curtis, LC, lives in Georgia -- in the community now. Yet GA disability rights activists annually stage their Long Walk Home to highlight the large number of state institutions still operating at full capacity.
Georgia was in the vanguard of the civil rights movement in the 60s. This movement helped inspire, among other movements, the disability rights movement of today. The King Center honoring Dr. King and civil rights movement is in Atlanta, yet right across the street – a nursing home.
The oppression of people warehoused in institutions or threatened with institutionalization remains a reality. Georgia is just one of a growing number of states drastically cutting community services, while nursing homes and other institutions remain the federally mandated preference for “our kind.”
No matter what happens in DC with Health Care Reform, the Community Choice Act or similar legislation, states will be left to implement this legislation and policy. And we will be left to ensure our civil rights will finally be realized.Join ADAPT activists from all over the nation in our fight for the right to chose community and to FREE OUR PEOPLE.
On the ADAPT blog, Cecil Walker writes about his institutionalization after his accident and how advocates helped me get out to live in the community once again after he found himself stuck in a nursing home.
Nick Dupree recently was able to get back into the community after a year in institutions trying to get services in place.
He writes:
Segregating people with disabilities in institutions solely because they need daily help, especially given the 21st century technology that can assist them and the widespread success of people with disabilities living in the community, is fundamentally unjust, immoral, overly costly, and, according to the Olmstead ruling, illegal under Title II of the ADA.
...
We can no longer ignore illegal segregation and the community support services states must use to prevent it. We can no longer ignore Olmstead. We mustn’t put long-term care on the backburner and not include it in this year’s health care reform; telling us to wait another decade or more is deeply unjust
Nick is organizing a blogswarm to spread the word about the need for community choice, services and support . To join in the ADAPT blogswarm, click here.
Friday, October 9, 2009
PBS to Air Film on Disability Advocates
via NJCIM list serv:
Those interested in disability issues won't want to miss the premiere broadcast of BODY & SOUL: DIANA & KATHY October 9, 8 p.m. BODY & SOUL: DIANA & KATHY by Academy Award nominee Alice Elliott chronicles the lives and efforts of two extraordinary women as they make significant strides for people with disabilities. Diana Braun, who has Down syndrome, and the late Kathy Conour, who has cerebral palsy, met three decades ago and vowed to fight to live independent lives. The film chronicles a journey from their home in Springfield, IL to Washington, D.C to advocate for all people with disabilities. A complete listing of broadcast dates is available here: http://welcomechang
Monday, August 24, 2009
Juliana Recio Calero: An Advocate
In this video, Juliana tells her story:
via YouTube: My name is Juliana Recio Calero and I grew up in beautiful Bogotá, Colombia. When I was an infant, I contracted polio and to everyones surprise, survived bronchial pneumonia as well as numerous surgical orthopedic procedures. 30 years later, post-polio syndrome caused me new weaknesses, pain, and fatigue. After walking with leg braces and crutches for years, I had to readjust and accept a new condition that was progressive. After fighting it for a while, I started using a wheelchair, because it gave me independence, made me faster, and helped me conserve energy.
via YouTube: My name is Juliana Recio Calero and I grew up in beautiful Bogotá, Colombia. When I was an infant, I contracted polio and to everyones surprise, survived bronchial pneumonia as well as numerous surgical orthopedic procedures. 30 years later, post-polio syndrome caused me new weaknesses, pain, and fatigue. After walking with leg braces and crutches for years, I had to readjust and accept a new condition that was progressive. After fighting it for a while, I started using a wheelchair, because it gave me independence, made me faster, and helped me conserve energy.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Book Announcement: On the Margins of Citizenship: Intellectual Disability and Civil Rights in 20th Century America
by Allison C. Carey (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2009).
via Temple University Press
On the Margins of Citizenship provides a comprehensive, sociological history of the fight for civil rights for people with intellectual disabilities. Allison Carey, who has been active in disability advocacy and politics her entire life, draws upon a broad range of historical and legal documents as well as the literature of citizenship studies to develop a “relational-practice” approach to the issues of intellectual disability and civil rights. She examines how and why parents, self-advocates, and professionals fought for different visions of rights for this population throughout the twentieth century and the changes that took place over that time.
via Temple University Press
On the Margins of Citizenship provides a comprehensive, sociological history of the fight for civil rights for people with intellectual disabilities. Allison Carey, who has been active in disability advocacy and politics her entire life, draws upon a broad range of historical and legal documents as well as the literature of citizenship studies to develop a “relational-practice” approach to the issues of intellectual disability and civil rights. She examines how and why parents, self-advocates, and professionals fought for different visions of rights for this population throughout the twentieth century and the changes that took place over that time.
Carey addresses the segregation of people with intellectual disabilities in schools and institutions, along with the controversies over forced sterilization, eugenics, marriage and procreation, and protection from the death penalty. She chronicles the rise of the parents’ movement and the influence of the Kennedy family, as well as current debates that were generated by the impact of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Presenting the shifting constitutional and legal restrictions for this marginalized group, Carey argues that policies tend to sustain an ambiguity that simultaneously promises rights yet also allows their retraction.
Readers can order the book using the Temple University Press webpage at http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/1934_reg.html
Monday, July 13, 2009
Petition for Jemma Saville
Over on Twitter, there's a petition being linked in support of a visually impaired junior doctor named Jemma Saville who has not been offered a training position on the basis of disability. After starting medical school in 2002, "Jemma's vision deteriorated and she was "registered as partially sighted in 2005". The petition reads:
The medical school supported her through her visual loss, and despite some obstacles, she completed her finals and graduated as a doctor in 2008.
In 2008 she was informed that there was no position for her to go to and took some time out from the profession to make some decisions.
By November 2008 the decision was clear: that there was a reason for all that studying and determination to succeed, and it wasn't just for a piece of paper, or the letters "Dr." She gained GMC provisional registration in March 2009: the General Medical Council believe that she poses no danger to patients on the grounds of her visual impairment.
Despite this, she has not yet been offered a training post within a hospital.
This petition is about showing her support, and proving to the sceptics out there, that (with very obvious limits) people with disabilities can be fantastic doctors.
"I want to be a psychiatrist. I am great with people, kind, empathetic, understanding. I don't want to be a surgeon, or perform clinical procedures which I am not competent to do, and I certainly would never put any patients at risk. I know what I can and can't do, and this is key to any doctor being safe. I believe that even with a visual impairment I can be a very successful, inspirational doctor. I just need to be given the opportunity to prove this."
If you support Jemma, and other partially sighted doctors in the future, please add your name to the list below. And thank you so much for your support.
You can find the petition here.
The medical school supported her through her visual loss, and despite some obstacles, she completed her finals and graduated as a doctor in 2008.
In 2008 she was informed that there was no position for her to go to and took some time out from the profession to make some decisions.
By November 2008 the decision was clear: that there was a reason for all that studying and determination to succeed, and it wasn't just for a piece of paper, or the letters "Dr." She gained GMC provisional registration in March 2009: the General Medical Council believe that she poses no danger to patients on the grounds of her visual impairment.
Despite this, she has not yet been offered a training post within a hospital.
This petition is about showing her support, and proving to the sceptics out there, that (with very obvious limits) people with disabilities can be fantastic doctors.
"I want to be a psychiatrist. I am great with people, kind, empathetic, understanding. I don't want to be a surgeon, or perform clinical procedures which I am not competent to do, and I certainly would never put any patients at risk. I know what I can and can't do, and this is key to any doctor being safe. I believe that even with a visual impairment I can be a very successful, inspirational doctor. I just need to be given the opportunity to prove this."
If you support Jemma, and other partially sighted doctors in the future, please add your name to the list below. And thank you so much for your support.
You can find the petition here.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Arguing about - well , arguing
Having grown up with a father who worked as a labor negotiator, I learned the fine art of arguing at a young age over the dinner table. Never dreaming that he was grooming me to be an attorney, my father enjoyed verbally sparring with me. It taught me a lot about the difference between arguing for the sake of arguing and negotiating.
Often people seem more likely to argue over the smallest disputes rather than negotiate, which can be a waste of time for everyone. Taking a step back and looking at the whole picture can avoid a lot of this - unless, like in this Monty Python clip, you're looking for an argument.
Health care plans are just being presented in Washington. I hope all of us remember to differentiate between arguing and negotiating - because there's so much at stake here.
Often people seem more likely to argue over the smallest disputes rather than negotiate, which can be a waste of time for everyone. Taking a step back and looking at the whole picture can avoid a lot of this - unless, like in this Monty Python clip, you're looking for an argument.
Health care plans are just being presented in Washington. I hope all of us remember to differentiate between arguing and negotiating - because there's so much at stake here.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Conscientious objectors: a history of advocacy in mental hospitals
Syracuse Professor Steven Taylor's article entitled Conscientious Objectors of WWII is featured in the "On Faith" section of the Washington Post. He writes about the history of CO's in advocating for better conditions for those in mental hospitals, noting that it began when approximately 3000 men back in WWII were assigned to work in mental hospitals and training schools and exposed brutal conditions found there. Quakers, Mennonites, Jews, African American Muslims and others worked as individuals and groups to improve conditions any way they could.
He writes:
After the end of the war, the Philadelphia COs established a national foundation to further their aims. Included among their supporters were Eleanor Roosevelt, ACLU founder Roger Baldwin, actress Helen Hayes, and author Pearl Buck. From 1946 to 1950, their foundation published educational materials for attendants and the public, created a legal division to reform state commitment laws, and sponsored radio dramas broadcast nationally on CBS and NBC. Then, in 1950, faced by chronic financial problems and led by a board of directors lacking the passion and zeal of its founders, the foundation formed by the COs merged with two mainstream organizations to create a new mental health organization. Within a brief period of time, the new organization lost interest in institutional conditions and turned its attention to other matters. The institutions became out of sight, out of mind once more. The efforts of World War II COs to reform the nation's care of people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities have since faded from professional and public memory.
Although Professor Taylor notes that current reform movements are led by those most directly affected, people with disabilities and their families, his article serves as a tribute to all of those who came from different walks of faith and gave valuable service to vulnerable Americans.
You can read the rest of the piece here.
He writes:
After the end of the war, the Philadelphia COs established a national foundation to further their aims. Included among their supporters were Eleanor Roosevelt, ACLU founder Roger Baldwin, actress Helen Hayes, and author Pearl Buck. From 1946 to 1950, their foundation published educational materials for attendants and the public, created a legal division to reform state commitment laws, and sponsored radio dramas broadcast nationally on CBS and NBC. Then, in 1950, faced by chronic financial problems and led by a board of directors lacking the passion and zeal of its founders, the foundation formed by the COs merged with two mainstream organizations to create a new mental health organization. Within a brief period of time, the new organization lost interest in institutional conditions and turned its attention to other matters. The institutions became out of sight, out of mind once more. The efforts of World War II COs to reform the nation's care of people with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities have since faded from professional and public memory.
Although Professor Taylor notes that current reform movements are led by those most directly affected, people with disabilities and their families, his article serves as a tribute to all of those who came from different walks of faith and gave valuable service to vulnerable Americans.
You can read the rest of the piece here.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)