JFActivist

JFActivist & JFA on Holiday Hiatus until New Year

Happy Holidays from the Board and Staff of AAPD!

JFActivist and the Justice for All Email Listserv will be taking a holiday hiatus until the first week of the New Year.

Here's wishing all of you tireless, passionate advocates a safe and pleasant holiday season!

New Opponents to ADA Restoration Means Stepped Up Fight in New Year

On Monday, the U.S. Chamber "and friends" were up to no good, faxing every Member of Congress with a message that ADA Restoration goes too far with civil rights - that it expands protections beyond what Congress ever intended and, in essence, that the ADA was only ever truly intended for the "severely disabled."

Their mischaracterizations of the legislation are not new (they've sent letters before and testified at hearings with these same claims), but the list of signatories on this particular communication has grown to include numerous others.

When we're all back from the holidays, expect renewed fervor and be ready to join us in the fight to see this bill passed into law and the promise of the ADA fulfilled in the New Year!There are a few things we can all do over the holidays to show support of ADA Restoration:

1) Visits & Calls during the Recess
Members of Congress are preparing to leave for the recess. If possible, arrange for visits with Members and their staff, and make sure the message from the disability community is heard loud and clear - the ADA is NOT protecting scores of people with disabilities from illegal discrimination on account of narrow court interpretations of the law. People Congress clearly intended to cover under the law are being told they aren't "disabled enough" to have civil rights!

Review other talking points (pdf) (doc).

2) Opinions / Editorials
Local op/ed pieces written by advocates that highlight real life stories of discrimination to show the need for restoration of the ADA would also powerfully impact Members of Congress while they're home.

Review "real life stories" of discrimination by state (pdf) (doc) for ideas of stories to highlight.

3) Letters to the Opponents
Advocates can also write the signatories of this latest opposition letter (the list is below), expressing disappointment for their opposition as well as their failure to contact people with disabilities - those most affected by the law - about why they feel restoration is necessary. After all, many of us are employers, too, and we embrace the ADA!

Read the letter of response from the House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) to the original letter of opposition from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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If you are able to meet with Members or their staff over the holidays or to get any op/ed piece published, please notify AAPD so we can share this information with national coalition members.


Opposed to the ADA Restoration Act of 2007:
Associated Builders & Contractors
Food Marketing Institute
HR Policy Association
International Foodservice Distributors Association
International Franchise Association
National Association of Convenience Stores
National Association of Manufacturers
National Council of Chain Restaurants
National Federation of Independent Business
National Restaurant Association
National Retail Federation
National Roofing Contractors Association
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Society for Human Resource Management
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Washington Post Supports Virginia Proposal for Easier Involuntary Commitments

An editorial today (12/18) in The Washington Post supports lowering the standard for involuntarily commitments and uses stigmatizing language of individuals with psychiatric disabilities:

Mr. Kaine's Budget
Lean, ambitious, and already under attack

"...The proposals on mental health care, triggered by the horrific attack by a deranged student who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech last spring, are important. The governor would add nearly 150 psychiatrists and case managers and beef up emergency services so that troubled individuals could not slip through the cracks of the state's mental health system as easily as did the Virginia Tech gunman. The state's mental health workers are badly overburdened; while experts say they should handle no more than 25 cases at a time, on average they deal with 40, and in some instances as many as 70. Mr. Kaine's initiative would ease that crunch while tightening procedures, oversight and accountability. In addition, the governor has sensibly supported proposals to relax the standard required for involuntarily committing psychiatric patients to care. By shifting the standard from posing an 'imminent danger' to 'a substantial risk,' Virginia would join 18 states that have made similar changes in the past decade..." 

...Read the entire editorial.


***RESPOND***

For those interested in writing a letter to the editor in response to this editorial, the following guidance comes from The Washington Post website:

To send a letter by e-mail, please send to letters@washpost.com. Do not send attachments; they will not be read. If you prefer to send your letter by surface mail, please send to the following address:

Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071

Please also consider making AAPD aware of your effort to get a letter published by sending a copy to us at JFAModerator@aol.com.

Richardson Unveils Americans with Disabilities Policy

         

                                 **PRESS RELEASE**

From Richardson for President website (12/17):

Richardson for President Campaign Unveils Americans with Disabilities Policy

National Disabilities Spokeswoman Cody Unser lays out policy in live online video chat

MOUNT VERNON, IA-- The Richardson for President campaign yesterday evening unveiled its Americans with Disabilities policy in an online video chat with Cody Unser of the Unser racing family, the campaign's National Disabilities Spokeswoman. In the online chat, Unser discussed Governor Richardson's vision for disabled Americans.

"I think we all know that we absolutely have to elect a President in 2008 who understands that the concerns of disabled Americans are the concerns of all Americans," Unser said. "I am here to tell you that Bill Richardson will be that President. He is committed to making real progress on the issues that matter to disabled Americans. I have seen him do it in New Mexico."

Cody Unser, daughter of two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Al Unser, Jr., was diagnosed at the age of twelve with Transverse Myelitis (TM), a neurological condition that causes inflammation of the spinal cord. She has been paralyzed from the waist down since 1999. The Cody Unser First Step Foundation was established to build awareness about TM, promote research, and improve Quality of Life programs for others with paralysis.

In the Richardson campaign's inaugural online video chat, Unser elaborated on the work that Governor Richardson has done in New Mexico, described the policies that he will enact as President, and answered the questions of those participating in the chat.

...Read the rest of the press release.

NY Times piece on "Ransom Notes" ad campaign

From The New York Times (12/14):

Campaign on Childhood Mental  Illness Succeeds at Being Provocative
by Joanne Kaufman

“Children’s mental disorders are truly the last great public health problem that has been left unaddressed,” said Dr. [Dr. Harold S.] Koplewicz, adding: “It’s like with AIDS. Everyone needs to be concerned and informed.”

In some quarters, however, the campaign has raised hackles as much as awareness. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a national grass-roots organization of children and adults, is circulating a petition asking the Child Study Center to end the campaign.

Kristina Chew, founder of the blog Autism Vox, which has a link to the petition, says that “the reaction has been mostly outrage from parents of special-needs children, autistic adults, teachers, disability rights advocates and mental health professionals.”...

...Read the rest of the article.

"Ransom Notes" Ad Campaign Reinforces Stigma

"Ransom Notes" Ad Campaign

The New York University Child Study Center recently launched an ad campaign in New York entitled "Ransom Notes" with the stated intention of creating awareness of psychiatric disabilities. Disabilities targeted in the ad campaign include: attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Asperger's syndrome, autism, bulimia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The ads portray children with various psychiatric disabilities as kidnapped or possessed by the disabilities themselves. The ads are being featured on 11 billboards, 200 kiosks, newspapers, magazines, and online in New York before moving into five major markets next year.

A Strong Reaction from the Disability Community

Advocates have strongly reacted, protesting the ads on the grounds that they undermine efforts to promote inclusion and equality by  promoting erroneous and misleading characterizations of these conditions. 

Read the letter sent by The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) and signed by 14 other disability rights organizations.

****REACT!****

View the rest of the ads.

Sign the online petition from The Autistic Self Advocacy Network and 14 other disability organizations, protesting the ad campaign.


[PICTURED LEFT: Autism "Ransom Note" ad that reads: "We have your son. We will make sure he will not be able to care for himself or interact socially as long as he lives. This is only the beginning. - Autism"]

[PICTURED RIGHT: Asperger's syndrome "Ransom Note" ad reads: "We have your son. We are destroying his ability for social interaction and driving him into a life of complete isolation. It's up to you now. - Asperger's syndrome"

RatifyNow, Not Later

[This month, AAPD's entry on National Public Radio (NPR)'s Talking Justice blog site highlights RatifyNow, a new grassroots advocacy organization working to maximize the number of nations that ratify the United Nation's new disability rights treaty.Magar and Rosen are disability rights lawyers and members of RatifyNow (as is AAPD). They participated in the treaty negotiations at the U.N. that produced the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.]:

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RatifyNow, Not Later 

By Michele Magar & Jeff Rosen

When people ask me why the new disability rights treaty matters, I cite statistics. I talk about the fact that 90 percent of kids with disabilities in developing nations don't receive an education. And that in far too many nations, people with disabilities don't have even fundamental rights, like the rights to marry, own property, sign contracts, vote, work, and retain custody of their children.

But what matters most about the treaty is its potential to spark grassroots disability rights movements throughout the world. Like any civil or human rights law, a human rights treaty is only a set of words on paper. But those words contain seeds that, when nurtured, birth passionate movements for equality.

America's disability rights movement illustrates my point.  When Congress enacted the Rehabilitation Act of 1973--which barred recipients of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of disability--it never imagined that people with disabilities were so eager for their rights, that they would occupy the federal building in San Francisco for 26 days to force the government to finally issue implementing regulations in 1977.

The movement picked up steam after Congress guaranteed children with disabilities the right to attend public school and receive the accommodations they needed to benefit from their education.  Armed with an education and new advocacy skills, people with disabilities firmly gathered the reins of their movement, and "Nothing about us without us!" became their rallying cry.

...Read the rest of the blog entry and learn what you can do today to show support of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Bush Labor Nominee Urges Hiring of People with Disabilities

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (12/12):

Labor nominee urges hiring of disabled
By Joel Dresang

President Bush's nominee for assistant secretary of labor doesn't want employers to hire people with disabilities to be charitable but to improve their businesses.

Whether plugging high-turnover entry-level jobs or addressing hard-to-fill professional talent shortages, employers need to consider more candidates with disabilities, Neil Romano said in Milwaukee on Wednesday.

"What's important is people with disabilities have an awful lot to contribute. People with disabilities are part of the diversity of the country, and they are a dynamic part of the diversity of the country," Romano said in an interview...

...Last week, Bush asked the Senate to confirm Romano's appointment as assistant secretary of labor in charge of disability employment policy...

...Read the entire article.

Obama's Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities

From the Obama '08 campaign website:

...Barack Obama believes the United States should lead the world in empowering people with disabilities to take full advantage of their talents and become independent, integrated members of society. Dozens of countries have adopted laws modeled on the Americans with Disabilities Act, but America’s leadership in the world has faded in recent years. As president, Barack Obama will renew America’s leadership by making the United States a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – the first human rights treaty approved by the UN in the 21st century and a vital foundation for respecting the rights of people with disabilities worldwide. He will urge the U.S. Senate to ratify the Convention expeditiously.

Barack Obama has a four-part plan to provide Americans with disabilities with the greatest possible access to the same opportunities as those without disabilities: (1) providing Americans with disabilities the educational opportunities they need to succeed; (2) ending discrimination and promoting equal opportunity; and (3) increasing the employment rate of workers with disabilities; and (4) supporting independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities. And Obama will work closely with individuals with disabilities and disability rights advocates to achieve this vision of a society where all can live with dignity and respect.

... Read the entire "Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities"

Senator Harkin First Senate Campaign to Caption Campaign Videos

***PRESS RELEASE***

DECEMBER 04, 2007
Press Release

TOMHARKIN.COM PARTNERS WITH PROJECTREADON.COM TO PROVIDE CLOSED CAPTIONING OF WEB VIDEO TO DISABLED

Harkin campaign becomes the first Senate campaign to use innovative service to provide disabled persons with access to online video.

Des Moines, IA - Senator Tom Harkin's campaign website launched a new service to make the campaign's online video accessible to those with hearing disabilities through an innovative closed-captioning program provided by www.ProjectReadON.com.

A longtime champion for persons with disabilities, Senator Harkin authored the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 to protect the civil rights of more than 54 million Americans with physical and mental disabilities.

"The Internet has been instrumental in bringing our democracy closer to the people and it is our duty as Americans to ensure that that those with disabilities can have full use of the technology," said Senator
Harkin. "The recent CNN/YouTube debates illustrated the effectiveness of online video and I am proud to be partnering with Project readON to provide technology that helps to give Americans with disabilities an equal opportunity to engage in our democracy."

Project readON is the web's leading and most innovative closed-captioning service that works toward a single goal of making online media content available to all by giving users the power to decide exactly what videos they want captioned and by giving webmasters an innovative and easy to use caption player to install on their websites.

"When Senator Harkin's office contacted us I can honestly say that this was perhaps the highest point in our professional life of working in the closed captioning industry. To be sought out by the person that wrote the very act that spawned our industry is, to say the least, an honor. We look forward to contributing to online video captioning becoming the norm across the web, and it's a great personal pleasure to be a part of Senator Harkin's online video message as he takes the lead in that
effort!" -- Mateo Gutierrez, co-founder of Project readON.

The campaign will continue to update and add additional closed-captioned videos to this innovative service. For more information regarding Project readON's innovative services and technology please visit, www.projectreadon.com or contact Mateo Gutierrez at mateo.gutierrez@projectreadon.com

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