JFActivist

Congressional Leaders and JFAAN Announce 20th Anniversary ADA Agenda

          With the National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations       

From AAPD (2.23.10):

Congressional Leadership Join Justice For All Action Network in Commemorating the ADA and Announcing 20th Anniversary Agenda

by Sarah Peterson, JFA Moderator AAPD

Washington, D.C.—At a press event at the Capitol Building on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-5) and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5) joined the leadership of the Justice For All Action Network (JFAAN) in kicking off the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The legislators each reflected on the progress of the last 20 years while recognizing the tremendous amount of work we, as a nation, have yet to do in fulfilling the promise of the ADA—equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for all people with disabilities.  Toward this end, the JFAAN steering committee announced its legislative agenda for the 2010 Congressional Session in the Spirit of the ADA Campaign. 

Tony Coelho, primary author and sponsor of the ADA and chair of AAPD’s board, introduced the event and its speakers.  He began by thanking those present and honoring the legislators and the ongoing leadership of the JFAAN steering committee organizations: ADAPT, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), Little People of America (LPA), the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer Survivor Organizations (NCMHCSO), the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), Not Dead Yet (NDY), Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE), and the United Spinal Association (USA). 

Left to Right: Tony Coelho, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-5), Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5), Melanie Brunson (speaking), Interpreter, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Kelly Buckland (Photo Credit: RPanoff at AAPD 2/23/10)

Next to speak was Congressman Hoyer who reflected on the original intent of the ADA to open doors for people with disabilities who, up to that point had been shut out: shut out as consumers, as employees, as passengers, as students and as citizens.  Recognizing, “we don't mark anniversaries like this to pat ourselves on the back.  We mark them to remind ourselves of the work that remains to be done,” he  announced that he and Representative McMorris Rodgers were sending letters to all committee chairs and ranking members requesting ADA and ADAAA implementation oversight hearings to evaluate “how are [these laws] working, how well are they working, what are still the challenges that confront us, and what still needs to be done.”  He concluded his remarks by honoring the presence of Yoshiko Dart, wife of disability rights giant Justin Dart and renowned advocate in her own right. 

Senator Harkin, longtime disability champion in the Senate, followed by recapping the legislative progress over the last 20 years.  From the ADA, to the ADAAA and the various iterations of legislation to address the institutional bias of Medicaid, he affirmed his commitment to the work ahead.  Recognizing the passage of national health care reform and an end to the institutional bias in Medicaid as two of the 13 agenda items in the Spirit of the ADA Campaign, Senator Harkin reiterated his commitment to those issues and promised to continue to do what he could to secure the inclusion of the Community First Choice Option in health reform.   He concluded by congratulating JFAAN for their work so far and thanking them for their message saying, “this Justice For All Action Network picks up on NCIL’s motto: Nothing about us, without us… It’s about people with disabilities saying what ought to be done, and to me that’s the most powerful message of all.”

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers gave her comments a personal tone by thanking legislators and advocates for guaranteeing her son more rights today than ever before.  She voiced a particular interest in addressing education, youth transition post-high school, the institutional bias, un- and under- employment and cultural stereotypes that people with disabilities continue to face despite the tremendous progress made since the passage of the ADA.  Many of these priorities are featured in JFAAN’s Spirit of the ADA Campaign.   Like Senator Harkin, she concluded by addressing the JFAAN leadership, saying, “I am honored to stand with you today and be a part of [this effort] moving forward.” 

Kelly Buckland, Executive Director of the NCIL, proceeded to outline the structure of JFAAN and thank Steering Committee representatives present: Bruce Darling, representing the ADAPT leadership; Andy Imparato, President and CEO of AAPD; Lauren Spiro representing NCMHCSO; Nancy Bloch, CEO of NAD; Ari Ne’eman, Founder and President of ASAN; Lise Hamlin, Director of Public Policy at HLAA; Dan Kessler, President of the NCIL board and the next speaker, Melanie Brunson, Executive Director of ACB.  The boards of both NCIL and ACB were highly represented in the audience.  Ms. Brunson highlighted several of the 20th Anniversary Agenda items.  The Spirit of the ADA Campaign is organized into items that safeguard human rights and respect human dignity, enhance self-determination and make technology work for everyone.  She specifically addressed the technological challenges that are concerning the disability community and legislation that address those challenges. 

The afternoon concluded as it began, with the wise remarks of Tony Coelho: 
“We are here today to say to that we are ready to join together again to build on the progress of the past two decades and continue to knock down barriers to the civil rights and human rights of all children and adults with disabilities.  Our joint agenda is grounded in the philosophy that disabled people and disabled people’s organizations know best how to realize the vision of the ADA, and that it is by listening to the disability community directly that policy makers will be able to craft laws and policies that will achieve their intended results on that ground.” 

>>>To see or download the full text of the Spirit of the ADA Agenda see the previous JFA Posting

To sign your organization on to the Spirit of the ADA Campaign or for more information email jfaan@aapd.com.

Sign On: JFAAN Spirit of the ADA Campaign Agenda

  With the National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations

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Spirit of the ADA Campaign Agenda

In recognition of the upcoming 20^th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the cross-disability community is working together to realize the promise of the ADA by advancing a policy agenda that will safeguard human rights and respect human dignity, enhance self-determination, and make technology work for everyone.  This agenda was developed by the Justice for All Action Network (JFAAN), a coalition led by 13 national organizations run by people with disabilities with identifiable grassroots constituencies around the country.  The steering committee of JFAAN includes ADAPT, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the American Council of the Blind, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Hearing Loss Association of America, Little People of America, the National Association of the Deaf, the National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer Survivor Organizations, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Federation of the Blind, Not Dead Yet, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, and the United Spinal Association.

I.  Safeguard Human Rights and Respect Human Dignity

A.  Pass a national health care reform bill that eliminates preexisting condition exclusions, addresses the institutional bias in the Medicaid program by passing the Community First Choice Option, does not limit or deny services based on disability or “quality of life” judgments, and includes a benefits package that contains coverage for habilitative and rehabilitative services, durable medical equipment and assistive technology devices and services so that people with disabilities can participate fully in the lives of their communities.

B.  Pass the Hearing Aid Tax Credit Bill (HR 1646/S 1019) and ensure that any health care reform bill includes a benefits package that contains coverage for hearing aids and related services for children and adults, and pass the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act (HR 1246) to amend the Public Health Service Act regarding early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss.

C. End the institutional bias in Medicaid by passing the Community Choice Act (S 683/HR 1670) and working with the Obama Administration to enforce the Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision by directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice to use monitoring, administrative sanctions and litigation, as needed, to hold States accountable for ensuring people can choose to receive services in the most integrated setting.

D.  Pass the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247/S. 2860) aimed at eliminating the use of aversives, seclusion and restraints in schools, including strong, comprehensive national standards, an effective enforcement mechanism and the involvement of the self-advocacy community in technical assistance.

E.  Phase out (and ultimately eliminate) Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which permits the payment of subminimum wage to workers with disabilities, and implement a multifaceted approach to achieve the goal of creating new competitive employment opportunities for workers earning subminimum wage.  The phase out should prioritize creating new competitive employment opportunities for youth transitioning from school, and should include incentives for employers and community rehabilitation programs; expanding customized, supported, and self-employment, paid community service, job restructuring and other flex arrangements.  Implementation of this policy shift must occur over time, with the shortest timeframe possible without diminishing employment opportunities for the 424,000 workers currently earning subminimum wage and those waiting for employment services.

F.  Create a bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Human Genetic Technologies and Disability Rights.

II.  Enhance Self-Determination

A. Amend the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act to establish and fund self advocate-led peer support and advocacy organizations in every state.

B. Engage with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to ensure that at least 20% of a state's Mental Health Block Grant money will be devoted to the developing and sustaining of consumer-run statewide organizations which ensure the voice of consumers in state mental health planning and policy formulation.

C.  Engage with Secretaries Sebelius, Shinseki, and Duncan, and Commissioner Astrue to ensure that advisory groups to the following agencies be required to include at least two persons with disabilities from each of the major disability areas as the authentic, national voice of people with disabilities: SAMHSA, Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research at the U.S. Department of Education.

D.  Reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act with changes including provisions improving employment services for underserved populations, such as adults on the autism spectrum and people with chemical and electrical sensitivities, and that further embraces consumer control over our lives and consumer control over our programs and services.

III.  Make Technology Work for Everyone 

A. Pass the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (HR 734/S. 841).

B.  Pass the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (HR 3101).

C.  Protect and enforce accessibility requirements in the Help America Vote Act so that every American can vote privately and independently and so that poll workers have the training they need to implement this important law.

>>>Download a Word Doc of the JFAAN Joint Agenda

If your organization would like to sign on to this agenda and get involved with this campaign, email jfaan@aapd.com

Religious Disability Advocates Saddened by Marshall's Ugliness

From Disability Concerns (2.23.10):

Virginia State Legislator Says that Disabled Children are Punishment from God

By Mark Stephenson

Long ago, or so I thought, people said that children born with anomalies were warnings to their parents that covenant with the gods had been violated. The Latin word for "to warn" is monere from which comes the English word, "monster." Thus, children (and adults) with disabilities were thought of as monsters to be feared, because they were proof that the gods were angered by violations of their laws.

I had thought that this kind of thinking which turns people with disabilities into monsters was long past. I was wrong. On February 18, a Virginia state legislator, Bob Marshall of Manassas, made the following statement to support his opposition to state funding for abortions through Planned Parenthood. 

"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."

I'm saddened that Marshall drags all Christians into this ugly diatribe against children with disabilities...

>>> For Full Posting

AAPD Outraged by Delegate Marshall's Comments

From AAPD (2.23.10)

AAPD’s Statement on VA Delegate Robert Marshall’s Remarks About People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON, DC – February 23, 2010 – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country’s largest cross-disability membership organization, issued a statement Tuesday in response to Virginia Delegate Robert G. Marshall’s remarks last week suggesting that women who have had abortions are punished later with children with disabilities.

“These outrageous comments not only attack us as people with disabilities, but our families as well. In all my years of public service, I have never heard anything so hurtful,” said Tony Coelho, AAPD’s board chair, former House Majority Whip and the author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Even as we celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Marshall’s remarks are a reminder of that we still have a long way to go in fighting for our civil rights,” said Andrew Imparato, AAPD’s President and CEO.

For additional information about AAPD, visit our Web site at www.AAPD.com

Action Alert: Seclusion and Restraints Call-In Day THIS FRIDAY 2.26.10

From DPC and APRAIS (2.23.10):

National Call-In Day on February 26, 2010

Please call your congressional representatives on February 26 and tell them to support the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247, S. 2860). 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Friday, February 26^th

Call your Congressional Representative to Co-sponsor H.R. 4247 and your Senators to Co-Sponsor S. 2860.

• To find out the names of your US Senators and Representative, click here [link to www.congress.org]
• Dial the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for the offices of your US Senators and Representative
• Ask to speak to the person working on education issues
• Identify yourself as a constituent and the organization that you represent (if any)

Please also encourage your friends, family, and co-workers to participate in this important National Call-In!

Message: “I am calling to urge [your Senator] to cosponsor S.2860, legislation preventing harmful use of restraint and seclusion in schools.”

Message: “I am calling to urge [your Representative] to cosponsor H.R. 4247, legislation preventing harmful use of restraint and seclusion in schools.”

Thank you for your advocacy. Your action will help increase congressional support for these bills and move them through the legislative process toward enactment. Please join the National Call-In Day on Friday, February 26, 2010, and tell your friends and family to join!

Your hard work has already made a difference. The House Committee on Education and Labor approved H.R. 4247 by a vote of 35 to 10.  Now, we need your assistance to get the bill to the full House for a vote. 

We also need Co-sponsors for the Senate version, S. 2860.  Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act in the Senate, but we need to increase the number of Senate Co-Sponsors and get this bill out of committee as soon as possible. Once passed, this legislation will provide students with and without disabilities vital protections against abuse in schools.

Please visit http://aprais.tash.org/CallToAction.htm to learn more!

ADA Network Updates

From Jenifer Simpson, AAPD Senior Director of Policy (2.22.10):

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network: Implementation Updates Available

After passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, the federal government committed to funding technical assistance for businesses, individuals and others on how the ADA works, how it is implemented and how to do it right. The ADA National Network is a national network of ten regional ADA Centers that maintains up-to-date information on the ADA and how it is being implemented.  These ten centers provide services such as resources, referrals and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  For instance, they recently released a legal E-Bulletin analyzing a case that places limits on the time a person has to file a claim against a public entity (e.g., a state and local government) for not building curb ramps, sidewalks and other areas according to the standards required under the ADA.  Even more helpful are the people at these centers who can answer ADA-related questions over the phone for you. These resource centers serve businesses, employers, government entities, and individuals with disabilities, as well as media and news reporters.  For any questions related to the ADA, refer people to these centers, or check out what’s old, and new, at http://www.adata.org/ or by phone/TTY 800-949-4232.

Note: AAPD provides technical assistance to the entity that hosts this network, the ADA National Network Coordination, Outreach and Research Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Save the Date: Federal Hiring Expo for PWD April 26

From the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Labor (2.19.10):

SAVE THE DATE for the Federal Hiring Event for People and Veterans
with Disabilities  in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2010

•  Have you explored opportunities to work for the Federal government, but were overwhelmed by the application process?
• Do you want to work in an environment that embraces diversity and inclusion and the talent you offer?
• Are you interested in a career opportunity with benefits and the potential for career progression?
•  Are you a Veteran with a disability who wants to extend your service to your Nation?

 If so, now is the time for you to begin your career of service. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U. S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy are sponsoring this day-long Federal Government-wide Hiring Event.  Representatives from many agencies will be reviewing resumes prior to the event, and inviting prospective candidates for interviews.

To help prospective candidates prepare for this event, three pre-Expo webinars will be offered on:

·         Why Work for the Federal Government?

·         Preparing a Resume’ for Federal Employment

·         Obtaining Your Schedule A Documentation

More information will be on the OPM Website after March 8, 2010.  In the meantime, SAVE THE DATE!

The Time is Now:  Begin Your Career of Service

Virginia Legislator: Disabled kids are God's punishment

From the News Leader (2.22.10):

Legislator: Disabled kids are God's punishment

State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God's punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy...

"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children," said Marshall, a Republican.

"In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."...

>>> For the Full Article

Haiti Update

From AAPD (2.19.10):

Haiti Earthquake Aftermath: People with Disabilities Face Serious Challenges

By Abir Joubran-Dakwar, AADP Policy Intern

On January 12, 2010 an earthquake hit Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. The earthquake caused a lot of injuries, loss of lives and left one third of the country’s population in need. Today, more than one month after the earthquake, organizations and teams are still working to save lives and to provide shelter and food for millions of people of Haiti. While the situation remains to be hard for everyone in Haiti, people with disabilities are particularly suffering from the crisis.

Via a teleconference briefing by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) in early February, AAPD learned more about the dire situation for people with disabilities in Haiti. Speakers were from USAID, Handicap International and Christian Blind Mission (CBM). Karen Heinicke-Motsch, Director of International Programs at CBM, stated that there were about 800,000 people with disabilities in Haiti before the earthquake. As a result of the earthquake there are far more, including 2,000 more people with amputated limbs. These numbers are likely to increase.

Wendy Batson, executive director of the U.S. branch of Handicap International, stated that as a result of the earthquake most of the local hospitals and schools were destroyed or damaged leaving people with disabilities without regular supports. Worse yet, a special education center in the capital city of Port-au-Prince was destroyed, leaving hundreds of people with intellectual disabilities without early education and vocational training services. She stated that many people, especially people with disabilities, are facing serious challenges and difficulties, lacking food, shelter, medical assistance and orthopedic equipment.

A USAID representative said that “doctors and the government of Haiti are making sure that the efforts include the needs of children with existing and new disabilities.” USAID is working closely with groups on the ground and is focused more on saving lives. At the same time, “USAID will continue to participate in interagency discussions on budget needs within all different sectors. For example when schools are rebuilt they must be accessible. As new teachers are being trained, inclusive education and mainstreaming must be part of the curriculum and training.”

According to a Statement of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the Situation in Haiti, the needs of the people with disabilities has to be included in the relief of the Haitian people. The disability perspective “should be included in all humanitarian relief efforts to meet the needs of the disabled people [...] .  The committee stresses that it is important to address the specific needs of person with disabilities.”

Mr. Al-Tarawneh, chairperson of this committee stated that, “the disabled risk being left out unless a disabilities perspective is built into the recovery process from the start.”  He added that “the trauma caused by this disaster cannot be underestimated. Many disabled people in Haiti have been made even more vulnerable, especially if their caregivers have been killed or injured.”  

USAID, CBM, Handicap International and other organizations are coordinating and providing assistance and equipment for people with disabilities. However, there is still a need for wheelchairs, crutches and orthopedic equipment for people with disabilities and the newly disabled.

For denotation and information on ways you can help people with disabilities in Haiti please visit:

CBM at http://www.cbmus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=donate
Handicap International at http://www.handicap-international.us/?id=668
USAID: http://www.usaid.gov/helphaiti/

Music Legend Stevie Wonder to Attend AAPD Gala

From AAPD (2/22/10):                              

Music Legend Stevie Wonder to Accept Award at AAPD Gala

Singer, Musician, Composer, Songwriter and recently appointed UN Messenger of Peace to be presented with first ever Image Award

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country’s largest cross-disability membership organization, is honored to announce music legend Stevie Wonder will be the first recipient of the AAPD Image Award.

Wonder will be presented with the award at the 2010 AAPD Leadership Gala on March 10 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. This is the first time the organization has honored an entertainer whose personal example helps to improve the way people with disabilities are perceived by society.

“Stevie Wonder is a global leader who has used his extraordinary talents to be an ambassador for civil rights and social justice,” said Andrew J. Imparato, President and CEO of AAPD. “We’re thrilled to be able to recognize his achievements with this inaugural award.”

Wonder, who has been blind since infancy, has helped define the sound of R&B and Pop music. A 25 time Grammy Award winner as well as the recipient of an Academy Award, Wonder is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His advocacy work is well known ranging from the anti-apartheid movement to work in the disability community. Most recently, he was chosen as the United Nations Messenger of Peace on International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2009.

Wonder's catalogue of classic hits from such albums as "Innervisions," "Fulfillingness' First Finale," "Songs In The Key Of Life," etc., include "Uptight (Everything's All Right)," "For Once In My Life," "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life," "I Just Called To Say I Love You," and the rallying song, "Happy Birthday," that helped make Martin Luther King Day a national holiday. In 2008 Wonder received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and in 2009 performed his Library of Congress musical commission, "Sketches Of A Life."

In addition to the presentation of the AAPD Image Award at the event, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) will be presented with the Spirit of the ADA award, emerging disability rights leaders Don Dew and Lawrence Carter-Long will be presented with AAPD's 2010 Paul G. Hearne Award and AAPD board member Ted Kennedy, Jr. will present Connie Garner, longtime Policy Advisor to his father, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, with a Justice for All Award for 15 years of service to Senator Kennedy and the disability community in the U.S. Senate.

Fashion designer Betsey Johnson, who lent her unique design to the event logo and décor, will also be on hand to support the organization at the event.

For additional information about the event, visit the AAPD Web site: www.AAPD.com

Comments Below: In what ways is Stevie Wonder a role model for our community? Who is your favorite celebrity with a disability?  What can we do to get more people with disabilities in the arts and entertainment industry? What celebrities would you like to see invited to future AAPD Galas?