White House Meets with Disability Leadership

From United Spinal Association (4/20/09):

United Spinal Association Joins National Disability Leaders for Historic Meeting at the White House

WASHINGTON , April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an unprecedented effort to increase access to the executive branch and promote equal rights for people with disabilities, President Obama invited CEOs from the Nation's top disability organizations, including Paul J. Tobin, United Spinal Association's President (www.unitedspinal.org), to participate in a White House briefing on the Administration's disability policy initiatives, and budget and recovery plans.

The invitation was the first time that an administration demonstrated a serious effort to provide people with disabilities an opportunity to influence domestic policy in a meaningful fashion. The President is also looking to employ people with disabilities in key positions based on merit, not as figureheads or solely in disability policy positions.

The meeting was organized by Kareem Dale, special assistant to the President for Disability Policy, who said, "This is truly a new day for people with disabilities."

Mr. Tobin said, "I am honored to be a part of this momentous gathering and commend the Administration for its willingness to host candid discussions on critical disability issues."

Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the President added, "Consider us to be your partners."

The President has proposed a four-part plan (http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/DisabilityPlanFactSheet.pdf) to empower people with disabilities, including increased educational opportunities by fully funding the Individuals with Education Act (IDEA); more employment opportunities by reinstating an executive order to hire an additional 100,000 people with disabilities within 5 years; improved funding for enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and amending Medicare rules that tend to restrict people with disabilities to their homes and nursing homes.

 >>> For Original Release

From the White House Blog (4/21/09):

(Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, meets with presidents and CEOs of major disability organizations in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on April 15, 2009. Photo credit: Yosi Sergant)

Listening

Last week the White House hosted a meeting of presidents and CEOs of disability organizations.  We asked Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy, to tell us about it.

Unprecedented. That seemed to be the theme of Wednesday’s White House meeting with over 60 presidents/CEOs of almost every major national disability organization in the United States.

 

Valerie Jarrett, President Obama’s Senior Advisor, kicked off the day by discussing the importance that the disability rights movement had to both her and the President personally. And even though she had a scheduled flight that she should have left for a good half-hour before the start of the event, Valerie decided to attend anyway. It was an honor to see Valarie make that time commitment as a reflection of this administration’s commitment to the disability community...

For the full blog including description of the presentations of Trooper Sanders, Deputy Policy Director for the First Lady; Don Gips, Director of Presidential Personnel; Jeff Crowley, Senior Advisor on Disability Policy on the Domestic Policy Council; Beth Noveck, Office of Science and Technology; Robert Gordon, Office of Management and Budget; Jason Furman, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council; and Tina Tchen, Director of the Office of Public Liaison go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/04/21/Listening/

Comment Below: The White House is Listening, what would you like to say?

Comments

[Richard Skaff, Executive Director, Designing Accessible Communities]

Hello,

I would appreciate having an opportunity to talk about the disability related issues I have been involved in for the past thirty years.

I founded the Marin Center for Independent Living and served as its first President of the Board and then the organization's first Executive Director. In 1981 I was elected to the Town Council of Corte Madera, Marin County, California, and served a term as Mayor. During my tenure on the Council, I created the Ross Valley Paramedic program, was a member of the Marin County Transit District Board and led efforts to improve access to public facilities throughout Marin.

In 1989, under Mayor Dianne Feinstein, I created a new program for the San Francisco Bureau of Building Inspection to assure its enforcement of California Building Code access requirements (Title 24). I was appointed as a Chief Building Inspector for the City's Bureau of Building Inspection, responsible for the Bureau’s enforcement of State access codes. As such, I did plan and site review of public and private buildings and facilities, trained building inspectors and Public Works personnel including architects, engineers and project managers, and represented the City on the State Architect's Advisory Committee creating state access codes.

In 1990, I was appointed as the ADA Coordinator for the Department of Public Works by the Department's Director. I was then responsible for assuring that the required access features were included in the design and construction of the City's public buildings and facilities. In 1998. at the request of Mayor Willie Brown, I opened the Mayor’s Office on Disability as the Deputy Director.

My interest continues to be access in the "built environment". I would like to talk with you about the failure, nationally, of our communities, to provide the needed and require access features to buildings, facilities and the public right-of-way.

Recently, I have written to Kareem Dale, with no response to date. I hope this message will get the attention of someone at the White House and I will be contacted.

Thank you.

Richard Skaff, Executive Director
Designing Accessible Communities
Voice: 415-388-7206
Cell: 415-497-1091

[Karyn Walsh]

I am the mother of a sweet 33 year old woman who was born with developmental challenges. I am a long term member of Family Advocates of Heritage Christian Services, a non-profit agency serving the residential needs of people with developmental challenges in the Rochester and western NY area. We've tried to communicate with Kareem Dale several times, and are in the process of sending him our Urgent Bulletins highlighting the waiting list crisis that faces more than 6ooo people in New York State alone. Of those, there are over 380 on Heritage's waiting list and it is for those people we advocate for services that support them in homes within the community. I noticed that only a very few disability groups were mentioned, and I would like to know if the segment of the disability population that includes people with developmental/cognitive challenges were invited to that very important meeting. They are among the most vulnerable of our country's disabled citizens because they are unable to live independent, safe, successful lives without the help of parents and family members. And when those parents/family members are no longer able to care for their well-loved adult children, they wait in desperation for the funding that makes homes within the community possible. We can give them a voice only if the policy makers and legislators are willing to listen. We pray that someone there is listening...