Statement Regarding Senator Paul and Disabilities

Senator Paul’s comments regarding people with disabilities and the assistance they receive that keep them a part of their community shows that Mr. Paul desperately needs to be educated on the facts.  Most people do not wake up in the morning and say to themselves, “Gee, I hope I get a disability today so that I can ‘game the system’.”  A large number of individuals who receive disability payments paid into that system themselves for a number of years, just like Social Security Retirement.  We in the disability community were dismayed to learn that our Senator made such insensitive remarks regarding the 874,000 individuals in Kentucky who have a disability. 

Fraud in disability programs is estimated to amount to less than 1 percent and is extremely rare, as the agency’s watchdog has found. Its inaccurate payments rate is also less than 1 percent. SSDI payments are far from comfortable, averaging $1,130 a month, just over the federal poverty line and usually replacing less than half of a beneficiary’s previous earnings. Very few beneficiaries are able to work and supplement that income: less than 17 percent worked at some point during the year in 2007, but less than 3 percent of those people made more than $10,000 annually.   People with disabilities do want to work but lack of affordable and accessible transportation, unfounded biases by employers, inaccessible work places, and continued stigma and negative stereotypes by the general public and elected officials are huge barriers to individuals with disabilities obtaining meaningful, gainful employment.

The Center for Accessible Living is an innovative leader in empowering all people to achieve their goal of independent living.  We work on a daily basis with people with disabilities helping them to achieve independence and be integrated into the community.  We invite Senator Paul to meet with us so that we may share our concerns and educate him on the day-to-day reality of people with disabilities and the discrimination they face every day. 

Keith Hosey

Associate Director, Center for Accessible Living

Let's stop talking about what Kanye did

...and talk more about WHY he did it.  

If you are angry because Kanye "picked on" a person with a disability or because he singled both of them out (there was also a lady with a prosthetic leg), you might be missing the bigger picture. 

We need to talk about the root of the problem. He stopped his concert for three minutes until the person was forced to "prove" that he was "disabled enough" to not obey the command. And while Kanye has been publicly chastised for it, that act of ableism seems okay to many, many people on a smaller scale in public settings every day. Disagree? Well, have you ever questioned (aloud or in your head) someone who "doesn't look disabled" in an accessible parking space? That's ableism. 

It's the self righteousness attitude of able-bodied people who think they're the "disability police." So many people with disabilities face never ending confrontations and challenges to their rights in their daily public lives: The person with fibromyalgia who gets hassled every time he legally parks in an accessible parking space; the person with the CP or Spina Bifida that can stand for very short periods of time out of their wheelchair who are challenged as "fakers" if they ever get out of that chair in public; the lady at Kanye's concert who had to detach her prosthetic leg and hold it in the air to prove she was allowed to sit down at a public event. 

Why does anyone feel they have the right to demand proof of disability from other people in public situations? AND what about the people at Kanye's concert who had invisible disabilities that might have stopped them from standing for long periods of times. Would they have been publicly shamed until they were forced to stand? 

This is an all too common public opinion that people with disabilities have an "onus of proof" on themselves in order to access the services or things that they need to function in the community. That attitude is more disabling than any disability. 

We as a society need to stop assuming that "everyone else can do everything that I can do" because we ALL have different abilities (disability or not) and not every disability is visible.

By Keith Hosey

Image used with permission. 

THIRTY YEARS WITH CAL

By Barbara Louise Davis

   I started at the Center for Accessible Living as a secretary on June 4, 1984. Since then my involvement with CAL has taken a lot of twists and turns: sometimes as paid staff, sometimes as a volunteer, and at other times as both a volunteer and a paid consultant. I’ve learned a lot during those thirty years. Below are some of the changes I’ve seen and things I’ve learned.

Many People Can Fit in a Very Tight Space

We were in the Interchange Building on 8^th and Jefferson in 1984.  There was a staff of 11 people. The bookkeeper’s office was in the closet, six people were almost on top of each other in one small room, and the peer support/counseling office was also the library. Despite the small staff and shortage of office space, programs and services provided were: housing, advocacy, ramp building, independent living skills training, individual and group counseling, peer support mentoring, loan closet and information and referral. There have been several moves since, as our office staff and range of programs and services have expanded.

It Takes a Village to Change a Law, But One Person’s Vote DOES Count

CAL has always had an active part in systems change. Its staff, volunteers and voting consumers have worked tirelessly to get the Attendant Care Program funded, to improve transportation services, to get more funding for ramp building, housing, and other programs, and to educate consumers on the fact that their one vote does make a difference. When I first started at CAL, I saw consumer groups that worked very hard and successfully to get a bill passed to fund the Attendant Care program. Through the years I have been a witness to how much a difference it can make when voters call in to their representative to voice their desire for passage or failure of a particular bill. There have been a number of instances in these campaigns where a bill passed or failed by one vote.

Accommodations Can Be Simple and Inexpensive

At CAL the majority of the staff is comprised of individuals with physical, mental and learning disabilities. Accommodations are a way of life here. I’ve seen them range from something as simple as a string across a door, a few blocks under the legs of a desk, a large font size on printed material and comfortable office chairs for those with back problems. As technology has advanced, it has been easier for CAL to provide accommodations such as televisions and telephones with close-captioning, video relay, telephones with built-in amplifiers, software programs for those who are blind and visually impaired, and other types of accommodations.

We Will Never Give Up

There have been many gains and losses in disability rights, program funding and community services throughout the years of my involvement with CAL. Often something we have fought hard to achieve has either been taken away or has come close to being taken away. At other times CAL staff, consumers and volunteer have worked to fight what appeared to be a losing battle but ended up being a winning one. Throughout it all, we have never given up. As a result, the disability community and CAL as a whole have come a long way in thirty years. We know, however, that there is still much room for improvement, and so will continue to advocate for change when needed.

Teamwork Gets More Done

When we had a staff of 11, we provided a lot of programs and services. About a year after I started, the staff was cut to 8, and we provided those same services. We did this by pulling together and doubling up. Since then, there have been a lot of times when funding ended for a program or programs, and staff has had to once again pull together and double up to continue providing services. I have worked in a lot of places before I came to CAL, and never have I seen an organization that has teamwork like CAL does.

Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks

Consumers who become newly disabled frequently come to CAL thinking they could not adjust to life as a person with a disability “at my age.” The reality is, with a positive attitude, a willingness to embrace technology and ability to try some creative adaptations, it is possible for anyone at any age to live a full, satisfying life with a disability. Will it be perfect? Probably not; but then, life as an able-bodied person isn’t perfect, either.

    A lot of things have changed at CAL in thirty years. We’ve gone from a small office in Louisville to a much larger office in Louisville, a satellite office in Murray, and a new satellite office in Northern KY. There was no First Impressions Suit Closet, employment program or consumer resource room.

    Technological advances have had a huge impact on how things are done at CAL now. We didn’t have a fax machine, paper folder and a computer at every staff member’s desk in 1984. We couldn’t apply for grants through the Internet or help consumers apply for jobs via Internet then, either. There was no web site, blog or electronic mailings, and nobody on the staff had cell phones.

    Staff members have come and gone since June 1984. We remember many of them with a fond heart. Most of all, we remember Elaine Zwicker and Angela Casey, who left this world way too soon.

     The last thirty years with CAL has been a wild ride. The next thirty years should bring about even more wonderful changes for CAL and the disability community. Thanks to all of our supporters & consumers for making us what we are today!

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/74159755@N00/4093225806/ 

What We Need from Our Allies

Allies

Allies are people who consider themselves to be not disabled and who want to help us to achieve our liberation ourselves and not on our behalf. A special group of allies are the parents, children, friends, lovers, and spouses of people with disabilities who themselves suffer much of the oppression by "connection." Also our allies are people who have chosen a professional interest in disability. Historically some of these people have been put into roles, which are oppressive to us. This does not negate their alliance or potential alliance. Our natural allies include all members of other oppressed groups.

What We Need from Our Allies

1. We need people who consider themselves non-disabled to explore their feelings about their bodies, (the ways they learn and think differently), their experiences of being ill, of being made to feel "different" in any way, of their reactions to people with disabilities, and of their fear of becoming physically less able themselves.

 2. We need listening while we express our hopelessness, pain and frustrations. (Only when we have thoroughly discharged these feelings will we be able to move successfully to a thorough celebration of ourselves and our lives.)

*Remember that the expression of feelings is not the "hurt", it is simply the expression of the hurt. We have all felt hurt and never showed it to anyone. Part of humans' natural healing ability is expressing feelings to another who listens with respect and patience, not needing to "fix" us or hurry us off our feelings. It is a powerful gift to let someone be honest about how they are feeling without judgment, in confidence, knowing the sharing is the healing. 

3. We need our internalized oppression interrupted. This may mean recognizing it when we do not.

*(Interrupt us if we speak degrading about ourselves or expect too little accommodation for our disabilities. Remind us that it is the oppression talking or preventing us from taking action. Encourage us to "act outside the oppression" by speaking well about ourselves and each other, by acting boldly and powerfully, by taking ourselves seriously.) 

4. We need support to love and encourage each other to tackle our own goals, ideas, and dreams; i.e., our counselors, family, and friends must not collude with any patterned divisiveness between us or act on their own feelings of being "left out."

5. We need to be touched lovingly and with awareness in order to contradict the massive invalidations we have been given of our bodies.

6. We need to have the highest expectations made of us.

7. We need to have our allies join with us in our demand to be included in all events which at present means solving the problem of access (for example):

A. By making all venues accessible to people with mobility-impairments;

B. By the provision of sign-language interpreters whenever necessary;

C. By making literature and important information available to people with visual disabilities; and

D. By not wearing strongly scented perfumes, deodorants, hair sprays, after- shave, etc.

Liberation 

Our liberation will require the challenging of all facets of our oppression, and in particular the resulting internalized oppression, i.e., coming together, noticing how we feel about it and expressing that to others; and overcoming any divisiveness between us; recognizing the cause of our mistreatment as oppression; recognizing our right to exist, to have feelings, to be loved and to love; to participate fully in society and particularly in controlling our own lives, making allies and being allies to all other oppressed groups.

- Excerpt Taken from Arizona Bridges for Indepenent Living (ABIL) Peer Mentor Training Manual

What People with Disabilities can learn fifty years after Dr. King’s "I Have a Dream" speech and the March on Washington

The march on Washington 50 years ago today, which included Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, was not just about racial justice, but also about economic equality. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was not simply the battle for civil rights, its agenda was a broader and more radical one of economic equality. The brilliance of this march is that, in a time when African-Americans were regularly being beaten or killed or excluded from places just because of how they look, the organizers and Dr. King were looking forward -  looking towards economic justice as well as racial equality.

Without economic equality – jobs, equal wages, the same employment opportunities – no group of people can truly enjoy the American dream. So they organized the march, calling for “mass descent” upon Washington, with participants protesting “the economic subordination of the American Negro.” They envisioned a groundswell of protest calling for freedom and jobs with the dual goals of ending racial segregation and discrimination in the Jim Crow South and achieving economic equality for all Americans.

People with disabilities can learn a lot from the march and Dr. King’s speech. Namely, that until people with disabilities have economic justice and equality, we will not be treated as equals in this society.

Although people with disabilities are still being refused basic access and services – and we're still fighting for ramps and interpreters – our unemployment rate is also almost twice that of non-disabled. The true unemployment – those not working and not looking for work – is even higher. Many with disabilities that are working, are often working lower wage jobs and some are even paid less than minimum wage, thanks to outdated 1930s laws based on false assumptions that people with disabilities cannot be as productive non-disabled.

To make matters worse, many of the social support systems which are supposed to help uplift individuals who need a temporary “hand-up’ to achieve the American Dream end up holding people with disabilities in poverty. The fear of losing life-saving medical care has stopped many people with disabilities from working or becoming economically self-sufficient. As Sen. Edward Kennedy wrote, "the high unemployment rate among people receiving federal disability benefits is not because their federal benefits programs have 'front doors that are too big - i.e., have eligibility criteria that are too loose - but because they have 'back doors that are too small' - i.e., once persons are on the rolls, it is too risky to come off."

Fortunately, now more than ever, people with disabilities will be able to become economically independent. New rules for federal contractors to hire people with disabilities and an ever increasing desire of many companies to hire people with disabilities in general are breaking down stereotypes and inequalities in the workplace. Provisions in the newAffordable Care Act (ACA), including the end to discrimination over pre-existing conditions, new affordable health benefits exchange and expanded Medicaid will allow people with disabilities to find medical coverage outside of the limited current options. There’s never been a better time for people with disabilities to pursue employment and not fear for their health coverage.

Yes, ramps and interpreters and access and an end to discrimination are extremely important to the disability rights movement. But we shouldn’t forget what the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom has to teach us. As long as people with disabilities are largely living in poverty, the public vision of us as ‘objects of charity’ will prevail and our demands for civil rights as a political minority will be ignored.

- By Keith Hosey -

Has the disability rights movement stagnated?

- By Stephanie Hickey -

I wrote an earlier blog about how the word “retard” is offensive and shouldn't be used casually, as if it doesn't hurt, and as if there aren't a million other word choices available to people. I am not the only one that has written or spoken out against the "r-word". There is a big national movement to educate people about the "r-word" and how harmful it is, urging others not to use it. And it has brought down a storm. Reading message boards, I saw the people getting up in arms, rallying, "I'll talk however the (you can fill in the blank on your own, I'm sure.) I want!"  "I'm so sick of these whiny (you can fill in the blank again) trying to tell me how to talk. We have freedom of speech in this country."

Freedom of speech is an illusion in this country. Or I should say that it is a misinterpreted notion. Yes, we do not live in a dictatorship where will get imprisoned or shot if we speak out and say the truth or what is in our hearts. But there is no such thing as consequence-less speech and I think many people forget this and misunderstand the idea of "freedom of speech." There are reactions to what we say. Our words can offended others. And our words can wound others--and wound them deeply.

But that does not mean we should be afraid to speak out when it is necessary and right, because our words can have a positive effect--and a powerful impact. I don't know if the disability community is really putting the power of words to full effect. I feel that we have some dirty words in our vocabulary. "Please." "Thank you." "I'm sorry." We are always apologizing. (as if we are an inconvenience). And saying "please" and "thank you" aren't always bad things. It is good manners to say those words. But we speak them as if we are obligated to thank everyone for every little thing that someone does for us. And believe me, I am not being preachy here, I am very guilty of this habit myself. I am always saying I am sorry, and I am always apologizing for asking for things to which I am rightfully entitled. And we are not being whiny whatever-people-want-to-call-us simply by speaking up for the basic things we deserve, such as respect and dignity and independence.

We are a legitimate community and minority. But I feel that we are not taking the steps that other minorities have taken in the past to make positive changes for themselves. We are not using our voices in government as strongly as we should--and we are not communicating with each other. April is National Disability History Month, and it's been more than twenty years since the ADA has been passed. But I feel that the disability rights movement has stagnated. We need to not be afraid to use our voices. Yes, there will be consequences and reactions to what we say--people may not like what we've got to say. But we are free to speak out and say what we think - so we must speak out and let our words make an impact.

Image of the ADA signing ceremony at the White House.

Disability Advocates Call ‘Glee’ Gun Portrayal ‘Poor Choice’. What do you think?

- By Keith Hosey -

Ok, so I missed this episode (it's on DVR), but apparently it was a controversial one. At first glance, I thought the title was about 'Artie' not actually being paralyzed. Poor choice in my book, nothing about us without us. I'm sure there were actors with paraplegia who would have liked that role. But apparently the article is about the character Becky Jackson, played by Actress Lauren Potter, bringing a gun to school. Lauren and her character both have Down Syndrome.

Potter’s mother, Robin Sinkhorn, told The Huffington Post that she took no issue with a character with Down syndrome being the one to bring a gun to school.

“If Becky’s going to be fully included on the show... then why not Becky?” Sinkhorn said. “Whether she has Down syndrome or not, it doesn’t matter … She’s a teenager. She makes stupid decisions just like other teenagers do. 

But not everyone feels the same way. Officials from the National Down Syndrome Society called it a “poor choice” to depict Becky bringing a gun to school.

Excerpt taken from: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/04/12/disability-glee-poor-choice/17703/

I have to agree with Potter's mother. The disability community has been fighting, since before I was even born, for equality. We (and I use "we" with the utmost respect for those who came before me) have carefully crafted our messages, strategically chosen our fights and proudly claimed our own words of choice. We have fought societal prejudices that people with disabilities are broken, helpless, burdens, subhuman and outdated beliefs that people with disabilities are supposed to be grateful for charity and pity. We’ve made tremendous strides toward changing these perceptions through advocacy, education and legislation; public awareness campaigns and day-to-day interactions with the public. Justin Dart, Ed Roberts and others have shown the world that people with disabilities are able, capable, strong, independent, equal. They didn't want charity or pity, they demanded rights.

So when we reach a point where a hit TV show portrays a character with a disability doing something that any other character might be doing, good or bad, that is equality. This person isn't being portrayed poorly because of her disability. She's being portrayed poorly as any other kid in school, regardless of having a disability. Part of equality also means not putting people with disabilities on a pedestal. We're all human. You take the good, you take the bad and there you have... the facts of life.

If the disability community has a problem with 'Glee' maybe it should be about a non-disabled actor playing a character with a disability, instead of a character with a disability being portrayed as human.

Equality is Never Trivial or a Waste

This week, the Senate debates the U.N. Treaty, The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It's not only a proclamation that people with disabilities across the globe deserve equality, but is also a vehicle to hopefully ensure that other Countries give equal rights to people with disabilities. It was modeled after the U.S.'s own Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), an international model for disability rights.

A small minority of Senators are holding back U.S. ratification, claiming that it would take away U.S. sovereignty and parents rights in America. But most experts agree it wouldn't affect U.S. sovereignty and the vast majority of disability advocates champion it, here and internationally.

In fact, over 100 other countries have already ratified it.  CRPD doesn't require anything of the U.S. above and beyond what the ADA already does. Former White House Counsel C. Boyden Gray and former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, a parent of a child with a disability, have confirmed that no changes in U.S. law will be required to comply with the treaty.

So why is it so important that we ratify it? Ratification will allow the U.S. to "contribute formally its leadership and expertise on disability issues to rest of the world.” It is a powerful symbol that the U.S. values equality and human rights.

As I type this, the Senate will vote on CRPD. Many people have mentioned that while the "fiscal cliff" of sequestration looms, this is a waste of valuable legislative time. I would argue that equality is never a waste of time or resources. This, in fact, is why I believe the United States is the greatest country in the world. What if in the late 80s and early 90s, we said, "the ADA isn't as important as the national debt, let's put it aside for now." And the Civil Rights movement? Women's Suffrage?

I hope that the Senate does the right thing and votes to ratify international disability rights so that they can move on to other (but not more) important pressing matters.

Keith Hosey
Associate Director
Center for Accessible Living

Update: CRPD did not get the 2/3 votes in the Senate to be ratified by the United States of America.

Know No Excuses

- By Guest Blogger Pinalben “Pinky” Patel -

I believe everyone should have a college education especially people using a wheelchair. Many people cannot go to college because of various responsibilities such as having to take care of a sick loved one or sports training, but having a physical disability is not a valid excuse.

However, there are different stages of disability. Some people in wheelchairs can drive, cook, clean, stand up or even walk a few steps by holding onto the wall. Whereas, some wheelchair users have very limited use of their arms and cannot stand or turn in bed without another person's help.

Hence, wheelchair users have to choose their study in college according to their capabilities. It certainly does not mean that the choices are limited. It just means that people using a wheelchair have to be realistic when it comes to choosing study areas.

For instance, I am a wheelchair user due to Friedreich's Ataxia. My FA has also made my upper body so uncoordinated that I cannot write with a pencil. Therefore, I don't think I can study surgery and become a surgeon even if I wanted to become one. I chose an area, which I could study as independently as possible.

Since my junior year in high school, I enjoyed writing. I wanted to study creative writing in college. I do not type as slow as I write with a pen but much slower than average. So vocational rehabilitation bought a voice-activated software called Dragon NaturallySpeaking for me to type my assignments faster. I enrolled in West Kentucky Community and Technical College because it was in town where I can use the local taxi. It offered an associate degree in English with many literature and creative writing classes.

When I finished the associate degree, I wanted to do a bachelor's degree. I went to Murray State University to do that because it was closest to my home. But it was still about an hour away from my home. I took journalism classes at that college because they were less demanding in attendance than creative writing. However, transportation and attendant care was still becoming an issue. Even though the University provided note takers and scribes for tests in classes, I had a difficult time finding reliable people to work with as I need help in the rest room and driving.

To resolve the frustrating problem, I changed my major and degree program to one that would let me take most classes online. I had Internet access and VR helped me get a computer so I was able to stay home while finishing my degree. I finally graduated with a bachelor's of independent studies in Print Communications.
People with disabilities should not worry about college expenses either – they are more than bearable. My college fees were paid by FAFSA and VR. Because I also had a KEES scholarship, I received a few leftover bucks from the financial aid office. When I had the hour commute, VR even paid for gas mileage and outfitted the family van with a wheelchair lift. I did spend a little money to take summer classes because I wanted to finish my degree faster, but that is not a requirement.

Although the cost of a college education does depend on the chosen school, a will to study would make any school a great choice. I did not want to study at any of the schools I had gone to, but in my situation those schools were the best for me. I wanted to focus on studying, not training personal-care attendants to handle my needs. Besides, I had lots of trouble finding daytime aides so I can only imagine the tediousness of my living in a dorm. After taking some classes, I found that there is no difference between an IV league and a public or community college. Education is education, no matter where it is from.

Education is really important to me because I was not expected to study beyond high school. People still awe at me when they find out I am a college graduate and strangely, that is a nice feeling. I want everyone in my situation to feel that sense of accomplishment.

Ten Ways To Advocate For Change

- By Barbara Davis -

In today’s economy it is likely that many of us are feeling frustrated over budget cuts, lack of jobs and reduction in services. We may feel that our politicians are letting us down in the laws they enact or don’t. It is easy to become complacent and think there is nothing we can do. Fortunately, this is not true. Below are ten ways we can advocate for change on both the local and federal level.
 
Vote.
Presidential, state and local elections are equal in importance. The mayor, city council members, state legislators and other officials write or enforce laws that impact our daily lives, while the President and Congress work on similar issues on the federal level.

Join support groups, councils and coalitions.
Some groups provide advocacy and support. Councils and coalitions offer opportunities to advocate for improvements in transportation, housing, education, etc. If you do not know of any specific groups, councils or coalitions in your area that advocate for your particular interest, search the internet for this information.

Call or write your legislators.
Legislators know who can hire and fire them, and they pay attention to these voices. If there is an issue important to you, let your legislator know. Participate in calling and writing campaigns when asked to do so. Better yet, visit them when they’re in their local office if you can.

Don’t take “no” for an answer.
Find out who else you can talk to or what appeal process is in place, and proceed accordingly.

Don’t assume a problem can’t be fixed, or a law can’t be changed.
If you want sidewalks in your neighborhood, find out where to start and go from there. It may take time and require a variety of methods, but if it is important to you, there are likely others who feel the same way. Start writing or calling campaigns, get a petition going, or join a council that is already working on the issue. If you gather enough support, the sidewalks will come.

Attend rallies and public meetings. 
Officials of schools, transportation and other service providers pay attention at packed public meetings. If you want more services, increased funding or improved neighborhoods, go to these meetings and have your say. Large rallies can have the same affect. When legislators realize a large number of their constituents have certain views, they take notice, and vote on impending legislation accordingly.

Participate in surveys, focus groups and questionnaires.
Companies who produce technology and provide services want our input. Changes in healthcare, transportation, assistive technology and education have all come about due to surveys and focus group participation.

Google it.
Google can tell you where to write your legislators, how to start a support group, and who to talk to about the neighborhood sidewalks.

Go public with your issue.
Utilize social media to post videos or voice an opinion. Write articles online, address a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, start a petition on Change.org, or contact your local TV station with a story idea.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Becoming An Effective Advocate

[Uncle Sam image]

- By David Allgood - 

Being a citizen advocate is really an easy thing to do; but being easy does not make it less important. I cannot stress enough what an impact your letters, emails and phone calls make to our elective officials. These actions have already made a huge difference in restoring funds for the aging and disabled populations in Kentucky. If the current legislation at the time of this printing passes the State Senate, then we will have restored $10 million over the next two years.

I encourage you, your family members and your friends to register to vote, if you are not already registered, and make sure that you actually vote on election day. Legislators pay attention to individuals who actually vote and have the ability to hire or fire them through their votes.

Get to know your local, state and federal representatives. Hopefully you can set up a meeting in person when they are at home in their district. Let them know who you are, and what issues are important to you. They work for you and they actually look forward to gaining a base of knowledge that they may not have had before your interaction with them. Make yourself the go-to person when they are dealing with issues that are relevant to individuals in the disability community. You may not have the money that the big lobbyists have, but you do have the power of the ballot, and this could determine whether the elected officials keep their jobs or lose it.

So get yourself, your family and friends involved in this process because a large number of involved individuals can truly make a difference.

The 2012 KY primary election is May 22. You must be a registered voter by April 23 to participate. CAL has voter registration cards which you can come by and fill out if you need to register. For more information visit http://elect.ky.gov/.

Why Don’t We Use ‘Disability’ and ‘Pride’ together more often?

- By Keith Hosey -

Why don’t we talk more about disability pride? I believe that disability is natural and that people with disabilities can do anything non-disabled people can do, we just do things a little differently sometimes. I understand that not everybody feels like I do about their own disability, but consider this: Eleanor Roosevelt once said “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” If we can’t be proud of who we are, how can we ever expect society to treat us as equal?

We need more pride in the disability community. We need to celebrate our heritage and our abilities. Other minority groups celebrate their proud heritage, so why not us too? This community has athletes, comedians, professionals, actors, CEOs, etc. People with disabilities have climbed Mt. Everest won Ms. America and even became President. We have quad rugby, paralympians and the third most used language in America (ASL). We are the largest political minority and, as consumers, we have huge spending power.

Even though Club Foot is one of the most common congenital disabilities in the world, I only knew of one person who was like me when I was growing up, a female figure skater. I could identify with her because we shared the condition of club feet. Only one person who I could say, “hey, she’s like me, I can be successful too.”

We need to recognize and celebrate those people who are role models with a disability. We have Marlee Matlin, Ray Charles, Penelope Trunk, Muhammed Ali, James Durbin and Mark Zupan. We have Leroy Colombo, a Deaf man known as the “world’s greatest lifeguard,” who saved more than 900 lives. We need more role models – and not just the famous ones, but neighbors and friends - to be proud of their abilities and of this community so that kids can say, “hey, he/she’s like me, I can be successful too.”

Are you a person with a disability? We need YOU. Celebrate your disability pride.

Why I Care about New York’s Marriage Equality Act (And So Should You)

- By Keith Hosey -

On Sunday July 24th New York joined the elite few states that recognize GLBT people as human beings and full citizens by legalizing and legitimizing same-sex marriage (while my state went as far as passing a law banning same-sex marriage a couple years ago). Congratulations to the GLBT community for this win, it’s fantastic and I’m happy for all the couples that have gotten married so far.

But I’m straight and a disability rights activist, why should I care about GLBT rights (other than the fact that I have numerous friends who happen to be gay)? Maybe it’s because of the way I was raised, to value people as people. I carry a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in my wallet with the quote “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. I believe in civil rights and equality for all people. I can’t talk about disability rights without acknowledging the rights of everyone.

Someone once told me that I only care about disability rights because I work for the Center. That makes me smile and laugh. Sometimes I wish it was a nine-to-five belief. I believe that every person, no matter their background, genetic markers, birthrights, origins, etc. deserves to have the respect of being treated as a human being. I don’t understand discrimination, possibly because I’ve personally experienced it. I don’t think that anyone should have to endure discrimination in a free society, that we should all be afforded due respect as people.

I don’t understand people who can fight so fervently for their personal social justice cause and not care about the other groups. I’ve known people who steam at the use of the word “fag” then ask me why it matters if they use “retard”... It’s just a word after all, they say. I believe that we’re all tied together in this fight for equality. How an African-American is treated in a business has an effect on the disability or GLBT community -- and vice versa. The “glass ceiling” in women’s pay equality is as frustrating to me as an inaccessible business. Are my civil rights any less important than yours? Are yours less than mine? I personally don’t think anyone else’s value is less important than mine. Because we’re all only people after all… and isn’t that what civil rights are all about?

Reflections On The Long Road We Have Come

- By Barbara Davis -

In the 26 years that I have been working for CAL in some capacity or other, I have seen a lot of positive changes take place for individuals with disabilities. I am proud to say that in various ways, I have had some small part in some of these changes, particularly in the area of awareness.

Recent changes in my disabilities have caused me to pause and reflect back on the long road we have come. This reflection has also made me aware of how far we still have to go.

As a teenager in the late 60s and early 70s, I used a wheelchair until surgeries and other treatments enabled me to walk with a walker, then a cane, and then “corrective” shoes. I lived in Florida then, which means that every time visiting relatives came to our town, my family took them to the various tourist attractions in that fair state. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go to many of them because the attractions were not accessible. I stayed home and waited for them to bring me souvenirs from wherever they went. These days whenever I go home I can go to any tourist attraction I want to, whether I am using my chair or not. I can also fly home with my much greater ease than I could when I first moved to Louisville. Having said that, trying to board a plane with multiple disabilities today is still not a picnic.

I am thankful that I don’t have to walk up to total strangers in the mall or elsewhere and ask them to make a phone call for me. Before cell phones became widely used, phone booths had finally become equipped with amplifiers so that I could make phone calls myself. Currently, I have a cell phone that is hearing-aid compatible. The volume could stand improvement, but most of the time I can hear on it decently enough if I really concentrate.

Thanks to improvements in transportation and other services, I can a ride a bus to almost anywhere I want to go, and I can call 211 to find out how to get on a 10-year waiting list for attendant care, a ramp, housekeeping assistance, or some other service. I can remember a time when buses weren’t accessible, and none of those services were offered at all, let alone complete with a waiting list.

The heat this past summer has caused my MS and other disabilities to worsen. I am once again using a wheelchair. I am not sure yet if this will be permanent, as without health insurance I cannot get the needed diagnostic care and treatment. Without medical documentation, I can’t get the services I need, so I feel like I am almost back to the point I was when I was a teenager, only this time I don’t have parents to help me out the way I did then.

What I have discovered during this second time around in a wheelchair is that while there are more accessible buildings than there used to be, there are still a lot of buildings that are not accessible. There are a lot of sidewalks in this town that are difficult – some even impossible – to ride a wheelchair on. There are curb cuts that don’t really seem like curb cuts, and people leave trash cans and other heavy objects in the middle of the sidewalk, so that I am not able to navigate my chair any further until someone moves the object for me.

I have also discovered that while disability awareness has improved attitudes and perceptions that able-bodied people have toward those of us who use mobility devices, there is still much room for improvement. Every day I encounter those who talk down to me as if I were a child, who rush to do things for me without giving me a chance to do them myself, and who stare at me as those wondering why anyone would let someone like me out in public.

My reflections on how things were then and how things are now lead me to the conclusion that, yes, things are much better for people with disabilities than they once were. Changes in laws, in attitudes, and advances in technology have enabled us to live full and independent lives, as long as we can get the services we need, or are able to afford the technology that exists to help us in many areas. I am also keenly aware that those of us who work and/or advocate for disability rights and services cannot rest on our laurels. Although we have come far, we still have a long way to go. We must not stop advocating for funding, for advances in technology, for pubic accessibility, for improvement in employment opportunities, and other services and programs that will enable us to become fully independent and integrated into our community. We also need to continue to improve awareness, so that attitudes toward us can keep advancing. With all of us working together, we can enjoy a bright future for ourselves and geerations to come.

Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Quote & Disability Today

Please let following quote encourage and inspire you today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Keep up the good fight. Civil rights for people with disabilities is the unfinished business of America. Don’t stop fighting for equality & we won’t either.

Whatever career you may choose for yourself - doctor, lawyer, teacher - let me propose an avocation to be pursued along with it. Become a dedicated fighter for civil rights. Make it a central part of your life. It will make you a better doctor, a better lawyer, a better teacher. It will enrich your spirit as nothing else possibly can. It will give you that rare sense of nobility that can only spring from love and selflessly helping your fellow man. Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country and a finer world to live in. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

What does the ADA mean to you?

The ADA: 20 Years

- By Keith Hosey -

Hello readers. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be twenty years old in July. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time thinking about this lately. What does the ADA mean to me? Well, I’m certainly not as severely disabled as many people I know, who have probably been more affected by the ADA and could probably answer this question better. So what I thought, is that I’ll take some video this year to celebrate the ADA anniversary of people I know telling their stories and how the ADA has affected their lives. Please look for that in the coming few months.

The ADA is an essential piece of civil rights protection for people of all disabilities. While many groups have had civil rights for decades, people with disabilities were not guaranteed by law equal rights and protection from discrimination until 1990 (or later depending on the provision). While I’m a romantic at heart, I know the truth is that people with disabilities still fight daily across this great nation for their rights. Not special treatment (as the argument goes sometimes), equal access, equal rights. Rosa Parks fought in the 50s and 60s for the right to sit anywhere on the bus she wanted. ADAPT fought in the 80s for the right of people with disabilities to simply be able to get on, and ride a bus.

It was a wonderful bipartisan piece of legislation that has freed millions of Americans with disabilities and hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians with disabilities to live the American dream. These laws would not have passed without Senators and Congress people who believe that equality and human dignity should triumph above all.

The ADA is no done deal. The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) was enacted recently because the original ADA had been weakened so much in the area of employment by the courts, the legislature felt they needed to return disability rights to the original intention of the ADA. We still struggle for our rights. Let’s not forget those who have paved the way for us to keep fighting.

But, please, share: What does the ADA mean to you?

Note: I just learned that a Center for Independent Living in California asked Google to change their doodle on July 26th to celebrate the ADA. Google replied that the ADA is "not the type of event promoted on [its] home page."

And yet Google HAS changed its Doodle to reflect the anniversary of a constructed language called "Esperanto," Jacques Cousteau's 100th birthday, and the 30th anniversary of the Pac-Man video game! It is insulting to choose to celebrate a video game in lieu of a piece of civil rights legislation that has won new levels of freedom for the millions of Americans with disabilities. Please join their cause by asking Google to celebrate the ADA.

Photo Credit

Social Justice is Everybody’s Issue - Part 2

- by Keith Hosey -

When I posted Social Justice is Everybody’s Issue (please read it if you haven't) the point I wanted to make was that Rosetta Thurman is right-on about allies being essential in social justice. I’m not the greatest writer and I realize I got sidetracked a bit and said “we all get complacent sometimes.” I was shortsighted here in using the word complacent. I don’t use any mobility devices, I’m not limited in my communication or my sight. I have some physical limitations, but they are not near as severe as many people I know. I have been an active civil rights advocate for seven years only – because before I worked at the Center, I never really knew of, or thought about, the inequities in our society that are presented every day to people with severe disabilities, even though I myself have a mild physical impairment.

My point here is this. I am relatively new to disability rights and while I choose, or not choose, to shop somewhere because of access, it’s a choice. When I get tired, when it’s ultimately more convenient to walk over that inaccessible threshold, I can. Sometimes I forget this. Then I read about Glenda Watson Hyatt not making her Duet with Chris Brogan at SOBCon (a conference for Successful and Outstanding Bloggers) because the bar wasn’t accessible. She wrote a great post about it and said, “The group left for the Blue Frog. I went back to the hotel to go bed, disappointed. In that moment, inaccessibility wasn’t about the law, my rights, or me being part of an under tapped market. In that moment, it was about missing the opportunity to do something crazy and unexpected with someone I admire, respect and trust.”

I thought why not fight? I thought about the situation for a whole day. I have been an active civil rights advocate for seven years only – Glenda has been an active civil rights advocate for decades. When she gets tired of fighting, when it’s ultimately more convenient to walk over that inaccessible threshold, she can’t. So if Glenda wants to pick her fights, I'm all for it. And this is why Rosetta’s “allies” are so important. Yes, we people with disabilities need to stand up for our rights, but we need to find those who will help us in that fight. Fortunately Glenda has many allies (she calls disciples) to contact the Blue Frog’s Facebook page and complain. J

New Year's Resolution

By Keith Hosey

A new year means new promises to ourselves. Like many people, I often make new years resolutions and try to stick to it for more than two months. This year’s resolutions are probably similar to those many other people make, I want to eat healthier, exercise more, try to simplify my crazy life a little. As we start a new decade, I ask those whose lives or loved ones’ lives are touched by disability to make a resolution with me.

That resolution is: Make your voice heard.

Our federal representatives are currently debating a health reform bill in Washington that will affect people with disabilities, for the better hopefully. The Kentucky legislature 2010 session just started and among other important pieces of legislature, they will be debating how to fill a gaping hole in the state budget. Kentuckians with disabilities will be affected by what they decide. People with disabilities represent the largest political minority in America and Kentucky. Historically, this is a group that doesn’t necessarily flex that political power.

So, please make your voice heard! Here is a good guide for keeping up with and contacting your legislators: http://www.calky.org/news.html#Legislative

Also, here’s a message I received from Kentucky’s LRC this week:

The Legislative Research Commission (LRC), invites members of the public to attend legislative committee meetings and floor sessions while lawmakers are at the State Capitol for the General Assembly's 2010 session, however, there are ways for citizens to stay in touch with the legislative process even if they can't make the trip to Frankfort.

The Kentucky Legislature Web Page is updated daily to give citizens the latest updates, bill summaries, amendments, and resolutions as well as each bill's status and the next day's committee-meeting schedule and agendas.

The site also provides Kentucky's senators' and representatives' phone numbers, addresses, and legislative committee assignments. Toll-free phone lines help citizens across the state follow legislative action and offer their input.

People who want to give lawmakers feedback can do so by calling the Legislative Message Line at (800) 372-7181. A Spanish Line is (866) 840-6574, and anyone with a hearing impairment can use the TTY Message Line at (800) 896-0305.

A taped message containing information on the daily schedule for legislative committee meetings is available by calling the Legislative Calendar Line at (800) 633-9650. Information on the status of each bill being considered is available on the Bill Status Line, (866) 840-2835 or by signing up for Bill Watch.