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בית / אלבומים / Washington DC, Spring 2002 29
תאריך יצירה / 2013 / יולי
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Incitement Incitement Incitement Volume 18 No 2 A Publication of ADAPT Summer 2002 [headline] What is a Homeland Without a Home? [Subheading] ADAPT DC Action: Let Freedom Ring [Subheading] Another Mother for Freedom Mothers Day 2002 was the kick off for the Spring ADAPT action in DC With 75% of those in nursing homes being women, and the majority of those who provide long-term services and supports being women this seemed only appropriate. So, on this beautiful spring day, we took off on the first of many long marches and brought the issue to the doorstep of the White House and to the wife and mother of the President of the United States. ADAPT delivered a giant five foot by eight foot mothers day card to First Lady Laura Bush and to Barbara Bush, mother of the current president and First Lady for the passage of [image] [image caption] [text resumes] the Americans with Disabilities Act. Both were asked to give American women the ?Gift of Freedom" by supporting Medicaid reform and the Medicaid Community-based Attendant Services and Supports Act (MiCASSA). The crowd included mothers, children and supporters who all believe our national long term care system needs massive reform to end the bias that pushes so many women (and men) into nursing homes and other institutions after a life-time of supporting others. After the presentation of the card, the crowd sang two versions of Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up and Put You in A Nursing Home, (takeoffs on Willie Nelson's famous Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys song. see page 5) Meanwhile, in Houston, where Barbara Bush now lives, disability advocates including members of Houston ADAPT, the Houston Center for Independent Living and the Center on Women and Disabilities made a similar presentation. Children of women with disabilities spoke out against locking up their moms, urged all Americans to end this terrible national policy, and urged swift passage of MiCASSA. [Subheading] Follow the Money Day two ADAPT took to heart the old political saying ?follow the money." And where do all the bucks stop in DC? What is one of the biggest barriers to implementation of Olmstead, MiCASSA and similar efforts? The Office of Management and Budget, OMB. For years their name has been invoked in hushed tones, like the evil sorcerer Voldemort in Harry Potter, and for years OMB has quietly but firmly stepped on initiative after initiative to Free Our People. So ADAPT took to the streets around their building and closed down Pennsylvania Avenue, 17th Street and H Street, as well as blocking their front doors. And many DC power movers and shakers were startled to find that, just like a nursing home, you could not get out. Terrible storms threatened, the skies [image] [image caption] [text resumes] blackened, clouds swirled and wind gusted. But ADAPT's troops stood firm, holding the doors and intersections until the giant was forced to react. Emissaries from the White House finally came out and tried to distract the ADAPT leadership with offers of discus-sions of the issues, in order to better under-stand what has been explained for over a decade now. At 4:00 it was absolutely impossible to arrange a meeting with Mitchell Daniels, Jr., the Director of OMB, and White House staff left the negotiations .... But ADAPT held firm. 1' I think the White House and the police really began to realize how important our freedom is to us," said Steve Verriden, ADAPT Wisconsin State Organizer. ?When it started to rain, they were surprised that no one made any move to leave. We all just pulled on rain ponchos, shared umbrellas, taped plastic over the electric controls on our wheelchairs, and settled in for however long it was going take to get the meeting. We would have been arrested or slept there if need be." At 4:45 the impossible became possible: we had a written commitment for the meeting. [subheading] Jobs for Justice? When looking at why the institutional bias remains so strong, there is one group of players that, perhaps most of all, should know better but remains a problem, year after year the unions. Jobs at any cost, lives for a pay-check, are the cynical view of the situation of union jobs in the long-term care arena. While progressives write summarily about the triad pushing for reform (families, workers and people with disabilities) there is a definite hierarchy to the picture, and guess who is on the bottom. Reform rarely means more than better wages for the institutional workers and ra break" for the family; guess who is the burden to all. Laguna Honda was a recent lesson in this regard with workers organizing to rebuild that monstrosity, stabbing the disability community in the back after getting dis-ability support for increased wages, and even within a single union $25 a hour in the institution, $10 or less in the community. But this story has been told again and again, at almost every state institution slated for downsizing or closure. AFSCME has even been rumored to fund the Voice of the Retarded from time to time. ADAPT shares the unions' goal of a living wage for the workers who assist us," said Bob Kafka, National ADAPT Organizer from Texas. That only increases the chances we will get better care from more qualified assistants, who will remain in their jobs over time. What we will not accept, though, is holding people with [image] [no image caption] disabilities hostage in nursing homes and institutions to protect jobs for unionized employees. ADAPT's strong message to union officials has been heard, and now we can work on solutions to our mutual problems." ADAPT took a three way approach. One group headed to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which organizes nursing home, ?home care" and some state institutional workers One group went to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which organizes state institutional workers. The third group hit the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Marching through the streets we took a route that let us split off at the last minute, since by this time the police were escorting us where ever we went Each group entered the lobby of their designated building and demanded a meeting with their heads to discuss support for MiC-ASSA In a relatively short time all three groups got a written commitment for meetings within 60 days. Gerald W. McEntee, President of AFSCME, and who also serves on the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO, committed to personally arrange a meeting with ADAPT representatives, himself, John J. Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, and Andrew Stern, International President of the SEIU. In fact, by the end of May SEIU had written and committed to supporting MiCASSA. [Subheading] A National Call for MiCASSA ADAPT's week in DC ended with a MiCASSA event held on Capitol Hill and hosted by MiCASSA's cosponsors and ably emceed by NCIL's Courtland Townes. 500 supporters crammed into the spacious meeting room in the Rayburn building to hear the cosponsors and supporter groups speak on behalf of the bills HR 3612 and S 1298. Yet despite the huge room, so many were there that a sound system was set up for those who flowed over into the halls of the Senate office building. What made the event especially momentous was that 81 sites across the nation were hooked up by telephone so over 3,000 people participated From New Hampshire to California, from Florida to Washington state, from Montana to Texas, advocates were in-volved and empowered to recommit to the fight to FREE OUR PEOPLE! Speakers from Congress included original cosponsors of S.1298, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA); cosponsors of H.R. 3612, Rep Danny Davis (D-IL), and Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), as well as Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS) and Rep. Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA) Disability organization and grassroots participants included Barbara Toomer, ADAPT Utah State Organizer; Mike Oxford, President of the National Council for Independent Living (NCIL); Howard Bedlin of the National Council on Aging (NCOA); Marty Ford of the Arc representing the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), nursing home escapee Rick James of Denver ADAPT; Jim Ward of ADA Watch; Marcie Roth, Executive Director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA); Becky Ogle and Brian Rasmussen of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP); institution escapee Marie Anderson of Knoxville Tennessee ADAPT; Maureen McCloskey of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA); Andy Imparato, Executive Director of the American Association of Persons with Disabilities (AAPD); and nursing home escapee Shelly Perrin of Rochester, New York ADAPT. After the event, people broke into state teams and visited the Congress people and Senators to pass the word of MiCASSA and to ask for their cosponsorship of the House or Senate version of the bill, and eight more House members signed on with several others considering it! Though the War on Terrorism and Homeland defense are eclipsing almost every item of domestic policy including our "homeland defense" of MiCASSA, and may delay passage of this bill until next session, these events greatly strengthened the foundation for MiCASSA for the next session. So even if the bill needs to be reintroduced, the momentum for passage is building. photos by Tim Wheat [next article/poem/song] [Headline] Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Put You in a Nursing Home by Mike Oxford Mommas, don't let your babies put you in a nursing home With strangers alone, And you're never at home, Not with the ones that you love... Mommas, don't let you're babies put you in a nursing home Where dignity's blown, And the bed's not your own, Stranger no place to call home... Mommas, don't let your babies put you in a nursing home With strangers alone, And you're never at home, Not with the ones that you love... Mama's there's blue sky, there's rain There's joy and there's pain Live where you want to Stay where you will Support MiCASSA, our bill! [third article/song/poem] [headline] Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up And Put You in a Nursing Home! by Anita Cameron Mommas, when you get old, your kids you know, they start to worry, About how you're gonna get along in this world of stress, strife and hurry So, they'll take you to a place with a cute name where they think you'll be safe Never knowing your golden years Will be filled with many tears, Living with strangers and strange smells all day. Refrain: Mommas, don't let your babies grow up And put you in a nursing home. 'Cause a nursing home ain't your home, And you'll be all forlorn, Wondering why you are living this way. Mommas, don't let your babies grow up and put you in a nursing home 'Cause even with money, it ain't peaches and honey, Livin' without respect or dignity each day. Mommas, all over America from Barbara to the woman who's out on the street There's a thing called MiCASSA that'll give you a choice where you wanna be. You can stay in your own home, and have all the help that you need to be happy and free So come lift up your voice And speak out for real choice And support MiCASSA with met - ADAPT (1404)
This page continues the article from Image 1405. Full text is available on 1405 for easier reading. - ADAPT (1403)
This page continues the article from Image 1405. Full text is available on 1405 for easier reading. - ADAPT (1402)
This page continues the article from Image 1405. Full text is available on 1405 for easier reading. - ADAPT (1401)
This page continues the article from Image 1405. Full text is available on 1405 for easier reading. - ADAPT (1400)
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Aruba Daily Monday, May 13, 2002 [Headline] Some 200 wheelchair [2 image] [caption for both images] Some 200 wheelchair bound people surround the front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, 12 May 2002, in Washington, DC. The group from the American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT) organization yelled on loudspeakers across the fence to US President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush as a Mother's Day card in recognition of their work in advancing literacy and education, and their efforts on behalf of Afghan women, and asked for their support for countless American women who are forced into segregation away from home and family by failed public policy that supports institutions over community. - ADAPT (1395)
[headline] A Mother's Day Wish To Barbara and Laura Bush: [subheading] Give the "Gift of Freedom" May 12, 2002 Dear Barbara and Laura Bush: Happy Mother's Day. Today millions of women all over our country are recognized for their role as cornerstones and nurturers of our families and community. You both are among these women, for both your private and public roles. You both are known for your belief in the importance of family, community, independence and opportunity. Barbara, your work on literacy is widely recognized, and speaks to a fundamental cultural need, as fundamental as long-term care. Laura, you too work on education issues, and have rightly been honored for your support of Afghan women; American women also need your help. As we celebrate Mother's Day, many of the the women we honor are neglected by our long-term care system. Long-term care is overwhelmingly a women's issue. Approximately 1.2 million women live in nursing homes and other institutions. This alarming fact reminds us that our long-term care system does not support community and family values; in fact it does the opposite --- disproportionately forcing women into nursing homes and other institutions. Consider these long-term care statistics: About 75% of nursing home residents are women; Average cost of service in a nursing home was $48,000 (1997); Estimated nursing home costs by 2030 will be $97,000; The typical woman over 65 has an income of about $13,000; Nearly 50% of women in nursing homes are on Medicaid; Two thirds of home care consumers are women; Almost 8 in 10 unpaid caregivers are women. These women bore and raised us, and now when they need support they become the victims of our throw-away society. There is a better way to treat our grandmothers, mothers, daughters and sisters! Our long-term care system needs to be reformed. The Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Support Act of 2001, MiC-ASSA, is a step in the right direction and will begin the reform necessary to give women the ability to choose where and how they receive services. We ask you to talk with your son and husband, President George W Bush, and with other sons, husbands, fathers and brothers! Talk with daughters, wives, daughters-in-law, sisters, mothers and even grandmothers. Encourage the President, and the others too, to support S. 1298 and HB 3612. This support gives the "Gift of Freedom" to America's mothers on Mother's day. Thank you for your support of freedom and dignity for woman. Free Our People! ADAPT members - ADAPT (1394)
THE BOSTON GLO BE The Nation [Headline] Crowd in wheelchairs asks Bush for funding More than 150 people in wheelchairs staged a Mother's Day protest outside the White House to demand that President Bush fund alternatives to nursing homes for the elderly and the disabled. Scores of people in wheelchairs lined up on Pennsylvania Avenue across from the executive mansion on either side of a giant Mother's Day "card" addressed to the president's wife, Laura, and his mother, Barbara. It asked them to urge Bush to support federal funding for things like personal assistance to help_people live at home rather than in institutions. The demonstration was peaceful, with no arrests, law enforcement officers said. (Reuters) - ADAPT (1393)
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For Immediate Release Contact: Jennifer Palmieri May 14, 2002 202-863-8148 DNC Chairman McAuliffe Calls for 'Real Freedom, Not Just New Freedom" for Americans with Disabilities Washington, D C.--Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe today called on Congress to enact "Real Freedom" initiatives that improve the independence, economic self-sufficiency and societal participation of Americans with Disabilities. "President Bush's so-called New Freedom Initiative falls far short of the "Real Freedom" needed by Americans with disabilities," McAuliffe said. "President Bush is failing not only to live up to the rhetoric in his New Freedom Initiative, but also the real bipartisan nature of disability policy, failing to sustain the strong Clinton Administration record, and, most of all, failing people with disabilities. • Real Freedom means knowing that our prosperous nation will strengthen and modernize Social Security for all current and future beneficiaries. • Real Freedom means real choice in which people with disabilities receive long-term services and supports. We need federal legislation, like MiCASSA, (Medicaid Community Attendant Services Act) to be enacted that offers Real Freedom for people with and without disabilities the choice of receiving long-term care services and support in their own homes in the community. • Real Freedom means assuring that seniors and people with disabilities have access to and can afford needed prescription drugs. We need a comprehensive prescription drug plan, like the one proposed by Senate Democrats, so that those living on a fixed income don't have to choose between eating and maintaining their health. --more-- • Real Freedom means being able to leave their homes without fear. We need to modify Medicare homebound rules so that people with disabilities can maintain their health and move about freely in their communities. • Real Freedom means having access to quality, affordable health care to enable people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities to go to work and contribute to our nation's economy. President Clinton signed the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act into law. Our nation now needs swift implementation of this law and passage of the Family Opportunity Act so that parents of children with disabilities will not have to impoverish themselves to get the services their children need. "We need Presidential leadership and Congressional action to enact 'Real Freedom' initiatives that improve the independence, economic self-sufficiency and societal participation of Americans with Disabilities Democrats will continue to fight on the issues that will give people with disabilities more than just rhetoric. We will fight to give them real freedom," McAuliffe said. ### For more information go to: www.democrats.org Democratic National Committee Pres Office 430 South Capitol Street SE Washington, DC 20003 Phone - 202/863-8148 Fax - 202/863-7194 E-mail: dnc_press_office@dnc.democrats.org URL: wwvv.democrats.org