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Inici / Àlbums / Etiqueta Bob Kafka 25
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ADAPT (469)
PHOTO (by Tom Olin?): A group of ADAPT activists sit on the front entrance to a public building. Some are in wheelchairs, some sit on the steps. From the left: Lonny Smith, Bob Kafka, unidentified man standing, Barb Gurthrie (smiling), unknown man in wheelchair with back to camera, unknown woman in wheelchair, Bernard Baker (with sign saying Access is a Civil Right), unknown woman in wheelchair sitting sideways in front of door, Stephanie Thomas on ground, Mark Mactimmus in red ADAPT shirt, Diane Coleman, and Joe Carle. An Access NOW poster is taped to the railing on the steps.
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PHOTO by Tom Olin: George Roberts, wearing an UMTA name badge, an ADAPT headband and black and gold ADAPT "no steps" T-Shirt, looks down as Bob Kafka and he chain their wheelchairs together. Bob is bent forward, doubled over, using his arms to hide the lock as they attach their wheelchairs.
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PHOTO by Tom Olin: A crowd of ADAPT protesters in various items of Revolutionary War Patriots garb surround the Liberty Bell. Park Rangers stand on either side of the bell. A man in a manual wheelchair wearing a wig and rainbow suspenders sits with his back to the camera, a Disabled But Able to Vote bumper sticker across the back of his chair. Bob Kafka in a colonial jacket and tri-cornered hat faces the camera, to his left Mike Auberger is talking with a person with a small child on their hip. In the center of the picture, partially obscuring the Liberty Bell is a poster that reads "We Need to Get There Too!!" In the background green trees can be seen through a huge plate glass window.
ADAPT (476)
June 1989 ROLL CALL Page 11 [Headline] CORD Reps Join ADAPT in Philadelphia to Support Third Circuit Ruling Amy E. Hasbrouck & Kent Killam When the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia handed down its landmark decision in February — mandating lifts on new public transit buses, and eliminating the 3% cap on spending for access -— only three of the 12 judges ruled in the case. Usually such rulings stand unchallenged, but in this case the Bush administration chose to file a motion to have the decision reheard, according to Bill Henning, Director, and Kent Killam, an Organizer/Advocate at the Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled (CORD). On Monday, May 15, all 12 judges heard arguments in a suit filed by American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation (ADAPT) demanding “meaningful” access to public transit for people with disabilities. Over 50 disabled rights activists turned out in Philadelphia over the preceding weekend to voice support for the original ruling, and objection to inaccessible public transportation. Many local activists were on hand for the weekend protests, including, Bill Henning, Michael Early, Killam and several others from CORD; BCIL member Leo Lucas; Fred Zepernick, an organizer for the Cape United Elderly; and Brian Shea, a member of BCIL’s Consumer Affairs Committee. Killam described what happened when the protesters arrived in Philadelphia on Friday afternoon. “We marched into the courthouse requesting to see the U.S. Attorney [Baylson] for the Philadelphia District," he said. “We could only get five people in through security, because they said the Attorney’s office was small. It got a little heated with security, and at one point we wound up blocking the metal detector and the gate. If they weren’t going to let us in to see the attorney and then we said ‘no one was going.’ They dragged chairs away, and we would wheel right back in.” Killam said the scene ended with Baylson phoning Attorney General Richard Thornburgh who was assisting the Department of Transportation (DOT) on the case. Baylson also met with the activists in the Ceremonial Court, an accessible courtroom on the first floor where the hearing would be held on Monday. “He said he had placed the call and expressed our concerns; how important this decision is for persons with disabilities to get out and be able to mainstream, the disabled term for integration. We were here showing our support and trying to express how important it was that this decision not be overturned.” Killam said Baylson sounded receptive. “On Saturday at 1 p.m. we gathered outside the courthouse on Sixth and Market streets," Killam continued. “We decided we wanted to ride the bus to New Jersey. To sum it up, we had three buses blocked." Bob Kafka of ADAPT crawled onto a bus at curbside, and as a second and third bus arrived, each was blocked and one demonstrator would leave his or her chair and climb onto the bus. Killam said when the second bus arrived, “The bus driver was holding up his hands saying ‘OH NO, not me!’ If they were smart they wouldn’t’ve let him through. We blocked that quarter of the intersection, traffic was blocked, people were pissed. They wound up having to let the motorists drive one at a time on the sidewalk. We plastered the buses with ADAPT stickers. “I didn't crawl on initially,” said Killam, who volunteered when another activist could not continue. “Toward the end I wasn't thinking much. I was thinking of what we had accomplished. And hoping it would make a difference, come Monday.” The police called the media, a press conference was held, then the demonstrators cleared the street. No arrests were made, and the police were very cooperative, according to Killam. “I felt people around were getting the point. I'm not sure if the proper people got the point." Killam said that one TV station gave the event limited coverage. “That night it was like a 25 or 30 second clip. ‘Bunch of radical gimps block buses’ that was about it." CORD Director Henning summed up the message of the action: “Without lifts on buses, the only way we can get on was to crawl.” On Sunday the group gathered in front of Independence Hall. Many people wore Revolutionary War costumes tri-cornered hats and white wigs. Someone also carried an ADAPT flag which resembles the American flag except that stars are arranged to form the international symbol of accessibility. The group marched around the two-block perimeter of Independence Hall. “When we were having the march a lot of people were applauding and taking pictures," said Killam. “Much better response on Sunday than on Saturday; we weren't blocking the buses." The march ended in the Liberty Bell pavilion. “We decided to rename it the Access Bell, as a lot of organizations have adopted it as their trademark. “We then marched across the street to the courthouse and did our all-night vigil. It started raining a little, but the building had an overhang. Different TV stations showed up. One station did a beautiful piece on the 11 o’clock news. One crew came at four in the morning to get footage for their 6:15 morning news on Monday. No one tried to make us leave. “Monday morning finally rolled around, and we went inside the courthouse to wait for the hearing. I'm told the hearing went well. Tim Cook, the attorney for ADAPT, did an excellent job! He was very to the point, well-worded, his thoughts were well organized, and he answered the questions very well. The DOT attorney was just mediocre." Bill Henning noted some highlights of ADAPT ‘s presentation. “Tim argued that federal statute guarantees access and so all buses must have lifts. Providing lifts is not a hardship economically and without lifts, there is extreme discrimination. The opposing attorney said it would be an undue burden to provide lifts." Henning wondered if crawling onto a bus is not an undue burden? He said it could be up to four months before the decision comes back, and described some possible outcomes. "They have a number of options, which range from accepting the original decision, to reconsidering it and issuing an entirely new decision." Henning said all the actions were designed to raise consciousness. “To that effect I think it was extremely well done," he said. “There was national attention on the event. This is an important decision because what it filters down to is that separate is not equal. It's vital that there be popular support. A lot of activists put themselves on the line for the cause."
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Two articles included here: Denver Post April 26, 1989 [Headline] Disabled protesters physically removed from the Federal Building By Peter G. Chronis Denver Post Staff writer More than 40 disabled demonstrators in wheelchairs jammed the lobby of U.S. Attorney Mike Norton's Denver office Tuesday to protest U.S. Justice Department action in a transit-access lawsuit. About 30 members of Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation and a few non-disabled protesters stayed from noon to 5:30 p.m., when officers of the Federal Protective Service began removing them from the 12th floor of the Federal Building at 19th and Stout streets. All the demonstrators were physically led from the building, but no one was arrested. Protesters from Texas, Georgia, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York and elsewhere have converged on Denver to demonstrate this week during a federal Urban Mass Transit Administration meeting. They blocked lobbies and doorways of the Radisson Hotel on Sunday night and on Monday; on Tuesday, they targeted Norton’s lobby. The group's grievance is rooted in a Philadelphia lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation in which a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals mandated that all new public transit buses be equipped with hydraulic lifts for the handicapped. ADAPT member Diane Coleman, a Los Angeles lawyer, said the Justice Department has asked the appeals court to vacate the decision and rehear the suit before the entire 12-member court. The full court agreed to do that, and it has has set oral arguments for May 15. Demonstrators demanded that Norton set up a conference telephone call with U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh, but Norton told the group that Thornburgh was traveling and could not be reached. Norton, shouted down several times as he spoke, promised to write a letter to Thornburgh expressing the protesters‘ concerns. He also gave the demonstrators Thornburgh’s Washington telephone number. About 4 p.m., after calling Washington, Norton also told the group that the administration appealed the court decision because it felt a policy calling for $270 million a year in additional spending should be made either by the administration or by Congress — not by a federal district court. Coleman said federal regulations allow decisions on disabled transportation to be made locally. “As a practical matter, that meant no transportation," she said. “We want a nationwide policy — we don't want to fight city by city." Bob Kafka, an ADAPT member from Austin, Texas, added, "Disabled kids in school today are being sold a bill of goods that they‘re going to be integrated into society." Transportation is the key to integrating the disabled, he said. Ironically, he also said that Denver's public transportation facilities for the handicapped offer relatively good access to the disabled. The end of first article; second article below: Rocky Mountain News LOCAL BRIEFS Rocky Mountain News Staff April 26, 1989 [Headline] Wheelchair-lift issue in court’s lap, lawyer says U.S. Attorney Michael Norton yesterday told a group of disabled activists that the federal government's appeal of a court ruling on bus wheelchair lifts was out of his hands. Norton appeared before 40 wheelchair-bound members of ADAPT, American Disabled for Access to Public Transit, who had camped several hours outside his 12th floor offices in Denver's federal building. ADAPT members are angry about an appeal by the U.S. Justice Department on behalf of the Department of Transportation. The appeal seeks to overturn a federal court ruling requiring all local transit buses to be equipped with wheelchair lifts. Thirty protesters were arrested Monday for blocking the doors of the Radisson Hotel, where their target, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, was holding a conference.
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14—Rocky Mountain News., April 25, 1989, Denver, Colo PHOTO by KEN PAPALEO/Rocky Mountain Naws A group of ADAPT people in wheelchairs and sitting on the ground form a blockade in front of a major entryway to the Radisson Hotel. The hotel doormat is visible in front of the group. Behind them a single cop, with his arms folded across his chest, stands to one side of the door. From left to right the group includes: a woman in a manual chair, Bob Kafka sitting on the ground, Barb Guthrie facing out and behind her someone in a wheelchair facing in, next to that person is a person on the ground and in front of that person is Anita Cameron in a cap and holding her white cane, in front of her is an empty wheelchair facing the group. Next to Anita is Stephanie Thomas on the ground with her chair facing her, and behind her is Bernard Baker. Next to Bernard is Mike McTimmus and beside him is Joe Carle in his manual chair. In front of Joe, George Florum sits sidways and looks out at the camera with a pissed off expression intensified by his dark sun glasses. Behind and to the side of him is Chris Hronis in a power chair, and someone stands behind him. Caption reads: Members of ADAPT protest at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Denver. They were there yesterday as the Urban Mass Transportation Administration held its fifth annual Symposium on Public Transit and the Private Sector.
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ON THE MOVE [Headline] Disabled Win Partial Victory in Sit-In Over Bus Access By Alma E. Hill Staff Writer The second day of protests by disabled persons — who blocked the main entrances and elevators of the Richard B. Russell Federal Building — ended Tuesday afternoon when an agreement was reached between officials of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) and leaders of the demonstration. American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation (ADAPT) protested a lack of access for the handicapped to public buses and demanded an immediate order from the federal government that all new buses be equipped with wheelchair lifts. In an impromptu meeting on the front steps of the building with protest leaders, Steven A Diaz, chief counsel for UMTA, said it was not within U.S. Transportation Secretary Samuel K. Skinner's authority to issue such an order. However, he agreed to ask Transportation Department officials to meet with the protesters to establish a process to identify public transit authorities that are deliberately speeding up purchase of new buses to circumvent a bill pending in Congress mandating that such buses have wheelchair lifts. The Americans With Disabilities Act would require new buses purchased with federal dollars to be equipped with lifts. The equipment would add about $12,000 to $15,000 to the cost of a new bus and an additional $2,000 per year to maintain, according to John A Cline, associate administrator of UMTA. Without the lift, a bus costs about $155,000. UMTA also agreed to relay to Mr. Skinner ADAPT‘s concerns about the slow implementation of the Air Carriers Access Act of 1986, which stipulates that airports be accessible to the handicapped. The agreement fell short of demands protesters had made at the start of the demonstration, but ADAPT leaders said ... DISABLED Continued on B5 [we do not have second part of this article] PHOTO 1 (by Andy Sharp/Staff): A wiry grey haired man in an ADAPT T-shirt, raises himself in his motorized wheelchair, using his arms and legs to push out of the seat, mouth open yelling. Behind him a young woman with an ADAPT headband around her forehead looks at him and yells. Someone's hand is grabbing the armrest of his wheelchair. The two are trying to hold an elevator door open to block the elevator. Behind them a policeman in a hat with a tattoo on his arm tries to push them out and close the door. Caption: Police try to stop Arthur Campbell of Louisville, Ky., from blocking an elevator in the Federal Building Tuesday; at right is protester Rhonda Lester. PHOTO 2 (by Marvin Hill, JR/Staff): A woman, yelling, presses her motorized wheelchair up by the glass doors. There is a "Do Not Enter" sticker above her head. Beside her a man sits in his wheelchair with his back to the door, blocking it. Behind them several other protesters are visible through the reflections on the glass of the door. PHOTO 3 (by Andy Sharp/Staff): A disabled man lies on the floor on his side by a wheelchair while another young man with a backpack stands beside him holding a sports chair over his head as if ready to carry it over the man on the ground. Behind them a man stands on one side and on another a woman stands with her arms akimbo as if trying to balance. A small crowd is visible through the confusion. caption for photos 2 & 3: Christine Coughlin of Phoenix, Ariz. (above) joins in Tuesday's protest; Bob Kafka (right) lies on the floor to help block access to the building's elevator.
ADAPT (507): 300 strong ADAPT waits outside APTA Hotel
PHOTO (by Tom Olin): Black and white photo looking up the street divided by the wooden barricades. The picture is taken from behind the ADAPT people behind the barricades which curve across to block the whole street in the foreground. A car comes down the empty side toward the camera. Metal barriers divide the other side of the street from the sidewalk where there are a couple of low temporary structures. A police officer in a helmet and leather jacket stands at one side of the picture, handcuffs and gun visible on his or her belt and radio on the shoulder. All the ADAPT folks seem to be looking up the street at the approaching car. The crowd is two or three people deep and seems to extend a city block or possibly more. Bernard Baker wears a “We Will Ride” sign on the back of his motorized wheelchair and Mike Ervin has a sign reading “On It or In Front of It” on his. In the far distance, beyond the car a policeman seems to be talking with some of the protesters.
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The New York Times Sunday March 18, 1990 Growth of a Civil Rights Movement The Disabled Find a Voice and Make Sure It Is Heard by Steven A. Holmes Doing whatever it takes to fulfill the promise of a landmark Federal law. WASHINGTON THE pictures were striking, just as they were intended to be: Children paralyzed from the waist down crawling up the steps of the Capitol, and more than 100 protesters, most in wheelchairs, being arrested by police officers in riot gear after a raucous demonstration in the Rotunda. The aim of the demonstration was to press for enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a comprehensive civil rights bill that extends to physically and mentally disabled individuals the same protections against biased treatment in employment, transportation and public accommodations now accorded women and minorities. You can view disability rights as one of the latest chapters in the overall civil rights movement,” said Wayne Sailor, a professor of special education at San Francisco State University. It was not always so. For years, the agenda for the disabled was set by organizations like the March of Dimes and the Easter Seals Foundation, which focused on providing services for the disabled and prying money loose from government and individuals to find cures for such illnesses as cerebral palsy. In the last two decades, however, the attitude of those with disabilities has shifted from being passive recipients of institutional largess and paternalism to demanding a full role in society. “We're not Tiny Tims, or Jerry’s kids," said Bob Kafka, a quadriplegic from Austin, Tex., as he demonstrated outside the White House last week. The disability rights movement was shaped by' a number of scientific, cultural and political forces. In many ways, it is a by-product of the technological revolution. Breakthroughs in medicine, the development of computers that allow the hearing and speech impaired to use telephones, and advancements in motorized wheelchairs have meant more people with severe handicaps live longer, can do more for themselves and have the potential for enjoying fuller lives. "There are people with serious spinal cord injuries who used to die within two weeks that now live 30 or 40 years," said Dr. Frank Bowe, a deaf scholar whose 1978 book “Handicapping America" is to the disability rights movement what Betty Friedan's “The Feminist Mystique" was to the women's movement. “It’s one thing to say we have this marvelous technology, but if nobody‘s going to hire you, what's the point?” As the most efficient means of creating disabled people, wars have always been a factor in advancing the disability rights movement, and Vietnam was a main force. The war added a large number of disabled veterans, already angry over America's indifference to their sacrifice in Southeast Asia, to an army of people with disabilities demanding fairer treatment. The Library of Congress, for example, estimates there are 43 million Americans with some form of disability. In l973, after two vetoes by President Richard M. Nixon, Congress passed Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which barred discrimination against the disabled by any entity receiving Federal funds. But no regulations were written to put it into effect until 1978, after advocates staged a 28-day sit-in. Entrenched Barriers But barriers remained entrenched in the private sector, where the bulk of the new jobs were created in the last decade. "We had no rights at all there," Dr. Bowe said. During the l980's, the disability rights movement struck an alliance with traditional civil rights and feminist groups. As a result, for the first time, discrimination against the disabled was barred in the sale or rental of housing, “Standing alone, we could not have done that," said Pat Wright, director of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, who is legally blind. “But wrapped in the arms of the civil rights community we had a lot more power." The movement has also gained sympathetic ears both on Capitol Hill and in the Bush Administration. Officials and lawmakers who have relatives with various afflictions are more responsive, as are politicians who are increasingly aware that the votes of the disabled are up for grabs. That point became clear after the Republican National Convention in 1988, when, in his acceptance speech, Mr. Bush became the first Presidential candidate to address the problems of the disabled directly. A poll by Louis Harris and Associates taken after Mr. Bush's speech showed that the lead Michael S. Dukakis held over Mr. Bush among disabled voters fell to 10 points, from 33. But advocates say they have just begun. Just as the Government can pass laws that end racial discrimination, but not racism, it can outlaw biased treatment of the disabled but mot mandate acceptance of them. “You can't legislate attitudes," said Ms. Wright. “But the attitudinal barriers will drop the more disabled people are employed, the more they can be seen on the street and when we become not just a silent minority, but full participating members of society. Photo (from Associated Press): Looking up from the ground toward the dome of the Capitol in the background. In front a person in a wheelchair, back to the camera, holds the ADAPT flag. In front of the flag a man, Walter Hart, in a wheelchair with a bandanna tied around his head and dark sunglasses looks toward the first person. On the right side of the photo another man in a wheelchair, Joe Carle, sits talking with the other two. Caption: Rally near the Capitol last week to press for a bill extending rights for the disabled.
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The Handicapped Coloradan Small Text Box: If you feel like spending a few days In Washington, D.C. this March, give Wade Blank or Mike Auberger a ring at (303) 936-1110. They've got a tour of the Capitol Building that most travel agencies don't offer. PHOTO (by Tom Olin): Joe Carle, Diane Coleman, Bob Kafka and Mark Johnson, all in wheelchairs and dressed in revolutionary garb lead a march under the leafy trees of Philadelphia's historic district. They have tri-cornered hats, jackets with fancy buttons, ruffled shirts, a fife and drum. Behind the front of the line Ann ___ is visible, as well as other marchers. Diane carries the ADAPT flag and Joe has another dark flag on a tall pole. Caption: Militants could seize capitol rotunda -- Dressed In Revolutionary War garb, several ADAPT members rolled toward the Liberty Bell while the U.S. Court of Appeals was ruling that disabled people have a right to public transit. Many of these same activists are heading for Washington, D.C. on Mar. 10, in an attempt to get Congress to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1989. Protesters intend to leave their wheelchairs and crawl up the steps of the Capitol Building while Congress is in session. Article begins: ADAPT sets roll on D.C. To prod ADA passage Still a mile high following their victory in Atlanta last fall, disabled activists from across the country are planning on rolling on the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., to demand that lawmakers pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1989. The act, which grants sweeping civil rights to disabled people (much as the 1965 Civil Rights Act aided blacks), has passed the Senate but is currently bogged down in four House committees, and no one expects a vote earlier than Feb. 28 by the full House membership. Disabled militants, mostly members of the Denver-based American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT), are planning on arriving in Washington on March 10. "If the bill is still in committee at that time, we're going to treat it as if the bill is in trouble," said ADAPT founder Wade Blank, co-director of the Atlantis Community, a Denver independent living health care provider. Blank said that disabled lobbyists in Washington have warned ADAPT to avoid the confrontational politics that it has used in other cities while battling its arch-nemesis, the American Public Transit Association (APTA). The professional lobbyists said it is not advisable to upset Congress, according to Blank. That's too bad, Blank said, because "we're telling them right here and now that we're going in and kicking ass.” Blank expects several hundred will participate in the march on the capitol, with about 125 of the protesters prepared to leave their chairs and crawl upon the capitol steps while other militants sneak in and seize the rotunda itself. If all that works out, it could be ADAPT’s biggest action so far in its seven-year struggle to force transit companies to put a lift on every bus in the country. The federal government unofficially agreed to support that goal in a deal hammered out between representatives of ADAPT and President Bush in Atlanta last October. Part of that deal called upon the President to push for disabled rights in his State of the Union address, which he did, much to the satisfaction of ADAPT, which Blank described as being “very pleased” with Bush. “Now we're going to smoke out a few Democrats," he said. When the agreement was reached in Atlanta, two cities had already started the process of purchasing non-lift equipped buses. Since then Pittsburgh has reversed its position and agreed to buy only accessible buses, while Albuquerque refused to consider altering its plans. “They’ll go down in history as the last city in America to buy lift-less buses," Blank said. In the months since Atlanta, ADAPT has switched its attention to pushing for lifts on intercity coaches. To that end some 45 wheelchair demonstrators were in Dallas Jan. 21-24 to picket a joint meeting of the American Bus Association (ABA) and the United Bus Owners of America (UBOA). Greyhound, the largest intercity bus company, is headquartered in Dallas. Most of those demonstrators were participating in their first action, which Blank said proves that ADAPT is continuing to grow in strength and power. On the first day, pickets blocked the entrance to the conference hotel with relatively little fireworks. But on Monday, Jan. 22, the protesters hit the Greyhound depot where some 29 demonstrators were arrested for blocking buses. Twenty of those were first-time arrestees. Trial has been set for Feb. 12. On the third day, protesters stormed in the exposition hall and interrupted a trade show demonstrating the latest advances in bus design. Most of that design had nothing to do with helping wheelchair riders get on board, Blank said. UBOA president Wayne Smith, who has published articles in the New York Times arguing against the transit provisions of the ADA, decided not to call in the police, and for three hours militant wheelchair protesters engaged in debate with professional transit providers. “It was a very successful happening,” Blank said. He said he hoped that spirit would hold true for the Washington, D.C., action, where he expects to see more first-time protesters. A seminar on ADAPT’S history and tactics is set for Mar. 10 at the Comfort Inn on H Street in northwestern Washington, where neophyte activists are urged to go even if they are planning to stay elsewhere during the action. Although the ADA covers all disabilities, this action, called the “Wheels of Justice," will center on the rights of the mobility-impaired. Blank said he tried to coordinate his action with other groups, including the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), but was rebuffed. “They don't think of themselves as disabled,” he said. “And that’s fine.” (For more on this topic see Homer Page’s column on page 2, “The ADA and the Blind.”) Some blind advocacy groups, including the NFB, have argued that they don't want adaptive devices, such as special buttons on street corners, written into the bill. “We don't need them," said Page, who is vice president of the Colorado NFB chapter. Those people wishing to participate in ADAPT‘s “Wheels of Justice" should contact Blank or Mike Auberger at (303) 936-1110. PHOTO: Medium close up of Wade Blank from the waist up. He is smiling, wearing dark sun glasses and a vest. His below shoulder length blondish hair is parted in the middle. This text covers the article that appears in 537 and 538.
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WHEN IS TOO MUCH: "Helping" the Disabled by Mary McKnew Just as airplane pilots want assurance that a plane's steering wheel won‘t come off while flying over Europe, people utilizing a bus wheelchair lift deserve to expect that the lift will operate in a safe and predictable manner. However, I have to admit that too much focus on “safety” issues has me a little worried. To some transit officials, “safety” issues in providing transportation services for people with disabilities raise old stereotypes of helplessness and can quickly become a rationale for imposing paternalistic policies. For example, here in Olympia, the local Intercity Transit Authority and the state's Department of General Administration are co-sponsoring a shuttle service between the capitol and downtown Olympia with routes passing other major states offices. With the local parking problem, this system is extremely convenient. From the beginning, all vans used in the service have been equipped with wheelchair lifts. All this, of course, is very commendable. So, what's the problem? Unfortunately, the van's tie-down system, lack of grab-bars and driver policies reflect a paternalistic attitude towards disabled passengers by promoting dependence in the name of safety. The tie-down system is one of the most primitive I have ever encountered. It uses straps to bind each of a wheelchair's four wheels to the floor in a rather intricate system that takes the driver approximately five minutes to accomplish. To tie-down a wheelchair, the driver must get on his or her hands and knees. Thus, it is not possible for even very mobile wheelchair users to accomplish this independently. However, once the straps are in place, none of the wheels will move even a centimeter. During this five minute routine, other van passengers wait outside (some glancing at their watches) until the driver folds the lift back in place and allows them to board. After being strapped down, the driver then will place a seat-belt around the wheelchair user. Seat belts are not available for other passengers. If the wheelchair user decides to reject use of a seat belt, the driver will attempt (sometimes loud) persuasion, finally telephoning into the office to report that the passenger has refused use of the belt. I use a wheelchair for mobility due to a low and incomplete spinal cord injury. I object to many of the features in the Intercity Transit system that, to me, are designed on the premise that people with disabilities will always need a lot of assistance from the driver. Although the driver should be trained and willing to provide assistance if it is requested, the system should be designed to promote maximum independence. Most tie-down systems can be easily manipulated by most wheelchair uses with finger movement. Although some wheelchair users need a seat belt due to problems with balance, drivers should not assume they are needed by all such passengers. A policy that requires a driver to phone in to report a passenger's rejection of the seat belt is founded on the belief that people with disabilities are incapable of making sound decisions regarding their own safety. Additionally, although grab-bars are located along the ceiling walls of other seats, none are available near the tie-down area. Thus, if the bus lurches while enroute, a wheelchair passenger has nothing to hold onto. I suppose this makes it more likely a wheelchair passenger will comply with the seat belt policy, recognizing that a passive restraint is better than none at all. Intercity Transit has been providing paratranslt services to people with disabilities for a number of years. They have moved into the provision of mainline transportation services (i.e., access to the regular bus service) only recently. It appears that they have simply shifted their operating policies and procedures from one system to the other without considering if these are applicable to the new service. I have brought my objections to Intercity Transit’s attention. Although the staff disagree with most, they are reconsidering others. Safety is a concern to people who use wheelchair lifts. However, we cannot allow it to become a convenient rationale for either eliminating the service or instituting restrictive policies that treat people with disabilities in a disparate manner from other passengers. PHOTO (by Tom Olin): A large crowd marches downhill on a wide street. In the front row a little girl in a wheelchair (Jennifer Keelan) is pushed by her mother (Cindy). Beside them a woman in a motorized wheelchair (Diane Coleman) and a long skirt and white jacket has a sign behind her reading "we the people." Beside her a man in a manual wheelchair (Bob Kafka) with a big salt and pepper beard rolls along. In the row behind, between Bob and Diane, is a woman in a wheelchair (Mary McKnew) and a man who walks (Lannie Schuman) are visible and next to them another man marches behind Diane. Behind Jennifer and Cindy is Tari Susan Hartman. Rows of marchers go further and further back up the street to the top of the hill and presumably beyond. Caption reads: Just to the right at the placard Washington residents Lannie Schuman and Mary McKnew participate in a San Francisco demonstration for transportation rights. ABOUT THE AUTHOR... In 1987, Mary McKnew tried to get arrested for the first time. She sat in front of a San Francisco police van and refused to move. She sat in her wheelchair directly under the wheels of a bus and refused to move. "I did many illegal things." she says wryly. What she did, she did in the name of accessible public transportation for people with disabilities... a personal and political quest McKnew has been following for the past 12 years. Although McKnew wasn't arrested at that demonstration (in spite of her civil disobedience efforts), many others were. More than 500 people organized by the American Disabled tor Accessible Public Transportation (ADAPT) marched through the streets oi San Francisco to the city hall to protest the continuing discriminatory policies supported by the American Public Transit Association (APTA). ADAPT has been a persistent thorn in the side of APTA for many years. Fortunately, their persistence paid off. With the final signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) expected any day, ADAPT—- and McKnew — will see many of their demands for fair, accessible transportation become reality. But McKnew says that just because you pass laws doesn't mean you quit being an activist. "The ADA will bring private transit companies under regulations just like public ones," she says, "but just passing a law doesn't mean we solve the problem. implementation is a whole other thing." In part, McKnew was referring to the possibility that some private companies may reduce the seating capacity in some of their smaller vehicles in order to side-step the accessibility requirements mandated by the ADA. "What the ADA will do is provide a clear avenue for lawsuits," she says. Is McKnew planning on handling some of those lawsuits herself? It may be too early to tell. Currently an executive policy assistant in the Office of the Governor, McKnew is also a second-year law student at the University of Puget Sound. (This story continues in the original format on 571 but is included here in its entirety for ease of reading.)
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New York Times NATIONAL Tuesday March 13, 1990 Bill Barring Discrimination Against Disabled Hits Snag By STEVEN A. HOLMES, Special to The New York Times WASHINGTON, March 12 — Having strongly supported a comprehensive bill in the Senate to extend civil rights protections to 43 million Americans with physical and mental disabilities, the Bush Administration is balking at efforts to toughen penalties against businesses that do not comply. Officially, the White House has not withdrawn its support for the bill, which would require all new buildings and services used by the public to accommodate the disabled. “We do support the legislation," the White House spokesman, Marlin Fitzwater, said today. "We‘re very supportive of their rights and their cause." But other Administration officials said President Bush was reluctant to support the measure if its backers persisted in seeking penalties for job discrimination that are harsher than those in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law bars discrimination on the basis of race, sex and national origin and limits penalties to court injunctions directing a business to stop discriminating and to reinstatement and back pay for those dismissed or not promoted as a result of bias. Both the disabilities bill passed by the Senate and one pending in the House state that penalties for violating the anti-discrimination provisions will be the same as those in the Civil Rights Act. Letter From Attorney General But a new bill introduced in both the House and the Senate last month would toughen the penalties in the 1964 law to allow for compensatory and punitive damages. Thus it would affect those in the disabilities bill as well. Sponsors say chances for passage of the proposed changes in the Civil Rights Act are good. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, in a letter sent tonight to Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, the chief sponsor of the House bill, said the Administration would seek to amend the disabilities bill to delete any link to the 1964 act and to lay out specifically what the employer sanctions would be. A spokesman for Mr.Thornburgh, David Runkel, said tonight that the Administration does not want the penalties in the disabilities act to go beyond the court injunctions and reinstatement and back pay now in the 1964 law. Senior Administration officials said the White House may withdraw its support from the bill if it is unable to delete any reference to the 1964 legislation. The disabilities measure, which passed the Senate in September by a vote of 76 to 8, has 246 sponsors in the House and passage seems virtually assured. Alixe Glen, a White House spokeswoman, declined to say whether the President would veto the bill if it continues to be linked to the civil rights laws. Rally by Disabled People The maneuvering over the bill came as more than 250 disabled people, many of them in wheelchairs, held a rally at the White House and then moved on to the steps of the Capitol to press for prompt House passage of the disabled rights bill. "Too often disabled people are seen as objects of charity or pity," Bob Kafka, a quadriplegic from Austin, Tex., said. "We're here to change that image. And we're here to send a message to the President and to Congress that this bill needs to be passed with no weakening amendments." If passed in its current form, the Americans with Disabilities Act would be the most sweeping civil rights law enacted since the landmark 1964 act. It mandates that all new buildings used by the general public, including restaurants, lodgings, places of entertainment, doctors’ offices and other establishments, provide the disabled with the means to enter and exit and that existing businesses make appropriate modifications if that can be done without creating a financial burden. The bill would also require that new railroad and subway cars and buses purchased by public and private transportation companies be accessible to people with disabilities and that telephone companies provide public telephones that can be used by persons with speech or hearing impairments. It was to gain the support of the White House and Senate Republicans that the bill's backers agreed to link the penalty provisions to those in the 1964 civil rights law. The bill's supporters had wanted to allow disabled people who proved they were victims of intentional and willful job discrimination to sue for compensatory and punitive damages. But the Administration argued that the disabled should not receive protections that were greater than those accorded to women and minorities. With the Administration's backing, the Senate approved the bill. But as it worked its way through House committees, a separate measure, the Civil Rights Act of 1990, was introduced in Congress with the backing of a coalition oi civil rights organizations that includes groups representing people with disabilities. The new measure amends the 1964 law to permit compensatory and punitive damages for victims of job discrimination. ENLARGED TEXT INSERTED INTO THE ARTICLE: How tough should the penalties against businesses be? PHOTO (The New York Times/George Tames): Three women in wheelchairs (Paulette Patterson, Christine Coughlin, and Lillibeth Navarro) across a sidewalk roll in front of a large white pillared government building [part of the White House complex]. The closest woman is holding a small bull horn and chanting; she is being pushed by another woman with an ADAPT headband and T-shirt. The other two women are in power chairs, the one in the middle has a placard that says something about Rights, and she is carrying the ADAPT flag and chanting. All four women look very determined and strong. Caption reads: Hundreds of handicapped people demonstrated in Washington yesterday to press for passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
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Weekly Reader Senior Edition Volume 44, Issue 8, November 3. 1989 PHOTO (by Roberta Barnes/San Antonio Light): A group of marchers, nine are visible but there appear to be more behind them, most in wheelchairs, roll toward the camera. In seems to be windy and sunny and they are on a downtown sidewalk. In the center a man with a busy head of hair and salt and pepper beard (Bob Kafka) rolls his manual chair as he shouts; behind him is a large ADAPT flag. He wears an ADAPT shirt with the no steps logo, suspenders and blue jeans; across is legs is a sign reading "victims of inappropriate accessibility" and he has a bag or something stuffed between his feet. He is looking to his right and a woman in a power chair in a white dress and dark sunglasses looks back at him with a slight smile. She seems to have a parasol. On his left is a man in a motored wheelchair (Hector Saenz) in a button down shirt and suit pants is rolling with him and also yelling. In the row behind them you can see two women in dark sunglasses and dresses walking and carrying posters, one reads "LIFTS NOT LIES." Between Bob and Hector you can see the line goes back and a man with dark hair and a beard (Frank Lozano) is visible pushing another person in a wheelchair. Between the marchers street signs "speed limit 20", "merge left" and a pedestrian crossing sign, are visible. Caption in large print reads: DISABLED AMERICANS WIN RIGHTS See story, pages 4 and 5
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Fort Worth Star Telegram / Sunday March 26, 1989 [Headline] Disabled evicted by guards [Subheading] Fort Worth protest at courthouse ends BY Whitt Canning, Fort Worth Star Telegram Bob, Joe, Frank, Tim and Frazier spent a quiet evening Friday on the ninth floor of the Federal Building nodding off occasionally between friendly chats with the guards. Having arrived earlier in the day to take part in a protest by a group of disabled people against the Urban Mass Transit Administration, they hadn't really planned on staying the night. Things just sort of worked out that way. Their strange vigil ended abruptly about 1:15 p.m. yesterday when they were evicted by Federal Protection Service officers, who explained that it was being done for their own good. “They physically picked us up and carried us out," said Bob Kafka, admiring a skinned place on his right forearm that was bleeding slighty. “At least," said Joe Carle, “it was reassuring being in the hands of the kinder, gentler Bush administration." Kafka, 43, Carle, 50, Frank Lozano, 38, and Tim Baker, 26, are members of a group called American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation that staged a nationwide protest Friday in an effort to dissuade the administration from appealing a recent decision in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals (ADAPT vs. Burnley). The decision requires wheelchair lifts on buses purchased with federal money. The Fort Worth protest involved 20 to 30 people, but Kafka, Carle, Lozano and Baker managed to reach the ninth-floor office of the administration's regional manager, Wilbur Hare. There, they requested he telephone White House chief of staff John Sununu and voice his support for the court decision. Joining the small group in its audience with Hare was Frazier, an amiable pooch who serves the visually impaired Lozano as a guide dog. Hare refused the request, and went home at 4:45 p.m., leaving the intrepid little band stuck on the ninth floor, vowing to stay through Easter weekend. “We were in the outer office, and he (Hare) came out once about 3:30 and told us he was leaving at his normal time," Carle said. "Then at 4:45, he came out, shook our hands, wished us happy Easter, and left. "We wished him happy Easter too." So the group was left occupying the building, along with several guards. At 6 p.m., Casey Bowen, director of building operations with the General Services Administration, told them they would not be forcibly removed, but he would not allow food to be brought in. As an added precaution, Kafka said, all the phones were removed. “I don't mean just in Hare‘s office," Kafka said. "lt looked to me like they removed every phone on the ninth floor. They didn‘t just disconnect them. They TOOK the phones off.“ The group settled in for the night. "Mostly, we tried to sleep as best we could, sitting in our chairs (Kafka, Carle and Baker use wheelchairs)" Kafka said. "I got the couch, since l'm the oldest," Carle said. “Frank slept on the floor because he doesn't have a wheelchair.“ "There are some vending machines up there," Kafka said, "and we ate some candy bars and drank some cokes that was about it. "The guards were very nice to us -- until today, when they evicted us." [Subheading] PROTEST About 6:30 a.m. yesterday, Kafka said, they asked the guards if they could send out for food and were refused. About 11 a.m. the group's attorney, Paul Alexander, arrived with the same request and also was refused. Then about l p.m., the group made another request — that Hare appear at a 6 p.m. news conference and agree to make the call to Washington tomorrow. ln return, they would end their occupation of the building. "That's when they evicted us," Kafka said. “They said they were acting on Bowen's orders and it was for our own good because we hadn't had anything to eat. “They picked me up out of my chair, because l wasn't going to leave, and carried me. That's how I got skinned up." “They had a little trouble getting Frank into a wheelchair," Carle said. “But Frazier went quietly when ordered to leave." Baker, who is severely disabled, did not fare so well, group members said. “When they were pushing him out in his chair, they didn't know how to operate it, and they tore up the motor and the clutch,“ Kafka said. “They did about $1,000 worth of damage to it." Guards at the building refused to comment. Hare did not show up at the news conference. And the I3 activists held up the starting time of 6 p.m. to wait for additional supporters who did not arrive. “We came here to fight for transportation, but we couldn't get the troops over to fight for them," Carle said, adding that none of the disabled could ride the bus downtown so only those who could afford a car could come. Kafka said that the group will examine legal recourse for injuries and damages incurred while being evicted. However, the group's lawyer, Paul Alexander, had advised the four that they might not have legal grounds because they were on federal property, Carle said. As to whether the demonstrators felt they had accomplished anything by the protest, Carle said, “We hope that somewhere along the line this wakes up the able-bodied community" and shows members of the disabled community that “they don't have to knuckle under." He said the group's impromptu occupation of Hare's office had probably amazed them as much as anyone else. “When we got here (with the other protesters), I was telling Bob that Mr. Hare was a pretty nice guy and would probably make the phone call fairly quickly," Carle said. “We were trying to figure out what we were going to do with the rest of the afternoon.“ Carle said other protests are planned soon, including one against Greyhound Corp. on Monday in Dallas. Greyhound, he said, has indicated it does not wish to adapt its buses to the handicapped. “I think this was an abomination," Kafka said. “As a Vietnam veteran, l am embarrassed for my country. But it's just another example of how the govrnment views the disabled. They don't want us to be people — they want us to sit down and shut up, or be put away in institutions. “I think a lot of people have a fear of the disabled." “They're trying to put us back where we've been for ... eternity," Carle said. "Instead of doing this, they should help us with job training so we can carry our own weight. “It's the only way we will ever become . . . people." The occupying force at least had a clear view of its immediate objective once it was back out on the street: friends who arrived to help were immediately dispatched to find food (“double burgers, chicken, and big milkshakes"). When the food gathering force hurried off, Carle offered one last observation on the situation. "Frazier," he confided. “is extremely upset about all this. “He says they treated him like a dog." Staff writer Betsy C.M. Tong contributed to this report PHOTO (by Ricky Moon, Fort Worth Star-Telegram): From left to right Frank Lozano kneels on the pavement, his hand on his dog Frazier's neck. Frazier, a white lab, sits calmly in harness, looking serenely off into the distance. Beside him is Joe Carle in a denim vest, ADAPT shirt, gimmie cap and dark glasses, he sits in his wheelchair and smiles. Next to him, Tim Baker, face partially obscured by his chin operated wheelchair control stick, looks over at Bob Kafka. Kafka, next to him is in his manual wheelchair and is talking to Tim. Behind them is the stark facade of the federal building. Caption reads: Frank Lozano, his dog Frazier, Joe Carle, Tim Baker and Bob Kafka, from left, sit outside the Federal Courthouse after their eviction.
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Fort Worth Star Telegram handwritten: 3-26-89 [sic] [Headline] An Easter sit-in by activists in the Federal Building [This story appears in 588 and continues on 587, but is entirely included here for ease of reading.] PHOTO (by Fort Worth Star-Telegram/ RICKY MOON): In a fairly fancy office with leather chairs and wooden bookshelves and table, a group of disabled people sit in a semi circle. On the left side of the picture is a small man (Paul Alexander) in a grey suit and small, personally adapted wheelchair; his head is back and he is kind of looking over his shoulder at some of the others in the room. Next to him in a comfy padded chair sits a man with black hair, mustache and beard (Frank Lozano) in an ADAPT no steps logo shirt. Over his head he holds a poster that says "Access not excuses DON'T APPEAL." Next to him is a man in a manaul wheelchair (Bob Kafka) who is also wearing an ADAPT no steps logo shirt, suspenders and blue jeans. Beside him is a doorway and someone is standing in the doorway, on the other side with his back to the group. On the other side of the door is a woman in a wheelchair (Kathy Gaines) with curly hair and a pink blouse; she appears to be in a wheelchair as well. She is holding a sign but you can't read it from the angle it's at. Beside her, and at the front of the picture is a man (Joe Carle) sitting in an armchair with his legs up in his wheelchair; one leg is amputed below the knee. He is wearing a vest and ADAPT T-shirt on the arm of which you can see the list of cities where ADAPT has held actions. He is holding up and looking at a poster that reads "Bush says Mainstream Disabled." Caption reads: Paul Alexander, left, and Kathy Gaines, second from right, tried to negotiate for Frank Lozano and Bob Kafka, center, and Joe Carle, right. [Headline] Disabled demand better access BY Bob GWIZDZ Fort Worth StarTelegram Four people lobbying for better access to public transportation for disabled people refused to leave the Federal Building in downtown Fort Worth last night, promising to stay until Monday. Members of the American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation earlier in the day had demanded that a local Department of Transportation official call the White House in support of their cause. Similar actions were planned in other cities today. “We plan to stay through Easter and welcome Wilbur Hare Monday morning.“ said Bob Kafka, a community organizer with the group. “On Monday we'll decide where we go from there.“ Hare, regional manager of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, refused the group's request that he call White House chief of staff John Sununu in support of a recent federal appeals court decision requiring wheelchair lifts on all new public buses purchased with federal money. Group members say they think the Department of Transportation will appeal the decision. ln Philadelphia, eight people were escorted from a federal building that contains the regional transportation administration office when the building closed at 5 p.m. Sieglinde Shapiro, who headed the delegation of disabled people, said she read a statement to the official in charge. The statement noted that similar meeting had been scheduled with regional directors in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Seattle, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Ariz., and Salt Lake City, she said. The Associated Press office in Dallas said it had no reports of meetings with federal officials there. The Fort Worth office of the transportation department serves the Metroplex. Shapiro said “our sources in Washington tell us that the U.S. Department of Transportation is poised to appeal” the Feb. 13 decision by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling requires that every bus newly purchased with federal assistance be wheelchair accessible, and that those unable use buses be provided with adequate transportation. The Fort Worth protest began when between 20 and 30 demonstrators, many in wheelchairs, arrived at the Federal Building around 1 p.m. after assembling at nearby Burnett Park. Hare, who said he received word Wednesday that a protest was planned, asked the protesters to meet with him downstairs at the Federal Building. The demonstrators refused. “That’s how you treat the disabled separate,” Kafka said to Hare. “We want to see you on the ninth floor, in your office, like everybody else. It’s the same thing as transportation — we want access like everybody else.” After a few protesters entered the building, Federal Protective Service officers locked the doors, forcing more than half of the demonstrators to remain outside. Hare said his office would not accommodate all the protesters. He declined to say who ordered the officers to lock the doors. About 10 protesters met with Hare in his office. “I’m not calling Mr. Sununu, but if you have a message for him, I’ll do my best to get it delivered,” Hare said. “lf you’d like to make a call, then go where you conduct your business and make the call. I’m sure you’ve made your views known to (President) Bush and if you haven’t, there are better ways to do it than tying up this office all afternoon.” Hare did call the Washington headquarters of the transportation administration and said he relayed the protesters’ message to officials there. When Hare left at 4:45 p.m., his normal quitting time, four protesters decided to remain. “We weren’t anticipating Mr. Hare being so obstinate,” Kafka said. “We expected a quick reaction and a phone call. It just shows their real arrogance toward disabled people.” At 6 p.m., Casey Bowen, director of building operations with the General Services Administration, told the protesters that he would prefer they leave, but that he had no intention of forcibly removing them. But Bowen said he would not allow them to have food sent in, and he had the telephones removed from the office. “Quite frankly, our intent is not to encourage this sort of protest,” Bowen said. Reporters could not contact the protesters later in the evening and building guards declined to comment. The protesters, who had no provisions other than a couple of granola bars and soft drinks, have access to the building's snack and soft drink machines. Besides Kafka, 43, of Austin, the protesters who remained in the building last night were Joe Carle, 50, and Frank Lozano, 39, both of Dallas, and Tim Baker, 26, of Austin. Kafka has used a wheelchair since he suffered a broken neck in an auto accident 10 years ago. Carle suffers from a circulation disorder, has had part of one leg amputated and has used a wheelchair for nine years. Lozano is blind, the result of an auto accident five years ago. Baker suffers from severe cerebral palsy. Paul Alexander, a Fort Worth lawyer who uses a wheelchair, arrived late in the afternoon to try to negotiate a settlement. When it became apparent that the protesters were determined to stay, Alexander tried to arrange for permission for food delivery. Alexander said arrangements could not be made. “Us being locked up all weekend symbolizes the thousands of disabled people who are locked up in their homes," Carle said. “Will it do any good? Or will it make you look like a jackass? l don’t know the answer. I honestly don’t." Staff writer Betsy C.M. Tong contributed to this report.